Liberal campaign heats up

The B.C. Liberal leadership race is heating up, with three high-profile candidates visiting the Okanagan.

Former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts, who recently gave up her seat as a Conservative MP, met students at UBC Okanagan on Tuesday.

Watts said as she watched what's unfolding in B.C., she felt she had to get involved.

“I felt I couldn’t have one foot in Ottawa and one foot in British Columbia,” she said.

Watts took part in a round table with UBCO students and said it's important to engage with the younger generation.

“When I look at losing 11 seats, and when I talk to people, especially young families, I hear over and over again that there was nothing that connected with them,” she said. “We can have balanced budgets and the best economy, but how does that make a difference in someone’s life?”

Leadership candidate Mike Lee was in Penticton. He said he's pitching "a new message, a new perspective" he wants to bring to the province.

“How do we continue to build this province?” he said. “For me, it is about how do we continue to work with local municipalities, local industry, wine industry, tourism industry, tech sector.”

Lee said we can’t keep trying to solve challenges with same old solutions.

Former cabinet minister Mike de Jong met with Vernon residents to share his own ideas about the future of the party.

“I hope it is, and I believe it will be a campaign about ideas, about creating that vision for the future,” he said.

De Jong asked: where do we want to take British Columbia in five, 10 and 30 years?

“I come to that conversation with some experience and some success, and as a party we are going to build on that and move forward,” said de Jong.