B.C.鈥檚 new premier shook up cabinet this week, and Nanaimo鈥檚 MLA was part of the shuffle.
Sheila Malcolmson, who had been the minister of mental health and addictions for the past two years, is now minister of social development and poverty reduction.
The new cabinet was sworn in Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Government House in Victoria by Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to take on this new role with social development and poverty reduction,鈥� Malcolmson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to have some huge impacts for people in our community.鈥�
She said she met with Premier David Eby last month to talk about community priorities, passion projects and other files she鈥檇 like to focus on. Then, at the beginning of this week, she received a phone call from the premier asking her to take on a new role in cabinet.
鈥淚 really thought that I would be staying in mental health and addictions. We鈥檝e got some really good momentum on a lot of projects and there鈥檚 more to do, no doubt,鈥� Malcolmson said.
She talked about challenges and accomplishments during her time leading that ministry, during a pandemic, as drug toxicity increased and factors such as renewed residential school trauma, for example, created mental health pressures. She pointed to new programs and services such as complex care, hundreds of new treatment beds and staff positions, expansion of safe supply, and approval for decriminalization.
鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a jurisdiction that has used more tools that are available to provinces to try to save lives during the toxic drug crisis,鈥� Malcolmson said. 鈥淏ut I can鈥檛 say that the work is done while we continue to lose so many lives 鈥� So it鈥檚 very much mixed feelings that way. The imperative to build that system of care is even stronger than before.鈥�
Her work in mental health and addictions was life-or-death, and there is also urgency in her new role. British Columbians who have lost housing, for example, or who are vulnerable for a range of reasons rely on income assistance and other support. There鈥檚 a complex system in place to get people their cheques and help them in other ways.
鈥淭o now be minister for such a huge service-delivery ministry is going to be a very different job 鈥� it鈥檚 a $4.5-billion budget, it鈥檚 got hundreds of employees,鈥� Malcolmson said.
She鈥檚 got 鈥渂inders upon binders鈥� of reading to do and had her first stakeholders鈥� meeting Friday, Dec. 9, with an employers鈥� group committed to hiring people with disabilities. She looks forward to working on food security and exploring ways community members can work together for better outcomes on that front. And she鈥檚 been asked to figure out further ways to reduce costs for British Columbians and get more money into their wallets.
鈥淲here we can add income supports and where we can get at the roots of poverty, that is an even more heightened responsibility given the [affordability] crisis that we鈥檙e feeling鈥︹�� Malcolmson said. 鈥淧remier Eby has directed all of us in cabinet to work fast to get results for people because we know people are hurting.鈥�
The minister said the premier has assembled a strong and diverse cabinet and said she鈥檚 honoured to be a part of it.
鈥淚 was delighted to see who walked across the stage yesterday and I really commend the premier for his choices,鈥� Malcolmson said.
Both of Nanaimo鈥檚 other MLAs will have parliamentary secretary roles. Doug Routley, Nanaimo-North Cowichan MLA, is parliamentary secretary for forests and Adam Walker, Parksville-Qualicum MLA, is parliamentary secretary for sustainable economy.
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There were some major changes to cabinet, the most noteworthy being Katrine Conroy鈥檚 promotion to finance minister, replacing Selina Robinson who becomes minister for post-secondary education. Jennifer Whiteside succeeds Malcolmson as minister of mental health and addictions and Rachna Singh is the new minister of education and child care. Niki Sharma was announced as attorney general, Ravi Kahlon is minister of housing, Bruce Ralston is minister of forests, Anne Kang is minister of municipal affairs and Brenda Bailey becomes jobs minister.
Immediately following the appointments, Eby remarked that the new cabinet brings 鈥渋ncredible experience and a diversity of perspectives,鈥� and represents a 鈥渟trong team鈥� facing headwinds of inflation, economic uncertainty, health-care challenges, labour shortages, climate disasters and a toxic drug crisis.
鈥淏ritish Columbians understand we鈥檙e not going to solve all of these very significant problems overnight. Individually these are massive challenges; together, they set out the path of work for us ahead,鈥� Eby said. 鈥淏ritish Columbians expect us to show progress on these issues in ways that they can see, feel and touch in their communities 鈥� very real ways.鈥�
A day after the NDP government announced its cabinet, the B.C. Liberal Party announced its shadow cabinet. The B.C. Liberal caucus issued a press release calling the NDP鈥檚 new cabinet 鈥渟upersized鈥� and stating that things aren鈥檛 improving under B.C.鈥檚 current government.
鈥淥ur B.C. Liberal caucus remains committed to holding them to account for that lack of action in areas like health care, affordability and public safety, all while continuing to push government for bold responses to the various crises we must collectively tackle,鈥� said Kevin Falcon, leader of the B.C. Liberals, in a statement.
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