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...
In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I am sharing an interview from CFAX 1070 with afternoon host Ryan Price on the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We covered a variety of topics including why the federal government made this day a statutory holiday and what the day means and what it can be for all Canadians. I...
By Adam Olsen and Sonia Furstenau In the four years that we have been Members of the Legislative Assembly, hundreds of British Columbians have reached out to talk about crown/settler-Indigenous relationships. What we have heard consistently in these conversations is that people are frustrated that they have not been taught about the true history...
This past summer we have seen the logging dispute at Fairy Creek deteriorate into violent interactions between protesters and the RCMP enforcing a court ordered injunction. That injunction expired this week. I have maintained all summer that the BC NDP government is solely responsible for this situation and that it is totally unacceptable for...
It has been a couple of months since my last column. It was not for lack of issues to write about, but a need to create some space to rest, strengthen connections with my family and focus on the needs of my constituents. As it turns out, the space was immediately filled with the intersecting crises facing British Columbia. Climate change,...
BC NDP Premier John Horgan must stop putting Indigenous people in between his failed resource extraction policies and protesters. That is exactly what is happening in his riding on Southern Vancouver Island. Premier Horgan has sat silent on the sidelines, watching as if it is theatre, the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history and...
Article by Shannon Waters published on Politics Today on August 30, 2021. The NDP government has made big promises when it comes to the future of forestry in B.C., but some are skeptical its “intentions paper” on forestry modernization will lead to the significant shift the government is promising. “We’re committed to a bold reorientation of...
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...
With my part of the 60 minutes that was available to the BC Green Caucus for Budget Estimates in Transportation and Infrastructure, I had a limited opportunity to canvass a couple of important topics. In this session, I asked Minister Rob Fleming about the dumping of scrubber wash water, grey and black water from...
Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Hon. Murray Rankin, recently published a column about his commitment to protecting old growth. He opens by acknowledging the need to protect biodiversity as our duty to future generations. Minister Rankin claims that protecting old growth has been a priority of the BC NDP “since day one”. The...
Our budget estimates exchange with Minister Katrine Conroy was frustrating. Sonia Furstenau and I have been questioning Minister Conroy in Question Period for months now and attempted to use the time in estimates to dig into the issues a little deeper. Unfortunately, the pace was dreadfully slow. During our time we...
Housing prices are skyrocketing in British Columbia and across the country and it continues to be a challenging policy issue for all orders of government. In budget estimates for the Ministry of Finance I asked Hon. Selina Robinson about her approach to balancing the supply and demand policy measures that are needed...