Raymond Chan

Raymond Chan PC (Chinese: 陳卓愉; pinyin: Chén Zhuōyú; Jyutping: Can4 Ceok3 Jyu4; born 1951) is the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed to the Cabinet of Canada. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Chan was elected to Parliament in the 1993 federal election, defeating then Defence Minister Tom Siddon in the riding of Richmond, British Columbia. Chan is the fourth Chinese Canadian elected to Parliament, after Douglas Jung, who secured a seat in 1957, Art Lee in 1974 and Inky Mark in 1997. In 2008, Chan lost his riding of Richmond to Conservative candidate Alice Wong.

For the Hong Konger, see Raymond Chan Chi-chuen.
For other people named Ray Chan, see Ray Chan (disambiguation).
The Honourable

Raymond Chan
陳卓愉

PC
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Richmond
In office
2004–2008
Preceded byJoe Peschisolido
Succeeded byAlice Wong
In office
1993–2000
Preceded byTom Siddon
Succeeded byJoe Peschisolido
Personal details
Born (1951-10-25) October 25, 1951
Hong Kong
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)divorced and re-married
ResidenceRichmond, British Columbia
ProfessionEngineer

Early life

Raymond Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1951.[1] He emigrated to Canada in 1969,[1] two years after Canada liberalized its immigration policy. He received a B.A.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1977. From 1977 to 1993, he worked as an engineer for TRIUMF, a particle accelerator laboratory at UBC.[2][3]

Political career

Chan joined the Liberal Party of Canada in 1991 after he was elected as the inaugural president of the Vancouver Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China. Then he was elected to Parliament in the 1993 election,[4] defeating Defence Minister Tom Siddon in the riding of Richmond, British Columbia. Chan secured the nomination win over future cabinet colleague Herb Dhaliwal, who subsequently chose to run in the adjacent Vancouver South riding. He was then appointed by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as the Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific Region for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He served in this position from 1993 to 2000.

He was defeated in the 2000 election by Joe Peschisolido of the Canadian Alliance. After Peschisolido crossed the floor to the Liberal Party, Chan battled Peschisolido for the Liberal Party's nomination, and won it after a fiercely contested race.[5]

Chan returned to Parliament in the 2004 election. He was subsequently appointed to the cabinet by Prime Minister Paul Martin as the Minister of State (Multiculturalism) for the Department of Heritage.

Chan was re-elected in 2006, and served as Opposition Critic for the Asia Pacific, Seniors, the Social Economy, and Canada Border Security throughout the 39th session of Parliament.

He was defeated by Conservative Alice Wong in the election of 2008[6] by more than 8,000 votes. He sought nomination as a Richmond Liberal again in 2009 and was defeated by Peschisolido. He has been a major fundraiser for political candidates since leaving office.[7]

References
  1. 加拿大大選中的華裔候選人 [Chinese Candidate in the Canadian Election]. BBC Chinese. November 27, 2000. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. "Raymond Chan Wins Another Parliamentary Election" 陈卓愉胜出　当选列治文选区国会议员. SinoVision [北美中文网]. January 23, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2018 – via WestCA.com.
  3. 加国前多元文化部长：华裔移民不是过客. SinoQuebec.com. February 16, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  4. Raymond Chan – Parliament of Canada biography
  5. "Delta - Richmond East". CBC News. September 20, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  6. "Harper has fresh timber for new cabinet". CTV News. The Canadian Press. October 16, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  7. Cooper, Sam (October 5, 2020). "Did Canadian politicians know the victims of a targeted shooting at a trendy Richmond restaurant?". Global News. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
27th Ministry – Cabinet of Paul Martin
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
  Minister of State (Multiculturalism)
2004–2006		  
26th Ministry – Cabinet of Jean Chrétien
Sub-Cabinet Post
Predecessor Title Successor
Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific)
(1993–2001)		 Rey Pagtakhan
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