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...
When it comes to Indigenous relations and forestry, Premier Horgan's words contradict the actions of his government. An exchange with my colleague Sonia Furstenau in budget estimates, exposed Premier Horgan's willingness to leverage the principle of free, prior and informed consent, an important component of reconciliation that we committed to...
I provided the BC Green Caucus response to the Ministerial Statement delivered by the Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Hon. Nathan Cullen, regarding the removal of the residential school at Lower Post in Kaska Dena territory. [Transcript] To my colleague from Richmond-Queensborough, HÍSW̱ḴE...
Premier John Horgan and Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy are on the record clearly stating their support for Aboriginal rights, title and sovereignty. When the protests heated up in the forests on Southern Vancouver Island they agreed to the demands of the Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht and Pacheedaht by deferring some...
The source of uncertainty about lands and resources in British Columbia is rooted in the failure of successive governments to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples. Let’s be clear – conflict and contention over the land base doesn’t come from honouring human rights, it comes from denying and violating them. For decades British Columbia has...
There have been far too many stories of Indigenous youth who have died while under the guardianship of the provincial government. Last week, the Representative for Children and Youth released another report outlining how the system let down Skye. As has been the case for decades, our child welfare system repeatedly...
When it comes to reconciliation with Indigenous People in British Columbia the BC NDP say the right words. However, their actions fall well short of what is acceptable. This week, I have been pointing out how they continue to use Forest and Range Consultation and Revenue Sharing agreements and how those agreements are...
June is Pride Month. My two minute statement celebrates the powerful advocates who have fought to ensure that everyone can be unapologetically themselves. [Transcript] June is Pride Month. To celebrate, I want to start by looking back. The month of June was chosen to celebrate Pride in commemoration of the Stonewall...
Over the past few months tensions have been building in the forests on Southern Vancouver Island and across British Columbia. In responses in Question Period and media availabilities, Premier John Horgan has on more than one occasion asserted Indigenous sovereignty, rights and title. In the past, sovereignty, rights...
We have learned about a temporary reprieve with deferrals of old growth logging in Fairy Creek and the Central Walbran. This was achieved in the most difficult way possible: injunctions, protests and arrests. For months my colleague Sonia Furstenau and I have been raising these issues in Question Period and the BC NDP...
This week Premier John Horgan and Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy released their intentions paper to reform the forestry sector in British Columbia. During the announcement Premier Horgan talked about Indigenous sovereignty and pointed to the threat of repeating British Columbia’s colonial past. In doing so, the premier illustrated how his...
In Question Period on Monday May 31, 2021 Premier John Horgan said "we have an obligation to release resources where we can, to improve people's lives, and we're committed to doing that. I know that the member opposite will hold us accountable for that. I look forward to it." On Tuesday I pressed this issue further by...