Jenny Kwan
- Born
- 1967 — British Hong Kong
- Family
- Married Dan Small in 2001, two children. Separated from Small in 2013.
- Education
- Bachelor of Arts in criminology, Simon Fraser University, 1990
- Career
- Community legal advocate in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
- Political Experience
- Elected to Vancouver City Council in 1993. MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant from 1996 to 2015. First elected to the House of Commons in 2015.
- Notable
- First Chinese-Canadian member of the BC legislature. Province's first Chinese-Canadian cabinet minister, serving from 1998 to 2001. Criticized NDP leader Carole James in 2010. Involved in Portland Hotel Society controversy in 2014.
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before entering federal politics, Jenny Kwan had a long career in provincial and municipal government in British Columbia. She was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 1993. In 1996, she was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, a position she held for nearly 20 years. During her time as an MLA, she served as a cabinet minister in various roles, including Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister of Women's Equality. Prior to her political career, she worked as a community legal advocate in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Key Relationships & Connections
As a long-serving politician in both provincial and federal politics, Jenny Kwan has established relationships within the New Democratic Party. In the 1990s, she was part of a group of young, influential NDP MLAs in British Columbia sometimes referred to as the "brat pack," which included figures like Glen Clark, who would become premier. In her federal role, she serves as the NDP's critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, working closely with party leader Jagmeet Singh and other members of the NDP caucus.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
In 2014, while serving as a provincial MLA, Kwan faced an investigation related to her family's travel expenses. A review found that the Portland Hotel Society (PHS), a non-profit organization and major housing provider in her constituency, had paid for trips for Kwan and her family. The investigation focused on whether it was appropriate for a non-profit, which received government funding, to cover personal travel for a politician. Kwan stated she was unaware the non-profit had covered the full costs and subsequently repaid the amount for the trips.
Public Controversies
A significant public controversy in Jenny Kwan's career occurred in 2014 following revelations about expense claims at the Portland Hotel Society (PHS), a major non-profit in her provincial riding. It was reported that the PHS had covered thousands of dollars in travel expenses for Kwan and her family, including a trip to Disneyland and travel to the UK. The news broke amid a broader audit of the non-profit's finances. Kwan apologized, stating she believed the expenses were paid for by her then-husband and not the society. She took a temporary leave of absence from her NDP caucus duties and repaid over $34,000 to the PHS. The controversy led to widespread media coverage and public debate.
Where Jenny falls on key policy spectrums
Your Money
People & Society
How We're Governed
Land & Community
How does Jenny Kwan's voting record line up with your values?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague for her advocacy, always, for the environment and the people. minister She is exactly right. There is no cost-benefit analysis. The other thing that has been pointed out is that businesses are not required to do an impact assessment on the environment with their businesses. Less than 1% of businesses actually do that work. I asked thedirectly at COP17
Mr. Speaker, I would be very excited, actually, if the Liberal government prioritized a climate strategy instead of building a pipeline, putting $55 billion into it, that will decimate the climate, do little to address the crisis we are faced with and exacerbate the situation we are faced with. Instead of putting $55 billion into a pipeline, we should redirect those resources to climate action,
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good colleague for his work and advocacy. Prime Minister He is exactly spot on. Theand the Liberal government will not hesitate one bit in dumping $55 billion into a pipeline that will decimate our environment. What we are seeing right now is the backsliding of a Liberal government on Canada's environmental strategy. That is clear as day. The investment that it put into
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition initiated by a Vancouver high school student, Elize Nocente, and signed by over 1,500 people to shine a light on endometriosis. They point out that, to correct a typo in the online petition, endometriosis affects one in 10 women and girls. Up to two million girls, women and gender-diverse people in Canada are affected by this. The petitioners say Canada has
Mr. Speaker, there were high expectations for this budget, but unfortunately, it misses the mark. This budget benefits the wealthy at the expense of the working class in this country. Prime Minister Thetalks about the masters of our destiny, but who are they? They are the billionaires and corporate executives he invited to his exclusive investment summit. When we look at this budget, it is clear
Prime Minister Mr. Speaker, thetalks about building a stronger, more solvent Canada, but instead of protecting vital public services such as YVR and other major airports, he wants to sell them to private interests, putting affordability, safety and workers' rights at risk. Budget 2026 allocates $37.6 million to the privatization process. YVR has held the title of best airport in North America for
C-39 Mr. Speaker, I just came back from COP17, which was a UN conference on biodiversity, and guess what. Canada is not making its targets. The 30 by 30 goals are not going to happen under the current situation, and that is not considering Billand the ramming through of environmental strategies, environmental protections, indigenous rights and so on. Prime Minister If we are going to talk about
Mr. Speaker, what we are is award-winning. Not only are the Liberals selling airports and our public assets, but Christmas came early for billionaires and corporate executives. Budget 2026 delivers $36 billion in mega deductions for corporations, but there is no mega deduction for everyday people. The temporary groceries benefit will quickly be swallowed up by rising food prices. Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the bill would give the government the power to establish administrative monetary penalties for health IT vendors that do not comply. I wonder what would stop these penalties from simply being another cost of doing business. How can we ensure that the penalties are strong enough to actually deter data blocking?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member a question about housing. The budget talks about the ambition of ending homelessness, yet the investment does not match that ambition. It talks about 24,000 units a year of non-market housing. Does the member think that kind of investment would actually end homelessness, or is it yet another false promise?
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member could comment on how we can ensure that interoperability will not come at the expense of privacy and that the government commits to involving the Privacy Commissioner in developing the regulations and security standards under this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by 38,455 people and was initiated by Vancouver residents who are concerned that AI data centres are being built with high secrecy and low community involvement. The petitioners agree that AI data centres are known for noise and water pollution and for straining water reservoirs and energy grids. They are concerned about AI's impact on jobs, digital
Mr. Speaker, the third petition, signed by 1,048 people, is about the tragic attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Iran. They know that the February 28, 2026, missile attacks on the elementary school killed at least 165 school children and constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law. They call on the Government of Canada to issue a formal and unambiguous
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Mr. Speaker, I rise to table three petitions. The first petition is signed by 20,634 people who are calling on theto increase the annual permanent residence admissions target for 2027 onward from the current 380,000 to approximately 415,000, representing 1% of Canada's population, and, with this increase, to allocate sufficient annual quota to the
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the issue. The fact is, this would now be subject to the provinces, and I think there would be different approaches, different infrastructure, with respect to that. Prime Minister Minister of Finance It does raise the question, again, around the federal health care transfers and the dollars that are necessary to support provinces and territories in order to put the
Mr. Speaker, two important issues were raised in that question. One is a constitutional question. I note that in the special committee's report, there were dissenting opinions that called for the government, in fact, to raise a reference question to the courts on the constitutionality of denying people with mental illness access to MAID. The government decided not to exercise that right, and I
Mr. Speaker, Quebec is always further ahead than the rest of the country. On this issue and on child care, it has always led, and so the rest of the country is always following. There is no question about it. However, this is a really important debate to raise some of the issues that have surfaced about whether it is right or wrong. It is an individual choice in terms of exercising MAID. It is
C-295, An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act (investments) moved for leave to introduce Bill. She said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to reintroduce an NDP bill brought forward in the last session by my former colleague, Alistair MacGregor, that would ensure investments made on behalf of Canadians through the Canada pension plan reflect our country's commitment to human