Column -- From the Hill: Climate change urgency
Last week I became a grandfather for the first time. Politicians are fond of talking about what kind of future we will leave our grandchildren, but I can now say that having a grandchild sharpens that perspective dramatically. On Thanksgiving Monday, two news headlines jumped out at me, both dealing with our path to a...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- the new trade agreement
After months of negotiations and a seemingly endless series of false deadlines, negotiators have hammered out a new trade agreement between Canada, the USA and Mexico. The new agreement (called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA for short) will create winners and losers, of course, and the general consensus...
From The Leg: Cannabis legalization top issue
The Legislature will resume sitting in Victoria on October 1st. As this is a continuation of the spring session there will be no Ceremonial Speech from the Throne. There are many issues that will be debated between now and December but I am sure the Cannabis legalization on October 17th will be number one on everyone’s minds....
Column: From the Hill -- Court Ruling on KM Pipeline; an Emergency Meeting
Last Tuesday I was in Ottawa for an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources in the wake of the Federal Court of Appeal decision that quashed the federal government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion project. The court quashed the approval based on two errors—the lack of consideration of marine...
Column: Constituents' concerns
On Sunday I completed my third annual “Ride the Riding” event, cycling 411 kilometres from Naramata to Nakusp. The ride provides an opportunity to meet and talk with constituents on the trail or at scheduled stops in cafes and restaurants in communities throughout the riding, celebrates the beautiful cycling trails we have ...
From the Hill - MP speaks to wildfires
It’s now official — 2018 has just become British Columbia’s second worst forest fire season in history, second only to last year. Residents have endured weeks of heavy smoke, some have been evacuated from their communities, and some have unfortunately lost their homes. Businesses have suffered as tourists leave or stay away,...
Op/Ed: Buy BC First, says BC Premier
By John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia This B.C. Day long weekend, let's take time to enjoy food, friends and family. Let's also celebrate the farmers, producers, and local businesses who provide quality food and drink grown right here in B.C. B.C. farmers grow fresh, local food delivered to us at farmers’ markets, grocery...
OP/ED: National lobby group calls for Victoria to give BC Interior a tax break
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the provincial government to give interior residents a break by cutting fuel taxes, fixing ICBC and axing the Employer Health Tax (EHT). With many interior businesses depending on long haul trucking, tourism and shipping, the high cost of fuel and fuel taxes are punishing...
Opinion: Reconciling Energy and Indigenous Rights
In 2007, Canada was one of four countries to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (with New Zealand, the United States and Australia). With its single-minded focus on making Canada an “energy superpower,” albeit only with fossil fuels, the Harper government feared the declaration’s concept of ...
Column: From the Hill -- Columbia River Treaty issues
Last week I spent three days in Spokane at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region meetings. Over 600 legislators, business people, and other interested folks from BC, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Northwest Territories gathered to talk about issues important to this region....
