Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett took a moment at her constituency office recently to outline some of her goals and objectives for 2017 to the 100 Mile House Free Press.
“I will will continue to work with the citizens of the Cariboo-Chilcotin – listening and delivering what I can as far health care, education, transportation and social programs.
“In 2017, my objective is to see more stability in job creation.”
Barnett explains by “stability” she means continuing to further build onto the commercial industries and the private entrepreneurism her region has in operation now, as well as developing new ventures.
“I will be working with investors and community people on new ventures as they come forward [to me].”
In her new parliamentary role as Minister of State Rural Economic Development, Barnett notes she will look at short-term and long-term issues and strategies that affect all rural communities, both in her constituency and across the province.
As the local MLA, pushing for funding for local volunteer organizations is a big part of what she does every day, so she will continue this throughout the year, she adds.
“To me, the people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin are the important objective in my life. I only do this job, and continue doing this job … because I believe in the people. The people deserve the best quality of life possible.”
While environmental and land issues are important, Barnett expresses her belief that this is not what citizens in her region are currently looking for her to comment on.
If you look after the people “they will look after their own land” concerns, she says, adding she recognizes how fortunate we are in British Columbia.
“When I look at the terrorism, the lack of respect for each other, the fear of all those little children and families in Syria that there’s no hope … I’m grateful that I live in the place that I live in, and hope we never have the type of hatred that is in those countries.
“We always talk about the future, but we also have to take care of what we have today, so we have a future.”