Claire Felicity Trevena (born May 26, 1962) is a Canadian politician, who represented the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
electoral district
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...
from 2005 to 2020. During the 41st Parliament (2017-2020) she was appointed to the Executive Council to be the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. She is a member of the
British Columbia New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...
and was first elected as a
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
,
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and
2017 elections
Africa
*2017 Somali presidential election 8 February 2017
*2017 Gambian parliamentary election 6 April 2017
*2017 Algerian legislative election 4 May 2017
*2017 Lesotho general election 3 June 2017
*2017 Republic of the Congo parliamentary electi ...
. In the
38th Parliament of British Columbia
The 38th Parliament of British Columbia sat from 2005 to 2009, replacing the 37th parliament and being succeeded by the 39th parliament. It was composed of two elements, The Queen represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, St ...
, she sat on the Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture and the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, as well as serving as the opposition critic on the Employment and Income Assistance ministry, followed by the critic on child care, early childhood development, and women's issues. In the 39th Parliament she acted as a deputy speaker before returning to her role as critic on the children and family development portfolio. In the 40th Parliament, she was the critic on transportation and BC Ferries and, in that role, produced a report comparing the
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
system with the
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget ...
system and introduced the ''Provincial Shipbuilding Act'' in both 2014 and 2015 seeking to have future ferries constructed in Canada.
Originally from
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, Trevena has a background in journalism having worked as a Canadian correspondent for British media. After she immigrated, she worked for the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
and then as a public information officer for the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...
. After moving to British Columbia with her husband, she started her own business specializing communication strategies. She unsuccessfully filed a complaint with the
British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal is a quasi-judicial human rights body in British Columbia, Canada. It was established under British Columbia's ''Human Rights Code''. It is responsible for "accepting, screening, mediating and adjudicati ...
after being fired from a job because of her political affiliation. She was an advocate of renovations to the hospitals in Campbell River and Comox, opposing the health authority's plans to replace them with a new regional hospital near Courtenay. In November 2010, Trevena was one of thirteen party members to ask for a leadership convention, resulting in the resignation of
Carole James
Carole Alison James (born December 22, 1957) is a Canadian politician and former public administrator, who represented Victoria-Beacon Hill in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2005 to 2020. A member of the British Columbia N ...
as leader of the BC NDP. She endorsed
John Horgan
John Joseph Horgan (August 7, 1959 – November 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician and diplomat who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022 and the ambassador of Canada to Germany from 2023 to 2024. He led the Briti ...
in both the
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
and
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
leadership elections.
Background
Trevena was raised in a town in
Northern England
Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
. She worked as an editor for the
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...
and came to Canada, in 1993, as a Canadian correspondent for the BBC and other British media outlets. She eventually went to work for CBC Newsworld International in Toronto and became a Canadian citizen. At the same time, in the late-1990s, she worked for a strategic communications firm. Between 1999 and 2004, she was involved with the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...
as a public information officer for their missions in the Balkans. In 2003, she was awarded a
Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
The Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal (CPSM; ) is a service medal created on October 21, 1999, to recognize the contributions of all Canadian peacekeepers towards the ultimate goal of peace, after the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Ope ...
(Civilian) for her efforts in Macedonia.
With her husband, Mike McIvor, she moved to British Columbia and settled on
Quadra Island
Quadra Island is a large island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Discovery Islands, in the Strathcona Regional District.
Etymology
In 1903, the island was named after the Peruvian Spanis ...
where they started their own business, Start Communicating Strategies. She was hired in 2003 by the BC government as the communications director of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. When the assembly chair discovered she had joined the
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia, or simply the BC Greens, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1983 and is based in Victoria. The party won its first seat in the Legislative Assembly of British Colu ...
she was fired on the belief, as a party member, she would not be able to perform with the political neutrality the job demanded. Trevena filed a complaint with the
British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal is a quasi-judicial human rights body in British Columbia, Canada. It was established under British Columbia's ''Human Rights Code''. It is responsible for "accepting, screening, mediating and adjudicati ...
claiming she was being discriminated against due to her political beliefs. In April 2004, the tribunal sided in favour of Citizens' Assembly.
