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Val Litwin has never held elected office, but he’s used to speaking engagements and spearheading innovative projects, which he believes give him the credibility to seek the top job in the B.C. Liberal party.
“I had a front-row seat to seeing the damage caused by COVID-19 in our communities as CEO for B.C. Chamber of Commerce, and it really gave me pause. I saw the connection between healthy economies and healthy communities and healthy people, so I think the B.C. Liberals are the best party to take this province into the next chapter, because it knows how to fire up a fair, diverse and inclusive economy that cares for people,” said Litwin.
The 44-year-old married father of two has just completed a four-year stint as the CEO of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and is currently the head of “The Forum,” a non-profit that supports female entrepreneurs.
“I think it helps me to understand what the issues are: How we get women into the workforce and how do we support them to be entrepreneurs?”
Litwin believes the key to winning the party leadership and the next election is attracting voters under age 40.
“People under the age of 40 make up 61 per cent of the population in British Columbia. That’s a huge demographic that seems to be politically homeless at the moment,” said Litwin. “One of the things we need to speak to them about is, how can they afford to stay in B.C.?”
Litwin launched his first social enterprise more than 20 years ago, with the “Random Acts of Kindness” campaign. He said he sees similarities with what’s happening in society today.
“The goal when we did the random acts of kindness was to build social capital and to get people inspired about giving back. We were inspired, post 9/11, in an environment where people were feeling fearful and disconnected and we thought we would start by connecting with community and paying it forward,” said Litwin. “And that’s the kind of leadership I will offer.”