Michelle Mungall
Encyclopedia
Michelle Mungall is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a New Democratic Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
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 ....

 in the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...

, representing the riding of Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the general election of 1933 following a redistribution of the earlier Nelson riding....

. She was born and raised in St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...

 where she attended Paul Kane High School
Paul Kane High School
Paul Kane High School is a high school in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada and is part of St. Albert Protestant Schools. The school colours are blue and white. PKHS sports teams are the Blues...

. She later graduated from University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...

 in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

 and ran unsuccessfully for political office in the 2001 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....

, in the St. Albert
St. Albert (provincial electoral district)
St. Albert formally styled Saint Albert is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts mandate to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta of Alberta, Canada....

 provincial electoral district.

She moved to Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...

 in 2002 where she became a municipal councillor. She served one term before enrolling in Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University is a public university located in Colwood, Greater Victoria, British Columbia, that describes itself as "Canada's University for Working Professionals".-Overview:...

's Human Security and Peacebuilding program. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree after writing her thesis on homelessness in rural British Columbia. She decided to run for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia after the current member, Corky Evans
Corky Evans
Corky Evans was a prominent provincial politician in British Columbia, Canada. He twice ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia, placing second both times. In both cases, the party formed the government of BC and its leader became Premier of British Columbia...

, retired. She was successful over three other candidates for the New Democratic Party nomination, and won the Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the general election of 1933 following a redistribution of the earlier Nelson riding....

 riding with 54% of the vote.

Background

Michelle Mungall was born and raised in St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...

. She graduated from Paul Kane High School
Paul Kane High School
Paul Kane High School is a high school in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada and is part of St. Albert Protestant Schools. The school colours are blue and white. PKHS sports teams are the Blues...

 in 1996 and then attended the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...

 in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

. She majored in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and graduated with honours in 2001. At her university she organized a group named the Preservation of Education Accessibility for Society which sought to public funding for post-secondary education. She grew up in a household that debated politics, and in which her parents favoured the Progressive Conservative Party, but she became involved with the New Democratic Party during her first year of university. During her final year, she became the NDP candidate in the St. Albert
St. Albert (provincial electoral district)
St. Albert formally styled Saint Albert is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts mandate to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta of Alberta, Canada....

 riding during the 2001 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 2001
The Alberta general election of 2001 was the twenty-fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 12, 2001 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....

. Mungall was not expected to win the race, which was expected to be close between the incumbent Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...

 Mary O'Neill
Mary O'Neill
Mary O'Neill is a politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.O'Neill graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently received her teaching certification from the Ontario College of Education. She taught in both public and private schools...

 and the Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...

 challenger Len Bracko
Len Bracko
Len Bracko is a current municipal councillor in St. Albert, Alberta and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.A high school social studies teacher by profession, Bracko entered politics by running for the Alberta Liberals in the 1989 Alberta provincial election in the riding of St....

. Also in 2001 she worked as a youth organizer for the Northern Alberta Alliance on Race Relations and was profiled in the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...

as one of Alberta's 30 most-promising people under 30 years old.

Mungall re-located to Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...

, after visiting some friends there. She quickly integrated into the community and ran for city council in the November 2002 election. She was identified as a wildcard in the race, not expected to win because of her inexperience and being new to Nelson, but expected to do well from running a very strong campaign. Surprisingly, she finished third, gaining her one of the six council seats. At the age of 24, she was the youngest councillor in Nelson's history and was the youngest female municipal council member in Canada at the time. She was appointed to several committees, including the Youth Centre Committee, the Nelson Electric Tramway
Nelson Electric Tramway
The Nelson Electric Tramway is a heritage railway in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. It uses two restored vintage streetcars which carry tourists along Nelson's waterfront and was the first operating heritage streetcar line in British Columbia. The service is seasonal, starting on the Easter...