In September 2004, with the
British Columbia New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...
starting their nomination process for the up-coming provincial elections, Trevena put her name forward as a candidate. Brian Giles (a former assistant to
Attorney General of British Columbia
The attorney general of British Columbia (AG) oversees the Ministry of Attorney General, a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system, within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The attorney gener ...
Colin Gabelmann
Colin Stuart Gabelmann (born February 11, 1944) is a former politician in British Columbia. He represented North Vancouver-Seymour from 1972 to 1975 and North Island from 1979 to 1996 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a New Demo ...
) and Comox-Strathcona Regional District director Brenda Leigh were also nominated. Giles withdrew in February 2005 and Gabelmann endorsed Trevena. Leigh, a Campbell River citizen, was endorsed by former-MLA
Glenn Robertson
Glenn Robertson (born 1949 or 1950) is a former Canadian politician, who served as a New Democratic Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2001, representing the riding of North Island.
Robertson was born in Mont ...
and focused her campaign in the urban areas and with labour organizations. Trevena campaigned more in the rural areas and with environmental groups. She won the nomination with 53% of the vote. Shortly afterwards, campaigning for the 38th Provincial General Election began where she faced the incumbent MLA
BC Liberal Party
BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...
Rod Visser
Rod Sanderson Visser is a former Canadian politician. Visser served as a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2001 until his defeat in the 2005 provincial election, representing the riding of North Island.
, ''Discovery Islander'' publisher and Green Party candidate Philip Stone, Democratic Reform BC and
Port McNeill
Port McNeill is a town in the North Island region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island's northeast shore, on Queen Charlotte Strait. Originally a base camp for loggers, it became a settlement in 1936. It was named ...
town councillor Dan Cooper, and Independent candidate and Campbell River logger Lorne Scott. Trevena won the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
riding in the May 17 election, with 45% of the vote, with her victory being attributed to a strong grassroots campaign that focused on the islands and rural areas, while her main opponent, Vissar, won majorities in Campbell River,
Port Hardy
Port Hardy is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada located on the north-east tip of Vancouver Island. Port Hardy has a population of 3,902 as of the 2021 census.
It is the gateway to Cape Scott Provincial Park, the North Coast Tr ...
and
Port McNeill
Port McNeill is a town in the North Island region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island's northeast shore, on Queen Charlotte Strait. Originally a base camp for loggers, it became a settlement in 1936. It was named ...
.
Provincial politics
38th Parliament
In the
38th Parliament of British Columbia
The 38th Parliament of British Columbia sat from 2005 to 2009, replacing the 37th parliament and being succeeded by the 39th parliament. It was composed of two elements, The Queen represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, St ...
the BC NDP, with Trevena, formed the Official Opposition. She was selected for the bi-partisan Special Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture to deliver recommendations on the development of fish farms in BC. NDP leader
Carole James
Carole Alison James (born December 22, 1957) is a Canadian politician and former public administrator, who represented Victoria-Beacon Hill in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2005 to 2020. A member of the British Columbia N ...
assigned Trevena to be the official critic to the Employment and Income Assistance ministry, headed by BC Liberal Claude Richmond. She supported the 2005 review of welfare rates in which she advocated for earning exemptions and opposed the ministry providing welfare recipients with "free socks, T-shirts and travel mugs" in exchange for authorizing direct deposits of welfare cheques into a bank account. She chastised Richmond after an internal survey of ministry employees reported very morale and revealed he was ignoring staff recommendations. On local issues, Trevena lobbied the government to intervene in the bankruptcy of a Port Alice pulp mill. While the mill was 87 years old at the time and required equipment upgrades and
environmental remediation
Environmental remediation is the cleanup of hazardous substances dealing with the removal, treatment and containment of pollution or contaminants from Natural environment, environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment. Remediation may be ...
