Wai Young
Wai Young | |
|---|---|
楊蕭慧儀 | |
 | |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Vancouver South | |
| In office May 30, 2011 – October 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ujjal Dosanjh |
| Succeeded by | Harjit Sajjan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 20, 1960 Hong Kong |
| Political party | Conservative (federal) Coalition Vancouver (municipal) |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia |
| Profession | Policy consultant, small business owner |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Website | votewaiyoung |
Wai Young (Chinese: 楊蕭慧儀) (born May 20, 1960 in Hong Kong) is a Canadian politician from Vancouver, British Columbia. She represented the electoral district of Vancouver South for the Conservative Party of Canada. She was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 election, but was defeated by the Liberal Party candidate Harjit Sajjan in the 2015 election.[1] She started her own municipal party, Coalition Vancouver, on June 21, 2018.[2] She is leader of the party and ran as its mayoral candidate for the 2018 municipal election.
Early life[edit]
Young was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada at a young age. She attended Killarney Secondary School and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in sociology. Young has also taken post-graduate studies at Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She is a mother of twins and has been the foster parent of seven children.[3]
Before politics[edit]
Prior to being elected, Young was a consultant and small businesswoman who contributed to social policies and program development. Her clientele included all three levels of governments and community groups such as the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, South Vancouver Policing Centre and S.U.C.C.E.S.S.[3] Some of her work includes developing services for immigrants, and helping to found the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance (CISSA). Young founded and chaired Canada's first Youth-At-Risk Task Force and established Canada's longest-running breakfast program for underprivileged children.[3] Young also worked for the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development and the federal ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Politics[edit]
After losing by 20 votes in the 2008 federal election, Young was elected in 2011 by a margin of nearly 4,000 votes in a closely watched rematch over former B.C. Premier Ujjal Dosanjh. In doing so, she became the first Conservative MP to be elected in Vancouver since 1988.
On October 26, 2011, Young was elected Vice-Chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association (CCLA). On March 5, 2013, Young was elected Chair of the CCLA. This association provides a forum for discussing bilateral and multilateral issues facing both Canada and China.[3]
Regarding the first SkyTrain faregate, Young said "The new faregates will make SkyTrain service safer and more secure for commuters."[4]
On January 7, 2014, Young announced $2.5 million of federal funding towards the Killarney Seniors Centre.[5]
She was defeated by the Liberal Party candidate Harjit Sajjan in the 2015 election. She started her own municipal party, Coalition Vancouver, on June 21, 2018. She is leader of the party and ran as its mayoral candidate for the 2018 municipal election.
In July 2019, Young was announced as the Conservative candidate in Vancouver South for the 2019 election.
Controversy[edit]
In June 2014 her office mailed her constituents an election-style flyer that claimed Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was promoting marijuana to children.[6]
In July 2015 she claimed the Harper government was acting "in the same vein" as Jesus in adopting anti-terror legislation, and that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service knew of the Air India bombing threat before it occurred. She later clarified her statement, stating: "Last month, while speaking about the additional tools for law enforcement agencies provided in our government's Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015, I misspoke with regards to the investigation of the Air India bombing.
"What the Commission of Inquiry determined was that government agencies were in possession of significant pieces of information that would have led a competent analyst to conclude that Flight 182 was at high risk of being bombed by known Sikh terrorists."[7]
References[edit]
- ^ Jon Azpiri (19 October 2015). "Liberal Harjit Sajjan defeats Tory incumbent Wai Young in Vancouver South". Global News. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ McElroy, Justin (June 21, 2018). "'Free the roads': Wai Young joins Vancouver's race for mayor on anti-bike lane platform". CBC. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d http://waiyoung.ca/about-wai-young/
- ^ "First SkyTrain faregate installed". The Surrey Leader. The Surrey Leader. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
- ^ "The Vancouver Sun - Killarney seniors centre closer to construction with federal funding". The Vancouver Sun. The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ "CBC BC News - Vancouver MP claims Liberal party promoting marijuana to kids; Election style attack flyer full of misleading statements says Liberal party". CBC News. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- ^ "The Gargoyle: Conservative government acting 'in the same vein' as Jesus Christ with anti-terror bill: Tory MP". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
External links[edit]
- 1960 births
- Living people
- British Columbia Institute of Technology alumni
- Businesspeople from Vancouver
- Canadian women in business
- Women members of the House of Commons of Canada
- Conservative Party of Canada MPs
- Hong Kong emigrants to Canada
- Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
- Naturalized citizens of Canada
- University of British Columbia alumni
- Women in British Columbia politics
- 21st-century Canadian politicians
- 21st-century Canadian women politicians
- Canadian politicians of Chinese descent
