Linda Li (李珍) | Ep. 2: Bringing Your Voices to Victoria | 2026 BC Election Interview
https://youtu.be/DIDcBChYZwE
(Transcript from the episode's English subtitles; speakers not labelled. Host: Sarah Yu.)

[0:00] Highlights
One day her mother came over and told us, "My daughter passed away last night." We've already brought in — we've recruited 800 health-care workers from the US, doctors and nurses. We had around 3,000 or 4,000-plus applicants, and this cohort is 48 students. I think we should choose someone like that — and that would be me.

[0:21] The 2024 race, and this one
So that's something I've been thinking about. When you ran in 2022 for MLA — right, for MLA... 20— In 2022 it was school trustee; 2024 was MLA. Right. In 2024, when you ran for MLA two years ago, your vote count was actually very strong. Although you trailed Teresa Wat by a certain margin, your numbers were great. Really, it was recognition of all you've done for the Chinese community, especially in Richmond, over so many years — people showing their appreciation for you. Thank you. I believe that whatever you do, either don't do it, or do it wholeheartedly. Yes — whether it's community service, or running for office, or my business, or even raising children, you always hope for the best outcome. Sometimes things don't go your way, but I think we should keep an accepting attitude. But at the same time, the most important thing is to know in your heart that you'll give it your all. It's only been two years since 2024, and now our premier has called another election. And two years later, you've again stepped forward, once again facing Teresa Wat as your opponent, right? Can you share with us why this time you wanted to step forward and run for the NDP? I think the very first thing to say is that my commitment to serving the community hasn't changed. I think that's the first point. And second, because I've always run for the NDP, and I strongly support the NDP's governing philosophy: helping all working people, helping everyday people, strengthening our public health care, and growing our economy. Because I firmly believe in these ideas, I'm running with them. As for why there's an election now — first, as our premier pointed out, Donald

[2:18] How tariffs hit Richmond
Trump's tariffs on Canada — their impact here in Canada is huge. Let me share a story about Richmond. In Richmond there's a wood panel mill. About 10 to 15% of their business is in the US. Because tariffs went up to 50%, they've been forced to shut down one day a month, so the workers lose four days' pay a month — less to spend on their kids, and less spending when they go out. The impact is really across the board. What I've described is just — it's a vicious cycle — just one small example, but every industry will be affected. Right, but what does this have to do with

[2:58] Why an early election
us holding another election? Of course it's related, because when we carry out these policies, we don't do something today and see results tomorrow, right? It needs continuity — constant investment, constant output — before we see results and can deliver real benefits to our people. So that's why we're calling this election. I know it costs money, but compared with how much our government has already invested, we hope to have a stable, strong government that can better carry forward our investments and all our multilateral trade relationships. So is that what it means — that the provincial government is really hoping to win more of a majority? Is that the idea — hoping that with new policies, they can be carried out better? Yes, it's about government continuity — we hope what we're doing can move forward steadily. Because when a government is in chaos, everything it tries to push is very hard to make work.

[4:02] Small business owners
But after paying taxes each year, what's left may be next to nothing. In the current market conditions, in a market like Vancouver and BC, what measures can the NDP take over the next four years to get things done? I really agree with what you said, because I'm a small business owner myself, and I understand. First, for Vancouver, or for BC, our whole Canadian market isn't as big as we imagine. So when your market isn't big enough, with all the costs, labour costs, and the whole world being so chaotic — Trump's tariffs and all — it has a very, very deep impact on every one of us. That's why our provincial government says we need to go out there and create more trade opportunities, and create more opportunities here at home — not just for small business owners, but more job opportunities for ordinary working people. People attack our government, saying we have a $13.8 billion deficit and so on, right? But the point I want to make is, with the deficit, you have to look at where we're spending the money. We're spending it on major infrastructure and on energy projects, which bring back tens of billions in returns and create thousands of jobs. So in turn, this helps our provincial economy, while creating jobs, and that gives a big boost to every other part of our economy. This is what we urgently need to do right now. I'd like to ask — the NDP, of course, over these years in government, has faced criticism as well. Since you're with the NDP, could you tell us about some of its policies? Because ordinary people may not really understand them.

[6:01] Everyday affordability
For example, we cut car insurance premiums by $500, and we've frozen them for seven years, so our premiums are the lowest. And for example, we used to pay MSP — not anymore. It's long gone — gone once the NDP came in. So really, all of this — don't think we haven't done anything. A lot has actually been done. Let me add another reminder — this really was our government's doing. My friend runs a daycare, and she told me that every year, for every child, the government gives each child a subsidy of a few hundred dollars — I mean, a few hundred a month — the child benefit? No, not the child benefit — it's for daycare. And every teacher gets a subsidy too. So the government has spent a lot of money in these areas. I just believe it hasn't been publicized enough. I hope I have the chance to bring this to everyone, so more people know what our government has done for you. Because right now people feel that housing affordability is a big source of anxiety, or a burden — for example, taxes, and also the rental housing side. Could you share with us what the NDP has done in this area? Actually, I have a property company myself; we manage several hundred rental units.

