Voters are getting a closer look at BC Liberal leadership hopeful Dianne Watts.
In a video posted on Sunday, Watts unveiled her first official policy plank, pledging to direct any tax windfall from legalized pot to the B.C.’s communities who she said will be on the front lines.
LISTEN: Dianne Watts joins CKNW’s Jon McComb
“It’s being rolled out in the communities,” Watts said.
“And that’s exactly where the dispensaries are going to be set up, it’s exactly where the licensing is going to take place, it’s exactly where the policing needs to occur as we look at impairment.”
In a long, and at points unfocused interview with CKNW’s Jon McComb Monday morning, Watts touched on several other key areas – including opposition to taxpayer subsidies for political parties in the NDP’s corporate and union donation ban.
Asked directly by McComb if she would support Todd Stone’s idea to forgo any taxpayer money, Watts wouldn’t say yes or no.
“Well, I don’t know whether it’s, well, you know, if you don’t take the stand you’re unprincipled? No, I would disagree with that. I think when you’ve got, as I said, got a piece of bad legislation, the legislation needs to be amended to reflect what British Columbians want,” she said.
“And I don’t think that British Columbians want their money going to political parties that they don’t support. So if there’s parties, if there are people that want to support the B.C. Liberals, I mean I have no issue with that. But as I said before, when you’re dealing with upfront, that’s where you, you know, the caps and all of that criteria, that’s where you need to be coming from.”
WATCH: Dianne Watts to seek BC Liberal leadership, step down as Conservative MP
Watts also slammed what she called the NDP-Green “coalition” that she said was raising taxes and chasing away “billions” of dollars.
“If you look at the LNG pieces, Petronas and the other company that just had said we’re done, we’re not going forward with this. That’s billions of dollars just in this.”
Pressed on whether the loss of those projects was in fact the result of the NDP’s election rather the poor global market for natural gas, Watts pivoted to the New Democrats’ reassessment of the Site C dam.
Watts also addressed Christy Clark’s so-called “clone speech,” which borrowed liberally from the NDP’s election platform.
“That confused a lot of British Columbians,” said Watts, who added the government was in a surplus position but failed to communicate what it would do with the money during the spring election campaign.
READ MORE: BC Liberal leadership race: candidates, dates and spending details
When challenged by McComb on requirements that provincial surpluses be directed at paying down debt, Watts clarified that she was referring to spending priorities under a balanced budget.
“What I’m saying is when we have a good financial house in order, and you’ve got surpluses – absolutely it has to go to pay the debt down, but your house is in good order, then you look at okay, where can we spend money in terms of what do we need to support the people of British Columbia. And that’s what needs to be articulated, and that unfortunately wasn’t.”
The former three-term Surrey mayor and current Conservative MP for South Surrey-White Rock announced her bid for the BC Liberal leadership on Sunday.
Watts said she will be stepping down as an MP in order to focus 100 per cent of her attention on the race.
Former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan announced his candidacy last week, while former BC Liberal cabinet ministers Mike Bernier and Andrew Wilkinson are expected to announce they are running on Monday afternoon.
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