Thank you, Cariboo-Chilcotin, for re-electing me as your MLA in the October 19, 2024 provincial election! Now, I am pleased to resume the MLA’s Corner weekly column so that I can keep you up to date on local community happenings as well as official government business from Victoria.
I have lived in Cariboo-Chilcotin for nearly three decades – this is where I raised my daughters. I am proud to have represented our region in Victoria since 2020, and for the upcoming session, I have been appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker. What an honour.
Here in our region, we saw overwhelming support for the BC Conservatives on the ballot. No matter which individual you cast your vote for – whether it was me or not – I am here to represent the interests of rural BC in Victoria. I work for you.
Six new communities joined the Cariboo-Chilcotin electoral district after Elections BC reconfigured the electoral district boundaries for the 2024 election: Ashcroft, Clinton, Cache Creek, Savona, Tobiano and Cherry Creek. I look forward to serving the residents of these communities.
In fact, I was very much looking forward to getting back to work quickly and immediately challenging the NDP government’s misguided policies. But then I learned that NDP Premier David Eby decided to cancel a fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly and not reconvene until February 18, 2025. That will be a whopping four months after election day – a third of a calendar year!
Because of this, promises the NDP made during the election will not be fulfilled until the spring sitting. Eby promised families in BC a $500-$1,000 rebate to address the ruinous high cost of living in this province. It was an election-time promise that some critics characterized as vote-buying. Nevertheless, he is choosing to delay his promise by months, and that's never a good look.
There is certainly no shortage of issues to talk about that affect our region – health care, crime, addiction, mental illness… These are very serious topics that should be up for debate in the Legislature. Our resource sector is facing uncertainty due to eight years of BC NDP governance, with the Williams Lake Power Plant on the verge of ceasing operations and the forestry industry becoming depleted. These items require action now.
Until I can get back to directly holding the government to account, I will still be advocating for Cariboo-Chilcotin and I look forward to enjoying the Christmas festivities taking place in our beautiful region over the coming weeks.