, it also comprised 80% of
Port Alice
Port Alice is a village of approximately 739 (2021 census) located on Neroutsos Inlet, southwest of Port McNeill, on Vancouver Island, originally built by Whalen Pulp and Paper Mills of Vancouver. The community is known for its natural enviro ...
's tax base and was one of only a few mills in the world that produced specialty products using dissolving sulphite pulp; the province eventually directed $800,000 to Port Alice to cover the loss of the 2005 property taxes, facilitated the sale of the mill to a Swiss investment company for $1, and provided $7.5 million for site remediation. When another mill was facing closure (Elk Falls sawmill in February 2008), Minister of Forests
Rich Coleman
Richard Thomas Coleman is a Canadian politician and former police officer who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia, representing Fort Langley-Aldergrove from 1996 to 2017, and Langley East from 2017 to 2020 ...
declined to offer provincial assistance but recognized Trevena for her efforts helping keep the Port Alice mill open. Trevena backed the creation of the North Coast Trail through
Cape Scott Provincial Park
Cape Scott Provincial Park extends from Shushartie in the east, then westward around Cape Scott and south to San Josef Bay. This coastline comprises the northern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The provincial park is about northwest ...
, but opposed efforts at developing private accommodations in the park. During the debate over whether the
Vancouver Island Health Authority
Island Health, also known as the Vancouver Island Health Authority, is the publicly funded health care provider in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was established as one of five geographically based healt ...
should build a new hospital or renovate existing facilities in Campbell River and Comox, Trevena campaigned in support of renovating the existing hospitals. When the Health Authority chose to build a new $306-million, 230-bed facility near Courtenay instead, Trevena lobbied Minister of Health
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...
not to approve the decision, and continued to publicly campaign in support of the renovations. She delivered an 18,775 signature petition to the Legislative Assembly requesting Abbott to not approve the Health Authority's plan; the Health Authority eventually relented and upgraded the two smaller hospitals.
In July 2006, Carol James reassigned Trevena to be critic of child care, early childhood development, and women's issues. In 2007, Trevena lobbied against budget cuts to child care programs by Minister of State for Child Care
Linda Reid
Linda Reid (born June 27, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia, representing Richmond East from 1991 to 2017, and Richmond South Centre from 2017 to 2020. A caucus membe ...
; after significant opposition some cuts were restored later in the year. Trevena spoke out against a Ministry of Children and Family Development project to use MLA offices belonging exclusively to BC Liberal Party members to distribute 2,000 free automobile booster seats for children at public events. Trevena and party leader Carol James travelled the province hosting open houses regarding women's issues; they advocated for the "restoration of funding for women's centres" and the "reinstatement of cancelled victims' services programs". On local issues, Trevena criticized the split of the Comox-Strathcona Regional District into two separate regional districts as being "sudden and arbitrary decision" by the Minister of Community Affairs
Ida Chong
Ida Chong ( zh, t=張杏芳, p=Zhāng Xìngfāng; born 1956 or 1957) is a Canadian politician who served as the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia for Oak Bay-Gordon Head from 1996 until 2013. As part of the Liberal ...
made without public consultation; Trevena backed the CSRD request for a one-year delay which was denied. After Trevena complained about the lack of provincial spending on highways and roads in her constituency, the Minister of Transportation
Kevin Falcon
Kevin Falcon is a Canadian provincial politician who has been the leader of BC United since 2022 and was the Leader of the Opposition from 2022 to 2024. He was the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Vancouver-Quilchena ...
questioned her ability as an MLA, and she, in return, questioned his abilities as a minister. Beginning in 2008, Trevena sat on the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts, during the 4th and 5th Parliamentary sessions. In the Spring she again travelled across the province with Carol James, this time discussing child care issues and promoting the party platform which advocates for universal child care.
39th Parliament
With the 39th BC general election coming in May 2009, Trevena was acclaimed as the BC NDP candidate in October 2008. The BC Liberals selected former chief of the
Kwakiutl First Nation
The Kwakiutl First Nation is a First Nations government based on northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, focused on the community of Port Hardy, British Columbia in the Queen Charlotte Strait region, and also known as the Fort Rupert ...
