Canada was founded, built and steered by liberal ideals of individual freedom, opportunity, and responsibility. Freedom to work hard, live your life, be treated as an equal, and prosper. The opportunity to be the best you can be, regardless of circumstances. The responsibility to respect the legal and moral foundations of our society, share its benefits, and protect the collective institutions that ensure our freedoms and opportunities.

My vision for Canada is of a truly sustainable society, one that is fair to the next generation, founded on a New Liberalism in which those freedoms, opportunities and responsibilities we have enjoyed are timeless - they can also be attained by our children and their children.

I am running for the leadership of Canada's Liberal Party because our Party is the best to bring forth this vision of a sustainable society. Liberal governments brought forward most of the practical, often bold, initiatives that have made Canada a great country, successfully adapting to changing times, challenges and circumstances. Our Party can bring forward the solutions to the complex barriers in the way of having a thriving 21st century economy based on a sustainable environment, social justice, a healthy democracy, and a cooperative role contributing to peace and prosperity for the global community.

I have the ideas, the practical experience, and the record of political success to revitalize the Liberal Party and, with it, the Canadian experience. Canadians know they are more than mere taxpayers and more than simply voters.  They are citizens who deserve a principled government that governs for all Canadians, including those of the future. The foundational liberal ideals have become translated over time into the common values that represent the Canadian experience - the very fabric of our identity as Canadians.  Yet we are becoming too complacent.  We cannot afford to take progress for granted.
 
For the first time in Canada's history, our children could be a generation worse off than their parents.  Growing income inequality is becoming entrenched in Canada.  Middle-income families' incomes have flat-lined so they are borrowing more and saving less.  Our collective failure to respond to the threat of global warming and to stimulate a cleaner economy and new green jobs is putting Canada's economy and future at risk. People are being shut out of their government's decision processes.
 
I am passionate about a Canada that regains its place as a world leader.  We need evidence-based policies that harness our talents and promote innovation solutions; that enable local knowledge and support local economies; that support Canadian research and development and new technologies, so that Canada can continue to punch above our weight in a competitive global marketplace.  The only way to renew Canada's role as a world leader is by building a sustainable economy for the 21st century.
 
As an immigrant, a woman, a successful entrepreneur and politician, I bring a unique voice and a different set of skills to the job.  Genuine transformation is a theme in my career.  As a new Canadian I learned about hard work; as an entrepreneur, I co-created a forward thinking reforestation company with my husband Dirk.  As a politician, I strive to connect and collaborate to bring about pragmatic solutions to complex problems.
 
The Liberal Party needs a leader with a proven track record and the courage to persevere in the face of current political challenges.  One that embraces our diverse Canadian experience in all regions of our country and is ready to take on the tough job of uniting us in that diversity.  We need a leader who is experienced and willing to tackle some of the tough challenges facing Canada - global warming, growing debt and deficits, income inequality, 3rd world conditions on many First Nations reserves, and the erosion of democratic principles.
 
After 25 years in business, three children almost grown, I contested a provincial BC Liberal nomination and won BC's longest-held NDP seat, New Westminster.  Serving as a MLA and a Cabinet Minister from 2001-2005, I experienced how leadership skills that built a business, can also be effective agents of change in government.  In 2008, after another contested nomination, I was elected MP for Vancouver Quadra in a by-election, and twice more.  I know how it feels to work hard and to win.
 
I believe that creating a healthy economy and a safe country requires a pragmatic, tough leader with the courage and creativity to work towards common understandings.  For years I have fought to make sustainability the best practice within business and the policies of provincial and federal Liberal parties. I am someone who sees the future and seizes it.  That's what I want to share with the Party and our country, so we can continue to leave a positive legacy for the future.

Joyce