209. Á'a:líya Warbus: Conservative MLA on Cowichan Tribes, Mass Graves & Reconciliation

Indigenous MLA Á’a:líya Warbus joins Chief Aaron Pete to discuss breaking stereotypes by joining the BC Conservatives, her journey from treaty work to the legislature, navigating the toxic drug crisis, Indigenous land rights, the unmarked graves story, and what’s next for the party and reconciliation in British Columbia.

Transcript

Á'a:líya Warbus: 0:03

What I grew up seeing and hearing in around my community was that conservatives didn't support Indigenous people. And that was the only real understanding I had.

Aaron Pete: 0:13

There's a preconceived notion that Indigenous people will vote NDP or liberal. I imagine you experience a lot of shock and awe from so many people of like, you're breaking the mold. What was that journey like to make that decision and go down that path?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 0:26

One of the things I noticed about the NDP, when I look at purely the facts, the budget, the decisions, when I think about policy as related to open drug use, criminal activity, harm reduction, where are we putting our money? I just think our communities are suffering. Our kids are dying because of a toxic drug crisis, and these policies are not working.

Aaron Pete: 0:50

Calvin tribes decision adds a feel to the fire that it's it's everyday British Columbians versus indigenous community. It comes at a time where Canadians can't afford a house. Can you explain the story and what it means?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 1:02

That's what they signed on for to settle the land question. But now it's our fault. This is Canada's responsibility. This is BC's responsibility. Indigenous people are caught up in the fray and the fro of how people play politics with it, how they decide to frame it because it's beneficial to them, how they decide to skew.

Aaron Pete: 1:22

MLA Dallas Brody has chosen to leave the Conservative Party and start her own party and regularly posts on Twitter now, I would say, views that Indigenous people get too much support. I'm wondering if you would mind just briefly introducing yourself for people who might not be acquainted.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 1:53

Aalia Tilsqui, Hualmuch Tilsqui Talitakwa, Skokale First Nation, Casta Hhomasquim Samath, Skowlitz to Ailis. My name is Aalia Warbis. I'm a Huelmuch person from the Stalo territory, specifically born and raised in Skokale First Nation. And my grandparents all come from communities around Coastalish territory. My grandfather was from Musqueam. My grandmother grew up in Sumas, Samath. I mean, I could go into where their parents are from, would be here all day talking about my family tree. My other grandmother is from the community of Scalitz, and my grandfather uh was from Saales. Uh my only living grandparent, uh Rena Point Bolton, uh, she was gone for a long time, living in Terrace. She married up there. Um, she's back now in the valley. And yeah, my parents, we were raised in Skokale First Nation, where my dad grew up.

Aaron Pete: 2:54

Beautiful. Are you able to share a bit of the work you do?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 2:56

Yeah, for sure. So I am a member of the Legislative Assembly elected for Chilliwack called Dislake. For short, they just say MLA. And um, yeah, I do a lot of different work, and it has to do also with the role that I was appointed to by our leader, John Rustad. I'm part of the conservative caucus. Uh, so I'm House Leader as well for official opposition.

Aaron Pete: 3:22

It's been a long time since we sat last, and I'm wondering if you can take us back to the beginning. Uh, there are rumblings of an election coming up. When did you start to ponder entering provincial politics and what was that early process before you had committed to one party or another? What was the kind of things going on that were contributing to you thinking of entering politics?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 3:43

