Although Kevin Falcon leaves no doubt in the listener's mind that he wants the leadership of the B.C. Liberal Party, he paid respect to his fellow candidates, saying B.C. would be in good hands with any one of them at the helm.
Speaking to 30 mainly Liberal faithfuls on Wednesday, Feb. 16, after a white-knuckle flight from Powell River, Falcon said the leadership race has been the "single most fantastic thing that has happened to [the Liberal] Party and the province."
Sharing the sentiment of many in the province, local riding vice-president Patrick Muncaster said Falcon was his number one choice on the ballot.
"Kevin is young and has a keen appreciation for what a balanced budget means," Muncaster said in his introduction of Falcon.
A member of the legislature since 2001, Falcon represents the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale. His star has risen in caucus since his first portfolio of Minister of State for Deregulation.
He told the group assembled at Magellans Restaurant that before the government got serious about deregulation, the restaurant would have been breaking the law because there is more than one TV in the place and they are more than 14 inches in size. B.C. has 41 per cent less red tape and regulatory burden since the Liberals took office, according to Falcon.
In his role as transportation minister for six years, Falcon found himself on the hot seat more than once. He was minister when controversial decisions were made to widen the Sea to Sky Highway and to build the Canada Line connecting Vancouver and the airport.
"You have to do the right thing, not the easy thing," Falcon said of the experiences.
He pointed out that ridership numbers for the Canada Line have made short shrift of the early critics that said the train would never draw enough riders.
"We accomplished more during those six years than ever before in the history of B.C.," Falcon declared.
In his next portfolio - health - Falcon joked that he knew he'd really made the premier mad about something. With an aging population and a shrinking workforce, Falcon said being health minister is a difficult balancing act. He went on to relate some of his first-hand knowledge of the difficulties people face in medical crises.
His mother was a nurse for 30 years and Falcon's father died from a degenerative disease that left the older man unable to speak or look after himself. But, Falcon said, the B.C. medical system never failed his father.
Later during questions from the group, Mayor Darren Inkster of Sechelt asked Falcon about the feasibility of having a gerontological research facility located on the Sunshine Coast. Falcon said that other areas of B.C., mainly Vancouver Island, would probably hotly contest our area for the facility. Falcon went on to say 6,000 units of housing for seniors have been added in B.C. since 2001. Prior to that there was little assisted living housing in the province, Falcon said.
The father of a one-year-old daughter, Josephine, Falcon could soon have more than a teething baby to keep him awake at night. If his past record is any indication, he appears to relish the challenge. The leadership vote takes place Feb. 26.
