Alice Wong

The Honourable Dr. Alice Siu-Ping Wong 黃陳小萍 PC, MP, Ph.D.
Minister of State (Seniors)
Incumbent
Assumed office May 18, 2011
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Julian Fantino
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Richmond
Incumbent
Assumed office 2008
Preceded by	Raymond Chan
Personal details
Born	(1948-06-30) June 30, 1948 Hong Kong
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Enoch Wong
Residence	Richmond, BC
Profession	Educator, entrepreneur
Religion	Christian

Alice Siu-Ping Chan Wong, PC, MP (traditional Chinese: 黃陳小萍; simplified Chinese: 黄陈小萍; Jyutping: Wong4 Can4 Siu2 Ping4, born June 30, 1948) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the electoral district of Richmond. She is a member of the Conservative Party and formerly served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism. In 2011, Wong was appointed as the Minister of State for Seniors by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, becoming the first Chinese-Canadian woman to serve in Cabinet.

Early life

Wong immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1980. She is a businesswoman and educator. She holds a Ph.D. in Instruction and Curriculum from the University of British Columbia and worked as the manager of international programs at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She also has taught ESL and entrepreneurship classes at Vancouver Community College where she founded the Centre for Small Business at VCC, which offered the first bilingual small business management classes for immigrants. Wong has also operated a consulting firm specializing in research and education.

She has served on the boards of various community organizations including the Rotary Club of Richmond, Rosewood Manor in Richmond, Benevolent Relief Seniors Care Society, Ethno Business Council, Chiu Chow Benevolent Association, and the Women’s Enterprise Society of BC. She is a guest host on local Chinese and Multicultural radio and television. Wong founded the Richmond Greenspace Society to promote green space in urban settings, improving passport office efficiency, raising funds to improve the safety of senior pedestrians, and raising funds for the Sichuan earthquake relief.

She has been married to her husband Enoch since 1982.

Member of Parliament

Wong was first elected in 2008 in the riding of Richmond with 50% of the votes cast, compared to the incumbent Raymond Chan, who received 31%. In 2011, she was re-elected with 58% of the vote compared to 18% for her nearest rival.

On May 18, 2011, Wong was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of State for Seniors.

Political Views

In the fall of 2012, Alice Wong stated that the government's top priorities focuses on job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity.

Her environmental platform has been criticized by the opposition for her views regarding shark fin soup because she was seen publicly eating the soup at a news conference in October 2012. Many environmentalists condemn the process of "shark finning."

Wong has been accused by political opponents of allegedly supporting and donating to the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association, an organization that supports free speech and opposes legal protections against 'hate speech' for the LGBT community.

Wong was among 13 B.C. Conservative cabinet ministers and MPs who voted for Motion 312, Stephen Woodworth's private member bill that would re-open the abortion debate.

External links

• Alice Wong official site
• Profile at Parliament of Canada
• Alice Wong - Parliament of Canada biography
• Speeches, votes and activity at OpenParliament.ca

28th Ministry – Cabinet of Stephen Harper
Cabinet Post (1)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Julian Fantino	Minister of State for Seniors 2011–	incumbent