Christy Clark was born and raised in Greater Vancouver, where she has an extensive track record of community involvement and leadership for British Columbia’s families.

Christy studied political science at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby BC, Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and at the Universite de la Sorbonne in Paris.

In 1996 she was elected to the British Columbia legislature where, as an opposition MLA, she distinguished herself as a passionate champion for children. This commitment continued when the BC Liberals formed government and she was appointed Minister of Education and Deputy Premier in 2001.

As Education Minister, Christy brought major changes to the school system, focusing on improved accountability and outcomes. She increased parental involvement, led the effort to end junk food sales in schools and introduced a fellowship to recognize excellence in teaching.

In 2004 Christy was appointed Minister of Children and Family Development where she delivered increased funding for childcare. She was the first politician in BC to advocate tax credits for parents who enroll their children in sports, recreation and the arts.

On a personal note, Christy was the first Cabinet Minister in Canada to have a baby while serving as a member of the executive council. Her son Hamish was born three months after she was first appointed.

Christy retired from politics in 2005 to spend more time with her family.

She is now the host of the “Christy Clark Show” on CKNW – BC’s most listened to radio station . In addition, she writes a column for the Vancouver Province newspaper that appears on its editorial pages and regularly is on CTV Newsnet’s The Verdict as a roundtable guest.

Over the last few years Christy has earned a number of awards and nominations including the coveted YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in the Community Building category for her work in politics and creating Pink Shirt Day; named the 2009 Woman of the Year in BC by the Consumer Choice Awards; won the national Peter Gzowski award for a news information program for her work on “Flash Point: Immigration”‘ garnered an award from the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) – BC’s provincial association of radio and tv news directors for exemplary work on Pink Shirt Day programming; nominated for the YMCA “Power of Peace” Award; and has secured the Benefactor Club Award from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver.

Christy lives in Vancouver with her son Hamish.