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Will the BC NDP step up & regulate ship breaking — one of the most hazardous industries in the world?

Baynes Sound produces half of all BC shellfish. It is an important site for the K’omoks First Nation and is federally designated as a Biologically & Ecologically Sensitive Area. Despite this, the province has allowed ship breaking - one of the most hazardous industries in the world - to occur on its shores. Ship...

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Broken promises — when will the BC NDP suspend logging activity in Kwakiutl territory?

The BC NDP have repeatedly promised to protect old growth forests & meaningfully engage with First Nations. They promised a paradigm shift & a deferral on all at-risk old growth. Yet, old growth within this deferral area is actively being logged on Kwakiutl territory. These culturally significant &...

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Will the BC NDP provide dignified housing for every person displaced by today’s encampment removal?

Earlier this week, Premier David Eby stood in front of a million-dollar townhouse to announce his new affordability plan, "Homes for People". Today, he is scattering the homeless population in Vancouver's downtown eastside (DTES). This is not leadership — this is policing poverty. Today marks the 7th encampment...

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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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Our children need help — when will the BC NDP hire enough counsellors to meet the needs of students?

Since the pandemic, mental health referrals and hospitalizations for youth have hugely increased, yet the BC NDP only provide our schools with 1 counsellor for every 693 students. At a time when we need to invest in our children's mental health, we're letting them down. Today in Question Period, I asked when the...

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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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Government Disrespects Nation to Nation Dialogue — Amending the Tsawwassen First Nation Agreement

Last Monday, I stood up in the Legislature to provide my perspective on Motion 29, which would amend the Tsawwassen First Nation's treaty to allow them to benefit from tax exemptions. This was an important step forward for the Tsawwassen First Nation in exercising their right to self-determination, and I was thrilled...

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Government is giving $36 million to a controversial RCMP unit while it is under investigation.

The Community Industry Response Group (C-IRG) is an RCMP unit that's been accused of unlawful use of force, arrests, detentions, & assaults. They are facing several lawsuits and an internal investigation for misconduct. And still the BC NDP is allocating them $36M. C-IRG was created in 2017 to support the...

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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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Is the BC NDP betting our future on carbon credits? Scientists say we can and must do more.

Today, I asked Premier Eby to provide British Columbians with his definition of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. He chose not to answer. Instead, Minister Heyman showcased a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientists have been saying for years. When Premier Eby took his oath he said “we cannot continue to...

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How do the BC NDP justify new LNG projects when experts say we must stop expanding fossil fuels?

Last week, the IPCC released a report delivering a final warning, stating rapid and drastic action are required to keep global warming below the threshold of irreversible damage. The week before, the BC NDP gave another LNG project the greenlight to move forward. This government approved Cedar LNG, claiming the...

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Wait what? BC NDP didn’t fund key economic development vehicle for Vancouver Island/Sunshine Coast?

It appears the BC NDP are prepared to abandon rural Vancouver Island and coastal communities. Despite spending more than $2.5 billion of so-called surplus money from Budget 2022 on provincial priorities (which I supported), it is unfathomable that the BC NDP has chosen to not re-capitalize the Island Coastal Economic...

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Petition with 700+ signatures calling on Environment Minister to assess Bamberton Quarry

I met with Eric Falkenberg-Poetz, Frances Pugh and Daniel Kenway from the Saanich Inlet Protection Society at the legislature. They gave me a petition to present to the British Columbia Legislature. The petition had over 700 hand-signed signatures, collected by volunteers in a few short weeks. Petitioners are asking...

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More than $1.4 billion in one-time funding allocated to local governments, $45 million to libraries

The BC NDP continues to furiously spend the multi-billion dollar surplus before March 31st. In supplementary budget estimates I had a few minutes to ask questions about the decision of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to distribute $1 billion to the Growing Communities Fund to support the priorities of the188 local...

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