I remember actually the day that this conversation came about because we were in the midst of getting communications, reports, uh, progress ready for a meeting that our chiefs had through the treaty process in order to update them on where they were at with stage five. So there are a number of stages when you're entering into a treaty process. Uh, they identify the stages by the progress that you've made until eventually you get to a document that the federal government, the provincial government, the chiefs, their communities are all happy with that outlines your territory, uh, your different structures that you're going to put into place to govern that territory, land, there's so much technical material that goes into these treaties, these modern-day treaties now, and that's why it takes so long. A lot of it has to do with consensus as well and communications, right? Getting people to the table. It's a tripartite effort. And then, of course, because we have such small community Indian Act bands as defined by the Indian Act, uh, there's a lot of leadership that has to come together in unity. So, anyways, that aside, I was working for our treaty association, which was known as SXTA at one time, and then they moved over to SXG. So they were trying to move and formalize from Stalla Hohuelmock Treaty Association, known as a society under the Society Act of British Columbia, to Stalla Hohuelmock government. Self-identifying as a government, which they totally have the right to do under rights that are identified by Section 35 and recognized by the Crown, is to take on that responsibility and act as if. And when you start to do that, then you're imposing a identity and a system onto the land, onto the governance of your own people, and reacting to the provincial government, the Canadian government in that fashion. So my role as cultural communications was a bit of a dog's breakfast, I'll say it that way. It's not the most eloquent term, but to be able to communicate what is leadership doing to the people, to be able to communicate their calendars and what was happening externally and politically that might affect their work to leadership, to be able to ensure that all the documents circulating were standardized, you know, the briefings were going out, that we had a communication strategy on social media through promotional materials, um, what's our target audience? What kind of messages do we want to get out to people and what kind of information do we want back for them? So it was this cog in between a really complicated process that, in my opinion, our people were not really grasping onto, nor did they have the interest for or even the bandwidth to be able to participate in and have a knowledgeable and informed two-way conversation about. So that's a long way of saying that I came back to work for my community because my heart's always been in that work. And what I observed as a staff member, you know, sometimes changing my hat because I'm a community member too, and I have an invested interest in the work and where it's going to go, is that we did not have that direct line into how does government make these decisions? How does government operate? What happens when government does something that we as an indigenous people are impacted by and that we don't agree with? How are we understanding how to lobby government officials, uh, be able to make better, faster, more, I would say, fluid connections with them in order to get our agenda move forward as Indigenous communities. I wasn't seeing that. I'm not saying that it wasn't happening on any level or in maybe even other places and processes in and around BC, but I would say that that was a gap that I had identified. And what worried me is that it always felt as though we're at the table waiting for government. We're waiting for that approval and that stamp to say, here's the process, here's how we're going to fulfill the needs of the process, and this is when it's going to be up to the standard of what the government of the day says it needs to be. And getting everybody to those tables was just as painful as as potentially even the process itself, which has been going on for 20 years now. And I did notice the pieces of fraying. Um there were missteps I would say uh maybe potentially missed opportunities or or just grievances that were not being solved at the leadership level, and the communication was really starting to dwindle. And I would say that was on the side of our Indigenous leaders, and also, you know, like I said, that that fluid and concrete conversation and relationship that we need with the both the province and the federal government. And so seeing all of that, it started to almost spark those thoughts in my mind of how do we get in there? You know, how do we get knowledge, direct involvement? How do we get our perspectives and voices heard so that potentially one day these systems are not so inaccessible to us? And what that looks like, I have no idea. But I had this impetus inside of me of this is what needs to happen. And I'd seen other Indigenous people move into government, but also saw how difficult it was for them because it comes with a lot of judgment and it comes with a lot of weight on your shoulder as oh, well, you're the indigenous person. Yeah, if this ever happened to you, but being the lone indigenous person in a classroom sometimes, you know, as soon as you flip the page to that chapter, we're going to study Indians. All the eyes are on you. And and everybody has every question under the sun. And you're like, I'm not even from their parries. I know nothing about teepees. That's what was in our school books, right? When we were introduced, first introduced to indigenous um history or culture teachings in elementary and middle school. So I started to think about it then. It was something that just I couldn't help it. It was there. I had that question of how do we improve this? Because it's really not happening at a rate or a level that I thought was conducive to seeing a actual finished treaty. Yeah. And we we didn't get there. We didn't cross that finish line. Uh the office, they decided to disband the process. Um, I don't know whatever happened specifically to the funds that were attached to the work. Uh, and you know, that meant that like staff was laid off and all those things. But before that happened, you know, before it basically fell apart and and those six communities that were left in the treaty process and Stalo Nation, in and around Stalo Nation, um, left the table, it really did have me thinking about either civic or provincial politics and and that gap. And I had looked actually to see, because everyday people, I think average people, even myself included, I wasn't thinking about who's the MLA for Chilliwack. What party are they from? Who won the last election? There are some people who really love this stuff and they follow it, like a football fan follows the NFL, right? Here it would be the Great Cup, but um, you know, Americans like what's that? But uh I really started to become interested, and I saw that we had two NDP representatives here in Chilwok, which actually surprised me because it's typically a very conservative um community. Stronghold, yeah. Stronghold, yeah. And uh we've had uh, you know, federal conservatives have been here since forever and ever. Mark Stroll and you know, before that it was his dad truck truck stroll. And um it it caused me to look into it a little bit more. And I started looking at uh different legislative members around BC and kind of looking at the the climate of where provincial politics were even um across Canada. You know, I I knew of Wabcano, uh, but I didn't quite know about his journey, or you know, he'd risen to being premier and and those things. So it really just started to make that seed of thought grow. And I had said jokingly to my friend who I was working with at the time, I'm like, that's it. I'm gonna get, you know, I'm gonna be um an MLA or I should run. And you just kind of say these things, and they're just I don't know how you where it came from or how it kind of locked in in that moment. Yes, like how to even describe how these things manifest and then become words that are spoken aloud, but that's kind of what happened. And in fact, we looked at it and and you know, the process and you have to be a part of a party, and we didn't even know those things. And we talked about it at length, we were kind of googling for maybe half an hour, and I and I remember saying to him, I must be crazy because I would never have the time to fit this in with everything else I'm doing. It just wouldn't be possible. Why would I ever do that? And we laughed about it and then we went home and I was like, ha ha, I remember yesterday I was talking about running for MLA, and he's like, ha ha ha ha, you know, and and that was that, honestly. And then um we had a few colleagues that were working with us at the time who had come from that world years and years ago, they had worked with different uh MLAs and ministers and and they knew a little bit more than I did. And I was sort of reflecting on that story at dinner and saying, yeah, like, oh, I thought about running, or you know, maybe maybe that's just what I need to do. Because again, I had this frustration about the process, and it just felt like we weren't getting there. We were stuck in mud, and I and I couldn't quite figure out, you know, why was the communication between the different parties not working? Where are we lacking? Are there better processes that exist? Now people are getting into reconciliation agreements or um additions to reserve process, you know, and all of this is I think positive on a very micro level of these small indigenous bands with a few hundred people apiece, because they're able to do it in-house. It's something they can incrementally kind of crank up and and see their community grow and the benefits for just them. But to me, if we're gonna be doing reconciliations, additions reserve, and all these kind of deals, even the Height of Land Title deal across BC for all the over 200 Indian Act bands, we're gonna see these processes drag on for a long, long time, just like we've seen the court cases drag on for a long, long time. And we don't have that real resolve in in in our hands that says, okay, this is the boundaries we're gonna have by when. And so that people can move on from this land question because it's becoming quite contentious. So, anyways, I had passively said to one of my colleagues uh about running, and he he looked at me and he actually said, Are you serious about that? And I said, half serious. I mean, I just think it's kind of time and we really need this right now, and and maybe that level of understanding would be something that we could all benefit from. And and he actually started texting on his phone, and I didn't quite understand, and we just kept eating dinner and talking shop and all these kinds of things. And um, little did I know was that he had a connection to at the time uh John Rustad's chief of staff.

Aaron Pete: 16:28

Wow.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 16:29

Yeah. And um had texted him to say, hey, have you guys filled Chilbot Cultist Lake and and started having these conversations and said, Would you want to meet John Rustad? And I said, Who? Right? At that time, you know, um, a lot of people didn't know who John was, right? And that he was leading this charge of of revamping the Conservative Party. And he even told me the party, and I laughed, like, yeah, right. Because to me, I had these pre-conceived notions about what I grew up to understand conservatives as. And every group, I think, kind of has their uh standard uh opinion and relationship with one party or another that have historically been um the same. Yeah. You know, and and to me, what I grew up seeing and hearing in and around my community was that conservatives didn't support Indigenous people. And that was the only real understanding I had. Uh and like I said, I don't think that we as Indigenous people feel involved or or called to uh follow politics outside of our communities. And so I said I would take the meeting, but the entire time before the meeting, it was like my gut and my head and my heart was in conflict of uh what if and then what, right? Because I didn't really think that he would even approve me as a candidate. I was going there to kind of challenge some of the things I read in his platform, and then I didn't think that I'd actually accept and run. And then I didn't even think that I was going to win. I wasn't sure, right? Because again, Chilwak has uh traditionally been a conservative stronghold, but a lot of times when you live in um minority or um you're very different from status quo, that's been a difficult journey in a in a smaller community that has very traditional values. And so I took the meeting and talked with John, and when I did challenge him on things that I thought as I read them didn't make sense on paper, we were able to have conducive conversation. And that's honestly all that I really ask of anyone that I'm gonna work with. Let's have a conversation about it. And we may not land in the exact same place, but if we can continue a conversation, then that's the important thing. And we're actually gonna be open to one another. That was my first exposure and and understanding of who John is, what his values are, and and the way that he communicates and he works. And so from that meeting, uh, there was a good rapport, I think, built off of that and wanting to green light me as a candidate, but I needed to accept. And of course, that meant I needed to talk to my husband. I needed to talk to my children, I need to talk to my parents, um, you know, my support system of people who know me and can help me to make the decision, yeah, process the information, make the decision that's going to be best for me.

