The John Horgan government is taking swift action to reduce poverty in British Columbia by lifting income assistance and disability assistance by $100 a month. The Liberal government left B.C. with the highest poverty rate in the country. Reversing that …
News
Times Colonist: Letters spell out top priorities for NDP government ministers
Lindsay Kines July 24, 2017 Reforming campaign finance laws, freezing B.C. Hydro rates and developing 114,000 units of affordable housing are among the priorities Premier John Horgan has told his cabinet members to pursue. Horgan’s mandate letters to his ministers were …
SeattlePI: A Trump-in-reverse government takes power in British Columbia
Joel Connelly July 18, 2017 British Columbia had its first progressive premier in 16 years sworn in Tuesday, with a gender-balanced provincial cabinet and pivotal support and policy cooperation from the Green Party in the B.C. Legislature. The ceremony in …
The Tyee: BC’s New Premier John Horgan Unveils Gender-Balanced Cabinet
Andrew MacLeod July 18, 2017 Experienced MLAs Carole James, Adrian Dix and David Eby awarded senior positions. British Columbia Premier John Horgan has chosen a gender-balanced cabinet that includes a mix of veteran MLAs and people first elected to the …
Huffington Post: Melanie Mark becomes first Indigenous woman in cabinet
VICTORIA — British Columbia’s New Democrat Premier John Horgan was sworn in on Tuesday. He announced that his cabinet is the first in B.C. to achieve gender parity, with 10 women in cabinet and one named as minister of state. …
As Word Spreads: A podcast of First Call BC
In episode 6 of As Word Spreads, former youth in care discuss the challenges facing the Ministry of Children and Families, and discuss prospective ministers in John Horgan’s new cabinet. As Word Spreads is a podcast produced by First Call: BC Child …
Melanie on Indigenous representation in the legislature
June 21, 2017 – Melanie is one of three MLAs interviewed on the CBC’s Early Edition about efforts to amplify Indigenous issues in politics, and pave the way forward for reconciliation. June 21 – National Aboriginal Day – celebrates the …
CBC – Kids in care suffering due to low wages and lack of support for social workers, says BCGEU
Melanie Mark, the official opposition spokesperson for Children and Families, says she worries nothing was earmarked for wage increases. “The front lines are completely overwhelmed and they are doing double efforts. People don’t feel inspired to go to work,” Mark said. Read …
Adoption Act ‘streamlined’ to make out-of-province adoptions legal
B.C. has amended the Adoption Act to make out-of-province adoptions legal, following lawsuits focused on the long-standing practice of placing children in other provinces. For decades the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) sent children to families outside of B.C. to be adopted, but the …
B.C. Almanac: Melanie Mark on Indigenous Child Welfare
March 16, 2017: Listen to Melanie answer questions on Indigenous child welfare on CBC radio 1 show B.C. Almanac, hosted by Angela Sterritt. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/programs/bcalmanac/march-16-2017-tipping-indigenous-child-welfare-1.4028697