Raymond Chan

Raymond Chan (陳卓愉, pinyin:Chén Zhuōyú) in Chinese, (b. 1951) is the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed a Federal Minister. However, the honour of being the first Chinese Canadian to be elected into Parliament belongs to Douglas Jung in 1957.

Early life

Raymond Chan was born in Hong Kong on October 25, 1951. He immigrated to Canada in 1969, two years after Canada liberalized its immigration policy. He received his Bachelors Degree in Applied Science (Engineering Physics) from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1977. From 1977 to 1993, he worked as the engineering team leader for Triumf (UBC), working for System Engineering.

Political career

Chan joined the Liberal Party of Canada in 1991, and was elected to Parliament in 1993 defeating high-profile Defence Minister Tom Siddon in the riding of Richmond in British Columbia. He was then appointed as the secretary of state for the Asia-Pacific Region for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade for the Jean Chrétien government from 1993 to 2000. He was defeated in the 2000 federal election by Joe Peschisolido of the Canadian Alliance. Following Peschisolido's jump to the Liberal Party, Chan battled Peschisolido for the Liberal Party's nomination and won it after a fiercely-contested race.

Chan was returned to Parliament in the 2004 Canadian election. He was subsequently appointed to the cabinet by Paul Martin as the Minister of State for Multiculturalism.

External links

• Raymond Chan's homepage