Marion Wright to face Trevena in what was projected to be a competitive race but which Trevena easily won. In the
39th Parliament of British Columbia
The 39th Parliament of British Columbia sat from 2009 to 2013, succeeding the 38th parliament. It was composed of two elements: the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 12, 2009, and The Queen repre ...
Trevena became one of two assistant deputy speakers. In that role, she travelled to Kenya to attend a conference for the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.
In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...
, along with the speaker
Bill Barisoff
Bill Barisoff is a Canadians, Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia from 1996 to 2013, representing the districts of Okanagan-Boundary, Penticton-Okanagan Valley and Penticton (provinci ...
. She joined with fellow NDP MLAs Scott Fraser and
Lana Popham
Lana Popham is a Canadian politician representing the riding of Saanich South in the Legislature of British Columbia. As a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP), she has served in the Executive Council since 2017, curre ...
, in conjunction with the
Western Canada Wilderness Committee
The Western Canada Wilderness Committee (often shortened to Wilderness Committee) is a non-profit environmental education organization that aims to protect Canada's wild spaces and species. Paul George was the founding director, and formed t ...
, in lobbying for the stop to old-growth logging on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. In the
Harmonized Sales Tax
The harmonized sales tax (HST) is a consumption tax in Canada. It is used in provinces where both the federal goods and services tax (GST) and the regional provincial sales tax (PST) have been combined into a single value-added tax.
Jurisdict ...
debate, Trevena called for the Select Standing Committee on Finance to conduct public consultation across the province but ultimately opposed its implementation on the basis its fewer exemptions compared to
Provincial Sales Tax
In Canada, there are two types of sales taxes levied. These are :
*Provincial sales taxes or PST (), levied by the provinces.
* Goods and services tax or GST () / Harmonized sales tax or HST (), a value-added tax levied by the federal governme ...
and the increased control the HST would give to the federal government on taxation matters. In November 2010, Trevena emerged as one of thirteen NDP MLAs to call for a leadership convention over the leadership of Carol James. Trevena had been critical of the party a year earlier at a BC NDP convention when she criticized the neglect of the party's "Sustainable BC" vision during the 2009 election but did not publicly come out against James' leadership, as Bob Simpson was removed from caucus in October for public dissent, until
Katrine Conroy
Katrine Conroy (' Thor-Larsen; born 1957) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2005 provincial election and served until 2024. She represented the electoral district of Kootenay West a ...
resigned as caucus whip. After threats of discipline and mediation efforts failed and James resigned, Trevena immediately stated she was not running for the leadership position. Instead, in mid-March 2011, she endorsed
John Horgan
John Joseph Horgan (August 7, 1959 – November 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician and diplomat who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022 and the ambassador of Canada to Germany from 2023 to 2024. He led the Briti ...
in the leadership race, though
Adrian Dix
Adrian Dix (born April 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician who is the current Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Vancouver-Kingsway in British Columbia. A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP), he was the party ...
went on to win. Dix moved Trevena from assistant deputy speaker to opposition critic of children and family development, a role similar to what she held during the 38th Parliament. In this role she responded to an editorial by
Mary McNeil
Mary McNeil is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a BC Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election, representing the riding of Vancouver-False Creek.Bill Routley,
Norm Macdonald
Norman Gene MacdonaldThe capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as ''TV Guide''. Books that discuss him, such as ''Shales'' (2003) and Crawford' (2000), as well as other sources such as ...
, and Harry Lali seeking strategies to curtail raw log exports. She subsequently presented the NDP forestry plan later that year, calling for reforestation, restriction to raw log exports, and the re-instatement of a jobs commissioner. She advocated for the ''Coastal Ferry Amendment Act'' to include a freeze in the rise of ferry fees and subsequently called fare increases "disgraceful".
