Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

ADAM OLSEN -- The occasion marks the end of my two-year effort to ensure the government followed through on the commitment they made


It was a remarkable week in the Legislature in Victoria.

On Tuesday, just two days before the fall session adjourned for the decade, all Members of the British Columbia Assembly voted in favour of Bill 41, The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

The Bill was introduced with much ceremony, and celebration, on October 24th. Following second reading speeches, a two-week break for Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day, and extensive scrutiny at committee stage, Lt. Governor Janet Austin gave the Act Royal Assent with a simple nod on Thursday morning.

The occasion marks the end of my two-year effort to ensure the government followed through on the commitment they made to British Columbians during the 2017 election, and to the BC Greens in our Confidence and Supply Agreement, to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

It marks the beginning of the next effort

With the Act receiving support from all Members, or nemine contradicente (meaning nobody contradicting) as the Clerk announces following a vote with no nays, it sends a strong message of the direction our province is heading.


The passing of the Bill marks a turning point in the history of our province that I have written about extensively over the past year. It’s the end of the Legislative work and the beginning of the next stage.

All aspects of our society have become accustomed to the way it was; now, we accept the way it is ... and embrace the challenge of defining the way it will be.

An action plan for DRIPA

To that end, there are many questions to answer, and the need to develop an action plan to ensure we successfully navigate the way ahead. So, we must turn our minds from the hard work that got us here, to the hard work in front of us. It will require a commitment to lay out both the process of developing an action plan and its substance.

In terms of process:
What are the steps, what are the roles of each of the stakeholders, how do we ensure it’s sustainable, what about reporting and accountability, how does the process grow and evolve?

Green Party MLA Adam Olsen
In terms of substance:
What are the priorities and objectives, how is it structured, what about resources, how are existing laws aligned, what about nation re-building, and how are we developing consent-based decision-making?

These are exciting questions to be tackling. I’m thrilled to be here at this moment in history ... and I will continue to work with the provincial government to ensure they do not lose focus of the incredibly important work at hand.


Adam Olsen ... is a Green Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands. Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam has lived, worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula. He is a member of Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he and his wife, Emily, are raising their two children, Silas and Ella.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC cannot regulate, redesign, and reinterpret its way to a stable forestry sector. Communities need clear rules, predictable timelines, and accountability for results.

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stamer: Hope for Forestry Completely Shattered After Another Provincial Review Driven by DRIPA

IMAGE CREDIT:  Provincial Forestry Advisory Council Conservative Critic for Forests Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities; instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring. Despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector. “ This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry ,” said Stamer.  “ We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on re...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...
1 comment
Read more

Labels

Show more