Thank you to the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) for the opportunity to share my environmental commitments as the NDP candidate for West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country.

Growing up on the Sunshine Coast, I’ve seen how climate change and ecological decline are already affecting our forests, watersheds, and communities. These experiences have shaped my deep belief that bold, science-based action is needed to protect the natural world we call home—now and for future generations.

Protecting Forests, Watersheds, and Biodiversity

Our region’s natural ecosystems—particularly our old-growth forests and critical watersheds—are under increasing pressure. While forest management falls primarily under provincial jurisdiction, the federal government plays a key role in conservation. New Democrats support expanding Canada’s protected areas to cover 30% of land and waters by 2030 and investing in ecological restoration, watershed protection, and science-based conservation.

We also support community-based and Indigenous-led stewardship models, especially in areas with federally protected species or ecologically sensitive zones. Protecting biodiversity is not just about land—it's about water, food systems, and long-term climate resilience.

Cutting Emissions and Building a Sustainable Economy

The NDP is committed to reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050. This includes capping emissions from the oil and gas sector, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and reinvesting in clean energy, electrified public transit, energy-efficient buildings, and sustainable infrastructure.

Locally, that means fighting for low-carbon rural transportation options, supporting clean energy innovation on the Sunshine Coast, and making climate-resilient infrastructure a priority in all communities.

Respecting Indigenous Rights in Climate Solutions

Environmental progress must be grounded in respect. The NDP supports the full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and will work with Indigenous communities to ensure conservation efforts respect traditional knowledge, governance, and stewardship priorities—particularly where federal land or regulations are involved.

Responding to Climate Anxiety and Supporting Youth

Many young people today—myself included—feel a growing sense of anxiety about the future in the face of the climate crisis. The NDP recognizes this and will expand access to mental health care by bringing it into Canada’s public health system, ensuring people can get help when they need it. Supporting mental health is part of building resilient, empowered communities that can take on the challenges ahead.

Our Path Forward

This region has both the natural wealth and the civic passion to be a national leader in sustainability. I’m committed to making sure our voices are heard in Ottawa—to protect what makes this place special and to build a more sustainable, just, and hopeful future for everyone.

As Canadians, we are blessed to live in the most beautiful country on earth. Those of us who live in West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country are particularly blessed, as we live in the most beautiful party of this great country.

Yet this blessing comes with significant responsibility. We are the stewards of millions of square kilometres of forest, tundra, prairie, and so many other natural landscapes. We owe it to future generations to protect this beautiful land that we have inherited.

And Conservatives have a proud history of doing so. Conservatives have been recognized for their environmental leadership on issues ranging from combatting acid rain and fixing the hole in the ozone layer back in the 1980s to expanding our national parks and protected areas more recently.

Conservatives continue to lead on the environment today. We will protect the land, air, and water of our beautiful country, particularly here in British Columbia. And we will lead the way in tackling the global challenge of climate change – by truly treating it as the global challenge that it is.

That means understanding and focussing on where Canada can make the biggest impact. We will make our energy use more efficient here at home to tackle our own GHG emissions. But we will also focus on how we can make the biggest impact – and that is shifting as much of the world as possible away from coal-fired electricity.

Coal is the world’s largest energy source for power generation – and it continues to grow. This is absolutely unacceptable. We will not stop rising temperatures unless this changes. The biggest impact that Canada can have is to increase our exports of natural gas to replace coal as an energy source around the world. Yes, that means that we may emit more carbon – though Conservatives will ensure that our LNG exports are as efficient as possible. But any small increase here will be dwarfed by reductions elsewhere. We must play our part.

And stepping up to build natural gas pipelines and increase LNG exports – from the east coast as well as the west – will also help Europe reduce its reliance on Russian gas and, therefore, help counter the threat Vladimir Putin poses to world peace.

As a country with a highly educated population and brilliant researchers and entrepreneurs, we will also play our part in developing technologies to tackle the challenge of climate change. Conservatives will ensure that we create an environment in which researchers and clean-tech startups can thrive.

Clean air, clean water, protecting our forests and coastlines, and tackling climate change around the world. Conservatives have led on the environment in the past and we will under a Pierre Poilievre government.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell members of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association that we are in a time of crisis. Actually: crises. As we live through the world’s sixth mass extinction, stare down the barrel of oceans having more plastic by weight in them than fish by 2050, and live through the turbulence that climate change brings to our forests, oceans, and economic systems, our governments stand idly by, or worse: literally fund and fuel the chaos. I have been studying the earth for 25 years and have a deep understanding of what it means to have pieces of our earth’s systems pulled out of place. I have seen first hand the devastating impacts that the revolving door between industry and government have had on our regulations and regulatory bodies. We are living through LNG projects being crammed down our throats at a time when scientists and community members are screaming “STOP!” I have waited almost my entire life for somebody to do something, until I realized that nobody was coming to save us. That the only option is individual action. Running for federal office is how I am taking action. Challenging systems that are favouring the interests of industry and the ultra wealthy, so that people and environment can have their basic needs met. I can no longer standby, while the world our children will inherit is pilfered by the highest bidder, her wealth squandered by billionaires, while so many of us go without secure housing and food. Our drinking water, resources, and land need protection. We need a resilient, secure environment, upon which a resilient, secure economy is predicated: there is no sustainable economy without sustainable relationship with earth.

