“If you could accomplish one goal during your mandate, what would it be?” That’s a question we at The Discourse heard from you after we launched a poll asking what you think should top the B.C. election agenda.
Leading up to the election, we’re publishing answers to questions from this community.
As of Oct. 13, The Discourse has not received a response from BC Liberal Party candidate Tanya Kaul. We’ll update the story if we get one. Here are the responses from the other candidates.
Sonia Furstenau, BC Green Party
I would bring together all three parties to find solutions to the opioid crisis and the climate crisis and implement them in our community of Cowichan Valley and across BC. We must deal with these issues urgently, with the highest priority given to protecting the health and wellbeing of people and communities. We’ve shown in the Cowichan Leadership Group that we can work across party lines and across jurisdictional lines to find solutions for the urgent challenges we face. An all-party committee that is focused on each of these issues is the best way to work collaboratively and find solutions that will be moved forward regardless of who is in government.
Rob Douglas, BC New Democratic Party
The Cowichan Valley faces a number of major challenges. We have a critical shortage of affordable housing for working people and the most vulnerable, we need better health care services closer to home, we are feeling on-the-ground effects of climate change with the lowering water levels of the Cowichan River, and we need to advance real, meaningful reconciliation with First Nations here.
We have made great progress during the past three years under the John Horgan government, including replacing Cowichan High School, building a new hospital, and creating new affordable housing. There is more to do, and I am ready to work alongside John Horgan and bring the concerns of the Cowichan Valley to the provincial table.
My goal as MLA will be to provide a strong voice for the Cowichan Valley over the next four years, to continue the good work John Horgan and the BC NDP has started.
Visit the candidates’ websites:
How do I vote?
- Voting day is Saturday, Oct. 24, with advance polls Oct. 15 through Oct. 21. Visit Elections BC for information on where to go and what to bring.
- You can also request a vote-by-mail package online or by calling 1-800-661-8683. Elections BC recommends requesting the package by Oct. 17. [end]
