Anne Kang ( zh, t=康安禮; born 1977) is a Taiwanese-born Canadian politician who has represented the

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of Burnaby-Deer Lake in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

since 2017. A member of the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...

(BC NDP) caucus, she has served in the cabinet of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

since 2020, currently as Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. From 2022 to 2024, she was Minister of Municipal Affairs. Prior to her election as

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA), Kang served as a city councillor in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

for three terms.

Early life and education

Born in

Changhua County Changhua (Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴'') is a Taiwanese County (Taiwan), county that is the smallest on the Geography of Taiwan, main island of Taiwan by area, and the fourth smallest in the country. With a total population of 1.24 million, Chan ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, Kang immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

as a child, and has lived in

since 1986. She grew up in the Deer Lake neighbourhood, and graduated from

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

's David Thompson Secondary School with Honours in the Math & Science Program. She completed her post-secondary education at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, receiving a Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Education (Elementary), and Diploma in Special Education (Learning Disability). Kang has received a Master’s Degree in Special Education (Gifted and Creative Learning) and completed two levels of Montessori Certification. She continued to further her education, obtaining certificates in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard University, and certificates in Change Leadership, and Financial Accounting, both from Cornell University. Kang's personal interests are in the areas of social sustainability, youth and young adults, education, and immigration.

Community involvement

Kang has volunteered and held positions with a number of

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

and

community organizations A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

. These include: * Founding Director, Global Federation of Chinese Business Women Association of British Columbia * Director, Progressive Housing Society * Founding Director, TIO Group of Young Professionals * Director, Taiwanese-Canadian Association * Founding Director, Taiwanese Heritage Association In recognition of her community involvement, she was awarded the

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal may refer to: * Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal (1897) * Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal ...

in 2012. Kang has also spoken about her challenges with stuttering, and the need to end the stigmatization of those with the condition.

Municipal politics (2008-2017)

Kang first ran for office in the 2008 municipal election as a candidate for the

Burnaby Citizens Association The Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA) is a social-democratic municipal political party in Burnaby, British Columbia. It was founded in 1955 by Alan Emmott and Eileen Dailly. The BCA is the official municipal affiliate of the BC NDP in Burnaby, ...

, and was elected as a councillor on

Burnaby City Council The Burnaby City Council is the governing body for the City of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The council consists of the mayor and eight elected city councillors representing the city as a whole. Municipal elections also select seven school ...

. She won re-election twice, serving as councillor for a total of three terms. As a city councillor, Kang served the community of Burnaby through several sub-roles such as * Council Liaison for the Public Library Board * Vice Chair of the Environment Committee * Member of the Public Safety Committee * Council Youth Liaison. Kang also led environmental initiatives and infrastructure projects while on Council - fostering the development of a food scrap recycling program, and planning the renovation and restructuring of the city's main library. Effective June 27, 2017, Kang was on unpaid leave from her position as Burnaby city councillor due to her recent election to the

. Her vacant position on Burnaby City Council was left unfilled until the 2018 municipal election.

Provincial politics (2017-present)

The incumbent MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake

Kathy Corrigan Kathy Corrigan is a Canadian politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 39th and 40th Parliament of British Columbia, from 2009 to 2017. As a member of the BC New Democratic Party, she was elected ...

(BC NDP) announced in 2016 her decision to not seek re-election in the next provincial election. Kang was acclaimed as the NDP's candidate for the riding in May 2016, then won the seat in the 2017 provincial election. She is among the first three Taiwanese-Canadians to be elected to the

, alongside fellow New Democrats Katrina Chen and

Bowinn Ma Bowinn Ma, is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2017 provincial election.Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors within the

Government of British Columbia The Government of British Columbia () is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The term ''Government of British Columbia'' can refer to either the collective set of all three institutions, or mo ...

in July 2017, additionally serving as Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism as of July 2019. She was appointed Minister of Citizens' Services in January 2020. Kang won re-election as MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake in the 2020 provincial election, and was named Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training in November 2020. She was subsequently named Minister of Municipal Affairs in the

Eby ministry The Eby ministry is the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that has governed British Columbia since November 18, 2022. It is chaired by the 37th premier of British Columbia, David Eby. The Cabinet is made up ...

on December 7, 2022. After the

2024 election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

, she was named Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, her second time overseeing the ministry.

Electoral record

References

External links

MLA: Hon. Anne Kang
– Legislative Assembly of British Columbia biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Anne British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs British Columbia school board members Burnaby city councillors Living people People from Changhua County Taiwanese emigrants to Canada University of British Columbia alumni Women MLAs in British Columbia Women municipal councillors in British Columbia 1977 births Canadian people of Chinese descent 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 21st-century Canadian municipal councillors 21st-century Canadian women politicians