Feminists Deliver is extremely saddened to know that Melanie Mark, the first First Nations woman to serve in the British Columbia Legislature and as a cabinet minister, has resigned.
We would like to thank and congratulate her for her years of dedication, hard work, and the passion with which she worked for her constituents, which includes people – like her own mother – in the Downtown Eastside.
Although Mark was in office for seven years, her work precedes that. She is a courageous advocate for women, children, Indigenous Peoples, and those who are systemically excluded from society and face marginalization.
Mark, MLA for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant, described her experiences in provincial politics, saying that “institutions fundamentally resist change … particularly colonial institutions like this Legislative Assembly and government at large.”
“This place felt like a torture chamber,” she said. “I will not miss the character assassination.”
Read the full statement here.
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