Now that the provincial election is officially over, longtime Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett is officially no longer MLA in the riding. Barnett announced she would not be seeking re-election for another term back in January.
Before getting into provincial politics, Barnett served as mayor in 100 Mile House for two separate stints, first from 1986 to 1990, and then from 1996 to 2008. Barnett then became the MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin in 2009, and served in that role until October of 2020.
Looking back on her time as MLA, Barnett said that everything was a highlight, especially fighting for rural communities like 100 Mile House. “Being able to obtain a share of resources for rural communities”, Barnett mentioned while listing the many things she has done as MLA, “fighting for the forest industry, the mining industry, agriculture and tourism.” Barnett summarized her career by saying she was able to “meet and work with so many amazing people”.
Barnett will be handing over the Cariboo-Chilcotin reigns over to Lorne Doerkson of Williams Lake. She says the riding is in good hands with Doerkson. “I’ve known Lorne for a long time, I know that he is a very passionate person, and I know that he will be working as hard as he can”, Barnett says.
So what’s next for Donna Barnett? She says only time will tell.