Jenny Kwan
Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MP (born 1967) is a Canadian politician who is the member of Parliament (MP) for Vancouver East. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Kwan was elected to the House of Commons in 2015.
Jenny Kwan | |
|---|---|
Kwan in 2021 | |
| Member of Parliament for Vancouver East | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Libby Davies |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant | |
| In office May 28, 1996 – August 4, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Harcourt |
| Succeeded by | Melanie Mark |
| British Columbia Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives and Volunteers | |
| In office February 29, 2000 – June 5, 2001 | |
| Premier | Ujjal Dosanjh |
| Preceded by | Jan Pullinger |
| Succeeded by | George Abbott |
| British Columbia Minister of Women's Equality | |
| In office July 21, 1999 – February 24, 2000 | |
| Premier | Glen Clark Dan Miller |
| Preceded by | Penny Priddy |
| Succeeded by | Evelyn Gillespie |
| British Columbia Minister of Municipal Affairs | |
| In office February 18, 1998 – July 21, 1999 | |
| Premier | Glen Clark |
| Preceded by | Michael Farnworth |
| Succeeded by | Jim Doyle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1967 (age 55–56) British Hong Kong |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Residence | Vancouver[1] |
| Alma mater | Simon Fraser University (BA) |
| Website | www |
| Jenny Kwan | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 關慧貞 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 关慧贞 | ||||||||
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She she was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), representing Vancouver-Mount Pleasant from 1996 to 2015 with the British Columbia (BC) NDP, and was a provincial cabinet minister from 1998 to 2001. Kwan entered politics in 1993, when she was elected to the Vancouver City Council.
Background
Kwan emigrated to Canada at age nine with her family from British Hong Kong.[2] She speaks English, French, and Cantonese.
Kwan graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology.[2] She started her career as a community legal advocate in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside before entering politics.[2]
Political career
Municipal politics (1993–1996)
In 1993, Kwan at age 26 was elected as the youngest-ever member of Vancouver City Council. She was the sole representative of the Coalition of Progressive Electors throughout her term on council.[2]
Provincial politics (1996–2015)
In 1996, Kwan entered provincial politics. After being nominated, she was elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, in East Vancouver. She succeeded Premier Mike Harcourt, who at the time had just resigned over a series of serious fundraising scandals, including the Bingogate Scandal.
In 2001, Kwan, along with Joy MacPhail, was one of only two NDP MLAs to survive the party's electoral collapse in the 2001 British Columbia general election at the hands of a BC Liberal landslide upset.[3][4] She was re-elected in 2005, 2009, and 2013.[5]
Leadership controversy, December 2010
In December 2010, Kwan released a statement to the media criticizing NDP leader Carole James, and calling for an immediate leadership convention, after party candidates suffered defeat in the 2009 election.[4][6][7] In response to Kwan's statement, James called an emergency caucus session to address opposition to her continued leadership.[8][9] Before the caucus meeting was held, however, James announced her resignation as party leader.[10][11] While Kwan was accused of self-interest, at the time she claimed to have no plans to run for the leadership of the party.[12]
Portland Hotel Society controversy, March 2014
In March 2014, an audit of the Portland Hotel Society showed that Kwan's ex-husband, Dan Small, had improperly expensed the cost of a family Disneyland trip to the society.[13][14] At the time of the trip, Kwan had still been married to Small and had participated in the trip with their children.[15] When the audit became public, Kwan held a press conference where she denied any knowledge that the society had paid for the trip, and said she would reimburse the society.[16] Following the conference, Kwan took a brief leave of absence.[17]
Member of Parliament (2015–present)
In January 2015, Kwan announced that she would be seeking the NDP nomination in Vancouver East for the 2015 federal election.[18] Mable Elmore was also seeking the party's nomination in the riding.[19] Kwan was nominated on March 22, and sought to replace Libby Davies as the MP for the riding.[20][21] She was elected to the House of Commons in October 2015, defeating Liberal Party candidate Edward Wong and Conservative Party candidate James Low by a wide margin.[22] On November 12, she was appointed as her party's critic for immigration, refugees and citizenship.[23] She was re-elected in the 2019 federal election.
