Last week marked the end of the spring legislative session in Victoria. It’s been a busy four months of bill debates, Question Periods, and working to ensure the voices of Cariboo-Chilcotin are amplified in the Legislature.
Our BC United Caucus, under the leadership of Kevin Falcon, has continued to hold the government to account for the many critical issues impacting British Columbians every single day. From the health care crisis to affordability, to mental health and addictions, and crime, there are many challenges facing our province and people deserve answers from Premier David Eby and his NDP government about what they are doing to address them.
Some of the most canvassed topics in the Legislature included the NDP’s approaches to housing, crime and decriminalization — all areas where we are not seeing positive results in our communities. It was frustrating to be repeatedly confronted by a government that couldn’t even acknowledge that their lack of action is having a detrimental impact on B.C.
We questioned why this government has gone forward with decriminalizing hard drugs without the appropriate guardrails in place to ensure that people and our communities remain safe and healthy. We asked why amid debilitating staffing shortages in the healthcare system, the NDP has still not found a pathway back to work for unvaccinated healthcare workers — especially when nearly every jurisdiction in Canada has already done so. Additionally, we urged the government to take real action to address prolific offenders and the growing violent crime that we are seeing on streets throughout our province.
People cannot afford to wait any longer for Premier Eby and his government to make real progress on these issues.
While there were many frustrating moments dealing with government inaction this spring, there were also many encouraging moments that reminded me why I feel so lucky to represent the Cariboo as an MLA.
I was proud to give a speech about the incredible tourism opportunities in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, and the wonderful people that work in our tourism industry. I had the chance to ask questions of the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship about issues in rural B.C. that are very near and dear to my heart, putting pressure on the government to deliver for our region.
I was also able to advocate on behalf of ranchers and trappers, working to ensure their concerns are heard in Victoria, and hopefully, that their needs will be met by the government.
While I enjoyed my time working in Victoria, as always, I look forward to a summer at home in Cariboo-Chilcotin — it’s truly the best place in B.C. I hope that over the next few months I will get to see many of you in my work and travels. I can’t wait to meet you.
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
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