Claire Trevena
Claire Trevena is the current MLA for North Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. She was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2005 election and re-elected in the 2009 election. She is a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. In the 38th Parliament of British Columbia, she sat on the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture and the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, as well as serving as the opposition critic on the Employment and Income Assistance ministry, followed by the critic on child care, early childhood development, and women's issues. In the 39th Parliament she was selected as a deputy speaker.
Originally from England, Trevena has a background in journalism having worked as a Canadian correspondent for British media. After she immigrated, she worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and then as a public information officer for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. After moving to British Columbia with her husband, she started her own business specializing communication strategies. She unsuccessfully filed a complaint with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal after being fired from a job because of her political affiliation. She was a strong advocate of renovations to the hospitals in Campbell River and Comox, opposing the health authority's plans to replace them with a new regional hospital near Courtenay. In November 2010, Trevena was one of thirteen party members to ask for a leadership convention, leading to the resignation of Carole James and the
BC NDP leadership election.