Electoral record
Federal
| 2021 Canadian federal election: Vancouver East | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 27,969 | 56.4 | |||||
| Liberal | Josh Vander Vies | 9,797 | 19.8 | |||||
| Conservative | Mauro Francis | 5,399 | 10.9 | |||||
| Green | Cheryl Matthew | 3,826 | 7.7 | |||||
| People's | Karin Litzcke | 1,382 | 2.8 | |||||
| Libertarian | Gölök Buday | 831 | 1.7 | |||||
| Communist | Natasha Hale | 387 | 0.8 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 49,591 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 528 | |||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Eligible voters | ||||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[24] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Vancouver East | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 29,236 | 52.6 | +2.66 | $86,021.45 | |||
| Liberal | Kyle Demes | 10,085 | 18.1 | -10.06 | $25,852.88 | |||
| Green | Bridget Burns | 8,062 | 14.5 | +5.31 | $51,975.81 | |||
| Conservative | Chris Corsetti | 6,724 | 12.1 | +1.33 | $4,528.19 | |||
| People's | Karin Litzcke | 679 | 1.2 | – | $7,718.34 | |||
| Libertarian | Gölök Z. Buday | 562 | 1.0 | – | $182.20 | |||
| Communist | Peter Marcus | 177 | 0.3 | -0.59 | $476.56 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Anne Jamieson | 86 | 0.2 | -0.16 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,611 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 537 | |||||||
| Turnout | 56,148 | 61.1 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 91,951 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +6.36 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[25][26] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Vancouver East | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 29,316 | 49.94 | -12.89 | $107,948.45 | |||
| Liberal | Edward Wong | 16,532 | 28.16 | +18.25 | $103,236.57 | |||
| Conservative | James Low | 6,322 | 10.77 | -8.13 | $10,430.75 | |||
| Green | Wes Regan | 5,395 | 9.19 | +1.54 | $29,914.97 | |||
| Communist | Peter Marcus | 525 | 0.89 | – | – | |||
| Independent | D. Alex Millar | 216 | 0.37 | – | – | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Anne Jamieson | 214 | 0.36 | -0.35 | – | |||
| Pirate | Shawn Vulliez | 188 | 0.32 | – | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 58,708 | 100.00 | $226,454.95 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 405 | 0.69 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 59,113 | 67.44 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 87,657 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -15.57 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[27][28][29] | ||||||||
Provincial
| 2013 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Mount Pleasant | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Jenny Wai Ching Kwan | 13,845 | 65.83 | +1.88 | $78,020 | |||
| Liberal | Celyna Sia Sherst | 3,942 | 18.74 | −2.06 | $18,622 | |||
| Green | Barinder Hans | 2,506 | 11.92 | −2.36 | $7,727 | |||
| Marijuana | William Austin | 349 | 1.66 | – | $250 | |||
| Independent | Jeremy Gustafson | 260 | 1.24 | – | $480 | |||
| Communist | Peter Marcus | 129 | 0.61 | −0.36 | $344 | |||
| Total valid votes | 21,031 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 207 | 0.97 | −0.26 | |||||
| Turnout | 21,238 | 49.77 | +3.30 | |||||
| Registered voters | 42,672 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +1.97 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[30] | ||||||||
| 2009 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Mount Pleasant | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 11,232 | 63.95 | −0.29 | $79,796 | |||
| Liberal | Sherry Darlene Wiebe | 3,654 | 20.80 | −0.48 | $41,506 | |||
| Green | John T. Boychuck | 2,507 | 14.28 | +4.05 | $7,013 | |||
| Communist | Peter Marcus | 171 | 0.97 | +0.48 | $1,565 | |||
| Total valid votes | 17,564 | 100 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 218 | 1.23 | ||||||
| Turnout | 17,782 | 46.47 | ||||||
| 2005 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Mount Pleasant | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | ||||
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 12,974 | 64.24 | $98,030 | ||||
| Liberal | Juliet Andalis | 4,298 | 21.28 | $34,819 | ||||
| Green | Raven Bowen | 2,066 | 10.23 | $1,882 | ||||
| Marijuana | Christopher Patrick Bennett | 308 | 1.53 | $100 | ||||
| Independent | Mike Hansen | 205 | 1.02 | $406 | ||||
| Work Less | Niki Westman | 187 | 0.93 | $100 | ||||
| Communist | Peter Marcus | 98 | 0.49 | $2,928 | ||||
| Democratic Reform | Imtiaz Popat | 43 | 0.21 | $100 | ||||
| Platinum | Kirk Anton Moses | 17 | 0.08 | $130 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 20,196 | 100 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 312 | 1.54 | ||||||
