Joyce Murray has set her sights on trouncing the Conservative government.
The Vancouver MP says that if she is elected federal Liberal leader, her goal is to bring about a change in Ottawa.
“I’m the only candidate with a plan,” said Murray, who will be at a no-host lunch at Vernon’s Pantry restaurant Saturday at noon.
Murray believes the only way to defeat the Conservatives is for the Liberals to work with the NDP and the Greens and run a single candidate against Conservative MPs who won with a minority.
“I want to build the party and co-operate to defeat Stephen Harper,” she said.
As she travels the country, Murray says there is a lot of concern about the current government.
“They do not like what Harper has done to democracy — the secrecy,” she said.
“The prime minister’s omnibus bills are undemocratic. There is no consultation and over time, they will damage the environment.”
A focus for Murray is the economy.
“Young people are concerned about what opportunities are there for them,” she said. “They want a job that fits their education and they want to know there will be social programs for them.”
Murray would like to see government invest in green technology.
“It’s about high value jobs. It’s about innovation.”
There are nine candidates pursuing the Liberal leadership, but Murray, who owns a reforestation company, is confident that she will rise to the top.
“My message is doing pretty well with social media,” she said. “I was trending on Twitter during the last debate.”
Murray has been in Vernon several times before, and she says meeting with Canadians is a critical part of her leadership campaign.
“I want to understand the issues of communities like Vernon,” she said.
