MBs in the House

At least two Mennonite Brethren will be sitting in the House of Commons when it convenes after the recent Canadian election. They will, however, be on opposite sides of the House.

Raymond Chan, who won the Richmond, B.C. riding for the Liberal party, is a member of Vancouver Chinese MB Church. He was first elected to Parliament in 1993 and became Canada’s first cabinet minister of Chinese descent, serving as Secretary of State (Asia–Pacific) from 1993 to 2000. He was defeated in the 2000 election. He has two young adult children.

Mark Warawa, elected with a decisive majority in the new riding of Langley, B.C., belongs to the Conservative Party. He has been a councillor with the City of Abbotsford since 1990 and ran as a Reform Party candidate in the 1996 B.C. provincial election. He and his wife Diane, parents of five grown children, have been active members of the Central Heights Church, Abbotsford, B.C., participating in worship and drama productions.

Conservative Vic Toews, re-elected in the Provencher riding in Manitoba, is associated with McIvor Ave. MB Church, Winnipeg. Previously, he was Minister of Justice in the provincial government.

Other Mennonites elected include Paul Steckle, a member of the Zurich Mennonite Church, Ont., who will represent the Huron–Bruce riding as a Liberal.