[9] Entering the 40th Parliament of British Columbia Jennifer Rice was viewed as a MLA that provided the BC NDP with credibility on environmental issues.

Despite the Inquiry's recommendation, the provincial government's Passenger Transportation Board approved a reduction of intercity bus service, provided by Greyhound Canada, along that route in 2013.

[13][14] Over the next few years, the province committed funds to assisting communities in purchasing public transit vehicles, extending their routes towards Highway 16, and increasing the number of licensed drivers in First Nations.

[17] In November 2014 Ms. Rice drew attention to the issue of charging passengers who use wheelchairs an extra $30 for a cabin on the Inside Passage and Haida Gwaii ferry routes, labelling the practice as unfair.

Rice opposed the development of the Petronas Pacific Northwest LNG facility on Lelu Island, with its proposed bridge over the Flora Banks to the shipping terminal, due to its anticipated impacts to the Skeena River salmon ecosystem.

[19] Along with the region's other two NDP MLAs, Doug Donaldson of Stikine and Robin Austin of Skeena, she endorsed the signing of the Lelu Island Declaration by the Nine Allied Tribes of Lax Kw’alaams[20] which called for permanent protection of Lelu Island and the Flora and Agnew Banks "as a refuge for wild salmon and marine resources",[21] though the Tsimshian First Nations objected to the signing of the declaration.

[25] The bill was in response to elevated lead levels found in Prince Rupert and Kitimat schools,[26] and had the support of the British Columbia Teachers' Federation.

[27] The bill did not advance beyond the first reading, but the government still adopted a system of reminders for school districts to test for lead on an annual basis and report back to the Ministry of Education.