Remember those in need

I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very happy holiday.  This is a time when we make the effort to meet with friends and family, and to enjoy the abundance of the season.

Christmas can however be a very difficult time for many as parents struggle to provide gifts for their children, and some families struggle to find enough to eat, not just on Christmas Day, but every day.

Local food banks provide service to the hungry throughout the year, but with the extra stresses and strains, the need becomes even greater at this time of year.  Many of the food banks in our constituency are struggling to ensure that no one goes hungry this Christmas.

In the season of giving, I want to remind you that there are organizations in our communities who do excellent work with those who are less fortunate.  As you prepare to give gifts to your friends and family this Christmas, I invite you to take a moment to make a donation to your local food bank.  Make this a holiday season that is just a little easier for everyone.

I send my best wishes to each of you and look forward to continuing to serve as your Member of the Legislative Assembly in the New Year.

Liberals dodged responsibility

During their first term in government, the Campbell Liberals established a fixed Legislative calendar.  As a result, Legislative sittings have become predictable, until this Fall.

Oct. 2 was to be the first of day of the fall session for 2006, but instead of sitting, the Liberals announced that there was no business that needed the Legislature’s attention.  They claimed that a fall session would just be busywork; a waste of taxpayers’ money.

I fundamentally disagree with this opinion.  I take my role as Member of the Legislative Assembly very seriously, and that role must include sitting in the House.

Sept. 12, 2005 was the first time that I sat in the House as your MLA.  In preparation for that day, we heard from the Clerk of the House about the 500-year tradition of our system of government.  That system was developed to ensure that decisions made by government received proper scrutiny: how money is spent and what laws are enacted.

Instead of holding a full Fall session, the Liberals tried to get away with only an afternoon session.  Each day in the House includes a Question Period which is one of the primary tools that the Opposition uses to scrutinize government.  A session of a single day would limit the Liberals’ exposure to real questions; the questions that British Columbians expect to have answered.

Parliamentary rules provided mechanisms for the Opposition to keep the House in session for three days, providing three Question Periods and many hours of debate.  We were able to raise your such as the move to private health care provision, the inept handling of children in care, and the call for a coroner’s inquest into the Kimberley Mine disaster, but three days was not enough.

The Legislature will not sit again until the new year.

In preparation for that sitting I will be traveling throughout the constituency, hearing your issues.

I am honoured to be your representative in our Legislature and appreciate the opportunity to work on your behalf.