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Carole James has led British Columbia's New Democratic Party since 2003. In May 2005, Carole was elected MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill and leader of the largest NDP Opposition in BC's history.
Upon becoming party leader, Carole set to work reaching out to British Columbians and building a compassionate and fiscally responsible alternative to the Campbell government's extreme and one-sided agenda.
While the Campbell government was slashing public services, laying off health care workers, and deregulating environment protection, Carole argued that economic growth, fiscal responsibility, and strong public services go hand-in-hand. She said the traditional divides in BC politics no longer reflect the daily reality in the lives of average British Columbians. To secure BC's future, every person and every community matters.
In 2005, British Columbians from all walks of life and all parts of the province responded to Carole's message sending 33 NDP MLAs to the Legislature in Victoria.
As Opposition Leader, Carole and her team have established a reputation as out-spoken advocates for average British Columbians who are being ignored by an arrogant and out-of touch administration. Under Carole's leadership, the NDP has exposed the Campbell government's shameful treatment of seniors, its disregard for working people, and its flagrant abuse of public funds, like the $500 million spent on convention centre cost overruns.
But for Carole, leading BC's Opposition has always meant more than opposing the government. It's also about proposing solutions. To that end, Carole has laid out a far-reaching agenda for change, articulating a vision for BC's future where average people and communities are treated with respect and have a say in the decisions that affect their lives. In consultation with British Columbians, Carole has laid out a plan to re-vitalize BC's forest communities, to protect seniors, to help working people make ends meet, to fix health care and to protect BC's environment. And she has continued to promote a competitive economy that benefits business, entrepreneurs, and working people.
In 2007, for example, after consulting with BC's business community and working people, Carole said a New Democrat government would give BC's lowest paid workers their first raise in seven years and cut small business taxes. Carole's balanced approach is also reflected in her commitment to a fair and effective climate action plan that provides incentives to change behavior while getting tough on big polluters; in her commitment innovation and entrepreneurship in our forest through tenure reform; and in her plan to reduce taxes for middle-income British Columbians.
Carole's approach to politics and public life was shaped, in large part, by her upbringing. Born in England, Carole immigrated to Canada as a young child. She learned her values from her parents and grandparents who were deeply involved in the life of their community, in humanitarian work and in the peace movement. Her siblings included many foster children and she learned from a very young age to stand up for her rights and her principles. In Grade 7 she remembers leading a demonstration in her school to allow girls to wear pants - an early political act that showed the tenacity and purpose that has defined in her contribution to public life that began by being involved in her children's education.
In 1990, Carole was elected as a school trustee in Greater Victoria, a position she held for 11 years. From there, she went on to become President of the B.C. School Trustee Association, elected for an unprecedented five terms. As Chair, Carole earned her reputation for strong and inclusive leadership. Among her many accomplishments, Carole counts the role she played improving education for First Nations students and fighting to ensure broad public consultation on school board amalgamations.
In 1999, Carole decided to take up a position in government leading the development of a province-wide child care program. Though she and her team made great progress, Gordon Campbell's 2001 election victory spelled the end of improved access to child care for working parents. Instead of creating new opportunities for children and their families, Carole was asked by the new government to slash budgets and dismantle years of work. Because the Campbell government wasn't interested in child care, Carole left government to apply her passion where she could make a difference.
That opportunity came when Carole accepted a position as Director of Child and Family Services for Carrier Sekani Family Services, an agency serving First Nations communities throughout the North in the area of child welfare.
Carole's experience living in Northern BC had a profound impact on her life. She developed a first hand appreciation of rural BC and the enormous contribution it makes to the well-being of the entire province. She also saw how top-down decision making in Victoria can adversely affect people living hundreds of miles away. It was in the North where she met her husband Al Gerow. And it was the advice of a Northern First Nations elder - who told her that she had a responsibility to take what she learned in the North and apply it as NDP leader - that helped her decide to enter the BC NDP leadership race in 2003.
Five years later, Carole lives in Victoria with her husband and is the proud parent of her two children, Alison and Evan.