This Fall sitting of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly Minister of Forests, Hon. Katrine Conroy, has tabled more than 150 pages of amendments to forestry policy. We have long awaited changes to forestry policy, however, tabling these Bills with only a few days to debate them is disrespectful to our democratic...
For weeks now Minister of Children and Family Development (MCFD), Hon. Mitzi Dean, has been defending her decision to change the funding model for children with autism and other neurodiverse conditions. I have asked her a few questions on this issue (here and here) and raised it again in the context of Indigenous...
The Official Opposition requested a Standing Order 35 emergency debate on the response to the severe weather events that have hit British Columbia in 2021. Both Sonia Furstenau and I stood to speak at this opportunity to address the significant impacts of climate change related extreme weather events. [Transcript] I...
During introductions I took the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate 15 years of marriage with Emily Olsen. [Transcript] Mr. Speaker, today I want to just pause and acknowledge that it's our 15th anniversary. Emily and I were married 15 years ago today, for the second time. That was because in August of the same...
As we paused last week to remember those Canadian service people I took the opportunity during Members Statements to recognize the heroism of Lt. Robert Hampton "Hammy" Gray. Hammy was a Canadian Naval pilot who flew in the Royal Navy, his valour was recognized with the Victoria Cross and recently with a memorial at...
I had the honour of standing and providing the BC Green Caucus response to the Ministerial Statement for Louis Riel Day. November 16th is Louis Riel Day. It was on this day in 1885 that Riel was hanged for treason for his role in leading the Red River Rebellion. [Transcript] I would like to first start by...
Three weeks ago, the Minister of Children and Family Development, Hon. Mitzi Dean, announced an overhaul of funding and supports for children with autism and other complex neurodiverse needs. Other than suggesting the BC NDP would adopt a hub model for service delivery, Minister Dean offered few other details. Parents...
I have heard from hundreds of British Columbians over the past few months deep concern about a perception that the RCMP, our provincial police service, is not accountable to the provincial government. We have witnessed an increase in police violence, the videos have been shared widely on social media. British...
In the 2017 election, access to affordable housing was a ballot box question. Going back a decade, when I was a councillor in the District of Central Saanich, the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce was sounding the alarm bells that there was a lack of affordable workforce housing in our communities. Since then, the housing market has become...
The housing crisis continues to impact millions of British Columbians. In recent weeks, I have asked the BC NDP government how they are going to address the crisis in the housing market. Today, I inquired about the out-of-control rental market. The problem is growing quarter-over-quarter and now we see rental listings...
A lot has been said about Bill 22 - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) Amendment Act, 2021. It is rare that a Government Bill garners so much attention. Even controversial Bills move through the process smoothly. Bill 22 is unique because it sets back decades worth of progress on founding democratic principles like the...
Condoms are free and accessible and vasectomies are covered by MSP. However, prescription contraception is not covered. As Access BC writes, "free prescription contraception increases equality, improves health outcomes, and saves people and the government money!" The BC NDP made a commitment for free contraception in...
I welcome many of the much needed changes in the Forest Statutes Amendment Act. It was a mistake to turn forest planning over to the industry twenty years ago, so it is important that they no longer are responsible for the forestry operations and landscape plans. In this speech at second reading I recognize these much...
The BC Liberals moved a motion to Bill 22, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2021, to stop the current process of amending the Act, and to send it to the Special Committee that has been established by the whole House to review the Act as per the statutory requirement of the legislation....
Sonia Furstenau and I have been asking the BC NDP government about their approach to solving the housing crisis in British Columbia. Each Minister who has responded to our questions have pointed to programs they have implemented in the past four years. Despite all the billion dollar programs I continue to hear how...
I raised a Question of Privilege regarding the introduction of Bill 22 - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2021 and the Special Committee to Review the same Act that was appointed last summer and that I am a member of. The summary of my argument is that the Special Committee's work is...
For the past two decades I have been fearful that my past struggles with substance use, abuse and addiction would come back to haunt me. As the numbers of British Columbians who have died to an illicit drug poisoning continues to climb, and the stigmatization of our friends and family members who struggle with...
This week the BC NDP government tabled controversial amendments of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. I have posted my comments at second reading debate (here) about the aspects of the amendment Act that I find most troubling. As a separate matter I am also a member of the Special Committee for...
On Monday the BC NDP government tabled highly controversial legislation to amend the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). While their Members are standing and downplaying the impacts of the legislation on the access to information and government transparency and accountability. As we...
In the first six months of 2021 more than 1200 British Columbians have perished as a result of a highly toxic illicit drug supply. That is approximately 6 people per day. For months, I and my colleague Sonia Furstenau, have been encouraging the provincial government to provide a safe supply of illicit substances...
The red hot housing market is deeply concerning. The housing crisis is a global issue but as we develop measures to address the extreme inflation of housing prices in British Columbia it is important to understand the underlying philosophy that is informing the decisions of the provincial government. So I asked...
Today I asked Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Hon. Mike Farnworth, what specific actions he is taking to ensure that the civil liberties of British Columbians are protected at Fairy Creek. The Minister refused to answer because the matter is before the courts. The videos of the conduct of the RCMP at...
In the first session of the Fall 2021 sitting Premier John Horgan delivered a Ministerial Statement to commemorate the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I was honoured to respond on behalf of the BC Green Caucus. It was important to recognize the history that has brought us to commemorating a new...
With the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released yesterday, BC NDP MLAs are seemingly all too happy to tweet reassurances that they take climate action seriously by rattling off the pre-approved talking points delivered from Premier John Horgan’s office. While the MLAs may take comfort in the series of...
The conflict between Indigenous and Crown governments has always been about land. It's centred on who owns the land title and the rights and responsibilities to govern it. Over the decades the Crown governments have deployed gruesome tactics to limit Indigenous peoples access to their territories, and attempted to extinguish Indigenous peoples...
With my part of the 60 minutes that was available to the BC Green Caucus for Budget Estimates in Health, I had a limited opportunity to canvass important topics. In this session, I asked Minister Adrian Dix about the work being done to implement the recommendations of the In Plain Sight report on racism in the...