[7:23] Housing and renters
We deal with tenants all the time, and I know life is really not easy. The good thing is, our government has built more and more affordable housing — for low-income people, for seniors. What's been built and what's under way is all part of a long-term, roughly ten-year plan to keep building so many units. But if a Conservative government comes to power, they've said they'd cancel these first, cut these first. So that's why we need this election — because we want our policies to continue and help more people.

[8:00] SFU's new medical school
As a member of SFU's Board of Governors... I feel very, very honoured to serve on SFU's board, because there, I'm also the only Chinese-Canadian. I believe we have about 20 governors. SFU has a big influence in Vancouver, a big influence in BC. UBC is more of a research university, while SFU is more of an applied, practical university. Our co-op program is extremely popular, because our students' employment rate is high. And what SFU is really proud of is our new medical school, which the BC government invested in. — I'm curious: could you tell me a bit about how SFU's new medical school differs from traditional ones? Can students graduate faster, or gain skills and knowledge more quickly? Yes, its approach is completely different. It's a bit different from UBC. It's the first new medical school we've built here in the West in 60 years — none in five or six decades — a brand-new one, and our approach is different. We're linked with family doctors everywhere, and all the students go back to their own communities, so with family doctors, while they're studying, they're already doing placements in family doctors' clinics. We want to train — "That fast?" Yes — to train more family doctors, learning and training at the same time. That's the approach — not having doctors study for years, then more years, then go to a hospital. So this can more quickly address the family doctors we need right now. Right. But these kids — do they go through very strict screening? Because I heard that at UBC, if you want to become a doctor, you go through layer upon layer of screening — 20-some experts assess you, ask you all kinds of questions — and very few make it. So will SFU relax that, or will it also be very competitive? — No, it won't relax. Because medicine is a very rigorous profession. You need real compassion, and your academics must be strong, because lives are at stake. We had about 3,000 or 4,000-plus applicants, and this cohort is 48 students. So it really is — of course it's very hard to get in. And our government has invested a considerable amount — a lot of money. We're now continuing to build a new teaching building on the old site. And because we have a different approach — we've really signed on many family doctors' clinics — these family doctors are essentially helping train our future family doctors, so that from the start, students are seeing patients, getting to know patients, getting exposure to everything, and they know what they'll face in the job every day. So they can learn better and fit in better. And some students come from more remote areas, and they go back to serve once they've finished training.

[10:48] Family doctors
Speaking of access to care, for a lot of BC residents — something like 80 or 90%, 70 or 80% — feel it's hard to see a doctor in Canada, since health care is free for everyone. Right. So — and you just told me that at SFU, out of 3,000 or 4,000 applicants, only 40-some are being trained. That's simply not enough to serve so many ordinary residents, right? So that's a problem. And recently I've heard a lot of people say Vancouver can't keep doctors, Canada can't keep doctors. Many well-trained doctors get hired away by the US with high salaries, and those who stay here may not have as much ambition, or their skills may be just average. So, I mean, how do you see this situation? Well, here's the thing. I think the BC NDP government has been working very hard to solve these problems. We've always said many people don't even have a family doctor. What our government has rolled out — this year, so far, we've already brought in 800 health-care workers from the US, doctors and nurses, to come here. We created a special policy to attract them, and I believe more will come to serve our residents. The government spent this money because it's much faster than training a doctor ourselves, and it can address our current needs. In just the first few months, we've already matched over 200,000 people with a family doctor. In fact, per capita, on average, right now our rate of people matched with family doctors is the highest in Canada. But of course there are still hundreds of thousands — we still have a long way to go, and we'll keep up this work. On another front, as

