My name is Rhonda Bruce and I have spent most of my youth in Oliver and then raised my two sons here.

My parents are Dal and Gaye Carter and I have two sisters and a brother. I am married to Mark Mattes and have two sons,  a daughter-in-law and two grandsons.

A friend of mine asked me why I would want to run for the NDP. Here is my answer:

Adrian Dix is a good leader with a practical plan for this province.

Growing up my parents always taught me to never be afraid of a hard work.  Throughout this province there are many people that put in a hard day’s work with little reward. Things have changed here in B.C. It is tough to raise a family on a day’s pay.  We have to work harder and longer. Some people are working two and three jobs just to survive. The same job my mother raised four children with, is no longer enough.

We are a province rich in resources and yet we are slowly giving them away. We have to be sustainable. How can we do this without control of what we have? I believe that we don’t inherit this earth from our forefathers we borrow it from our children. We need to protect what we have and leave something for our children in the future.  We need to be talking about the environment and be watchful with what we are doing to this planet.

I have worked in health care for over 20 years. I have seen a lot of changes not all of them are good.  Seniors care needs help and help now. The Ombudsperson has given the government recommendations on how to improve senior’s care. Why are we waiting? With rising costs things will just get worse unless we can change how we deliver health care. The cost of prescription drugs has sky rocketed and it will get worse unless we stand up and say enough. We have an aging population with not enough young people and yet still young people are having a difficult time finding work. If we are going to bring in foreign workers they need to have the same rights as Canadians and not be paid less for the same work we do.

The cost of education is an issue. I have heard statements like “students have to have some skin in the game”. I feel we need to give them a hand up not a push down. We will be the ones to benefit in the end. I am glad that we are talking about the apprenticeship program. This is the same program that was cut by this government and we will need trades more than ever.

Water, the liquid Gold. When I was growing up we never had bottled water we got it from a tap or a garden hose. We have to protect this because without it we will not survive. Water is a right to life!

What do I bring to the table? I have spent the four years as a labour leader talking about these issues. I was part of an elected team that represented over 43,000 health care workers in this province In June I attended the Governor Generals leadership conference where leaders from all across Canada came together to talk about communities and sustainability. I have volunteered in my community working with many service groups since my youth. I have even taught my children the importance of volunteering your time. My son Rodney Zeeman is a director with the Wild Sheep Society of B.C. It is something he is passionate about.

I am running for the right reasons and I have what it takes to be part of the NDP team.  Most of all I care about what happens with this province not for me but for my grandchildren and the children to come.