Aaron Pete: 19:57

Because there's no certainty, right? Yeah, can you quickly just ask? Yeah. And so I interviewed all of the leaders, and I was most nervous to interview uh John Rustad. And the main reason for that is because the what is said about him online and how he appears when you read articles about him is not necess is often not the person you're sitting down with and speaking with, right? It's not a uh perfect matching of the person. So I was nervous because it was like, if he believes everything that I'm reading on the walrus and all these articles, then we're gonna be very combative. But if I go in assuming these articles are the case, then I I may be speaking with a caricature and I may come across as a bad interviewer because I'm like, well, you believe this, right? And he's like, No, that was just some article that was written about it. I don't actually so like you can come across antagonistic if you lean too much on what was read. And so when I sat down with him, I was like, I don't know who I'm speaking to. Am I speaking to this person or is he a different person than who I'm reading about? Well, I'm just curious about the experience of going in. You have these emotions, you have this preconceived notion. That's very much how I went into interviewing him. And so I'm just curious, what was that kind of journey through the conversation where you're like, whoa, like I but I read this thing and and it seems so extreme, and then you're you're being reasonable, like it's almost like uh the the veil comes off and you're speaking with a real person, and I'm just curious as to what that interaction was like.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 21:22

Yeah, it definitely was probably similar to the interaction and the experience that you had, I would say, because for me, I go in armored up, and I think honestly, so many of our people do that. Yeah. We come in thinking and feeling, well, you don't like me and you don't want me to succeed. And you know, we put already like a negative caricature onto ourselves that is going to battle this person. But I actually found John to be very disarming and uh open and willing to hear me. You know, he didn't speak down to me like, oh yeah, that's cute, you don't know. He wasn't, he wasn't uh um what is patronizing, arrogant or patronizing towards me, and he was more, you know, open and willing to listen. And and you could see his his gears turning when I would talk, and and and he really listened, I would say too. He's an active listener as well. And then he offers his his point of view. And again, like I said, I wasn't okay 100% every single thing that you've said. There were things that I thought, mm, yeah, I I have to know more about that, and before I can really engage in in a conversation, this is the information you've gathered and what your opinion is on this. Because we talked about energy, we talked about uh SOGI, we talked about land title and DRIPA, you know, and um the 435 agreements that he had that he accomplished as the Minister of Indigenous Relations Reconciliation. We uh we covered off some broad areas, including the drug crisis, including, you know, crime rate and and mental health and things like that. And I was able to come away with my own conclusion. But it wasn't solely based on the issues, it was about the interaction and the mutual respect that I felt and the communication flow. And the thing I have to say, and I think I've said it in other other interviews, and I'm not totally sure, is one of the things I've struggled with is being a leader in our own communities. I don't know why. Maybe it's one of those things where the the the comfort and the familiarity at home, we have identities that we wear, and people know us, and then they know us from that. And it's almost as if that is a hindrance to being able to authentically step into a role. And I just never felt that level of peer, peer-to-peer relation and and support, and that I was heard when I would have genuine questions, concerns, um, you know, points of view that I was bringing forward about process in terms of um, you know, if our leadership is going to make this decision, what does that mean for uh, you know, an outcome around health for our people? What is and then what? You know, if we're going to walk away from treaty and and then we're going to individually go down these other paths, then what for kids who are from two different two to three different families and bands, and they actually have the cross-section of all of them, or there's a good program over here, but it's free for band members, but not for, you know, the families and and band that's right next door to it. You know, I had real concerns and questions around government structures and governance decisions that I felt were short-sighted. But I didn't feel hurt, I didn't feel supported in those questions or ideas. I felt very like, oh, that's so cute. Don't worry, we got it. And I just that energy really turned me off wanting to be involved with our communities. And hey, is a is a provincial government or process perfect? It's a colonial process, it's based off of, you know, uh British, uh British system that was inherited here. No. But when you feel that a relationship is going to be conducive to work actually moving forward, then yes, me personally, I'm going to be more inclined to invest and put my time into that than I am going to be where somewhere where I actually don't feel like I'm being heard or supported as a community member would be.

Aaron Pete: 25:56

Can I ask then, what was the response when you go you mentioned you spoke to your family and your friends about this this may be the path? Was there any consideration or did you meet with the NDP or other parties to kind of go, do I do I want to look somewhere else? Is this the right relationship? And then to your point, there's an overwhelming feeling in so many First Nation communities that it's liberal or NDP. And I really like the struggle that you went through just in terms of understanding that it's the same challenge I saw. I often try and weigh the amount that Justin Trudeau spent as prime minister and how the amount of spending causes inflation. And who does inflation impact? People on fixed incomes, who are on fixed incomes, many indigenous communities. And so the amount of investment he did versus the cost of inflation on those communities, it uh you will never know the exact amount of benefit versus cost for people who are just trying to buy milk at the grocery store. And I do think some parties think they are more connected to Indigenous communities and don't always go and earn those votes and learn about those communities and build those relationships to the same extent. And so there's a preconceived notion that that Indigenous people will vote NDP or liberal automatically. And your decision to do that really just, I think I imagine you experienced a lot of shock and awe from so many people of like you're breaking the mold. And so I'm just curious, what was that journey like to make that decision and go down that path?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 27:28