As a federal representative for our communities I will stand for

• Lobbyist transparency
• Stopping the “revolving door” relationship between industry and government
• A cessation of the public funding of fossil fuel companies and pipelines
• Reinstating federal oversight and regulations on industrial projects
• Reinstating federal minister for women, gender equality and youth
• A just transition to a green economy
• Safe water supply
• Drought support
• Upholding climate targets
• Social Equity
• Protecting our natural assets
• Fair taxation of large corporations and individuals
• Democratic reform

All of our environmental issues are rooted in a wealth disparity that has run rampant globally: any environmental solution that does not challenge this disparity is a band-aid solution for a chasmic problem. The top 1% globally owns almost half of the world’s wealth, with the bottom 50% of people holding about 1% of the wealth. This wealth disparity stems from social inequity, and is the source of environmental degradation. The Green Party of Canada is the only party committed to systemic change that will address the underlying causes of our social and environmental issues: no other party will allow their candidate to challenge a system that is serving them. I want to be part of bringing an evolution of our democratic system that is currently failing us, and that’s why I’m running as your MP.

As someone who grew up exploring the forests and oceans of the Sunshine Coast, these landscapes have always held a special place in my heart. When I saw the environmental damage happening under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, I trained as an environmental lawyer to use the law to protect our natural heritage.

I joined the Liberal Party because it was the only party ready to act on climate change and nature conservation—and could deliver results. Working with caucus colleagues like Steven Guilbeault, we led Canada to a global agreement to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030. We’ve since increased our marine and land protected areas through historic federal investments.

When the B.C. government accelerated old-growth logging, I tabled a motion calling on the federal government to act. This led to the creation of a federal old-growth nature fund, which became part of the B.C. Nature Agreement—mobilizing $1 billion from federal, provincial, and charitable sources to protect up to 13,000 km² of old-growth forest.

I also helped modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, introducing an amendment that, for the first time, enshrines the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment in Canadian law.

On salmon, I championed a historic $647 million recovery package—the largest ever for a species in Canada—to restore habitats, build hatcheries, and improve fisheries management.

Climate change is hitting the Sunshine Coast hard, especially with record droughts. That’s why I’ve supported Canada’s climate plan—the most ambitious in our history—which has brought emissions to their lowest point since 1996, even as our economy and population have grown. This plan includes pollution pricing, support for EVs and heat pumps, investments in nature-based solutions, and a transition to clean energy.

I also introduced amendments to Canada’s Competition Act to stop greenwashing. Companies must now back environmental claims with evidence. As a result, Alberta’s "Carbon War Room" was shut down, and the oil and gas industry pulled misleading ads or added disclaimers.

I’m running for re-election because we still have a lot of work to do—to protect the Sunshine Coast, defend biodiversity, and ensure Canada leads in the global fight against climate change.

I’m proud to stand with Mark Carney, who shares this vision. Together, we’re committed to:

• Protecting 30% of Canada’s land and waters by 2030
• Funding Indigenous stewardship and Guardians programs
• Launching a national nature fund to match local donations
• Making national parks free this summer to inspire a deeper connection with nature

We’ll cap emissions from the oil and gas sector, introduce stronger methane regulations, require transparency on climate risks in financial markets, and crowd in investment in clean tech and decarbonization.

I’ll continue supporting youth climate action, pushing for a youth climate corps, and tackling derelict boats that pollute our waters.

I’m ready to keep standing up for the spectacular environment we all love—and to help build a sustainable, livable future we can be proud of.

I grew up in a time when Canadian children were taught the names of trees, birds, and wild animals. We camped, we hiked, and we understood the rhythms of nature. In spring, we’d watch the snowmelt feed the creeks, then the rivers, then the lakes. That wasn’t just a change in season—it was a reminder of how alive and interconnected our land is. We should be proud of that culture. It should be fostered in our public schools, and parents should expect this from their teachers. A love
of the land can’t be legislated from Ottawa—it must be passed down, modeled, and lived.

I don’t see the core problem as climate change. I see it as a cultural shift away from the land. We are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature—living in dense urban areas, surrounded by concrete and consumption, with no space to grow our own food or experience the natural cycles of life. The further we drift from the land, the less we feel responsible for it.

We don’t fix that with more government. We fix it by restoring access and agency—by opening up Crown land to young Canadians who want to live close to nature, raise families, and build something of their own. That’s how you build a culture of stewardship: by giving people a real stake in the land.

We also need to change how we talk about environmentalism. The goal isn’t control—it’s care. Not every answer has to be a carbon tax or a regulatory crackdown. Sometimes, the best thing government can do is step back and let families, communities, and individuals reconnect with the land in meaningful ways.

We have a deep environmental tradition in Canada. It’s part of our culture, not our politics. If we want to protect that tradition, we need to stop outsourcing responsibility to distant institutions. This is our land. Let’s teach our children to love it—and then trust them to protect it.