[12:32] The new Richmond Hospital tower
a former fundraising ambassador for the Richmond Hospital Foundation, I feel very strongly about this. Everyone knows our hospital's new tower is under construction. It was only after the BC NDP government took office that this project really got going. When you drive by now, you'll see that empty lot — the old parking lot has been torn down. It'll be finished in the next few years, and we'll have brand-new patient rooms, all of them single rooms. And we're expanding our emergency operating rooms from the current 6 or 8 to 11, all with brand-new equipment. Our foundation has done a lot of work, including me personally — I donated a room. I've made a personal donation. How much does it cost to donate a room? — Mine was relatively... I think it was $50,000. There are bigger ones at $100,000, and many big gifts of $10 million or more. Everyone who donates really loves this community — they feel this is our home, this is our hospital. Because our hospital was first built in the 1960s, when Richmond had only 50,000 people. So because of that, now with 250,000 people, the need is huge. We also serve the airport and the ferry terminal — if anything happens to anyone there, it's all Richmond Hospital's job. So when we do each small thing — it may seem small, but small things add up. I hope more people will come help our hospital do even more. And our provincial government is firmly committed to getting the Richmond Hospital project done right. The tower should be finished soon — in 2029, I believe. Now, last year, in 2024 and 2025, especially in 2025, various provinces and cities, such as Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, were all pushing ahead with drug

[14:20] Drug consumption sites
consumption sites — where to put them. How do you view this issue? First, I want to be clear: drugs — we're all against them. No one wants to condone drug use. We know very well the harm they cause. They don't just harm individual lives — they harm our families and our whole community. So what we need to do is ban drugs. But for people who've become addicted, how should we treat them? We don't treat them as criminals; we treat them as victims. So what we're doing now is treating them, and preventing this from happening. As for what you just mentioned, the consumption site issue — back then, when everyone came out to oppose it, Vancouver Coastal Health also said that, based on current data, Richmond won't have one. Right — not in Richmond, because Richmond's situation isn't that serious at all. So we also concluded we don't need one. So people can rest assured. Actually, why do I say we've always been strongly against drugs? Many things happen right around us. When these things really touch us, that's when we realize how urgent drug prevention and control are. Because in our neighbourhood, there was a girl, 16 years old, very lively.

[15:33] A neighbour's 16-year-old daughter
We'd often see each other and say hi. Then one day her mother came over and told us, "My daughter passed away last night." We were all very sad, and very shocked — such a young person. It was drug misuse — an overdose — and at that time she didn't get help in time. So I strongly urge everyone to see that we need to save lives — to save the lives of these people, and help them properly, psychologically and physically. That's what our community urgently needs to do. We shouldn't sensationalize, or say these people are harming our community. Of course, their behaviour does have some negative effects. This really requires not just the government, but also the public — our whole society to pay attention, everyone to pay attention, so we tackle this problem together. So fighting drugs is also something we must do. We've known each other for many years, and I think this time you've again had the courage to step forward and face off against Teresa Wat. Two years ago, there was still a gap in your vote counts. So this year,

[16:48] Why she's confident
with what mindset are you running? And what kind of answer, or what kind of report, do you hope to give residents, so they choose you? And your confidence — do you think you can win this race? OK. I think there are two sides to this. First, as I just said, why we're holding this election — well, it's so that our residents' lives can be better, because of the uncertainty we're facing — economic uncertainty. We want to make sure this government can keep things going and see them through. That's one reason for this election. Another reason is that I have been in this community for 30 years. I know this community very well. And I'm very willing to listen to everyone's voices, and to better carry your voices to Victoria. That's one of my goals in running. Another thing is that right now, the local MLA for this riding

[17:42] Putting voters first
has switched parties three or four times in a short time. Teresa Wat, when she left the Conservatives, had her reasons, too. The reason she gave at the time was that the party leader then had misunderstood her personal background, or attacked her, which really hurt her. Right. I think as a politician, what should we do? What are our principles? I think first, you should put your voters first. Other matters can be resolved internally. Jumping back and forth — today you're a Conservative, then you jump and say you're an independent, then a few days later you join another party, and then jump back to the Conservatives. These different parties of course have different views. If you jump to another party, does that mean your voters all share your views? I don't think that's right. I think whatever we do, at any time — for example, in my own real estate business, every time we do something, we put our clients' interests first, and only then ourselves. As an elected representative, you should put the interests of your riding's voters first.

[18:54] Time, energy, and 30 years in Richmond
Are your kids all grown up now? Yes, my youngest is 26. The youngest is already 26. Right. Well, you really look so young. Not that young — but young at heart. So now, you — basically all your energy, right, you're at your best, and no longer tied down by family matters, so you can put everything into this. I think I'm running for another reason, too — like you said, I now have the time and energy. Because any time you want to make a comeback or revitalize something, it really takes a lot of energy. I hope to be someone who, more than our current MLA in this riding, spends more time locally, because I know she doesn't live in Richmond. Right. I've been here 30 years. Every day I'm in touch with all this. I'm the hospital's former fundraising ambassador; I know what our community and our health care need. I'm in touch with so many seniors, we serve so many families. We have a very personal sense of what we who really live in Richmond face every single day. And someone with more heart, who has more time to give to the community — I think we should choose someone like that — and that would be me. A truly charismatic woman.