Two Nurses Elected to BC Legislature as Final Election Results Announced

BCNU would like to congratulate fellow members Susie Chant and Harwinder Sandhu on successfully winning their ridings of Vernon-Monashee and North Vancouver-Seymour in the recent provincial general election. Both registered nurses have years of experience in many areas of health care and will no doubt work to bring the priorities of their constituents and the nursing profession to the BC legislature.

Now that half a million mail-in ballots have been counted, the results of the provincial election have been announced two weeks after British Columbians cast their votes on October 24.

BCNU president Christine Sorensen says she is pleased that the public has elected two nurses and looks forward to working with the newly elected MLAs on a number of the union's key priorities. These include addressing the province's nurse shortage and the impact that is having on BCNU members, confronting the opioid crisis, investing in seniors' care and addressing mental health needs.

"Nurses are natural leaders, and we are thrilled that Harwinder and Susie will be bringing their voices and their expertise to Victoria. The government must look at ways it can better support nurses and health care workers. Now, more than ever, we need strong leaders as we focus on BC's post-pandemic road to recovery."

While BCNU is non-partisan, the union does encourage members to run for election and to promote policies that improve patient care and reflect BCNU's core values, beliefs, and political action priorities. It is critical that more nurses and other care providers are heard in political arenas, especially as the province navigates the most significant public health crisis seen in a century.