Ida Chong (; born 1956 or 1957) is a

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

politician who served as MLA for

Oak Bay-Gordon Head Oak Bay-Gordon Head is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Demographics Geography After restructuring prior to the 2017 election, Oak Bay-Gordon Head consists of the entirety of Oak Ba ...

from 1996 until 2013. Chong and

BC NDP The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. As of 2017, it governs the province. It is the British Columbia provincial arm of the federal New Democrati ...

MLA Jenny Kwan together became the first Chinese-Canadian members of the BC Legislative Assembly. She was subject to a recall in 2010, which she survived, and was a cabinet minister for much of her career. In 2014, she ran for mayor of

Victoria, BC Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

Career

Born and raised in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, Chong began her political career in 1993 as a municipal councillor for the District of Saanich. She ran her own accounting firm with business partner Karen Kesteloo and is a fellow of th
Certified General Accountant of BC (FCGA)
She was awarded a CGA-BC lifetime membership in September 2014. Chong was the

BC Liberal The British Columbia Liberal Party, often shortened to the BC Liberals, is a centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. Subsequent to the 2020 British Columbia general ...

MLA for

for 17 years until she lost to the BC Green candidate

Andrew Weaver Andrew John Weaver is a Canadian scientist and politician who represented the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head from 2013 to 2020 in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. Weaver was the leader of the Green Party of British Columbia from 2015 ...

in 2013. She was first elected in 1996 while the

controlled government and she served as Opposition Critic for Small Business and Deputy Critic for Finance in her first term. Together with NDP MLA Jenny Kwan, Chong was one of the first two Chinese-Canadian members of the BC Legislative Assembly when elected in 1996. Chong was re-elected in 2001, 2005, and 2009 before losing to

in 2013. During her time as MLA, Chong held various cabinet positions including as Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation; Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development; Minister of Science and Universities; Minister of Regional, Economic and Skills Development; Minister of Healthy Living and Sport; Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development; Minister Responsible for the Asia-Pacific Initiative; Minister of Community Services; Minister of Advanced Education; and Minister of State for Women's and Senior's Services.

2010 recall

Chong was the subject of an MLA recall, under the British Columbia Recall and Initiative Act. Chong was targeted for recall as part of a larger campaign opposing the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax. The recall ultimately failed, coming up short of the required signatures.

2014 Victoria municipal election

On September 18, 2014, Chong announced her intention to run for mayor of the City of Victoria in the November 2014 municipal election. Chong subsequently lost, coming a distant third behind new mayor, Lisa Helps, and previous mayor Dean Fortin.

Community volunteer work

Chong has been an active member of the Victoria, BC community volunteering on a number of boards. *University of Victoria, Board of Governors *Inaugural Member, Victoria Chinese Commerce Association *Director, Victoria Dragon Boat Festival

References

External links

Hon. Ida Chong

Official Ida Chong for Mayor of Victoria website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chong, Ida Canadian accountants Women government ministers of Canada Living people Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia Women MLAs in British Columbia 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Canadian politicians of Chinese descent Year of birth missing (living people)