Michelle Mungall

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Michelle Mungall is a Canadian politician from British Columbia who represented the Nelson-Creston riding as a BC New Democrat from 2009 to 2020. She served in the provincial cabinet from 2017 to 2020, first as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and then in 2020 as Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness.

Born in St. Albert, Alberta, around 1977 or 1978, Mungall grew up there and earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Alberta and a Master’s degree from Royal Roads University in 2009. She moved to Nelson, BC in 2001 and became involved in the community, serving as the youngest-ever Nelson city councillor from 2002 to 2005 and working with local groups on housing and food security.

Before entering provincial politics, she was active in community development and homelessness work. She first ran for the BC NDP nomination in 2009 and won the Nelson-Creston seat, then was re-elected in 2013 and 2017.

As an MLA, Mungall focused on social and education issues. She supported student aid and spoken out against funding cuts, helped lead campaigns to end the clawback of child support from benefits, and fought for disability bus passes. She also opposed the Jumbo Glacier ski resort project and pushed for strong local and social programs. She introduced private member bills on poverty reduction and on the regulation of private career training institutions.

In opposition, she served as a critic and deputy house leader, and chaired the NDP’s Women’s Caucus. In government, she led major policy work, including the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act to require that all new light-duty vehicle sales be zero-emission by 2040. She helped establish a Mining Jobs Task Force in 2018, and oversaw changes to energy and utilities policy, including reforms related to BC Hydro and the Site C dam.

Her family life drew public interest when she gave birth to her son Zavier in 2018, making her the first BC cabinet minister to have a baby while in office; the legislature then changed its rules to allow infants on the floor. In September 2020, she announced she would not seek re-election. In the October 2020 election, Brittny Anderson won the Nelson-Creston seat for the BC NDP.