Bills

Bill 11 takes a misstep — British Columbians are represented by their local MLA, not party leaders

In April, I responded to Bill 11 and supported two amendments proposed by the Official Opposition which would've prevented party leaders from having more power in our elections. [Transcript] A. Olsen: Speaking to the amendment, I appreciate the member from the official opposition for raising it. It’s a concern that we...

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$20,000 per month for addictions treatment? The BC NDP need to regulate private treatment centres.

The addictions treatment system in this province is failing to meet the needs of British Columbians. A lack of public treatment beds has forced hundreds of desperate families to turn to costly, unregulated private facilities to try to help their loved ones. This is unacceptable. Private facilities are the wild west of...

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A step forward — legal penalties for non-consensual sharing of intimate images, videos & deepfakes

On Tuesday, I had the chance to speak to Bill 12, the Intimate Images Protection Act. This critical piece of legislation makes it unlawful to distribute, or threaten to distribute, intimate images without consent. The Bill includes provisions allowing survivors to seek monetary damages and have their images removed...

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Bill 13 does not go far enough in ensuring pay equity for women and other marginalized groups.

Last Tuesday, I spoke to Bill 13, the Pay Transparency Act. While this Bill makes moderate steps forward, pay transparency alone does little to change the discrimination women and other marginalized people face at work. What we need in BC is pay equity. The cost of not addressing pay inequity is borne by women. They...

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Will we meet our climate targets? New carbon pricing system for large emitters lacks crucial details

In Budget 2023, the BC NDP announced a new output-based pricing system (OBPS) for large industrial emitters, which would exempt those who pollute the most from paying the carbon tax up-front. After surpassing a to-be-determined emissions threshold, industrial facilities would be forced to pay a fixed rate on their...

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New legislation to remove cap & provide $150M for North-Island Coast Development Initiative Trust

On Wednesday, I introduced private member’s Bill M218, the North-Island Coast Development Initiative Trust Amendment Act. If passed, this Bill would get rid of the $60-million cap on funding for development trusts, and allow the government to provide the North Island Coast Development Initiative Trust the $150 million...

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Celebrating the removal of gendered language from our laws — & the hard work of our public service!

Yesterday, my colleagues and I debated Bill 14, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, which removes outdated, gendered language from more than 200 pieces of legislation. For far too long, our province's laws have been written, debated, and passed without the diversity of British Columbians in mind. This Bill makes...

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Bill to Make National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a Statutory Holiday in British Columbia

The British Columbia government is making the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a statutory holiday. It was recommended that governments created a day for truth and reconciliation which the federal government did two years ago. In my second reading speech I outline the importance of this day as an opportunity...

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Changing the law is the first step in improving Indigenous child welfare in British Columbia

The good news is that the Ministry of Children and Family Development has taken the first step in improving Indigenous child welfare in British Columbia. As the Minister said in her introductory speech of Bill 38: Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services Amendment Act, "this proposed legislation would...

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Changes coming to WorkSafeBC

Bill 41 makes seven key changes to the Workers Compensation Act to better support workers (detailed below). Five of these changes fulfil recommendations from the Patterson report; all of the recommendations work to bring BC in line with other Canadian jurisdictions. - This legislation establishes a more independent...

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