# Sharon Hartwell

Sharon L. Hartwell MLA is a Canadian politician who has been serving as member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she represents the riding of Bulkley Valley-Stikine. She previously served as the mayor of Telkwa, British Columbia from 1995 to 2009.

## Political career
### Municipal politics

Hartwell served a term and a half as a village councillor for Telkwa, British Columbia, after which she served as mayor from 1995 through 2009. During her tenure she served as the Small Community Representative for the Union of BC Municipalities and as vice-chair of Transportation and Infrastructure for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. She was also the chair of the North West Regional Hospital District.

### Provincial politics

She ran in the 1996 British Columbia general election as a member of the Progresssive Democratic Alliance for the riding of Bulkley Valley-Stikine.
Hartwell ran once again in the 2013 British Columbia general election as the BC Liberal candidate for the Bulkley Valley-Stikine riding. She lost to NDP incumbent Doug Donaldson.
In November 2023, Hartwell announced her intention to run as the BC Conservative candidate for Bulkley Valley-Stikine in the 2024 British Columbia general election. On election day, Hartwell received over fifty per cent of the vote, upsetting NDP incumbent and cabinet minister Nathan Cullen.

## Political views
### Health

Hartwell called for Bonnie Henry's firing as BC's provincial health officer for her actions during the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia such as supporting the COVID-19 vaccine. She also described organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy as "an inspiration".

### Foreign policy

In February 2024, Hartwell replied "Yes" to a Twitter post asking if "Democrats cheated and that President Donald Trump won the last election?" Furthermore, she has endorsed Canada's withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the United Nations.

## Personal life

Between the 2009 British Columbia general election and her 2023 nomination for the 2024 British Columbia general election, she lived in Alberta for eight years.

## Electoral record

vte2024 British Columbia general election: Bulkley Valley-Stikine :
| ** Preliminary results — Not yet official ** |||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Sharon Hartwell | 4,875 | 52.41 | |
| | New Democratic | Nathan Cullen | 3,602 | 38.73 | -13.0 |
| | Green | Gamlakyeltxw Wilhelm Marsden | 588 | 6.32 | |
| | Christian Heritage | Rod Taylor | 236 | 2.54 | -9.0 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
| | Conservative gain from New Democratic | Conservative gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +32.7 |
vte2013 British Columbia general election: Stikine :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Doug Donaldson | 4074 | 47.10 | -3.3 | $49,856 |
| | Liberal | Sharon Hartwell | 3167 | 36.61 | -8.49 | $45,162 |
| | Conservative | Jonathan Dieleman | 533 | 6.16 | – | $6,706 |
| | Christian Heritage | Rod Taylor | 514 | 5.94 | – | $14,482 |
| | Green | Roger Benham | 303 | 3.50 | -0.9 | $480 |
| | Independent | Jesse OLeary | 59 | 0.68 | – | $380 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8662 | 100.00 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 35 | 0.40 | -0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8697 | 62.82 | -2.48 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 13,845 |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
vte1996 British Columbia general election: Bulkley Valley-Stikine :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Bill Goodacre | 4,779 | 37.02 | +3.05 | $19,497 |
| | Liberal | Pat Beach | 3,726 | 28.87 | −2.69 | $28,587 |
| | Reform | Bill Zemenchik | 3,473 | 26.91 | – | $26,855 |
| | Progressive Democrat | Sharon L. Hartwell | 624 | 4.83 | – | $2,926 |
| | Social Credit | Peter Barendregt | 155 | 1.20 | – | $2,481 |
| | Green | Stuart Hertzog | 151 | 1.17 | – | $997 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 12,908 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 52 | 0.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,960 | 71.05 |