Mm-hmm. I did experience a lot of internal question along the way to saying yes to door knocking to wearing that conservative shirt, honestly, you know, and and asking my own family members to come and door knock with with me. Uh it it was almost like a um a mental and emotional struggle day to day. And it had to do with how much do I let in that people are going to say to me, challenge me on, and want to eat up my time and energy having an online, on a comment thread argument back and forth about the history of land title and rights, or what it means to, you know, stand up for a minority group, or or what are the real facts about this, or this person who's in your party said this. And so what do you have to say for that? Really actually learning how to navigate being a public figure. What do you spend your time on, and what do you let go of? Well, guess what? There's this much time. Everybody's got the same amount every single day. Half of it you need to sleep. Half, like half of the other half goes to your children, your family, your self-care, all those things. And then you've got this little chunk left for work and focus and where are you gonna put your attention, right? And for me, I really had to start to make those separations from what people are gonna say versus what am I gonna do? Am I gonna respond to every negative comment or person who thinks I'm doing the wrong thing or doesn't understand the intricacies of how politics are evolving and shifting right now in BC in 2025? You know, what what do party labels really mean? If uh conservatives are gonna c claim the space of everything right of center. Um where is the conservative um platform and and movement right now in in Canada? I can't speak for other provinces or even federally, but answering that question was something I get to be a part of. I get to make those goalposts move. And one of the things I noticed about the NDP, because Because you brought that up for myself, is that as a young person, and even like throughout being an activist for land rights, and you know, people will try to put you in a hole and say, Oh, at one time you fought for this or that. Um, a lot of times it's really just about voice. The issue is this is this secondary uh piece for any one fight. And and that includes the marches that we did and the speeches I've made in all kinds of different venues. Um but when I look at purely the facts, the budget, the decisions, and I think you're etching on this when you're talking about Trudeau and his time as prime minister. Um, what's the benefit for BC? What am I actually seeing with my own two eyes and in my community that I live in? When I looked at those facts and then the policies and and the ideology of the NDP, it it's not that I couldn't see my heart fitting there, you know, because they're very open and and care about, you know, social issues and um there really is like an acceptance value that's very high. But when I think about policy as related to open drug use, criminal activity, harm reduction, where are we putting our money? To me, I just think our communities are suffering, our kids are dying because of a toxic drug drug crisis. We're the ones that run the majority of those negative statistics. We're the ones that are bearing our nieces, our nephews, our brothers, our aunties, right? Our uncles. And these policies are not working.

unknown: 31:51

Yeah.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 31:52

And that was one of the main turning points for me. Like I said, you're never gonna agree 100%. The NDP don't agree within their caucus 100%, right? You're always gonna deal with a spectrum of values and beliefs. But when it came to core issues and even things like resource development, I I had a lot of learning to do. And I think the average person, again, like any issue, doesn't take the time to really understand what is the standard of environmental assessment, what is the standard of environmental impact. Are there different nations around BC that want different things? We cannot assume that every single nation is opposed to development, pipelines, um, LNG. They are autonomous and they get to decide what projects will or will not go ahead. And there's so many layers to that decision, including the process, the you know, the overlaps, all those kinds of things that could be fixed. And what happens is we just apply one label and one sticker to it. And we say, oh, this is what all Indigenous people think and feel. It's not, right? We have diverse education levels, belief systems, needs economically, otherwise, all across the whole spectrum. And so to think that, oh, we all belong in this one box of one party is fairly outdated and doesn't give the benefit that, hey, we're evolving as a community too.

Aaron Pete: 33:18

Because ultimately you're representing your community, right? Despite the party lines, you still are supposed to bring the voice of your constituents forward. When you decided to put your name forward for this party, it wasn't where it is today. It was in a very, very different position. Did you see the writing on the wall in regards to the Conservative Party? Did you see the opportunity where the BC United Party could collapse and then the conservatives would take over? That just seems like such a shocking idea. And just in sitting down with Kevin Falcon, I mean, we had him on this show promise that he would never entertain such an idea. Like, gave that reassurance. And then when we released the episode, we released it two days before he ended up folding the party down. Oh wow. And so just the like I could have never guessed that that was going to be the outcome. So what was that process to decide to commit to that party? But also, did you know then where you could end up and that this would all end up where it did?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 34:21

I did have people that were advising me and who were looking at the larger trend of where BC was at and where people's frustration was. And people who are steeped into the world of politics, they do have predictions, but it's like a weather person. You go, oh, it's you know, 20% rain and then it pours, right? So we did have a mark that we were aiming for. I did look into who else was in and joining the party before I made my final decision. At that point, we did know there were talks for other BCU potential movement laterally, but all of that was under wraps, right? And so when I looked at other people who were running, that also gave me the boost of confidence to know that I had allyship within the party. Um, people that I knew based off of the work and the advocacy that they did or their profile, that we were of a like mind and and potentially even background or understanding and and life experience that there was going to be synergy, right? But yeah, uh it there were predictions, but nothing certain. And so we did feel that we even had a shot at at government potentially. But that was before obviously all the opposition research came out from the NDP. They had dug deep on a lot of different people that had run. And as you said, people look at an article or a headline and they take that as someone's personality, right? They they they just do that is how media works, that's how public perception works, and in a lot of ways, that's the only access we have for information for someone. And so that is what we make our decision on. We go, well, they said this about this group of people. They must be evil, they must be bad, but people are complex. Like, hasn't anyone's grandpa ever said something off-colored? Well, guess what? He didn't have cameras and reporters in his face to make that live forever. And now with things like Twitter, which became X, and uh, you know, the ability for people to just willy-nilly put their thoughts out there that can be captured by someone forever. Um, we also had a lot of stumbling blocks, I would say, where there's a lack of uh awareness or discipline for people having times where they've been rightly frustrated. And how they express that and, you know, maybe how that gets captured and then resurface later on is going to affect them and discredit them. But by approximation and proximity, it's going to affect me as well. And that was one of the things that I struggled with with people posing a question to me. Well, they said this, so what do you think about that? And we want your opinion right now. And in the beginning, I just felt as though I had to give whatever anybody asked of me to them. Yeah. And you quickly learn that that's actually not true. You know, as people, we get to pick and choose what conversations we want to be a part of, uh, what questions and and demands actually require us to give our time to. And I was able to begin, and this is a big learning journey for me personally, uh, to be a lot more autonomous, a lot more, you know, steep with my my boundaries and my protections that I have around me, and realizing that not every question deserves a response, especially when someone is coming at you with a a volatility and a preconceived notion and and a certain, you know, negativity towards you.

