Housing, transit, and mental health.

This trio of issues dominated discussion as former Surrey mayor and B.C. Liberal leadership candidate Dianne Watts lunched Monday with University of Victoria students at a campus bar. Watts is currently competing against other six candidates for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals, and MondayB次元官网网址檚 campus stop was part of a larger swing across Vancouver Island, where B.C. Liberals fared poorly, winning one out of 14 seats.

But the Greater Victoria region generally and UVic specifically is hardly unfamiliar territory for Watts. As mayor of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 second largest municipality for nine years and former Conservative federal MP, Watts does not need any introductions in the halls of power, and one of her two daughters studied marine biology at UVic. Yet Watts eagerly deferred to the insights of gathering, which consisted out of student leaders, members of the local B.C. Young Liberals club, and a couple members of the public.

B次元官网网址淵our voice is really important for everything we do,B次元官网网址� she said.

Filling a corner of FelicitaB次元官网网址檚 Pub, the group snacked fries and nachos during the hour-or-so-long meeting. Watts, like most attendees, sipped on water, but others lifted pints, as they presented Watts with a lengthy, often insightful list of local grievances, starting with housing.

B次元官网网址淗ousing is one of the most pivotal issues for students,B次元官网网址� said Karina Dhillon, director-at-large with the University of Victoria StudentsB次元官网网址� Society. DhillonB次元官网网址檚 board colleague Christopher Dickey meanwhile raised the issue of mental health for students. Watts also heard complaints about inadequate transit service between campus and key regional destinations like Downtown Victoria and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

Watts, for her part, did not talk much about the leadership race with the students. When asked, she underscored the need for fiscal responsibility, encouraging economic opportunities in communities across British Columbia, and working across jurisdictional boundaries.

In a later interview, Watts said the province needs to build more student housing, as part of a larger approach to help students deal with the financial and emotional stresses of attending university. B次元官网网址淪o we really have to do a better job of doing some analysis around universities, and see how we can better support university students.B次元官网网址�

Watts acknowledged that the B.C. Liberals failed to heed some of these concerns, while in government. B次元官网网址淭hat is why, we are in opposition,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭he party stopped listening, and they disconnected from the residents of British Columbia.B次元官网网址�

B.C. Liberals, she said, need to reconnect. B次元官网网址淚n terms of renewing the party, we need the next generation to participate, to really bring that voice to the table, and that is why IB次元官网网址檓 going to all of the universities to engage with youth. They need to be at the table.B次元官网网址�

Watts was the second leadership candidate to stop at FelicitaB次元官网网址檚 Pub within the last seven days. On Wednesday last week, Todd Stone sat down for what its campaign advertised as B次元官网网址淧ints and Politics.B次元官网网址