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...
postgraduate student Nick Facey of the BC Liberals and retired Campbell River resident Bob Bray challenging her. However, Trevena's party lost the general election and again formed the official opposition. Party leader Adrian Dix appointed Trevena to the role of critic of transportation and
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
. Following announcements of BC Ferries route cuts and fare increases and a scandal involving executive bonus payouts, Trevena initiated in a well-received comparison review of the BC Ferries system with
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget ...
system. Also in this critic role, she criticized fellow MLA Jordan Sturdy for not delivering a petition from his constituents on
Bowen Island
Bowen Island (; ), British Columbia, is an island municipality that is part of Metro Vancouver, and within the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. Located in Howe Sound, it is approximately wide by long, and at its closest point is about w ...
to the legislature regarding ferry cuts. In May 2014 Trevena introduced a private member bill Bill M-213 titled ''Provincial Shipbuilding Act, 2014'' which would have required new public transportation vessels, like ferries, be constructed in Canada and that the procurement process give weight to bids that demonstrate direct economic benefits to B.C. and that utilize union contractors. The bill was not advanced beyond first reading and, later that year, Trevena was critical of the Premier for agreeing to build new ferries in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
despite an election promise to create a shipbuilding industry in B.C. Trevena introduced the same bill again Bill M-211 in May 2015 but again it was not advanced beyond the first reading. Trevena endorsed Horgan to be leader of the BC NDP in the 2014 leadership election, as she had done in 2011 election. After Horgan became leader he kept Trevena as the opposition critic on transportation.
41st Parliament
In the 41st BC general election, Trevena was challenged by Dallas Smith of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations for the BC Liberals, Sue Moen for the Green Party, and former BC Refederation Party party leader John Twigg for the BC First Party. Trevena was again re-elected with her party forming the Official Opposition, but this time in a BC Liberal minority government. However, in the first session of the 41st Parliament the BC Liberal government lost a confidence vote and the second session began with the BC NDP forming a minority government. In July 2017, Premier
John Horgan
John Joseph Horgan (August 7, 1959 – November 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician and diplomat who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022 and the ambassador of Canada to Germany from 2023 to 2024. He led the Briti ...
appointed Trevena Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. In her mandate letter, she was charged with eliminating tolls on the
Port Mann
Port Mann townsite was created in 1911 in the municipality of Surrey, British Columbia. The new town was to adjoin the new railway yard and roundhouse forming the terminus of the new trans-national rail-line operated by Canadian Northern Railway. ...
and
Golden Ears Bridge
The Golden Ears Bridge is a six-lane extradosed bridge in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans the Fraser River, connecting Langley on the south side with Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge on the north side. The bridge opened to traffic on J ...
s, and reviewing
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
to freeze user fees and bring ferry ship-building back to British Columbia. Among other reforms, the 2017-18 government review of coastal ferry service operated by the independently managed
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...
led to Trevena introducing the ''Coastal Ferry Amendment Act, 2019'' which addes that the BC Ferry Authority must consider the public's interest in safe, reliable and affordable service in addition to the other factors.
Also in that ministerial role, Trevena led the government's introduction of the ''Passenger Transportation Amendment Act, 2018'' to allow all types of
vehicle for hire
A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing private transport or shared transport for a fee, in which passengers are generally free to choose their points or approximate points of origin and destination, unlike public transport, and which t ...
(or ridesharing) companies to operate in British Columbia, the ''Coastal Ferry Amendment Act, 2019'' to add that the
BC Ferry Authority The B.C. Ferry Authority is established in April 2003 by the government of British Columbia. It is an independent, no-share capital corporation that holds the single issued voting share of the new BC Ferries, which is also established in April 2003 ...
must consider the public's interest in safe, reliable and affordable service in addition to the other factors, and the ''Motor Vehicle Amendment Act, 2020'' to add a vehicle driven by a sheriff into this list of emergency vehicles covered by that act. As preparations were being made for a snap election Trevena announced that she would not seek re-election. In the subsequent October 2020 election, her
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...