Jenny Kwan
Encyclopedia
- For the California DreamsCalifornia DreamsCalifornia Dreams is an American teen-oriented sitcom that aired from 1992 to 1996 on Saturday mornings during NBC's TNBC programming block. It was created by writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon and executive produced by Peter Engel, all known for their work on Saved by the...
actress, please see Jennie KwanJennie KwanJennie Kwan is a Filipino-American actress and singer from Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her roles as Samantha "Sam" Woo on California Dreams and as Suki on Avatar: The Last Airbender.-Career:Jennie began acting at age 11, when she started performing with the touring company,...
.
Jenny Wai Ching Kwan (Chinese: 關慧貞) is a Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-born Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. She is currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and a senior member of the provincial caucus of the New Democratic Party.
Personal life
Kwan immigrated to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at age 9 from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She speaks both English and Cantonese. She graduated from Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
and was a community legal advocate in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's Downtown Eastside
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is known as "Canada's poorest postal code"....
before entering politics. Jenny currently lives in East Vancouver
East Vancouver
East Vancouver is a region within the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Geographically, East Vancouver is bordered to the north by Burrard Inlet, to the south by the Fraser River, and to the east by the city of Burnaby...
, with her husband, daughter, son and stepson.
Short film acting appearance
Between the 2001 and 2005 elections, Kwan was invited by director Ling Chiu to play the part of eldest sister in the 2004 short film A Fortune In Frozen Dim Sum.Vancouver city councillor
In 1993, Kwan became the youngest-ever member of Vancouver City CouncilVancouver City Council
Vancouver City Council is the governing body of the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.The city is governed by the Vancouver Charter, not the Community Charter and the Local Government Act which are used for other municipal governments...
. She was the sole representative of the civic party known as COPE
Coalition of Progressive Electors
The Coalition of Progressive Electors is a municipal political party in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia.-Origins:...
throughout her term on council.
Provincial politics
In 1996, Kwan entered provincial politicsPolitics of British Columbia
The Politics of British Columbia involves not only the governance of British Columbia, Canada, and the various political factions that have held or vied for legislative power, but also a number of experiments or attempts at political and electoral reform....
deciding to run as the NDP candidate for the electoral district of Vancouver-Mount Pleasant
Vancouver-Mount Pleasant
Vancouver-Mount Pleasant is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was one of only two electoral districts to return an NDP MLA in the 2001 election when the NDP was nearly wiped off the electoral map, and it did so by a much wider margin than...
, in East Vancouver
East Vancouver
East Vancouver is a region within the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Geographically, East Vancouver is bordered to the north by Burrard Inlet, to the south by the Fraser River, and to the east by the city of Burnaby...
. She successfully won her seat.
In her first legislative
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
term, Kwan she served in several positions, including as the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Minister of Women's Equality and Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives and Volunteers.
In 2001, Kwan, along with Joy MacPhail
Joy MacPhail
Joy MacPhail is a former Canadian politician in British Columbia. A longtime member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, she served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 2005 and as a Minister of the Crown from 1993-1999, and 2000-2001.MacPhail was born in Hamilton,...
, was one of only two NDP MLAs to survive the party's electoral defeat
British Columbia general election, 2001
The British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001...
. She was also re-elected in 2005 and again on May 12, 2009, where she received 11,196 votes or 64% of the vote.
Leadership controversy, December 2010
On December 1, Kwan released a statement to the media criticizing NDP party leader Carole JamesCarole James
Carole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party...
, and calling for an immediate leadership convention. In response to Kwan's statement, James
Carole James
Carole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party...
called an emergency caucus session to address opposition to her continued leadership. Before the caucus meeting was held, however, James
Carole James
Carole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party...
announced her resignation as party leader.
Kwan claims she has no plans, herself, to run for the leadership of the party.