It wasn’t a pre-election tour, but Premier Christy Clark this week urged supporters to support the local Liberal MLA.
Speaking at a gathering in Qualicum Beach Tuesday, Clark denied the whirlwind tour of Vancouver Island — which included stops in Nanaimo and Qualicum Beach — was a pre-election jaunt, despite repeated appeals to the approximately 300 people gathered at Thalassa’s Restaurant to re-elect Ron Cantelon as MLA for the area.
“This is not a pre-election tour,” she said. “It’s part of what I want to do the entire time I am premier and that’s listen to people.”
That listening exercise didn’t stop Clark from urging those in attendance to “put their shoulder to the wheel” in support of Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon, or from taking a few shots at the leader of the opposition.
“A lot of you might remember the 1990s, when so many people left the province because they couldn’t find jobs,” she said. “That’s what we could go back to. Adrian Dix was Glen Clark’s chief of staff and Glen only did about half of what Adrian wanted him to do.”
Speaking to reporters outside the gathering, Clark said she doesn’t know when the writ for the next provincial election will be dropped, but she did rule out at least one date.
Clark said rumours of the writ being dropped on Sept. 2 are unfounded.
“No, she said.
“I haven’t made a decision on when an election will be called. We have to get through this HST referendum first. Let’s see what happens with that.”
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