Year of great humanity in B.C. for MLA Letnick

For Norm Letnick, 2021 was a year of great humanity in British Columbia.

Despite the province facing a litany of crises, from record heat to forest fires, floods, and an ongoing pandemic, the outpouring of support for those impacted never ceased to amaze the Kelowna – Lake Country MLA.

“Our journey has been a difficult one for many families and many individuals,” he told Kelowna10. “I want to tell them there is hope and … we will see some of these challenging times we’ve had in 2021 behind us.”

Since the B.C. NDP took majority status in the provincial legislature last fall, Letnick has served as the assistant deputy speaker, a legislative referee if you will. The role forces him to be more muted or nuanced in his criticism of government.

But the job, he maintains, comes with an advantage to his constituents. His relationship with government ministers is buoyed by the fact he is not constantly berating them. That, he said, allows him to pull ministers aside and discuss issues more intimately.

“There is a pro and con to that. The pro is I believe it helps me advocate better for my constituency,” he said. “The con is people don’t see me advocating for my constituency.”

He said desk banging from critics during question period is reported on far more often by the media than quiet side conversations.

“Luckily, in my case, I’ve built some trust over the last 12 years. [The constituents] know I am working hard for them even though they might not read about it in the newspaper,” he said.

The role of assistant deputy speaker, he said, fits naturally for him, as he believes he’s never fit a typical go-for-the-jugular critic role.

That was evident during his time as health critic prior to the 2020 vote, he said.

Letnick and health minister Adrian Dix worked closely, so much so that CBC’s Power & Politics requested a dual interview to discuss the cross-aisle co-operation, he said. The powers that be kindly declined the request.

“I really enjoyed being that kind of critic,” he said, noting the importance of that collaboration when the pandemic struck.

And twenty-two months later, the pandemic continues to loom large. He expressed immense gratitude to healthcare workers on the frontlines and commended the experts managing the situation.

He said it is important for the public to recognize that those experts are doing the best they can and must adapt quickly to fluid situations.

“You can criticize them for making the changes in short notice, or they could have done nothing, and you could criticize them for not making the changes because it has gone out of control,” he said. “That is challenge that you have when you are in government. That’s fair because they wanted to be in government. They held an election during a pandemic that wasn’t necessary so they could get a majority government. Well they got their majority so now they have to accept the criticism that comes with all their decisions.”

Among other challenges over the last 12 months; record overdose deaths. Word from his constituents and B.C. Liberal shadow ministers is a need to continue to push the provincial government for more wrap around support.

He said it is one thing to house people with mental health and addiction issues, but it is a completely different story to get them back as fully functioning members of society.

“That requires an investment and that requires attention and a priority … so that they have a chance to get clean and stay clean over the long term,” he said.

On the subject of climate change, Letnick said there is a need to address it not only collectively through government, but on an individual basis. He urged people to take a personal responsibility by doing things like switching to electric cars and installing solar panels or high efficiency appliances.

He’s done many of these things himself, and said if everyone took these steps, we would have a significant impact on the environment.

“We didn’t get here overnight, so it is going to take some time,” he said.

Heading into 2022, Letnick reminded people to spend time and take care of loved ones and to keep mental health top of mind.

“At the end of all this, when it finally ends, and becomes endemic instead of pandemic, we are going to have one hell of a party,” he said with a laugh.