Week 6 with Nick Gilchrist

The Public Circle w/ Adam Olsen

Episode Summary

- In Week 6, Adam Olsen and Nick Gilchrist have a lengthy discussion about jurisdictional issues and frustrations.

- The conversation begins with Adam reflecting on the transition between the legislative and constituency focus of his work. There is always a backlog of meeting requests in the constituency when the legislative session ends and it usually takes a few weeks to get caught up. Adam also highlights the series of community meetings he is hosting in early December. Find out more here.

- Last week Nick's wife (and Adam's sister) Joni was re-elected to Tsartlip First Nation Council. This is her seventh election since 2007. Nick and Adam take a few minutes to honour Joni's work and the challenge that First Nations governments face with respect to the Indian Act and their relationships with the federal and provincial governments.

- One of the more frustrating aspects of governance for the public is confusion around the responsibility of the different levels of government. Who is responsible for what? Nick and Adam turn their attention to the complexities of overlapping jurisdictions and how the difficulties that surround them can often overwhelm and cause a lack of engagement by the public.

- As part of the discussion about jurisdiction they cover the shortcomings of the "world class oil spill response" and the criticisms of elected officials from Washington State in their attempts to get the Province of British Columbia and Government of Canada to the table to address issues of mutual interest.

- In addition, Adam and Nick canvas issues around salmon, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the provincial ministries with decision-making authority over salmon policy and endangered species legislation.

- The discussion turns to the relationship between government and industry. With resource extraction being an important part of the British Columbia economy, Nick and Adam discuss the extensive use of subsidies and incentives and the work ahead in transitioning away from such a heavy reliance on extracting natural resources to a more diverse and sustainable economy for the future.

- Finally, the conversation lands on some of the more philosophical thinking that Adam has been doing around leaders, leadership and the violent narratives that emerge as politicians and political parties play the partisan games that are often associated with political campaigns. Adam discusses this further in a recent blog post.

If you would like to contact Adam, please send him an email here.

If you would like to contact Nick, please send him an email here.