David Busch has lived in Saanich since 2013 and he’s passionate about the area. Despite serving as the federal Conservative candidate for Saanich Gulf Islands in 2019 and 2021, he's decided to switch to provincial politics.
With sons ages 7 and 8, he did so to spend more time with his family, and to not uproot them to Ottawa. "Everything I do, it's for my family," he said.
A lawyer who was previously a critical care nurse, it was health care that got him interested in politics, and an area he sees as important to his riding.
"Saanich North has the oldest demographic in all of Canada. Anything that's going to affect the elderly is going to hit the riding of Saanich North first, and it's going to hit it far, far harder ... We have more health-care needs than anywhere else in the country."
Busch said there aren't enough people in power who understand the system. He criticized the current government, for example, for not increasing residency seats to keep up with population growth.
"Premier Eby recently announced he’d be increasing medical school seats. That's great, but if you don't increase the residency seats, it's all for naught."
Residency seats first go to Canadian-trained doctors, which can include foreign trainees who come to school in Canada but plan to return to their country. As Busch explained, seats rarely open up for foreign doctors to show they're capable to practice in Canada.
Also contributing to retaining medical staff is "red tape" when it comes to home building, he said.
"A hospital in Salt Spring managed to hire three new nurses, except all three wound up quitting because there was no housing for them," he said.
The islands have unique housing needs where the current provincial and federal plans don't work, he said. Busch calls for restoring power to island trusts, which govern the islands in the same way municipalities do, but are often overridden by the province. He believes the provincial government oversteps when it comes to island trusts.
Busch is also critical of Bill 36 and Bill 21, stating these bills give too much power to the government in the College of Physicians Board and the Law Society.
"Lawyers, doctors, and professionals need to be self-regulated because they are the checks and balances that keep politicians honest," he said.
Busch also advocates for sustainable practices that protect natural resources while balancing development needs.
Passionate about plastics in the ocean, Busch does not support the plastic bag ban, and would rather see resources go towards helping top world polluters improve their waste management systems. He cited a Fraser Institute blog post stating Canada's plastic waste has "an undetectable impact on ocean plastic pollution" and will cost $2 billion over the next 10 years according to the federal government's own estimates.
"Let's look at something that's going to put that money to better use and have a better result."
Busch said his career experience in nursing and the law have given him valuable skills in listening, connecting and problem-solving.
"You need to listen to people. It's a matter of trying to work to find something that works best for everybody."
