WHILE SKEENA NDP MLA Robin Austin hasn’t yet decided who he supports for the leadership of the party, another northern MLA made a choice last week.
Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson announced Feb. 11 he had decided
to support Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth for leader of the BC NDP.
Donaldson says it was Farnworth’s recent trip into his riding that
sealed the deal.
“I was impressed both with Mike’s approach to the issues facing
Northern B.C., and, most importantly, with his insistence that
politics has to be done differently.
“He understands that solutions to the challenges British Columbians
face don’t exist only in Victoria or the Lower Mainland, but will come
from communities across the province,” says Donaldson.
After four terms as a municipal councillor, Donaldson was first
elected MLA in 2009.
With a resume that includes stints in both forestry and tourism, he says that Farnworth’s view on rural economic development were also key to his decision.
“Mike’s view that social, environmental and economic success cannot,
and should not, be separated have a special resonance for people in
the communities I represent,” says Donaldson.
“With the right support from government, northwest communities can once again see economic growth and the corresponding family-supporting jobs.”
Donaldson becomes the fifth BC NDP caucus member to support Mike
Farnworth.
