Premier David Eby issued mandate letters to his new cabinet on Jan. 16. You can find the mandates for the key cabinet ministers relevant to the community non-profit social services sector in our Resources section, and click here for the BC Government page listing all cabinet ministers and their mandates.
With the exception of the Attorney General’s ministry and Social Development and Poverty Reduction, virtually all of the BC ministers that our sector will be dealing with have changed. That includes two ministries – Health and Public Safety – where the ministers had been in place since the NDP was elected in 2017.
A separate ministry for mental health and addictions has vanished in this latest round of changes, replaced by a Parliamentary Secretary position under the Health Ministry.
Some highlights from the mandate letters:
To MCFD Minister Jodie Wickens:
“Continue leading work to design and implement a comprehensive child well-being plan and outcomes framework that aligns services across ministries and agencies, prioritizing a new service model that brings the most vulnerable children and their families to the front of the line to prevent crisis. This plan should include an outcomes framework to measure the needs, successes and well-being of children and youth.
“Lead work with the Ministry of Health, and with Indigenous peoples, key stakeholders and people with lived experience, to realign and improve services for children and youth with support and mental health needs.”
To Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon:
“Increase the supply of rental, co-op and non-market housing. Identify under-used capital that can be leveraged to construct new purpose-built rental housing across the province. To this end, work with the Minister of Citizens’ Services to identify potential uses for surplus government real estate assets in a way that supports our overall housing and economic development goals.
“Continue to enhance delivery of supportive and complex care housing in a manner that keeps residents and others safe.”
To SDPR Minister Sheila Malcolmson:
“Work with the Attorney General to support engagement of the non-profit sector in the 2025 review of the Lobbyist Transparency Act.
“Continue to strengthen government’s relationship with the non-profit sector by acting as the point of contact within government on key issues affecting the sector and supporting the effectiveness of non-profit sector organizations, including through the Social Services Sector Roundtable.
“In order to protect key services that British Columbians rely on, work with the Minister of Finance to review all existing Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction programs and initiatives to ensure our programs remain relevant, are efficient, ensure safe and strong communities, and reduce poverty. This is important in the context of current Provincial budget constraints and the priorities of communities in the province.”
To Health Minister Josie Osborne:
“Support the work of the Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry, Toxic Drugs and Concurrent Disorders in delivering high-quality care for people struggling with acquired brain injury, addiction, and mental health challenges – and work with partners across government to implement solutions.
“Bring together addiction health professionals and epidemiologists to expand peerreviewed research to evaluate interventions for people struggling with addiction, and promptly implement best practices based on findings.
“Continue our work to build and deliver a seamless system of care for people seeking mental health and addiction services in the province on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, including services responsive to the unique needs of Indigenous peoples.
“Work with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and with Indigenous peoples, key stakeholders and people with lived experience, to realign and improve services for children and youth with support and mental health needs.”