Moira Stilwell

Dr. Moira Stilwell MLA
MLA for Vancouver-Langara
Incumbent
Assumed office 2009
Preceded by	Carole Taylor
Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development of British Columbia
In office June 10, 2009 – October 25, 2010
Premier	Gordon Campbell
Preceded by	Murray Coell
Minister of Regional Economic and Skills Development of British Columbia
In office October 25, 2010 – November 22, 2010
Premier	Gordon Campbell
Succeeded by	Ida Chong
Personal details
Political party	BC Liberal
Occupation	Physician (radiologist)
Religion	Judaism

Dr. Moira Stilwell was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada, in 2009 to represent the riding of Vancouver-Langara. She was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Research and Innovation to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation on March 14, 2011. She served as Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development in the government of B.C. from June 2009 to October 2010 when she was appointed Minister of Regional Economic and Skills Development.^[1] She resigned her Cabinet post in November 2010 to stand for election as the leader of the Liberal Party of British Columbia, but withdrew from the campaign on February 16, 2011.^[2] The election is scheduled for February 26, 2011.

She is currently serving as the Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Research and Innovation to the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. She is the Vice-Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Jobs and Economic Growth.

Biography

Stilwell graduated from the University of Calgary Medical School. She received further training in nuclear medicine at the University of British Columbia and in radiology at the University of Toronto after that. She served for several years as the Head of Nuclear Medicine at St. Paul's Hospital,^[3] Vancouver, Surrey Memorial Hospital,^[4] and Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Clinic^[5] but left all those positions in 2009 to run for public office. Prior to that, she worked at BC Women's Hospital,^[6] where she served as Co-Medical Director of the Breast Health Program as well as being the staff radiologist. Along with serving as a practicing physician and administrator, she was the Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology in the Faculty of Medicine^[7] at the University of British Columbia.

In addition to her professional capacities, Stilwell also served as the Co-Chair of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation^[8] 2020 Task Force, and was past Chair of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation/BC Yukon Chapter. She has also served on the Board of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance^[9] and on the BC Women's Hospital Foundation Board.^[10]

Stilwell lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband, heart surgeon Dr. Sam Lichtenstein. She has three grown children.^{[citation needed]}

Campaign for the BC Liberal Party leadership

After entering the campaign to become the next leader of the Liberal Party of British Columbia, Stilwell focused her attention firmly on the importance of:

• Building a knowledge-based economy to ensure BC’s future prosperity;^[11]

• Increasing the minimum wage in BC from $8/hour to $10/hour;^[12]

• Reducing the interest rate that students in BC pay for loans to finance their studies ^[13]

Stilwell also believes strongly in promoting regional economic development, particularly in north-eastern BC where the oil and gas sector is a significant contributor to the strength of the provincial economy. On a recent visit to Dawson Creek she spoke of the importance of government financial support to further bolster the infrastructure of Northern Lights College, which plays a major role in the training and education of skilled technical workers for the oil and sector industry.

Stilwell dropped out of the campaign on February 16, 2011, announcing her support for George Abbott^[14]

References

1. ^ Regional Economic and Skills Development
2. ^ CTV Vancouver, Nov 22, 2010 “Race to replace BC Premier has its first contender” http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101122/contender-for-bc-premier-101122/
3. ^ St. Paul’s Hospital
4. ^ Surrey Memorial Hospital
5. ^ Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Clinic
6. ^ BC Women’s Hospital
7. ^ Faculty of Medicine
8. ^ Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
9. ^ Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance
10. ^ BC Women’s Hospital Foundation Board
11. ^ Georgia Straight Nov 30, 2010 “Moira Stilwell: BC needs right leader for knowledge economy” http://www.straight.com/article-362061/vancouver/moira-stilwell-bc-needs-right-leader-knowledge-economy
12. ^ Campaign statement Nov 24, 2010 “BC Liberal leadership candidate, Moira Stilwell, will increase minimum wage” http://www.facebook.com/pages/Moira-Stilwell/55102191595#!/notes/moira-stilwell/bc-liberal-leadership-candidate-moira-stilwell-will-increase-minimum-wage/461097678385
13. ^ Georgia Straight Nov 29, 2010 “BC postsecondary student loan interest rate should be lowered, says Moira Stilwell” http://www.straight.com/article-361810/vancouver/bc-postsecondary-student-loan-interest-rate-should-be-lowered-says-moira-stilwell
14. ^ globeandmail.com

External links

• Moira Stilwell, MLA for Vancouver-Langara
• Moira Stilwell, BC Liberal Party profile
• Moira Stilwell on Facebook
• Moira Stilwell on Twitter