Aaron Pete: 38:14

To hurt you or to hurt another person using you.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 38:17

Yeah, and whether that comes from fear, whatever, all those things, that's that's them, right? That's that's their reality. But that doesn't mean that I have to jump up and defend myself every single time that I have to like argue till the bloody knuckle stage for every single thing and they call those like hills to die on, right? Um, and I I just learned how to very quickly have discipline for, you know, what issues, what's my stance? I've made that very clear. You need to ask that person about when they said that thing at that time, but this is our stance. This is where the party sits on that issue. No, we will not do this. It's federal. You know, you very quickly learn what your lane is and how to stay in it. And that's that's the that's the discipline of being a politician, of being able to know where you can affect change and where can you not? And all of those areas like have nots. You learn it's a federal thing, you learn that that's a case law thing that will never change, you learn that that's something that the party will never take on. And and that's what you say about those things. You don't have to get into these philosophical woes and what-ifs and no, you know, with people that just want to take a piece of you, like that is their main goal, and a lot of times they're elevating themselves and using my platform to do it. And I started to learn how to just not pay attention to that.

Aaron Pete: 39:39

Aaron Powell Can I ask about that? And you can choose not to answer, but there are things that elevate to something where you do need to respond, and it's trying to find that balance. And there were voices in the Conservative Party that were, I feel like, probably very far away from where you were, and that impacts your your how people perceive you because you're under the same umbrella. Yeah. And there's a balance between, well, like we're all allowed to disagree, where MLA Dallas Brody has choose chosen to leave the Conservative Party and start her own party, and regularly posts on Twitter now, I would say, views that Indigenous people get too much support, that we're getting too much from the provincial and federal government. So, how how how did you navigate that? Because that was that became kind of a public challenge that you you were placed under. And it I imagine that wasn't an ideal position for you to want to be in. You weren't seeking out that challenge. I'm just wondering how you processed that and other perhaps conservative voices that were very far away from you on truth and reconciliation, indigenous issues, and indigenous priorities.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 40:48

I always take it back to my purpose, um, my why, for why am I there? And that's actually one of the reasons.

unknown: 41:00

Yeah.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 41:01

It is that conversation that we've not been wanting to have. And that actually turns us away from being involved or being in an uncomfortable space and feeling as though we are targeted in some way. And there's a lot of understanding to be gained about why, from their perspective, are they saying and doing those things as well. And again, not saying that I'm going to engage in every single fact or fight or opinion or, you know, just like post that's going to take my energy or take the wind out of my sails. But I return to the fact that we need to be there to weather those things, those those storms, those uh misconceptions ourselves. Because the further away that we are from the conversation and we may be doing excellent work, and I think a lot of leaders like you are doing amazing work in our communities. You know, before the podcast, we were talking about the housing and and you know, transference of knowledge and all those things. But we need to be in those rooms to start to kill those conversations and not kill them with you know hate and negativity, but with knowledge and kindness and patience, right? Because I'm not there to change anyone. I I truly am just entering these spaces as myself. I'm bringing my whole self, culture, beads, earrings, you know, trauma and all, right? And when there's really something that I feel needs my voice and that I'm gonna stand firm on, then I'm going to fight. But there's been so many things that I thought would meet that threshold that that actually haven't. Because it becomes what power do they have? What truth are they really speaking? Who are they influencing? What you know, what are they actually going to do about it? And the answer a lot of times is no one, nothing, nowhere. And it's not my job to go around and educate people who are closed off to progressing reconciliation forward. It's my job to represent my constituents, to be the house leader for the official opposition, to influence policy conversation when and where I can, and to remember that I play such a tiny, tiny role in the larger provincial conversation of, you know, legislative process and laws and debates. And in my community, I get to go around and authentically be me and help an everyday person who has disabilities, who has trouble navigating the healthcare system, who's um facing and struggling homelessness, who's looking for their child, who doesn't have enough money this month, who needs advocacy for a healthcare center. The list goes on and on and on and on. And so when I go back to my focus and I'm able to emotionally detach from things that do make me feel angry, small, you know, attacked, or that that feels maybe this is a racial profile or an assumption, I really just have to return back to my strengths and my why and my purpose. And that is how I stay out of the shit.

Aaron Pete: 44:32

There's one issue that has really, I think, impacted indigenous communities, and that's this unmarked grave story. And I did an hour breakdown going through the full history of Indian residential schools, all of the reports uh that showed the horrible living conditions of those schools, the 3,200 children that did die at those schools, it's undisputed. But this unmarked grave story, I feel like really complicated our relationship with Canadians. Um, and that's what I tried to honor because the from everything that I understand, uh uh De Kemloops found 215 anomalies, uh, ground disturbances using ground penetrating radar. Their argument is that they have survivor testimony that say that there were children buried there, um, and that this ground penetrating radar goes to support that. Conservatives like MLA Dallas Brody, Francis Widdowson, Nigel Bagar, Candace Malcolm, individuals I've interviewed, argue that's not evidence of 215 lost children. That that is something worth looking into, but it does not amount to the claim the CI CBC made that 215 children died in that apple orchard. And in order to make that claim, you need more evidence. To me, I view that as an institutional failure of the media to properly report that story from the start, because then that brought in $246 million worth of federal funding for more research. It brought in the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, which I think is a good thing. Um, and it brought in a larger conversation, which I think was a reckoning we needed to have. But it was potentially, we don't know until they excavate, built on shaky grounds. And people who raise, hey, we don't that we don't have proof of 215 lost children are called Indian residential school deniers. And the challenge with that term is that they're not denying the history of residential schools, the 3,200 confirmed lost children. They're questioning a very recent story from 2021. And uh we've I've looked into Sean Carleton who uh termed the coins the term Indian residential school denier, and it's not even disputed that that does not mean that they deny any of that history. And so to me, that was a political move by Mr. Carlton to use that terminology to denounce people and go, you're a residential school denier. And anybody who hears that is gonna go, oh my god, how could you deny such an atrocity? Like that's that's sickening. You're a bad person. But if you are just asking, well, we haven't excavated, that seems not unreasonable. And I think people who want to raise that, like MLA Dallas, Brody, Francis Woodison, should do so understanding the full history of residential schools and the um the abuser who was at Tecem Loops, who actually did harm children and rape children at that school, who did go to jail for that. Like we have to put that all into the full context that exists. But it feels, and and I'd I'd like your opinion on this, it feels like that that story is weighing the reconciliation conversation down in a significant way. Federally, we didn't hear reconciliation didn't break the top five issues. It was the economy, it was housing, it was the Trump tariffs, it was all other things, but reconciliation was Trudeau's priority. It didn't end up being Mark Carney's priority, and it was not the same conversation provincially that it was previously. And so, how do you interact with that story?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 48:04

