Sonia Furstenau is building a movement. With hundreds of thousands of British Columbians at her side, she’s the decisive leader who will meet our most difficult problems head on. Will you join her?
Together, we can build a safe, healthy and connected British Columbia
Sonia was born in Edmonton in 1970, and raised in a family who believed democracy represented hope for a better world.
Her father escaped from East Germany as a refugee in the 1950s. Her mother was a steadfast women’s rights activist and organizer in her community.
Next: Teaching future leaders
As a single mom at university, Sonia ran a bookkeeping business to support her family. It wasn't easy to balance being a mom, businesswoman, and student all at the same time, but public investments in childcare and other programs made all the difference.
After graduation, she decided that teaching was the best way to support positive change in her community.
My first experience in politics wasn’t running for office; it was holding people in office accountable.
In 2011, the BC government OKed a plan to dump toxic soil uphill from the source of drinking water in Sonia's community of Shawnigan Lake.
She brought her community together to protect their drinking water, and was elected as a Director for the Cowichan Valley Regional District. By 2017, they got the permit revoked.
But Sonia wanted to do more for her community. She decided to run for MLA.
Sonia was elected MLA for Cowichan Valley in 2017. That Spring, she helped negotiate the historic power-sharing agreement between the BC Greens and NDP that led to a cooperative government for three years.
Over those three years, Sonia worked on early-childhood education and daycare, while creating stronger environmental protections, and addressing systemic racism and colonialism in government.
In 2020, Sonia was elected leader of the BC Greens, just as overlapping crises like lack of affordable housing, a collapsing healthcare system, and extreme weather events were taking a particularly devastating toll on British Columbians.
What we need is a premier who is honest about the situation and willing to respond with decisive action. It's time to put Sonia in the driver's seat and move BC forward.
This is a time where we need to reach for the limits of our potential. We need to be courageous.
Sonia never planned to be a politician – just to be a force for good in the world. But in doing that, she was recognized as a leader who doesn't give up until she delivers what she set out to do.
After years of dedicated service and a groundbreaking win for the B.C. Greens in Cowichan Valley, Furstenau is returning to the place that shaped her early life and values and running for re-election in the 2024 election in Victoria-Beacon Hill.
As MLA and leader of the BC Greens, Sonia is here for BC. This is our opportunity to elect a premier who is driven by hope and an unwavering commitment to make life better for all British Columbians.