# Raymond Chan (politician)

Raymond Chan PC (Chinese: 陳卓愉; pinyin: Chén Zhuōyú; Jyutping: Can4 Ceok3 Jyu4; born October 25, 1951) is a Canadian engineer and politician. He is among the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed to the Cabinet of Canada. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Chan was elected to Parliament in the 1993 federal election, defeating then Defence Minister Tom Siddon in the riding of Richmond, British Columbia. Elected in 1993, Chan is the third Chinese Canadian represented in Parliament, after Douglas Jung, who secured a seat in 1957, Art Lee in 1974. In 2008, Chan lost his riding of Richmond to Conservative candidate Alice Wong.

## Early life

Raymond Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1951. He emigrated to Canada in 1969, two years after Canada liberalized its immigration policy. He received a B.A.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1977. From 1977 to 1993, he worked as an engineer for TRIUMF, a particle accelerator laboratory at UBC.

## Political career

Chan joined the Liberal Party of Canada in 1991 after he was elected as the inaugural president of the Vancouver Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movement in China. Then he was elected to Parliament in the 1993 election, defeating Defence Minister Tom Siddon in the riding of Richmond, British Columbia. Chan secured the nomination win over future cabinet colleague Herb Dhaliwal, who subsequently chose to run in the adjacent Vancouver South riding. He was then appointed by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as the Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific Region for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He served in this position from 1993 to 2000.
He was defeated in the 2000 election by Joe Peschisolido of the Canadian Alliance. After Peschisolido crossed the floor to the Liberal Party, Chan battled Peschisolido for the Liberal Party's nomination, and won it after a fiercely contested race.
Chan returned to Parliament in the 2004 election. He was subsequently appointed to the cabinet by Prime Minister Paul Martin as the Minister of State (Multiculturalism) for the Department of Heritage.
Chan was re-elected in 2006, and served as Opposition Critic for the Asia Pacific, Seniors, the Social Economy, and Canada Border Security throughout the 39th session of Parliament.
He was defeated by Conservative Alice Wong in the election of 2008 by more than 8,000 votes. He sought nomination as a Richmond Liberal again in 2009 and was defeated by Peschisolido. He has been a major fundraiser for political candidates since leaving office.

## Electoral history

vte2008 Canadian federal election: Richmond Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Alice Wong | 21,329 | 49.77 | +11.08 | $79,037 |
| | Liberal | Raymond Chan | 13,221 | 30.85 | -11.98 | $78,275 |
| | New Democratic | Dale Jackaman | 5,059 | 11.81 | -2.17 | $14,221 |
| | Green | Michael Wolfe | 2,754 | 6.43 | +1.93 | $1,900 |
| | Independent | Wei Ping Chen | 397 | 0.93 | – | $6,851 |
| | Independent | Dobie Yiu-Chung To | 93 | 0.22 | – | $1,813 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,878 | 100.0 | | $86,879 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 192 | 0.45 | 0.01 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,070 | 52 | -4 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +11.53 |
vte2006 Canadian federal election: Richmond Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Raymond Chan | 18,712 | 42.83 | -1.65 | $68,055 |
| | Conservative | Darrel Reid | 16,904 | 38.69 | +3.37 | $73,990 |
| | New Democratic | Neil Smith | 6,106 | 13.98 | -1.02 | $12,724 |
| | Green | Richard Gordon Mathias | 1,967 | 4.50 | +0.25 | $2,850 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,689 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 194 | 0.44 | -0.11 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,883 | 56 | -6 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -2.51 |
vte2004 Canadian federal election: Richmond Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Raymond Chan | 18,204 | 44.48 | +2.44 | $64,433 |
| | Conservative | Alice Wong | 14,457 | 35.32 | -14.51 | $71,614 |
| | New Democratic | Dale Jackaman | 6,142 | 15.00 | +9.32 | $11,072 |
| | Green | Stephen H.F. Kronstein | 1,743 | 4.25 | +2.36 | $160 |
| | Canadian Action | Allan Warnke | 376 | 0.91 | – | $625 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 40,922 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 226 | 0.55 | +0.08 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,148 | 62.29 | +0.59 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +8.48 |
vte2000 Canadian federal election: Richmond Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Alliance | Joe Peschisolido | 21,064 | 44.40 | +8.44 | $58,128 |
| | Liberal | Raymond Chan | 19,940 | 42.04 | -1.77 | $63,896 |
| | New Democratic | Gail Paquette | 2,695 | 5.68 | -3.88 | $10,941 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frank Peter Tofin | 2,578 | 5.43 | -2.85 | $4,329 |
| | Green | Kevan Hudson | 897 | 1.89 | +0.53 | $61 |
| | Natural Law | Kathy McClement | 164 | 0.34 | -0.05 | |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Edith Petersen | 93 | 0.19 | -0.02 | $10 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 47,431 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 218 | 0.47 | -0.03 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,649 | 61.70 | -3.19 |
| | Alliance gain from Liberal | Alliance gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +5.10 |
vte1997 Canadian federal election: Richmond Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Raymond Chan | 18,165 | 43.81 | +6.81 | $53,959 |
| | Reform | Adrian Wade | 14,912 | 35.96 | +5.07 | $36,549 |
| | New Democratic | Sylvia Surette | 3,964 | 9.56 | +3.31 | $13,680 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Larry Blaschuk | 3,435 | 8.28 | -10.72 | $21,581 |
| | Green | Kevan Hudson | 565 | 1.36 | +0.78 | $19 |
| | Christian Heritage | Randy Cliff | 167 | 0.40 | -0.09 | |
| | Natural Law | Mark McCooey | 164 | 0.39 | – | |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Dorothy-Jean O'Donnell | 90 | 0.21 | – | $225 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 41,462 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 210 | 0.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,672 | 64.89 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +0.87 |
vte1993 Canadian federal election: Richmond Centre :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Raymond Chan | 21,442 | 37.00 | +14.20 |
| | Reform | Nick Loenen | 17,791 | 30.89 | +27.56 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Tom Siddon | 11,013 | 19.00 | -25.04 |
| | New Democratic | Sylvia Surette | 3,623 | 6.25 | -20.96 |
| | National | Fred Pawluk | 2,263 | 3.91 | – |
| | Green | Kevan Hudson | 337 | 0.58 | +0.15 |
| | Natural Law | Kathy McClement | 333 | 0.57 | – |
| | Independent | Judith Campbell | 315 | 0.54 | – |
| | Christian Heritage | Clyde E. Vint | 282 | 0.49 | -0.74 |
| | Independent | Jerry Haldeman | 254 | 0.44 | – |
| | Libertarian | Kerry Daniel Pearson | 159 | 0.27 | -0.49 |
| | Independent | John Edgar Square-Briggs | 29 | 0.05 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 57,950 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | -6.68 |