Well, when I hear you break it down in that way, I'm very grateful, first of all, because again, I think someone like you, with your background in schooling, your level of uh communication and openness, it allows for you to take a look at the whole picture and say, this is what this person is doing, that is their intention with that, and this is where their belief comes from, right? So you're actually breaking down not just preconceived notions, but what's behind that and the many layers. My big question, it comes down to being very, very simple, and that is why. And you can never truly get someone to answer that question.

unknown: 48:58

Yeah.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 48:58

And we don't even know if they've asked themselves that. And the issue with going on a deep dive down all of these um rabbit holes of what actually happened in this instance with these two hundred and fifteen anomalies and poking holes into the residential school narrative, uh you can call it a pursuit of truth, but quite honestly, is that the best use of an elected person's time? I know how busy I am as an MLA here in Chillawot Cultist Lake. I know what my constituents expect of me. And if I'm spending all of my time, that's not even that was not even her critic role. We have a critic for that file for a reason. But if that is becomes your main narrative and your passion, and then you start to gain a following and I would say almost like a cult sort of um, you know, explosion and in your identity, and you become known to be this um indigenous narrative witch hunter. Um, it just kind of begs the question of why? Why is that the top issue to you? Why are you doing that? Why has that become your passion and almost in a lot of ways your identity when we have homelessness, health care on the brink of collapse, the largest deficit BC's ever seen, food bank lineups beyond comprehension, you know, children in care, incarcerations are up, swinging door on crime, you know, people that are suffering and struggling. We still have the highest statistics in all of those categories. Why? Because of all the reasons you said, because of things that people did spend money on to get real reports about, and the fact that many of our children didn't return home. I have a five-year-old daughter, and the reality of that is when I look at her, some days I have to hold back tears because I think about somebody coming to my door and saying, No, she's coming with us. We're gonna cut her hair, we're gonna strap her, hit her, punish her, lock her in a room, starve her. And also, she might not come back. And you're just gonna have to deal with that, otherwise you'll be arrested. That's our fucking reality. I buried two of my nieces and nephews. One killed himself by train, the other, he was very smart. He was in sciences at UFE. He killed himself by using helium because he knew that was the easiest way to die. That was my brother's kids. My other niece drug overdose. My aunt drug overdose, my other aunt drug overdose. Young man stepped in front of a train. Our friend that worked over at Squala train just last month. That's our reality. So the fact that somebody wants to and feels it's necessary that they're going to police the government on how much money indigenous people get or don't get, based on the interpretation of a word that hasn't been all the way discovered yet, and not giving the band and the people in that community time to grieve and process the way that they deserve. You know, Canvas is one of the most successful bands, business case studies in all of British Columbia. They've made a lot of money on their own. Has anybody crawled into their books and found out how, when, or why, where their investments lie? No. But on a surface level, it begs the question of why. And we'll never get a true answer out of someone like that. Because they're gonna say, Oh, we're holding accountable. We want the truth. Everyone deserves, you know. But really, why? Look inside yourself, look inside of your heart and be honest. Why is that your main goal and purpose in life and and and thing that you strive for? Because you want reconciliation to go backwards. You want the average Canadian to feel less bad. You want them to see the residential schools as mostly good for indigenous people. Look what did Tim Thielman say in that one post? We gave you the light bulb. Well, guess what? We didn't ask for any of that. We didn't ask to be ripped away from our families. We didn't ask for people in our community to be steeped in addictions. We didn't ask for smallpox, thank you. We didn't ask for 95% of our people to die. People say, Oh, you're only 3% of the province. Yeah, do you know why? Because 95% of our people died. Look around you. That's nine people standing around you right now. Right?

Aaron Pete: 54:21

Yeah.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 54:22

It's complicated. It has layers, but people are never gonna understand the pain and the trauma and the loss and the fight like you and I do.

Aaron Pete: 54:35

And I like that because one of the pieces that you see in economically successful times is we're able to have complex conversations. But once you drop into a famine mentality, a zero-sum thinking, when Canadians can't put food in their fridge or heat their home because of a carbon tax or all of these different issues, they can't have those complicated conversations on how do we take care of the environment, regardless of what your position is on climate change initiatives and funding for uh clean energy products. We all agree we shouldn't pollute our rivers, we shouldn't destroy our forests, we should keep our ecosystems and these things uh fresh and clean and appropriate. But you can't have those conversations when you can't heat your home because people aren't just they're just not able to sit at that table. And a lot of the time it's where can we get to? And I feel like part of the reason these conversations are starting to happen is because we need a villain. And Donald Trump makes a tremendous villain, and this individual, uh Dallas Brody and others, see indigenous communities as being a tremendous villain to their story because it explains, well, you can't have food in your fridge because we're giving all the money over here. And that's the real problem. If we stop giving the money over here, we'll have a great healthcare system. And no disrespect, we're spending a lot of money on healthcare, and our healthcare outcomes are not top-notch. And just giving more money to people who are. I mean, one report about a year ago that I asked uh Premier Eve about was that we're paying some of these people $300,000 a year, and we've got 11 uh health directors, and Alberta has like two, and they're making half of what they are in BC. And so, like, where are we spending the money? Seems like a more productive conversation on the whole budget than one group of people. And these people have been disadvantaged, and so I think we still have control of the conversation in the sense of like most Canadians. Uh, a poll came out that found most Canadians are still very sympathetic, um, but that this conversation is having an impact. The next one I wanted to ask about is the Cowitan tribes decision, which has recently come out, which again, I feel like adds feel to the fire that it's it's everyday British Columbians versus indigenous communities, and that's continues to be, seems to be the framing of it. And I feel bad because I think I imagine these questions come more to you than all of your colleagues, but it's it's in part because you have a deeper understanding of how complicated this conversation is. But I do feel like again, that that that decision comes in at perhaps the worst political time to have such a conversation about land rights when people can't afford a house, and then there's this decision coming out that's I think being misunderstood. It's gonna be appealed, it's gonna be a long process no matter how you cut it. But it comes at a time where Canadians can't afford a house, and now it's like, well, even if you own your house, this the narrative is well, then maybe indigenous communities will be coming for your house after that. So can you tell me about that story and just maybe the weight that falls onto your shoulders in regards to when stories like that come out? I imagine everybody's calling you. Can you explain the story and and and what it means?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 57:45

