1. Jenny Kwan was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly, representing Vancouver-Mount Pleasant from 1996 to 2015 with the British Columbia NDP, and was a provincial cabinet minister from 1998 to 2001.
15 Facts About Jenny Kwan
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Jenny Kwan entered politics in 1993, when she was elected to the Vancouver City Council.
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Jenny Kwan immigrated to Canada at age nine with her family from British Hong Kong.
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Jenny Kwan graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology.
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Jenny Kwan started her career as a community legal advocate in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside before entering politics.
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Jenny Kwan was the sole representative of the Coalition of Progressive Electors throughout her term on council.
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Jenny Kwan succeeded Premier Mike Harcourt, who at the time had just resigned over a series of serious fundraising scandals, including Bingogate.
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Jenny Kwan was re-elected in 2005,2009, and 2013, continuing to serve as an opposition MLA.
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In December 2010, Jenny 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.
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At the time of the trip, Jenny Kwan had still been married to Small and had participated in the trip with their children.
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In January 2015, Jenny Kwan announced her plan to seek the NDP nomination in Vancouver East for the forthcoming federal election, after NDP MP Libby Davies, who had served since 1997, chose not to seek another term.
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Supporters of Jenny Kwan's candidacy included Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs president Stewart Philip, Chinese Freemasons Association president Herbert Yiu, former British Columbia natural resources minister Robert Arthur Williams, and United Steelworkers official Steve Hunt.
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Jenny Kwan was elected to the House of Commons in October 2015, defeating candidates Edward Wong and James Low by wide margins.
14.
Jenny Kwan supported Jagmeet Singh in his successful campaign in the 2017 NDP leadership election.
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Jenny Kwan was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.