Bowinn Ma
Bowinn Ma, MLA is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2017 provincial election. She represents the electoral district of North Vancouver-Lonsdale as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party caucus. She also serves as the Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink, as a member of the provincial Treasury Board, as a member of the Cabinet Housing Working Group Committee, a member of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and as the Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations.,
Ma is the youngest member of the current British Columbia Legislative Assembly, and the Canadian born daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. Ma, Katrina Chen, and Anne Kang are the first MLAs of Taiwanese heritage to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
Ma was the first New Democrat to win a seat on the North Shore since David Schreck in 1991. She defeated two-term incumbent BC Liberal Minister Naomi Yamamoto as a first-time candidate. The North Vancouver-Lonsdale upset result is often credited in part to increased turnout from Squamish Nation voters and the political mobilization of the Iranian-Canadian community, both of which strongly favoured Ma.
Background
Ma graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in civil engineering, which included a focus in transportation, and then from the UBC Sauder School of Business in 2009 with a Master of Management degree. She is currently a Professional Engineer registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia as well as a Project Management Professional. She served as an engineer and project manager at Vancouver International Airport prior to her election.Prior to becoming involved in provincial politics, Ma led grassroots efforts against Bill C-51 after publicly challenging Justin Trudeau on his support for the bill during a public Q&A event at the University of British Columbia.
Ma was the fourth female president of the UBC Engineers and led the reform of the organization. Created in 2008, the Engineering Undergraduate Society of the University of British Columbia awards the "Bowinn Ma Award" annually "in recognition of exceptional dedication, service, and self-sacrifice by an individual in completing their duties, both within and beyond the purview of their position".
Provincial politics
Upon being elected as MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, Ma created the Bowinn Ma MLA Social Justice Scholarship: three $500 community scholarships, awarded to one graduating high school student each from Carson Graham Secondary, Sutherland Secondary and the Squamish Nation. The scholarship is aimed at graduating high school students enrolled in a post-secondary institution who have demonstrated a commitment to social justice and overcome barriers or disadvantages in their life.In 2018, Ma made headlines for her #MeToo statement in the BC Legislature voicing support for Christine Blasey Ford's experience during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and then again in early 2019 when she openly discussed her past experience with an eating disorder for Provincial Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
Transportation
Since being elected in 2017, Ma has focused largely on the issues relating to transportation. Ma had campaigned heavily on the issue of transportation during the 2017 election. Ma hosted and moderated a "Traffic Sucks!" forum in February 2017, during which Ma said housing affordability is a key factor when it comes to traffic congestion. Ma also campaigned on "increased investment in public infrastructure as a means of producing jobs, boosting the economy, and ensuring that the province is able to meet the needs of its businesses and residents long into the future" and expanding BC's rapid transportation network "as a way of providing a long-term solution to traffic congestion in the North Shore and throughout the Lower Mainland and as a key component of a sustainable transportation model for a growing province".On July 18, 2017 Ma was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink, working under the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Selina Robinson. Her main job as Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink is overseeing the transit authority as it goes through a critical phase of expansion. The NDP has already committed to funding 40 per cent of the TransLink Mayors' Council vision, which includes another SeaBus and 10-minute service, a B-line bus from Phibbs Exchange to Dundarave and an increase in regular bus service.
Ma was also selected to serve as the Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations. Ma led the all-party committee consisting of BC Liberal, BC NDP, and BC Green MLAs in the creation of a unanimous report dated February 15, 2018, making 32 recommendations for establishing a provincial regulatory regime to govern transportation network companies providing ride-hailing services. She reconvened the all-party committee again in 2019 in the creation of a second consensus report dated March 12, 2019, making 11 recommendations on four specific areas of regulation of the Transportation Network Services industry: Boundaries, Supply, Fares, and Driver's Licenses.
Although outside of the official purview of her role as Parliamentary Secretary for TransLink, Ma also works with Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Claire Trevena to increase BC Transit bus service. Ma initiated the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project in 2018 and served as its Chair until the release of its final report in September 2018, which now serves as the North Shore's action plan and guiding document for improving transportation.
Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project (INSTPP)
Ma initiated the Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project in 2018 and served as its Chair. The Integrated North Shore Transportation Planning Project "is a cross-jurisdictional and collaborative forum initiated to provide an integrated transportation approach that is environmentally progressive, values safety, improves the movement of people and goods, and respects First Nation's interests." Major partners in the project include the City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, TransLink, Government of Canada, Government of BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Squamish Nation. It released its report publicly on September 13, 2018.According to the Letter from the Chair, "the work was conducted with a level of inter-agency collaboration that is unprecedented" and "represents the first time that key public transportation agencies on the North Shore, including seven governments, have been able to collectively establish a comprehensive understanding of the transportation challenges that North Shore communities face, and produce a unified and actionable approach for moving forward as a region."
North Shore Rapid Transit
Ma is vocal in her support for rapid bus lines as precursors for rapid transit, including a controversial rapid bus line running through the North Vancouver, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. In response to opposition from businesses and residents of West Vancouver, Ma created a West Vancouver B-Line themed parody of 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles. Ma is credited with the genesis of the first-ever study into the feasibility of a rapid transit line connecting the North Shore and downtown Vancouver, which was launched by the provincial government in May 2019.Housing
Ma is a vocal advocate for action on Metro Vancouver's housing crisis. Her support for housing demand management measures like the BC NDP Government increases to the foreign buyers tax, new speculation tax, and increased school tax rate on homes over $3M has drawn criticism from prominent Realtors and anti-tax advocates in wealthy constituencies nearby.In 2018, Ma raised funds for the North Vancouver homeless shelter by spending the night in her car with the North Vancouver St. John's Anglican Church group and helped the North Vancouver youth safe house receive operational funding from the provincial government for the first time since it opened in 2008. Ma joined high school students from Carson Graham Secondary in sleeping outside overnight to raise funds for Covenant House, an agency for homeless youth who have fled abuse or been forced from their homes. She is also known for her work supporting vulnerable renters.