Yeah, for sure. And I go back to that analogy, right, of the lone indigenous person in a classroom. And I understood that there would be a lot of that pressure put onto my shoulders coming into it. How much pressure by what measure is is is alarming, right? And and that all came to light with uh, you know, Dallas taking such a strong position on on what she did with the 215 at that time. And I had to look into that as well. I had to go back and read uh, you know, reports and and the TRC and do all the same things that you did to make sure that I was really steeped in in the reality of the situation before even offering an opinion. Um but when we talk about things like cowichan, there are layers. There's a federal layer, there's a provincial layer, there's the indigenous to indigenous relation layer, cowchan and musqueam, and then there's a civic layer, and then now we have this private property fee simple layer, right? And the fact is for me that BC has sewn its own complicated garden, and now it's right for picking. The land question's been around for a long, long time. Yeah. Right? Since Royal Proclamation. And when indigenous people were put onto reserves, over 200 of them, and had circles drawn essentially around where they were at that time. Many people were harvesting or, you know, fishing or at one part of their territory seasonally, and said, Hey, you're gonna be stuck here. We're gonna take your kids, you can't leave, you can't get an education, you can't become military, because then you lose your status. And uh we'll be back to settle this and sign treaties with you, and and that's the promise that was made. Not by us, yeah, by the Crown, and that was inherited to to British Columbia and and Canada, you know, when British Columbia became a part of Confederation. That's what they signed on for was to settle the land question. But now it's our fault. This is this is Canada's responsibility. This is BC's responsibility. Indigenous people are caught up in the fray and the fro of how people play politics with it, how they decide to frame it because it's beneficial to them, how they decide to skew the actual potential outcome of something that hasn't happened yet. Right. We all know that case law exists because it sets a precedent that can then be followed. And indigenous land rights and title have always fallen under section 35 of the Constitution, thank goodness for the foresight of our leaders back then, you know, when they went on that train right across Canada to fight for that. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be having this conversation today. But we stand on a constitution that is homemade in Canada, that actually cannot be changed, and case law that has set precedence that's out of your hands and my hands and every politician that decides to comment on it at the moment. The framing is all about getting the media jacked up on a story that's exciting that they can put out, that's gonna get a lot of clicks and comments and interaction, and that's gonna get people yelling at the, you know, screen and phone and TV, right? Because it carries it for longer than a 24-hour news cycle. Because then the next big thing's gonna happen, everyone's gonna forget. And they know that it needs to be somewhat exciting and alarming. That's politics. And one of the things that I struggle with is that people play politics with some of our deepest most important issues. And that's just how the game is played, is what I'm learning. You know, like things are said a certain way because they know that it's gonna spark a lot of controversy or it's going to, you know, get reactions out of people. When the application of the law and the legislation attached and the conversation happens with those specific communities, guess what? It's just like that example of reading something of paper that someone said and then meeting them in person. People talk a big game behind a keyboard and an article and an opinion, and then guess what? You meet them in person, they're all smiles and handshakes and cordial. Because that's how we are as humans. We're so cowardly, right? And the reality of these negotiations and land title in British Columbia is that's gonna be another generation's uh Brunty Bear. We're gonna push this along a little ways and hopefully have a positive impact on these conversations and bringing reconciliation to a good place. Eliminating the fear the um race-to-race uh battle and misunderstanding, the the road that takes us farther apart instead of closer together. Understanding that as indigenous Indian Act bans we're just as much a part of the ecosystem as as any municipality, you know, as as any other uh large corporation business district stakeholder, right? We get we drive on the roads, we go to the grocery store, we put gas in our car, a great many of us are trucks, right? We we use all of the resources just as much as anybody else around us. And and the fact is is that inside of our bodies is is the heart and the blood that that every single person has. And we all kind of want the same things. But what politics does is it it drives a wedge because that's good for politics. What the media does is it it drives that wedge harder because that's good for media. That makes a great story. You know, and as an indigenous politician, the Conservative Party of British Columbia, right now, in the middle of all of these complicated discussions, I have to keep my head on straight. And I have to be true to my values and who I am. And I'm never not gonna fight the good fight for indigenous people, but I'm never not going to be open to the conversation of other British Columbians who do feel worried or or threatened or are, you know, it's it's hard done by. We've got to kind of catch everybody up and get everyone on the same page. And and for me, the way to do that is by being honest, forward-facing, forthright, you know, collaborative, kind, patient, understanding, open. But I have my moments too. And and when it comes to, again, this very specific conversation, uh, I'm not so into the the fear-mongering as as maybe other politicians might be, because it's beneficial to them and and their uh position or their goals, or um maybe they really do believe that that that those possibilities are are true, or that that's what their constituents are telling them, and so they're having to come forward with that position and and ensure their constituents know that they're fighting for them. Again, the people affected and people talking about this everywhere is because of the precedence, right? But where the precedence is actually gonna matter, and you would know this as a lawyer is gonna be the Supreme Court of Canada. Yeah, right? This is dropping a bucket, one judge who said, Yeah, the the the burden is there, it creates this shadow on private land. Guess what? That's true. She made it a true assessment, you know. And some people may have an opinion about how far that assessment went and and the the broach onto different um land use rights, fishing rights of of different groups. And hey, as indigenous people, we used to s settle that with the Slahal game. And if that didn't work, then yeah, we were at war with each other as well, just like many other nations around the world. We're in a different world now. The war is is is suits and and and books and case law and and arguments, and it takes a long, long, long time. But I'll go back to what I, you know, started with talking about this, is this was all handed down to us by a system and a government of the day that did not settle treaties when they had the opportunity to.

Aaron Pete: 1:06:19

Yeah.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 1:06:20

And because that work was not done, now it's an indigenous people's problem for trying to catch up economically, for trying to fulfill a promise of of getting land bigger than, you know, this tiny, tiny little dots that we live on right now that give us no opportunity. Oftentimes it was right by the railway tracks or right by the power lines, right, you know, the the basically like the crappiest pieces, little corners, um, or like I said, somewhere way up in no man's land because we're hunting whatever, and and we're now trying to enter into and and play in a level playing field economically with the rest of British Columbia. I'm not gonna apologize for that. Yeah. And no indigenous person should either.

