Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Green Party, never intended to get into the political sphere. But when the provincial government green-lit a permit that could have harmed over 10,000 people in her community back in 2011, she took action.
She hasn’t looked back since.
How did you get started in politics?
It really all started more than ten years ago now when I was living and teaching up in Shawnigan Lake. I found out that the provincial government was planning to give a permit to a local quarry that would allow them to put 5 million tons of contaminated soil in this location that was uphill from Shawnigan Lake, which is a drinking water source for over 10,000 people.
That weekend, I remember pouring over this draft permit, looking at all the toxins that would be permitted in our watershed. I just couldn’t believe that a government wouldn’t put the well-being and safety of a community at the forefront of their decision-making, and it was a real turning point for me. So, I got organized with the community.
We started letter writing, connecting with the media, and we sustained a relentless campaign to stand up for our water. In the midst of that, I got elected to be a director for the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and by 2017, that quarry permit was revoked because of our work.
What is the BC Green Party all about?
In its simplest form, we’re striving to find purpose and joy – within the caucus, the constituency, the volunteers and the community. Our work is about solving problems, helping people, and making things better for communities – and it’s incredibly purposeful, very satisfying and joyful work.
Who is leading the BC Green Party?
We really have four leaders in the BC Greens.
We’ve brought on two deputy leaders, Dr. Lisa Gunderson and Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, and our house leader in the legislature is Adam Olsen. There’s a deep friendship between the four of us, and that really helps foster that sense of joy in the work that we do together.
Adam is a very well-established and effective MLA, one of the greatest that the B.C. legislature has seen in a very long time. When he speaks in that building, it changes the place. He’s so powerful, and he speaks so honestly and truthfully, especially about his experiences as an Indigenous person who grew up on a reserve, who has really wrestled with participating in what is a very colonial structure and institution.
Dr. Lisa Gunderson is an incredible person. She’s a psychologist and has a consulting company focused on anti-racism education. She’s a true community leader in that she builds and creates community in everything that she does, and she’s creating spaces that are truly safer, more inclusive and anti-racist – and I think that’s exactly the work we need right now in the world.
And then Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi. He was previously the head of cardiovascular and thoracic pediatric surgery at BC Children’s Hospital. As he was approaching the end of his career as a surgeon, he wanted to continue to help others and be a positive force, particularly when it comes to health and well-being, so I encouraged him to work with us.
What are some of the BC Green Party’s key focus points?
I made this chart that lays out what BC would look like if we achieved what we wanted to achieve, whether it’s housing as a human right, access to universal healthcare, nurturing really vibrant communities or creating more accessible public transit.
On the chart, the first thing is that everybody’s basic human needs are met, and everyone is able to thrive. Second is that we are in communities that are safe and connected, and thirdly, that these communities exist in an environment, a natural world, that in itself is healthy and able to support our health and well-being. Finally, the fourth is that we trust our government and our public institutions.
I was listening to a philosopher and historian who writes about democracy, and she said, “Democracy, in its essence, is supposed to be about the well-being of the people.”
My well-being is connected to your well-being, and it’s connected to the well-being of schools, housing, healthcare, parks, the environment and the community around us.
So, if we orient our work as politicians towards that outcome of health and well-being, and we measure that as our success, the stronger our communities will be. This is the basic principle of a government led by BC Greens.
For more information about the BC Green Party, visit bcgreens.ca.
