Curiosity might be a hazard for cats, but for Lana Popham, the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate for Saanich South in the upcoming B.C. election, being curious is key to a successful career in politics.
“I'm known to ask a gazillion questions when I meet someone for the first time,” said Popham, who was first elected MLA for Saanich South in 2009. “And it’s really probably defined how I do my job. I love interacting with people.”
MLA for 16 years, Popham can list many highlights and achievements from her career, including overseeing the expansion of Grow BC and Buy BC programs, cleaning up Elk and Beaver Lakes’ water quality and the introduction of Feed BC, an initiative to ensure more food served to patients in hospitals is from B.C.
But for Popham, her biggest achievement was becoming the first female minister of agriculture in B.C. in 2017, a role she dreamt of having because of her own farming background.
“I feel like it was a moment in time,” said Popham proudly, now in her role as minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport. “I have a photo in my office of me standing at a federal meeting with all of the other ministers, males in dark suits, and I wear a very bright pink jacket, just to make the point.”
Entering her fifth election, Popham is hoping to be re-elected for the fourth time. And whilst she still loves the job, she admits that sometimes the going can get tough as a politician.
When the going gets tough, Popham retreats to the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, the Centre of the Universe.
“When I come up here, it changes everything,” said Popham, sat on the steps outside the observatory. “Because I'm always so grateful to look over Saanich South, I can see almost every part of it from up here. And it just reminds me why I'm doing the job.
“I like to remind my legislative colleagues that, in fact, Saanich South is the centre of the universe, in my view,” Popham added.
About what she believes are the hot topics in the riding, Popham lists access to health care, affordable housing, particularly Saanich grandparents worried about their grandchildren purchasing homes, and the environment.
“Saanich South is quite interesting,” she said on the topic of health care. “It's urban and rural. So there’s an urgent primary care centre in urban Saanich but we probably need one farther out into rural Saanich South.”
More personal to Popham is the continued work to tackle the overdose crisis. Her partner’s son, Dan Sealey, died at the age of 23 in 2018, because of a fentanyl overdose.
“It was a rough time, and I can't escape it,” she said. “We hear the overdose numbers that get reported, which are tragic, tragic numbers, and I know he's included in that number. It's been a really difficult issue personally to deal with."
“There's not a day that I don't think about Dan … and so I'm fighting for Dan.”
As for her retreat at the Centre of the Universe, Popham, who helped campaign to reopen the iconic landmark when it was closed in 2013, says she will always work to ensure the attraction’s future.
“That's something that I would do, whether I was elected or not,” she said.
