No regrets, says BC health minister as he takes ‘break’ from politics

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Premier Christy Clark will be without one of her top cabinet ministers as she attempts to keep the BC Liberals in power during next year’s provincial election.

Terry Lake will not run to keep his spot as MLA of Kamloops-North Thompson, after a two-term stint during which he oversaw the environment and health portfolios.

“It does take a toll on your personal life and your family,” Lake tells NEWS 1130. “Two terms, I had always committed to. The question was, whether to seek a third term or look for new challenges in life, and for a number of reasons, we’ve decided to look for new challenges.”

The announcement of Lake’s departure comes amidst a fentanyl/opioid crisis which has seen the province declare a public health emergency.

He insists he has no regrets over the province’s handling of that issue.

“We have been leading the country if not the continent in what we’ve done,” shares Lake.

“Certainly, there’s more to do. We went through a similar crisis in the ’90s with crack cocaine. This is even worse than that. That’s why we declared a public health emergency. When you’ve got people like [Provincial Health Officer] Dr. Perry Kendall, you know you’ve got the best people working around you. We’ve done a tremendous amount in terms of harm reduction, in terms of awareness…I know that we’ve done a lot and there’s nothing I regret but it’s not over.

“We’ve got to work hard, and we’ll continue to do that, because it has a deep impact on families around British Columbia.”

Some health experts and advocates have been pushing for more supervised consumption sites like Vancouver’s Insite to be set up around the province to save lives. Lake would not be drawn to criticize the federal Liberals over a failure to repeal legislation blocking the creation of new supervised consumption sites, expressing a hope things will change.

“Safe consumption sites are one tool, and they’re an important tool,” says Lake.

“I was certainly disappointed with the former [Conservative] government. This government, with Dr. [Jane] Philpott as [federal health] minister, has I think a commitment to do more for harm reduction. I think they will change their mind and change the legislation to make it easier to have safe consumption sites. We will certainly continue to press them to do that.”

This is what he had to say when asked about the potential of an eventual return to politics.

“Politics — you don’t have to be 25 like playing in the [English] Premiership [soccer],” explains Lake.

“You look at people like Ralph Sultan, who’s just an excellent MLA in his 80s. So it’s something I could always consider in the future I suppose. I’ve always been keenly interested in public service and public policy. So don’t rule anything out. But to have a break from politics I think will be very good for me.”

Political implications

It’s too early to say what Lake’s departure could mean for the BC Liberals in next year’s election, but he had established himself over the last two elections in what can be a tough Kamloops-North Thompson riding.

“It’s one of the few classic battlegrounds in the province,” says the Tyee’s legislative bureau chief Andrew MacLeod.

“It’s a bellwether. Usually, it’s won by whoever forms the government. In 2009, he won it by 500 votes, it was very, very close. In 2013, he won by 3000 votes, so I think it reflects some personal popularity there. So, any time a veteran who is popular steps down and has to be replaced, it has to be a setback for the party.”

Before entering the provincial arena, Lake was a faculty member at Thompson Rivers University. He has previously been involved in municipal politics, having served as mayor and as a councillor for the City of Kamloops.