Wildfire accountability profile
Who is Ravi Parmar, B.C.’s forests minister now under wildfire scrutiny?
Updated August 8, 2026 · Independent public-source profile
Short answer
Ravi Parmar is B.C.’s Minister of Forests and MLA for Langford-Highlands. The official B.C. government biography says he first entered the legislature through a 2023 by-election to replace former premier John Horgan in Langford-Juan de Fuca, was re-elected in 2024 in the new Langford-Highlands riding, and became one of the youngest cabinet ministers in B.C. history.
On the religion question: BCFires did not find a reliable official source or public self-identification saying Parmar is Muslim. We are not going to infer religion from his name, family background, appearance or supporters. Public sources reviewed identify him as a B.C. NDP MLA, Minister of Forests, born and raised in Langford, and the son of immigrant parents from India.
Why he is being discussed in wildfire posts
The Facebook post shared with BCFires says Parmar is “the person responsible for the province’s forests and wildfire mitigation,” then points to evacuations, homes and businesses burning, hazardous fuel, deadfall and forest debris. The post asks why prevention is not treated with the same urgency as salvage after fire-damaged timber burns.
That is a fair public-policy question, but the responsibility map is broader than one minister. The Ministry of Forests carries major forest-sector and stewardship responsibilities; BC Wildfire Service sits under the provincial wildfire system; emergency alerts, evacuation orders and local response also involve Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, local governments, First Nations, regional districts, fire departments, utilities and residents.
What his ministry is officially responsible for
The B.C. Ministry of Forests page says the ministry supports a sustainable and competitive future for B.C.’s forest sector while taking action to keep forests healthy and protect communities in the face of climate change and extreme weather events. It also links to the BC Wildfire Service map, forestry supports, old-growth policy, archaeology, resource roads and forest-sector services.
The official BCWS prevention page says wildfire prevention aims to reduce impacts on public safety, property, environment and the economy through FireSmart disciplines. It also says prevention is more than stopping new human-caused fires, and that all partners and stakeholders have a role to play.
How he got the job
The official B.C. government biography says Parmar specifically requested the forestry portfolio from Premier David Eby. It frames his focus as restoring confidence in the sector, building a stronger forestry economy, good-paying forestry jobs, stabilizing a boom-and-bust industry, advancing reconciliation with First Nations, and positioning B.C. as a global leader in sustainable forestry.
Public profile material shows a step-by-step political route:
- Local politics: Sooke School District trustee, then board chair.
- Government staff path: Public biographical sources describe work as a ministerial adviser/chief-of-staff level staffer and work around economic and forestry files.
- Horgan succession: He won the 2023 Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election after John Horgan resigned.
- Cabinet: After the 2024 election, Premier David Eby appointed him Minister of Forests.
Personal/public biography
| Public role | Minister of Forests; Deputy Government House Leader; MLA for Langford-Highlands. |
|---|---|
| Home/riding base | Langford / Westshore. Official bio says he was born and raised in Langford and continues to call Langford home. |
| Family background in public sources | Official/current bio says he is the son of hard-working immigrant parents. Other public summaries say his parents immigrated from India and worked in health care. No reliable source found in this pass identifies his religion. |
| Education/local route | Public summaries identify University of Victoria education and a Sooke School Board path before provincial politics. |
| School-board record claimed by campaign source | His campaign site says that as Sooke School Board chair he worked with John Horgan and the B.C. NDP government on school expansion, including Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School and PEXSISEN Elementary School. |
Riding history: from Horgan territory to Langford-Highlands
Parmar’s first legislative win was in Langford-Juan de Fuca, a former provincial district on southern Vancouver Island. The riding had been John Horgan’s base. A June 24, 2023 by-election was held after Horgan resigned, and Parmar won as the B.C. NDP candidate.
Public election tables list his 2023 by-election win at roughly 53% of the vote, with Conservative, Green and BC United candidates behind him. The same source trail shows the older Langford-Juan de Fuca district was abolished for the 2024 election and redistributed, with much of Langford and Highlands forming the new Langford-Highlands district.
In 2024, Langford-Highlands was first contested as a new riding. Public tables list Parmar with 11,444 votes, about 51.87%, against Conservative candidate Mike Harris at 8,251 votes, about 37.40%, and Green candidate Erin Cassels at 2,368 votes, about 10.73%.
Who are his supporters?
Publicly, his support base is the B.C. NDP organization and voters in Langford-Highlands/Langford-Juan de Fuca who elected him. His campaign site repeatedly frames him as part of “David Eby’s BC NDP team.” Public biographies also connect his political rise to John Horgan’s former riding and mentorship/working relationship.
BCFires is not listing private supporters or donors here unless they are in official election-finance records or public releases. The public, relevant point is that he came through the NDP’s Westshore/Horgan political network, then won voter support in a by-election and a redistributed general-election riding.
What B.C. fire readers should ask next
The strongest accountability questions are practical, not personal:
- How much high-risk fuel treatment is actually completed each year, by region?
- How does B.C. prioritize treatment near homes, farms, rural roads and evacuation corridors?
- How much is spent on prevention versus suppression and post-fire salvage?
- Who decides whether deadfall, debris or beetle/heat-stressed timber becomes an urgent hazard?
- What public dashboard shows whether promised wildfire-risk reduction work was actually completed?
- How does the Ministry of Forests coordinate with BCWS, local governments, First Nations, ranchers, forest companies and rural residents?
BCFires bottom line
The Facebook post names the correct minister for the forests portfolio, but it compresses a complicated wildfire-governance system into one face. Parmar is young, politically connected to the Horgan/NDP Westshore base, and now holds a portfolio he says he requested. That makes scrutiny fair. But the useful scrutiny is not guessing his religion or treating one portrait as the whole story. The useful scrutiny is whether B.C.’s fuel, forest-health and community-protection systems are producing visible, measurable results before the next fire front reaches people’s homes.
Official emergency reminder: If life or property is at immediate risk, call 911. To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.
Read the source note · BC Wildfire Dashboard · BCWS prevention page