At the end of the day there will be a new MLA-elect for Saanich North and the Islands.
So much has happened in the decade since I first started trying to get elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. Now I step back, as someone new steps forward.
It was a tremendous honour to represent our communities and this beautiful territory. I am deeply grateful for the trust that was put in me. Over the past seven years I invested my whole physical, intellectual, and emotional being into being the best representative I could be.
I walk away with a powerful education in how our government works (or not) for the people of British Columbia. While I am not sure I know all the ways it will be applied, my elders have always taught me to use what I know, and what I have learned, to improve our community. I will follow their teaching.
Many people have asked, what is next for me? While I am already on that journey, and it will become much clearer in the coming days, one thing I realized over the last seven years as the MLA is that there are always many seats at the tables I have been sitting at. I intend on finding my way to one, or more, of those seats, at one, or more, of those tables.
So, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s close this chapter.
There are so many people to thank, too many to thank individually.
Thank you to my family (Emily, Silas, Ella, and my whole extended family) for supporting me through 16 years of elected office.
Thank you to my community (W̱JOȽEȽP, Central Saanich), and the broader communities (W̱SÁNEĆ, Saanich peninsula, and Southern Gulf Islands) for voting, supporting, and demanding excellence from me.
Thank you to my incredible constituency staff. I have had a host of constituent advocates who have done a tremendous job on behalf of our community. Thank you. Here I will be specific. Laura Parker, thank you for creating a safe, partisan-free space in our office for everyone to feel loved, and welcome.
Thank you to my legislative colleague Sonia Furstenau and our incredible caucus teams. Your commitment to good governance, compassionate policy, and thorough research supported my work and allowed me the strength to stand and speak from my heart.
Thank you to the volunteers in the Saanich North and the Islands Green riding association. Your commitment, experience, and love delivered energizing and exciting campaigns. It has been an incredible joy to work with you and thank you for your investment in me. I will be forever grateful to each of you.
Thank you to the BC Green Party for providing me a space to be me. Political parties often stifle their members and force them into a message box. The BC Greens encouraged and allowed me to create my own. Continue being a force for good, thoughtful, thorough, and evidence-informed policy.
See you at one of the other seats at the table!
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