BC Liberal leadership hopeful Kevin Falcon is brushing aside past controversies or suggestions he comes into the race with baggage.
Kevin Falcon himself has suggested his role in cabinet under Premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark could be his biggest challenge to his leadership campaign.
But on some of the specifics, he’s unapologetic. For example – his introduction of tolls on the Port Mann Bridge.
“I don’t consider the Port Mann Bridge tolls baggage. I actually can tell all your listeners that there wouldn’t be a Port Mann Bridge today if the NDP were in power back then because they opposed it every step of the way.”
Speaking on the NL Noon Report, Falcon says all the talk now is about potentially introducing road pricing – another term for tolls, he says.
He also says while he regrets his previous endorsement of Maxime Bernier for leadership of the Conservative Party – at the time Bernier was running for a mainstream party.
“The moment he left the Conservative Party I should tell you, after he lost the leadership race, he was dead to me. I never spoke to him again since. I’ve never had any interactions with him since he’s left the party, and I think its unfortunate the road that he’s travelled since then.”
Falcon was also asked why he thinks the BC Liberals need to rebrand and rename themselves.
“I just think that since I retired from the party and government in 2012, I do think the party has lost its way,” he says.
“And I think we have to get back to being a principal-based party where we stand for important principals, and we stand for big ideas and I think that once we do that we have the opportunity to re-energize our support base, the public and to make sure that we can win back the confidence of British Columbians.”
Falcon is now the fourth candidate in the Liberal party leadership race, joining Gavin Dew, Michael Lee and Ellis Ross.
(Photo: Twitter: @KevinFalcon)