Premier Christy Clark talks B.C. Jobs Plan and the latest Angus Reid poll at NRI Distribution Thursday afternoon.

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

By Jennifer Stahn

Premier Christy Clark appeared in Kamloops Thursday saying she's a fighter, with the latest Angus Reid opinion poll showing the Liberals dipping below the 30 per cent mark for the first time this year.

On Clark's agenda was discussion about the B.C. Jobs Plan and how much the government has accomplished in the 18 months since implementing the plan, but those in attendance were more curious about the poll.

Numbers this week show 48 per cent of those polled intend to vote for Adrian Dix and the B.C. NDPs while the B.C. Liberals were claiming only 28 per cent of intentions. The strongholds for the NDP are Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island while the Southern Interior saw only an eight per cent lead for the NDP. The B.C. Green Party and the B.C. Conservatives approval ratings were both at 11 per cent.

Clark said she doesn't mind being the underdog though, “I'm a fighter and I believe in what we're doing here in British Columbia. I am confident with the record we have gotten, people will say I think the people who will protect our economy in the long term are the B.C. Liberals.”

“I am laser focused on growing this economy and I think that's what people want us to focus on.”

Clark said it was hard to comment on any of the B.C. Conservatives promises when they based their entire budget on the highest possible revenue presumptions and will result in either a big budget deficit or empty promises, “they won't come in.”

The NDP, she said, “is trying to be all things to all people. That's not leadership.”

She looks forward to a debate with Dix where she can make him address issues and where he actually stands on key items like taxes and economy. Every election should be a debate of ideas, Clark said.

The Angus Reid public opinion poll took place earlier this week and included 809 randomly selected panelists. The margin of error is considered within 3.5 per cent. More than 4.6 million people currently live in B.C.

Clark held the press conference at NRI Distribution in Dallas before holding a media round table at Kamloops-South Thompson candidate Todd Stone's office. Conservative leader John Cummins will be at the opening of Peter Sharp's Kamloops-South Thompson campaign office this afternoon while Dix will be at a fund-raiser dinner at Desert Gardens this evening.

To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013