Nicholas Simons, MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, has been named the New Democrat (NDP) deputy critic for housing and social development.
Party leader Carole James assigned Simons the portfolio June 9 following the appointment of the cabinet by Premier Gordon Campbell.
"Carole wants to put a strong focus on poverty and on child poverty in particular and issues relating to the lack of affordable housing in the province, and she, at this point, thinks my strengths will be best served there," he said.
Simons was previously the NDP critic for the Ministry of Children and Family Development, a portfolio he said he will miss. But, he added, he will take on his new role with the same gusto he would "any task relating to service to the public."
Simons will share the task of holding his Liberal counterpart Rich Coleman accountable with NDP Shane Simpson, MLA for Vancouver-Hastings.
Simons said he is up for the task and already has challenges for Coleman.
"Rich Coleman is known in my political experience as defending the government's inaction on forestry and overseeing the decline in affordable housing at a rate unprecedented in the province's history," Simons said. "We have to do our part to make sure he knows the reality of his policies on people."
Part of Simons' new job is going to be putting pressure on the government to increase the supply of affordable housing for British Columbians.
Calling homelessness "financially and ethically expensive," Simons said the government could be stimulating the economy and getting people into proper housing by investing more into affordable housing.
But Simons said homelessness is not a problem reserved for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
"Housing is critical in every part of this province. Rural homelessness is up. We have people living in tents. It's the rural equivalent of street homelessness," he said.