Aaron Pete: 1:07:01

I like that because yeah, when you think back, and most Canadians probably don't know this or British Columbians, that uh Tommy Douglas uh agreed on anticipatory reserves, and that's what he had substantiated. And then Joseph Trutch at the time brought those down from from 100% down to 10%, all the way down to 1% in certain cases, because he thought that the Indian problem would come to an end um in not too distant future because of tuberculosis and disease and and stuff like that. And so so much of this needs the context in order for people to kind of grapple with the facts. I guess my final question to you is you're heading back into uh the legislature shortly in about a month here. I'm just curious what is the goal of the Conservative Party over the next year, over the next sitting? Um, what can we expect, and and how do you hope to hold the government accountable?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 1:07:49

Well, we're definitely chasing down a number of complicated, high-level issues that affect all British Columbians right now. Crime, health care, the drug crisis, education, housing, right? Maybe flipping the last two, because housing is is obviously at the top of a lot of people's list right now because of the plain fact that a lot of people can't afford to get into housing, they can't afford to build a house, they've let go of the notion of being able to own, be a homeowner here in British Columbia, and be able to feed, clothe their kids and and all the other things, especially if you're on one income, right? So those issues continue to be at the forefront. The the land question, it it definitely bears weight because of the decisions, like because of communities crossing uh the line on being able to settle through discussions with government um certain aspects of of their, you know, potentially it's a treaty context or it's a reconciliation agreement context. You know, we talked about the different avenues right now. Um that is always going to, I think, become a uh a hot topic or hot button issue for people because of the way that it's perceived and and how that's going to affect the larger community. So in session, I know that the um union pressure is going to only ramp up for the NDP. We have a lot of critical questions that have been building over the summer months as we've all been doing casework in our own respective areas. And um we're going to apply the pressure when it comes to the budget, spending um, and and cuts because our constituents and our stakeholders near need clear answers, right? And I know for a fact that uh the ICBC file is is definitely ramping up. You know, there is a lot of questions from a lot of people. Where is no fault going? Um, how does private play a role in that? And when are we going to see legislative changes that's going to be more conducive to the average person who wants good insurance? But guess what? When they get into a crash, they also want the grievances that's owed to them as well, right? And I'm speaking to lawyers in in our local area about that. We have a lot of issues in the backcountry right now with our homelessness population, and and there's a lot of issues coming up in and around education as well, and like materials in school follow up onto how are our parents and and our rights for our children going to be recognized under this uh current model of government because it also does feel like the nucleus of the family is being a little bit torn apart and and and it's as though we don't even recognize ourselves within um the unit of the family anymore. You know, our connection to our kids and and what rights we have to say yes and no. And when other, you know, a doctor or a counselor or someone can come and overstep the right and the connection you have to your child. Um things like that can be very alarming for people, right? Especially in the day and age of of drug addiction and and mental health, right? So a lot of the things that are going to come forth in in the spring session, we're at the mercy of the government of the day. You know, they're the ones that table legislation, they set the schedule and and we respond to it. But I do know that we have legislation that was left over from last session. Some of that has to do with uh um driving uh for young people, the graduated licensing program, getting rid of the second test. There'll be di debate about some nuts and bolts, things like that. But I mean it's anybody's guess what legislation that the government, the NDP government right now is going to actually put forward. We hope to see things that people have been asking for. I know that there's some concern around um the sick days for small businesses and the and the the burden that they have on their shoulders because, you know, there should be a certain threshold for what you need to provide as a business owner to your employees and not just a blanket application. And we're finding that an issue with the NDP government as they tend to have, you know, big swings and blanket solutions for things that actually don't work for the diversity that we see in British Columbia right now and the economic strain that people are feeling. We want to see a lot stronger advocacy with the federal government right now. We need to really push back for our forestry sector and ensure that BC is a contender in in the arena right now, and especially when it comes to talks and and things that may be breaking down at federal level with with Donald Trump and and with the U.S. and our neighbors to the south. But again, we're doing work on our own, creating conversations ourselves with senators and and elected officials in Washington who do want to be collaborative with us, you know, and that's more at the provincial and state level. So there's a lot of things that are coming down the hatch. There's a lot of things to address. And I feel like right now people kind of feel like their hair's on fire a little bit. In my position, that's what I feel any given day. You know, but I go back to the advice and the sage wisdom that I've gotten from other leaders and people who have been so gracious and kind to take me under their wing to say, yeah, we're gonna move and and and kick the can down a little bit further than the last person. But you're not gonna solve it all a day. You're not gonna change the world by yourself. It takes many. It takes you having these conversations. It takes um, you know, other chiefs, other counselors who have innovation and and education, it takes other the government and and the ministers, you know, and it takes the nurses, the doctors, everybody. You know, every board, every stakeholder, every organization. And and literally I pay I play like this like sliver role of going around authentically being myself, offering my voice and my energy to something and and having conversations that need to be had to elevate an issue or or or bring a file, you know, closer to completion. That that's what we deal with in my office is case files for constituents. I'm working on a toxicity thing right now in Ferry Creek. Um there's there's a spray happening south of the border. We don't have control over, but we're in a hearing process right now. And and we'd love to get more advocacy and support from the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Waterland Resource, right? Um, but that has yet to come to flourish. And hopefully I get to have those conversations. I sometimes I bug them in the hallways at the legislature to be, you know, hey, I need I need help with this. And if they have the time, they're gracious enough to offer like staff support or they themselves will will work on it with me, right? We work across the aisle all the time. We may look as though we completely hate each other on TV in question period if anybody ever watches that, which I I don't think the numbers are that high. Um, but in reality, it is a collaborative process. End of the day, we do need to have good relation across the aisle because we all have different needs and wants, right? But as opposition, we have to be tough. Our job is to question the government, hold their feet to the fire when things aren't working, and right now things aren't working.

Aaron Pete: 1:15:08

Beautiful. How can people follow your work and and stay in touch?

Á'a:líya Warbus: 1:15:12

Uh you can follow me. I have a website and a profile with the Conservative Party. I have also the same kind of profile and website as a member of the Legislative Assembly through the BC government website. Uh, you know, I have my socials. And the thing about social media for me is it's one of those places that I like to post what I'm doing and and my interaction with community. And and I'm not one of those warrior, social media warrior politicians. It just has never really been my skill or or my desire, but I will be on there from time to time, especially if there's an issue that I'm trying to kind of get a feel or or look into. But yeah, all that stuff's out there. Just Google me honestly.

Aaron Pete: 1:16:00

Thank you so much for this conversation. It was very refreshing not to have talking points or anything like that and have a real conversation. And just kudos to you for being willing to take this on. There's so much going on in the provincial political level, and it's a lot of wait for anybody to put their name forward, but you have really come in at a time where there's a lot of tension and a lot of politics, and trying to manage that, I just kudos to you for being willing to approach that. I really appreciate it, and I'm grateful to have your voice in the legislature.

Á'a:líya Warbus: 1:16:31

Thank you so much. Appreciate it.