Entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer says if he is chosen to lead the B.C. Conservatives, he will offer “real solutions that work from the northeast to the coast.”
“I want to remind British Columbians that the economic engine of our province is outside of the Lower Mainland,” said Yuri Fulmer. Fulmer is a candidate to lead the B.C. Conservatives, who he believes must focus on increasing productivity.
“We want to get business going again. So, the roadblocks that the NDP has put in place, the red tape they put in place, all of the obstacles to being in business, to getting the sectors moving again, that’s the stuff I want to fix,” he said, during a press conference in Fort St John’s Pomeroy Hotel and Conference Centre.
Fulmer said addressing issues affecting the northeast, including health care, will also be a priority.
“I was just at a room in Fort St John where only one person in the room had a family doctor. That’s unacceptable,” explained the leadership candidate.
“We’re going to focus on the frontline delivery of healthcare. One thing the NDP has done is they have completely bloated the administrative cost of healthcare – so it hasn’t been about doctors and nurses and frontline workers. It’s been about vice presidents in the healthcare system and a bloated administration.”
His campaign to lead the party kicked off last week in Cranbrook. Then, after a trip down the island, Fulmer headed northward to the Peace.
“It’s a little bit different around the province, but I think everybody’s in the same place. Housing is unaffordable for everybody, and you know, when you go to the grocery store, you get a bill that makes your heart stop,” explained the entrepreneur.
Fulmer also discussed his plan for repeat and violent offenders.
“This used to be a downtown Eastside Vancouver problem, and now it’s an everywhere problem. There are streets in every community where people feel unsafe,” he said. “Offenders are back out on the street, and we need to put a stop to that. British Columbians need to know that if you are convicted of a crime, you do not belong on the streets.”
He said under his leadership, the B.C. Conservatives will welcome voters across party lines. Drawing former NDP supporters with shared concerns will be the path forward under Fulmer, if elected.
“Anyone who voted NDP in the last election is welcome back to vote for us because we know that with good conservative values and a focus on fiscal responsibility, we are the government for the province,” said the hopeful leader.
“This province has been good to me. I think I’ve worked hard,” he continued.
“I think, most importantly, I’m not a politician. I’m a dad. I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a philanthropist – that’s the stuff you want to bring to B.C. I just want to make this province better for everybody.”
Earlier this month, the party announced they would form an “impartial body tasked with the oversight of the race and the administration of the rules and procedures,” according to its statement.
The independent MLA for Peace River North, Jordan Kealy, said regardless of the result of this leadership race, he is not interested in rejoining the Conservative party.
