Lək̓ʷəŋən [Lekwungen] Territory / VICTORIA, B.C.: In response to today’s announcement from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix rescinding orders for COVID-19, BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau has issued the following statement:

“Public health is the foundation of our healthcare system, and that foundation is ineffective without public trust. The BC NDP have broken that trust, and the BC United and BC Conservatives have harvested that confusion and fear for political gain. Today’s announcement does not address the root causes of the crisis in our healthcare system.

“The BC Greens remain committed to a renewal of public health, empowering and educating British Columbians to make evidence-driven, science-based decisions on their own health and wellbeing. We must also focus on greater transparency and accountability in our healthcare system. 

“The BC NDP could not provide a science-based rationale for their continued adherence to the vaccine mandate, and this announcement is an acknowledgement that they long ago abandoned science and evidence as their driving principles for decision-making.

“This also doesn’t solve the crises in our healthcare system: a lack of primary care, access to a family doctor, a lack of reliable and timely acute care, and the conditions that help people stay healthy. 

“We need a government that recognizes how essential it is to rebuild the trust in public health that has been lost since 2020. To do this, they must start with a commitment to honesty and transparency.”

-30-

Media Contact:
Rippon Madtha (he/him)
Communications Manager
rippon.madtha@greenparty.bc.ca 
Phone: +1 778-650-0597