Asked to share a colourful anecdote about MLA Adam Olsen, BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau told of his penchant for displaying in party meetings how he feels about NDP government policies.
"At some point, Adam would almost inevitably put his head down on the table as a sign of some level of frustration and exasperation,” Furstenau told Black Press Media.
She said this happens so often she has a whole photo series of these displays.
This image is emblematic of Olsen’s two terms in opposition as a member of the B.C. legislature representing the BC Greens, a career set to end after the upcoming election. Olsen announced he will not run again on June 25, citing his desire to spend more time with his family after recently watching three young fathers he knew pass away.
“Each of them I had a relationship with and a connection with that goes back to my childhood,” he said. “It put me into an existential re-evaluation of the things that I value."
Olsen sat down with Black Press Media just hours after he made the announcement and gave his thoughts on the past, present and future of his own career and of the electoral prospects of the BC Greens. He is staying involved in politics, taking on a new role as the party’s campaign coordinator.
Despite Olsen's confident and optimistic persona, his past seven years as an MLA has had plenty of frustrating moments.
His two terms in the legislature were markedly different. When Olsen was elected in 2017 to represent the Saanich North and the Islands riding, the BC Greens became the official Third Party. The NDP needed their votes to govern, and a confidence and supply agreement was struck between the parties.
For a time, Olsen, Furstenau, and then-party leader Andrew Wheeler were able to push their agenda and influence legislation. That ended in 2020 when the party was left with two seats and the NDP had solidified its position enough to govern without those votes.
This changed the NDP approach and reduced accountability, Olsen says.
“They don't need to show their work,” he said. “They can put it on the table, restrict debate, and slam it through with their majority. That's not democracy, that's autocracy.”
Tsartlip Roots
Much of Olsen’s work in the legislature seems to be informed by his life growing up as a member of the Tsartlip First Nation.
Tsartlip Chief Don Tom expressed pride at Olsen being the the first person from his nation to be elected into the legislature, but also a sense of loss because that is coming to an end.
Tom said he has known Olsen all his life, and worked on one of his campaigns.
“It's certainly been comforting to have been able to call Adam while he was in the legislature and to be able to share my concerns directly,” Tom said. “I will absolutely miss those calls.”
Since the start of his political career Olsen has clearly prioritized Indigenous causes. It is also clear these issues can be the most frustrating for him.
He highlighted the bitterness he felt after proposed NDP changes to the Land Act collapsed under political pressure.
“The way the opposition parties latched on to it as an opportunity to divide voters against the current government at the expense of Indigenous people,” Olsen said. “It broke my heart.”
These changes would have regulated how First Nations settle land disputes with the government, bringing the sides to a negotiating table instead of letting disagreements over First Nation land rights play out in the courts.
Olsen says leaving it to the courts creates uncertainty for everyone. But the Conservative Party and B.C. United effectively scuttled the legislation by amplifying concerns over the loss of individual property rights.
Olsen said the NDP government should have involved him to help better explain to people why these changes were needed and to fend off criticism.
“We have a long history where Indigenous people have been put in the middle; have become scapegoats for the political narrative,” he said, calling this political manoeuvring “gross.”
From councillor to legislator
Olsen began his political career on Central Saanich’s municipal council in 2007.
It was in council that Olsen got his first taste of government, and it was a sharp learning curve.
“I had no idea what a property tax mill rate was and zoning bylaws and official community plans,” he said “The way that we do all that work was totally foreign to me.”
This was particularly difficult having grown up under a First Nation government.
“I don't think a lot of people understand that we have two very distinct systems, one for everybody and one for Indian people,” he said.
Serving as a councillor is different than being a legislator. Without political parties it requires individual consensus-building skills to make things happen.
Even those who disagree with Olsen say he possesses a community-minded desire to get things done in that type of environment.
“There may have been times where we didn't agree on something, but we were always able to work together and I never doubted his commitment to the community once,” said Central Saanich mayor Ryan Windsor, who replaced Olsen on the district council in 2013 when Olsen took his first shot at the legislature, which he lost.
For this reason, Olsen said he has always been more comfortable at the committee level in the legislature, saying he felt he was able to form bonds with people like fellow house leaders Ravi Kahlon of the NDP and Todd Stone of B.C. United.
He says he always tries to keep it friendly, noting that it can be surprising the different alliances that he has made on some issues, even with people he may generally disagree with.
“At the end of the day, I'm going to walk out of that room, and I'm going to do my best to strike up a conversation with you in the hallway, to reach out and have a conversation,” Olsen said.
His conviviality does have limits, though. Olsen said he has no patience for “pure populism.” He wouldn’t name names himself, but Furstenau said he was upset with “misinformation flow" from the Conservative Party of B.C.
“I despise that,” Olsen said. “That is turning our democracy into a farce.”
What’s next for Olsen and the Greens
Now that he has decided not to run again, there is uncertainty for him and his party at a time when the Greens already have a difficult path.
Furstenau projects confidence, but she has switched ridings and changes to her old one have complicated efforts to retain that seat. And now she is running in Victoria-Beacon Hill against Grace Lore, who is an incumbent and the current Child and Family Development minister.
But Olsen may have been able to hold on to his seat. Anecdotally he seems popular in the community, and vocal supporters are not hard to find on the Saanich Peninsula.
Furstenau and Olsen say this clears the way for a new up-and-comer in the party to take a seat they say is still winnable for the Greens.
“There's a very good opportunity for someone to get elected,” he said.
No decision has been made yet on who that person will be, but Furstenau said a short-list of candidates has already been created.
As the new campaign coordinator for the party, Olsen was asked if he fears vote-splitting between the Greens and NDP could result in a Conservative Party win in B.C.
The Conservatives rise is still somewhat stymied by the splitting of votes between that party and B.C. United, but the same thing is theoretically possible on the left.
Olsen acknowledged that vote-splitting could be a problem for the Greens and NDP, but argued democracy is stronger with more parties, warning of the lack of checks and balances in a two-party system.
“Basically what it reduces our democracy to is an electoral event, once every four years,” he said. “I really think that people should be empowered to vote for the party that best represents their values.”
Furstenau and Olsen continue to project confidence, but there is no doubt the departure of Olsen will leave a void for those he advocated for, as well as for his political party.