, and the Social Advocacy Committee, and task forces, including the Participatory Governance Task Force, Arts, Culture and Heritage Task Force, and the Solid Waste Management Task Force. As part of that Solid Waste Management Task Force, she helped introduce a blue box recycling program and privatized commercial garbage pick-up. She introduced an anti-war resolution, which the council adopted, matching similar resolutions adopted in several other BC municipalities. On local issues, she supported spending $4.4 million to purchase and move city hall to the White Building in a vote that split the council but was adopted on a tie-breaker vote. In another split vote which was ultimately adopted, Mungall supported directing $30,000 in 2005 towards arts and culture initiatives. She was on council during the 2004 ten week lock-out of municipal union workers as contract negotiations stalled over the issue of staffing levels. During most of the time she was on council, she also worked at the Nelson Food Coalition. She opted not to stand for re-election in the 2005 municipal election, citing a desire to further her education. After fulfilling an eight month contract as a community developer with the Nelson Committee On Homelessness, she moved to Victoria to attend Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University is a public university located in Colwood, Greater Victoria, British Columbia, that describes itself as "Canada's University for Working Professionals".-Overview:...

's Human Security and Peacebuilding program. She traveled to Africa to spent seven months as an intern in Lusaka, Zambia working as a National Programmes Assistant for the World Young Women's Christian Association
World YWCA
The World YWCA is the umbrella organization of the global network of the YWCA, a movement of women working for social and economic change around the world. It advocates for young women’s leadership, peace, justice, human rights and sustainable development, both on a grassroots and global scale...

. She returned to Nelson in February 2007 and worked at the Nelson and District Youth Employment Resources Center for several months, followed by the nearly a year at a microfinace organization called the Circle of Habondia Lending Society. At the same time, she was writing her Master's thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...

 regarding homelessness in rural British Columbia. She submitted her dissertation in March 2009 and was awarded a Master of Arts degree by Royal Roads University. Mungall married Zak Matieschyn on July 23, 2011 in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is one of the oldest provincial parks in British Columbia, established in 1922. The park has an area of and is located in the Selkirk Mountains in the West Kootenays region of BC...

.

Provincial politics

In 2008, after Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the general election of 1933 following a redistribution of the earlier Nelson riding....

 Member of the Legislative Assembly Corky Evans
Corky Evans
Corky Evans was a prominent provincial politician in British Columbia, Canada. He twice ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia, placing second both times. In both cases, the party formed the government of BC and its leader became Premier of British Columbia...

 announced he would not seek re-election in the next provincial election Mungall expressed interest in seeking the BC NDP nomination for that election. Three other women contested the nomination: fellow Nelson residents Kim Adamson and Bev LaPointe, as well as Creston
Creston, British Columbia
Creston is a town of 4,826 people in the Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The town is located just a few kilometers north of the Porthill, Idaho border crossing into the United States and about a three-hour drive north from Spokane, Washington. It is about a one-hour drive...

 small business owner Rhonda Barter. The nomination vote was held in February 2009. In the preferential vote
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...

 Lapointe and Barter were eliminated in the first two rounds and in the third round Mungall narrowly defeated Adamson. Campaigning for the general began soon afterwards. She faced three other candidates, but only the BC Liberal candidate, long time rural director at the Regional District of Central Kootenay and former chair of the Columbia Basin Trust
Columbia Basin Trust
The Columbia Basin Trust was created by the Columbia Basin Trust Act in 1995 to benefit the region most adversely affected by the Columbia River Treaty , in the Canadian province of British Columbia....

 Josh Smienk was considered to be a serious challenger to Mungall. The other candidates, Sean Kubara of Kaslo running for the Green Party
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is led by former Esquimalt municipal councillor, university professor and businessperson Jane Sterk, she was elected by the party in 2007. Penticton realtor and columnist Julius Bloomfield serves as the deputy...

 and David Duncan of the BC Conservative Party
British Columbia Conservative Party
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...

 ran limited or no campaigns. Mungall campaign focused on issues surrounding the local economy, independent power producer
Independent Power Producer
An Independent Power Producer is an entity, which is not a public utility, but which owns facilities to generate electric power for sale to utilities and end users...

s, and health care. She took 54% of the vote in winning the riding, but her New Democratic Party lost provincially to the BC Liberals who formed a majority government.

