Speaker, Session 1a
First elected in 1986, Minister Sihota represents the riding of Esquimalt-Metchosin. Under his tenure as Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks, his ministry has introduced Canada’s toughest standards with regards to pulp mill effluent discharge and the phase-out of CFCs. Mr. Sihota has been a national trendsetter on air pollution matters and British Columbia currently enjoys the highest environmental rating of any province in Canada. Prior to that, he served as Minister of Labour and Consumer Services and Minister Responsible for Constitutional Affairs. In that portfolio, he introduced a new labour code to restore fairness and balance to labour relations in B.C. Before being elected to the Legislature, Mr. Sihota sat on Esquimalt Municipal Council. He had a private law practice in that community, and has previously been employed as a social worker. Mr. Sihota holds a degree in Social Work from the University of B.C. and a degree in law from the University of Victoria.