By Margaret MacDiarmid

As a family doctor for 23 years, I know how important it is to review a situation comprehensively. That’s the only way you can get the whole picture. It’s the approach I take so I can most effectively work with and help my patients with any health issues they are facing.

Looking at the range of issues in Vancouver today, we must also look at the big picture to determine how to find solutions. A broad look at our city shows there is only one way to ensure we have the resources required to address the concerns of Vancouverites.

That one issue is the economy. A strong economy, and the jobs that come with it, is the foundation of everything we want to accomplish in Vancouver and across British Columbia. Simply put, a strong economy and the experienced leadership to guide it provide the financial resources we need to keep moving forward.

If we’re going to build on the B.C. Liberal record of 1,100 new police officers over the past five years, we can’t do it without a strong economy.

Health funding will increase by $4.8 billion over the next three years because of our prudent fiscal planning.

We’ve been able to help people in need by creating the Rental Assistance Program for low-income families, by doubling Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters, and by creating more than 15,900 units of subsidized housing. We’ve been able to do that because the B.C. Liberals built an economy that provided the resources needed to make these important investments.

We want to keep B.C. strong. That’s why the B.C. Liberals are committed to investing $14 billion in projects like school, college, university, and hospital upgrades, and transportation infrastructure. These projects will create up to 88,000 jobs, especially in the hard-hit construction industry.

Keeping people working keeps the economy going, and that makes sure we can continue to invest in the priorities and projects important to British Columbians.

That is why one of my goals for Vancouver-Fairview is to build on the incredible record of health-care investments in my riding: the Jim Pattison Pavilion Tower at VGH; the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre; the renovated VGH Emergency Department; and new mental health building at B.C. Children’s and B.C. Women’s hospitals.

In fact, Vancouver-Fairview and our city are a key hub of specialty health-care services for our province, thanks to Vancouver General Hospital, high-tech and bio-tech companies, and health agencies based here. One of my main goals as MLA will be to find ways to attract even more world-class research and development. These kinds of businesses will create jobs, support our local merchants, and build our community.

When you look at the whole picture, there is one question: who is best to lead our economy forward in these tough economic times? And there is only one answer—Premier Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals.

Margaret MacDiarmid is the B.C. Liberal candidate in Vancouver-Fairview.