Carole James

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Carole Alison James (born December 22, 1957) is a Canadian politician and former

James was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England, and raised in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and in Victoria, British Columbia. Her birth father was Métis but she grew up without him and did not learn about her Indigenous heritage until after completing high school.^[1]

After graduating from high school, James and her first husband worked in institutions for the

On July 13, 2006, James announced publicly that she had been diagnosed with localized uterine endometrial cancer.^[3] She underwent surgery and radiation treatment and her prognosis is considered to be excellent. In March 2020, James announced that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and did not run in the 2020 British Columbia general election.^{[citation needed]}

James served on the

James was elected leader of the provincial NDP on November 23, 2003.^[4] At the time of her election the party was suffering low morale in the wake of the 2001 provincial election, which had reduced the NDP to only two seats in the Legislative Assembly. During her campaign to win the party leadership, James pledged to modernize the NDP's ideology and internal structures and build a broader base of support for the party,^[6] a move which alienated some traditional supporters.

During the 2005 provincial election,^[4] James campaigned heavily on her name and image. On election night James and the NDP surprised many supporters and critics alike with a very strong electoral showing; the party winning 41.52 per cent of the popular vote (a 19.96 per cent increase from the 2001 election result) and 33 out of 79 seats in the Legislative Assembly. James won her seat in the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill with 57.01 per cent of the vote, defeating the incumbent BC Liberal MLA Jeff Bray by an almost 2-1 margin.^[7] She was re-elected in 2009, 2013, and 2017.^[2][4]

On December 1, 2010, Jenny Kwan, a prominent party member, released a statement to the media criticizing James's leadership of the New Democratic Party, and calling for an immediate leadership convention.^[8][9][10] In response to Kwan's statement, James called an emergency caucus session to address opposition to her continued leadership.^[11] While the session was meant to take place on December 5, it was later postponed so that private discussions could take place with a group of thirteen caucus members opposed to James' continued leadership.^[12]

On short notice on December 6, James announced she would resign the party's leadership.^[13][14] She continued in the position, however, until Dawn Black was chosen to act as Interim Leader.^[15][16]

James served as opposition Critic for Children and Family Development under her successor, Adrian Dix. She was promoted to the Finance portfolio under John Horgan, and was also named deputy leader of the BC NDP and hence Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

When the BC NDP won a minority government in 2017, James became deputy premier and Finance minister. She resigned from both positions in 2020, shortly after leaving the provincial legislature.