NDP MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed has announced she’s not running again but plans to continue to be a vocal advocate for victims of gender-based violence
Katrina Chen has paid a high price in her political career as a result of her continuing trauma from past abuse.
After being appointed minister of state for child care by then premier John Horgan in 2017, Chen was lauded for her work on rolling out the B.C. NDP government’s affordable child care program, which included significant subsidies for parents and wage top ups for early childhood educators.
However, the night before the cabinet shuffle, during the Dec. 6, 2022, ceremony to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, Chen revealed that she herself was struggling with the trauma of gender-based violence, which is why she asked Eby not to consider her for a cabinet post.
Since then, Chen has sat as a backbencher, mostly participating in the legislature virtually from the Burnaby home she shares with her son.
She announced on Nov. 22 that she will not seek re-election in the 2024 election. But Chen told Postmedia News she will continue to be outspoken about wanting to see better services for survivors of gender-based violence and more flexible working conditions for MLAs to open the door to more political participation from single moms like herself.
Chen admits that during her early years in politics, she made her work too much of a priority in an attempt to “run away from trauma.”
During trips around the province to make announcements about the NDP’s affordable child care program, Chen, whose parents live in Taiwan, remembers the stress of knowing that one delayed flight could mean the difference between being home for her nine-year-old son or having to call in a friend to help.
It’s part of the reason Chen, 40, decided not to run again.
“I decided that I really want to explore a new journey where I can better prioritize my son and myself and be more true to myself,” she said.
However, Chen said she’ll continue to push the government to do more to support victims of gender-based violence.
While she can’t reveal details about her personal case because of a court-ordered publication ban, Chen felt it was important to speak up about her past abuse in an effort to remove the stigma of being a survivor.
“I think from the voters view, they expect you to be almost perfect,” she said.
She does plan to share part of her story through a children’s book currently in progress, which will tackle the subject of family violence.
“I think one of the things I would love to do after I leave politics — and maybe one of the reasons I want to leave politics — I want to continue to advocate and make sure we fight against the stigma (of gender-based violence).”
The NDP government announced a three-year plan on Dec. 10 to address gender-based violence, which includes boosting supports for survivors, improving the government’s response to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and strengthening violence prevention and awareness programs.
Chen praised that spending and expanded services, but she’d like broader legal reforms including an integrated court for family law and criminal law cases. That would allow the court system to, for example, take into account past instances of intimate partner violence during custody cases.
“I think we need to definitely put a support focus on the justice system because survivors tend to be re-traumatized,” she said.
As the executive director of the Battered Women’s Support Services, Angela Marie MacDougall has been a strong voice calling for the government to make intimate partner violence a priority when it comes to funding — something she said is still lacking — and legal reforms, including expanded legal-aid services.
She’s encouraged that despite Chen’s decision to step back from politics, she plans to continue to advocate for survivors.
“Katrina has been a key voice in government in bringing her own lived experience into (the frame),” MacDougall said. “She’s been a really important voice for victims and survivors in so many ways.”
“I said, ‘Watch out, after I leave politics I’ll be a strong advocate on many issues I care about,’” Chen said, including child care, gender-based violence and more support in the school system for children with diverse needs. “Ever since I started facing my personal trauma, I realized I should have done more in this area. I could use my personal experience to do more.”
In her parting speech in the legislature on Nov. 22, Chen called for systemic changes that will make politics more inclusive and representative of British Columbians.
“I hope we can make this institution more caring, trauma-informed and equitable for people with diverse abilities and backgrounds,” she said.
Chen said one possible solution is adopting a hybrid work model in the legislature that could make it easier for people with diverse backgrounds — including immigrants and people of colour — to get involved in politics.
When NDP cabinet minister Melanie Mark announced her decision to resign as an MLA earlier this year, she called the legislature a “torture chamber” with a colonial structure that is especially difficult for Indigenous women. Mark, also a single mother, said she wanted to focus on raising her two daughters, aged 12 and 19.
“I do think we need to acknowledge that there is a lack of inclusion and there’s a lack of policies or room for people who may have diverse personal experiences, such as being an immigrant, a single mom with no family around and having to travel across the province to do the job,” Chen said. “I think this hybrid participation model is a no brainer.”
