North Island MLA Claire Trevena said it’s business as usual in Victoria.
Trevena is reacting to BC Green leader Andrew Weaver’s decision not to run for re-election as MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, when voters return to the polls in 2021.
Weaver will continue in his role as leader until a successor is chosen by the party’s membership.
History was made when the B.C. Green Caucus agreed to support the province’s first minority government in 60 years through a confidence and supply agreement (CASA).
Trevena, who is part of the governing NDP, said the work that the two parties have done over the past two-and-a-half years has been very positive.
“I think the people of British Columbia have seen that you can work in cooperation when you want to, that it doesn’t always have to be confrontational,” Trevena said. “So we’ve been very, very happy to work with them.”
Trevena added that the stability of government in B.C. remains strong.
“We’re going to continue working with the Greens,” she said. “MLA Weaver is still staying as an MLA. He’s standing down as leader but he’s still going to be in the legislature as an MLA, doing his job for his constituents and for the Green Party.”
Moving forward, Trevena said there are a few issues that remain on the front burner.
“Whether it’s our climate change initiatives through Clean BC, whether it’s working on forestry issues, whatever it is we do work with the Green Party, we do take questions from the Green Party.”
She stressed that “What’s most important is that we have, as two caucuses… an agreement not between two parties but (one that) each individual caucus member signed onto back in 2017, to work together and I think that we continue to work together.”
Trevena believes it was a difficult decision for Weaver to make.
“He has already indicated that we should have term limits, so I think there’s (that) in the back of (his) mind. He puts passion into anything he does and this is something that everybody has to respect. He’s done a huge amount of work, we’ve been able to work together and I think that we’ll see him going into a new direction and I look forward to seeing what that is.”
On a personal note, Trevena said her “real boss” is the people of the North Island.
“They’re the ones who elected me to be here, who chose me to be here. I’m in my fourth term, now, and I continue to regard this as a privilege. And I’m obviously extremely honoured to be B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure which takes me out of the North Island an awful lot, but is really is a huge privilege.