39th Parliament

With the New Democrats as the Official Opposition, party leader Carole 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...

 assigned Mungall the role of deputy critic to Dawn Black
Dawn Black
Dawn Black is a politician in British Columbia, Canada.Born Dawn Whitty, Black became involved in politics from a young age, she became an assistant to New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Pauline Jewett.-Member of Parliament:...

 on Advanced Education, where Moira Stilwell
Moira Stilwell
Dr. Moira Stilwell was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada, in 2009 to represent the riding of Vancouver-Langara. She was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Research and Innovation to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation on March 14, 2011...

 was the minister. As deputy critic, she spoke out against the June–July 2009 cuts to student aid programs and supported the student union of Selkirk College
Selkirk College
Selkirk College, founded in 1966, was the first regional community college in British Columbia. The college offers over 60 programs. Selkirk has grown into one of the largest organizations in the West Kootenay and Boundary regions of south eastern British Columbia...

 during a Halloween 2009 public event to highlight student loan problems. On local issues, Mungall used her MLA office to host a public meeting on the controversial Glacier-Howser hydroelectric project which was undergoing environmental assessment, which she would later oppose, she delivered a 3,000 signature petition to the legislature advocating for improvements to the Kootenay Lake Hospital and hired an intern from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

 to research food security in the Kootenays
Kootenays
The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...

. She was selected for the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services in the first and second sessions which engaged in budget consultations across the province, though she opposed the budget due to a lack of compromise on HST measures and the continuance of activity-based funding for health regions. She also spent time as chair of the NDP's Women's Caucus which monitored women's issues In December 2009-January 2010, she and her partner vacationed in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

 and while there, she participated (at the request of Mu Sochua
Mu Sochua
Mu Sochua is an elected Sam Rainsy Party opposition member of the Cambodian parliament and a mother of three children. In 2005, she received the Leadership Award in Washington, DC, from the Vital Voices Foundation, co-founded by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton...

) in training of local women who were preparing for an upcoming election and was interviewed by a radio call-in show. In the run up to the 2011 BC NDP leadership election
British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership election, 2011
The British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership convention of 2011 was prompted by Carole James's announcement on December 6, 2010 that she would be resigning as leader of the party...

 Mungall supported Adrian Dix
Adrian Dix
Adrian Dix is a Canadian politician, currently serving as MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway in British Columbia and as leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2005 election.-Aide to Glen Clark:...

, who would eventually win the leadership post. As the third session of the 39th Parliament began, Dix appointed her critic for advanced education and for youth and was assigned to the Select Standing Committee on Education. At the same time, she criticized Premier Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...

's appointment of Don McRae
Don McRae
Donald Alexander Noel McRae was a double international representing New Zealand in cricket and in soccer...

 as Minister of Agriculture, saying that the move was to "subvert" a recall campaign that was being waged against McRae and noting that better qualified MLAs such as Ben Stewart
Ben Stewart
Benjamin Richard Stewart is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election and a winemaker who has operated Quails' Gate Estate Winery with several family members in the Okanagan since 1989. He represents the riding of...

 and Steve Thomson
Steve Thomson (politician)
Steve Thomson is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election, representing the riding of Kelowna-Mission.- References :...

 were passed up.

Electoral history

|-

|NDP
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...


|Michelle Mungall
|align="right"|9,060
|align="right"|55%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$52,366

|style="width: 130px" |BC Liberal
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...


|Josh Smienk
|align="right"|5,191
|align="right"|31%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$77,586

|Green
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is led by former Esquimalt municipal councillor, university professor and businessperson Jane Sterk, she was elected by the party in 2007. Penticton realtor and columnist Julius Bloomfield serves as the deputy...


|Sean Kubara
|align="right"|1,189
|align="right"|7%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$3,800

|Conservative
British Columbia Conservative Party
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...


|David Duncan
|align="right"|1,083
|align="right"|7%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$2,676
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"| 16,523
!align="right"|100%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|98
!align="right"|0.6%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout
!align="right"|16,621
!align="right"|60%
|}
|-

|Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta
The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...


|Mary O'Neill
Mary O'Neill
Mary O'Neill is a politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.O'Neill graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently received her teaching certification from the Ontario College of Education. She taught in both public and private schools...


|align="right"|9,537
|align="right"|53%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$79,601

|Alberta Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...


|Len Bracko
Len Bracko
Len Bracko is a current municipal councillor in St. Albert, Alberta and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.A high school social studies teacher by profession, Bracko entered politics by running for the Alberta Liberals in the 1989 Alberta provincial election in the riding of St....


|align="right"|7,479
|align="right"|41%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$19,522

|NDP
Alberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party or Alberta NDP is a social-democratic political party in Alberta, Canada, which was originally founded as the Alberta section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...


|Michelle Mungall
|align="right"|1,122
|align="right"|6%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$2,512
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|18,138
!align="right"|100%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|63
!align="right"|0.3%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout
!align="right"|18,201
!align="right"|64%
|}

External links

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