Second First Nations Woman Ever Sworn in as MLA in BC Succeeds the First in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant Riding

Seven years after welcoming the first First Nations woman to Legislature, BC is now set to welcome its second as her replacement.

In February, former Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Melanie Mark announced she would be stepping down from the role.

Mark, who is Nisga’a, Gitxsan, Cree and Ojibway, was first elected in 2016, marking a pivotal milestone for Indigenous women in BC’s leadership.

In her exit speech, Mark called out the dysfunction of provincial politics, stating that the House, at times, felt like a torture chamber.

That led the Union of BC Indian Chiefs to call for an investigation into the conditions she faced, and the colonial nature of the legislature.

Now, Penticton Indian Band member and fellow NDP, Joan Phillip has been sworn in as the next MLA of the Vancouver-Mount Pleasant riding.

BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee calls the moment historic, and exemplary of the resilience and strength of First Nations women.