Alice Wong

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Alice Wong

| native_name = {{nobold|黃陳小萍}}

| native_name_lang = zh-hant

| image_size =

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}}

| image = Scheer and Alice Wong (cropped).jpg

| office = Shadow Minister for Seniors

| leader = Andrew Scheer
Erin O'Toole

| 1blankname = Shadowing

| 1namedata = Jean-Yves Duclos
Filomena Tassi
Deb Schulte

| term_start = August 30, 2017

| term_end = September 8, 2020

| predecessor = Mark Warawa

| successor = Rosemarie Falk

| office1 = Shadow Minister for Small Business

| leader1 = Rona Ambrose (interim)
Andrew Scheer

| 1blankname1 = Shadowing

| 1namedata1 = Bardish Chagger

| term_start1 = November 20, 2015

| term_end1 = August 29, 2017

| predecessor1 = Brian Masse

| successor1 = Dan Albas

| office2 = Minister of State for Seniors

| primeminister2 = Stephen Harper

| term_start2 = May 18, 2011

| term_end2 = November 4, 2015

| predecessor2 = Julian Fantino

| successor2 = Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development)

| office3 = Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Richmond Centre
Richmond (2008–2015)

| term_start3 = October 14, 2008

| term_end3 = September 20, 2021

| predecessor3 = Raymond Chan

| successor3 = Wilson Miao

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|6|30}}

| birth_place = British Hong Kong

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Conservative

| otherparty = Canadian Alliance (until 2003)

| spouse = Enoch Wong

| residence = Richmond, British Columbia

| profession = {{hlist|Educator|entrepreneur}}

| website = {{URL|http://alicewong.ca/}}

| footnotes =

| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes|

|c =

|t = 黃陳小萍

|s = 黄陈小萍

|y = Wòhng Chàhn Síu-pìhng

|j = Wong⁴ Can⁴ Siu² Ping⁴

}}

Alice Wong Chan Siu-ping {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} ({{zh|t=黃陳小萍|s=黄陈小萍|first=t}}; {{nee}} Chan, born June 30, 1948) is a Canadian politician and a member of the Conservative Party who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the electoral district of Richmond Centre from 2015 to 2021. She previously served as the MP for the Richmond riding from 2008 to 2015. In 2011, she was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to be Minister of State for Seniors, becoming the first Chinese-Canadian woman to serve in the Cabinet of Canada. She served in that position until 2015.

Early life

Wong immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1980. She is a businesswoman and educator. She holds a PhD 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.{{cite web |title=About Alice Wong. |url=https://alicewong.ca/about-alice-wong/ |website=Hon. Alice Wong, P.C. |access-date=12 August 2024}}

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%.{{cite web|url=http://bc.ctvnews.ca/wong-fry-among-winners-in-b-c-battlegrounds-1.333792|title=Wong, Fry among winners in B.C. battlegrounds|publisher=CTV News|date=October 15, 2008|access-date=2017-05-28}} In 2011, she was re-elected with 58% of the vote compared to 18% for her nearest rival.{{cite web|url=http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/121130899.html|title=Conservatives sweep Richmond ridings|work=Richmond Review|publisher=BCLocalNews.com|date=May 3, 2011|access-date=2017-05-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110508040230/http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/121130899.html|archive-date=May 8, 2011|url-status=dead}} In 2015 she was re-elected in the riding of Richmond Centre with 44.2% of the vote compared to her nearest rival's 41.4%.{{Cite web|url=http://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr2015app/41/9809e.html|title=Official Voting Results|website=www.elections.ca|language=en-ca|access-date=2017-11-17}}

On May 18, 2011, Wong was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of State for Seniors.{{cite web|url=https://www.straight.com/article-393209/vancouver/stephen-harpers-new-cabinet-includes-metro-vancouvers-alice-wong-james-moore|title=Stephen Harper's new cabinet includes Metro Vancouver's Alice Wong, James Moore|work=The Georgia Straight|date=May 18, 2011|access-date=2017-05-28}} Reelected in 2015, she left the Cabinet as the Liberal Party gained a majority in the House of Commons.

She was re-elected in the 2019 federal election, but was excluded from new leader Erin O'Toole's Shadow Cabinet.{{cite web |last1=O'Toole |first1=Erin |title=It's time to take another look at the Conservative Party. Meet our Shadow Cabinet. We are here to fight for you and your family. |url=https://twitter.com/erinotoole/status/1303302417577119744 |website=Twitter |publisher=@erinotoole |access-date=14 September 2020}}

Wong was defeated in the 2021 Canadian federal election, losing Richmond Centre to Liberal Wilson Miao. Her defeat was considered a major upset, primarily caused by the unpopularity of the conservatives among Chinese Canadians.

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.{{cite web |date=October 11, 2012 |title=Helping 1,600 Canadians with disabilities getting jobs |url=http://alicewong.ca/2012/10/11/helping-1600-canadians-with-disabilities-getting-jobs/ |access-date=2012-10-19 |work=Alice Wong, MP website}}

Wong refused to play a role in the Canada Summer jobs program over the human rights statement supporting abortion and LGBT rights.[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/alice-wong-summer-job-grants-attestation-1.4605632 cbc.ca] CBC News, April 6, 2018.

= Abortion =

Wong is anti-abortion, and is a volunteer for the Campaign Life Coalition, a national organization which opposes abortion, same-sex marriage and gender identity legislation.{{Cite web |last=Campaign Life Coalition |date=June 28, 2022 |title=Candidate, Alice Wong: CLC rating: Pro-life, pro-family |url=https://www.voteprolife.ca/find/view/id/303/name/alice-wong |access-date=June 22, 2022 |website=Campaign Life Coalition}}

Wong voted in support of Bill C-233 - An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sex-selective abortion), which would restrict abortion access, making it a criminal offence for a medical practitioner to knowingly perform an abortion solely on the grounds of the child's genetic sex.{{Cite web |last=House of Commons |date=June 2, 2021 |title=2nd reading of Bill C-233, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sex-selective abortion) |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/votes/43/2/125?view=result |website=LEGISinfo}}

Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada has identified Wong's stance as anti-abortion.

= Conversion Therapy =

On June 22, 2021, Wong was one of 63 MPs to vote against Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), which was ultimately passed by majority vote, making certain aspects of conversion therapy a crime, including "causing a child to undergo conversion therapy."{{Cite web |last=House of Commons |date=June 22, 2021 |title=3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy) |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/votes/43/2/175?view=result |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=LEGISinfo}}

= Environment =

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ndp-criticizes-tory-mp-for-eating-shark-fin-soup-1.1189109|title=NDP criticizes Tory MP for eating shark fin soup|publisher=CBC News|date=October 13, 2012|access-date=2017-05-28}} Many environmentalists condemn the process of shark finning. She said in a statement, "If a product such as shark fin is derived from a legal, humane and sustainable harvest, we see no basis to restrict its trade".{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/shark-fin-soup-mp-alice-wong-ban-chinese_n_1964255|title=Shark Fin Soup Enjoyed By MP Alice Wong For Chinese Media|publisher=Huffington Post|date=October 13, 2012|access-date=2021-09-10}}