 He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 2005 election and re-elected in the 2009, 2013 and 2017 elections.His party formed the official opposition to a BC Liberal majority government from 2005 to 2017 during which time he served as the NDP critic for aboriginal issues and spent some time as the critic for community and rural development, mining and fisheries issues.In the 38th Parliament of British Columbia, he introduced the "Promotion of Safe Antifreeze Act, 2007" which sought to ban ethylene glycol from antifreeze products due to its toxic effects on animals.