| Turnout | 20,508 | 49.93 | ||||||
| 2001 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Mount Pleasant | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 7,163 | 44.48 | -19.57 | $60,582 | |||
| Liberal | Gail Sparrow | 5,343 | 33.18 | +8.82 | $56,796 | |||
| Green | Dale Hofmann | 2,612 | 16.22 | +11.86 | $3,276 | |||
| Marijuana | David Malmo-Levine | 489 | 3.03 | – | $721 | |||
| Unity | Ken Wright | 166 | 1.03 | – | $185 | |||
| No Affiliation | Liar Liar | 148 | 0.92 | – | – | |||
| Communist | Kimball Cariou | 142 | 0.88 | -0.19 | $332 | |||
| Party of Citizens | Franklin Wayne Poley | 42 | 0.26 | – | 331 | |||
| Total valid votes | 16,105 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 208 | 1.29 | ||||||
| Turnout | 16,313 | 59.36 | ||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -14.2 | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Democratic | Jenny Kwan | 11,155 | 64.05 | $41,905 | ||
| Liberal | Anne Beer | 4,243 | 24.36 | $32,735 | ||
| Green | Paul Alexander | 759 | 4.36 | $100 | ||
| Progressive Democrat | John Spark | 584 | 3.35 | $100 | ||
| Reform | Wayne Marsden | 354 | 2.03% | |||
| Communist | Kimball Cariou | 121 | 0.69 | $319 | ||
| Natural Law | John S.W. Kent | 114 | 0.65 | $120 | ||
| Social Credit | Agnes Kokko | 86 | 0.49 | $526 | ||
| Total valid votes | 17,416 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 284 | 1.60 | ||||
| Turnout | 17,700 | 60.50 | ||||
See also
References
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Official Biography: Jenny Wai Ching Kwan (39th Parliament)". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
- ^ McMartin, Will (2005-09-14). "Budget Battlers Ready to Rumble". The Tyee.
- ^ a b MacLeod, Andrew (2010-12-02). "James Allies Scramble to Defend Against Kwan's Attack". The Tyee.
- ^ LABC. "Official Biography: Jenny Wai Ching Kwan (40th Parliament)". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
- ^ MacLeod, Andrew (2010-12-01). "'Carole James is dividing the party': NDP MLA Kwan". The Tyee.
- ^ Fowlie, Jonathan (2010-12-02). . Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06.
- ^ Thomson, Stephen (2010-12-03). "Jenny Kwan says she will "wait and see" outcome of emergency NDP caucus session". Georgia Straight.
- ^ MacLeod, Andrew (2010-12-03). "'Every MLA Will Be Held Accountable': James". The Tyee.
- ^ Fowlie, Jonathan and Rob Shaw (2010-12-06). . Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-03-16.
- ^ Tieleman, Bill (2010-12-07). "She Had to Go: Carole James' resignation was inevitable after NDP's 2009 election defeat". The Tyee.
- ^ Smith, Charlie (2010-12-01). "Jenny Kwan doesn't want to become NDP leader, so who will it be?". Georgia Straight.
- ^ Rob Shaw; Tiffany Crawford (20 March 2014). "Portland Hotel Society audit finds hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable expenses". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- ^ Laanela, Mike (21 March 2014). "NDP MLA Jenny Kwan repaying $35K for Europe, Disney trips". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ Bains, Camille (21 March 2014). "NDP MLA and family took Disney trip cited in scathing audit". CTV / Canadian Press. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ^ The Canadian Press (24 March 2014). "Jenny Kwan Unpaid Leave Still Being Worked Out: Adrian Dix". Huffington Post.
- ^ Hunter, Justine and Ian Bailey (24 March 2014). "Jenny Kwan takes temporary leave amid questions about social-services provider". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ The Canadian Press (25 January 2015). . Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015.
- ^ The Province (18 January 2015). "Elmore officially launches NDP nomination bid for Vancouver East". The Province.
- ^ Smith, Charlie (16 December 2014). "NDP can hold Vancouver East if the party chooses the right candidate". The Georgia Straight.
- ^ Nuttall, Jeremy (4 February 2015). "Game On For Coveted East Van Riding". The Tyee.
- ^ "Canada election 2015: Big name B.C. politicians challenged". CBC News. October 19, 2015.
- ^ "Mulcair announces shadow cabinet, and vows to make sure Liberal government 'fulfills its promises'". National Post. November 12, 2015.
- ^ "Confirmed candidates — Vancouver East". Elections Canada. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Vancouver East, 30 September 2015
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
- ^ "Résultats du soir d'élection - Circonscriptions".
- ^ (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
External links
- Jenny Kwan – Parliament of Canada biography
- Official Biography, Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
- Jenny Kwan at IMDb