1. George Chow was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2017 provincial election, representing the riding of Vancouver-Fraserview.
18 Facts About George Chow
1. 2.
Since February 20,2024, Chow is the Minister for Citizens' Services.
3.
George Chow was born in China in either 1950 or 1951, and emigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1965 at the age of 14 and settled in Vancouver.
4.
George Chow's father was a cook, and his mother a farm worker.
5.
George Chow initially enrolled at William Dawson School and then transferred to Britannia Secondary School.
6.
George Chow went on to complete a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia.
7.
George Chow was actively involved with the building of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver's Chinatown during the 1970s and 1980s.
8.
George Chow first ran for council as an independent in 2002 because of his opposition to the proposed safe injection site in the Downtown Eastside near Chinatown.
9.
George Chow reassessed his position on the safe injection site following its 2003 opening and was recruited by Vision Vancouver to join its slate for his successful 2005 campaign.
10.
George Chow was re-elected for a second term in 2008.
11.
George Chow was unsuccessful in his bid, losing to Stilwell by over 2700 votes.
12.
George Chow was re-elected in 2020, the first time the constituency re-elected its MLA.
13.
George Chow was one of the few caucus members who did not formally endorsed David Eby in the 2022 NDP leadership contest.
14.
In December 2022, George Chow was demoted from cabinet by newly appointed Premier David Eby and served on the backbench for the first time.
15.
On February 20,2024, George Chow returned to cabinet as the Minister of Citizens' Services, succeeding Lisa Beare.
16.
George Chow served as Minister of State for Trade between 2017 and 2022, under the minister responsible for economic development affairs Bruce Ralston, Michelle Mungall, and Ravi Kahlon.
17.
George Chow's tenure overlapped with a period of dramatic deterioration of Sino-Canadian relations, and Chow attracted numerous controversies for his perceived close relationship with Chinese Communist Party and its supporters.
18.
In December 2022, less than a week prior to his demotion from cabinet and in the wake of rare protests in China and Vancouver calling for Chinese President Xi Jinping's resignation, George Chow attended the BC-Guangdong Economic and Trade Summit, hosted by the Canada China Business Council, and sat beside the newly arrived Chinese Consul General to Vancouver at the head table.