Image: B.C. Conservatives / Former NDP MLA Gwen O'Mahony, who served Chilliwack as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 2012-2013, will run for MLA with the B.C. Conservative Party in this year's provincial election.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Former Chilliwack NDP MLA

Former Chilliwack NDP MLA to switch parties and run for B.C. Conservatives this year

Apr 3, 2024 | 12:37 PM

CHILLIWACK — A familiar name within the Chilliwack political landscape will be crossing the political aisle to run for provincial office.

Former NDP MLA Gwen O’Mahony, who served Chilliwack as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 2012-2013, will run for MLA with the B.C. Conservative Party in the Nanaimo-Lantzville riding in this year’s provincial election

According to an online biography about her, O’Mahony became the first NDP candidate and female to win the Chilliwack-Hope riding when she was the top vote getter in an April 2012 by-election, winning 41 per cent of the vote. In that by-election, Laurie Throness captured 31 per cent to take second place while John Martin earned just over 25 per cent as a B.C. Conservative candidate.

The by-election was triggered when former Chilliwack MLA Barry Penner tendered his resignation in November 2011 to work at a Vancouver law firm.

O’Mahony ran unsuccessfully for the NDP in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding in the 2011 federal election, losing to victor Mark Strahl, who won with nearly 57 per cent of the vote to O’Mahony’s 26 per cent.

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Prior to the 2011 election, O’Mahony ran as an MLA candidate in the Chilliwack-Hope riding in 2009 but lost to Penner, who captured 53 per cent of the vote. O’Mahony earned 33 per cent of the vote as the NDP candidate.

According to her LinkedIn profile, O’Mahony holds a bachelor’s degree from University of the Fraser Valley, a master’s degree in business administration from Vancouver Island University, and a master’s degree in international business management from the University of Hertfordshire.

According to a biography on the B.C. Conservative Party website, O’Mahony served as Deputy Critic for Advanced Education and Critic of Skills training. The party says she brings over 20 years of combined leadership experience in the non-profit, government and private sectors, and has a unique perspective on the addition crisis in British Columbia.

“Gwen is no stranger to the devastating impacts of addiction on families. In 2004, she gained custody of her two nieces, placing her in the epicentre of BC Liberal mismanagement of the Ministry of Children and Family Development–an experience that motivated her to successfully run for public office,” the online bio stated. After knocking on thousands of doors, she upset a strong BC Liberal candidate to become the first New Democrat and first woman MLA elected to the upper Fraser Valley.”

Amidst the global pandemic, O’Mahony started a business consulting firm that helped countless small to medium-sized Vancouver Island businesses pivot to meet the changing marketplace. As the owner and principal consultant of O’Mahony Consulting, Gwen successfully advised and assisted clients with post pandemic relief grants, business plans and navigating government red tape, the party said.

The B.C. Conservatives say two significant events and the NDP’s harm reduction policy change had a profound impact on Gwen’s decision to join the Conservative Party of BC. In the summer of 2023, she met with members of CAWsBar in Toronto at the “Keep Prisons Single Sex” protest. She was shocked to learn that biological males could be transferred to women’s prisons by simply self identifying as women.

In the fall of 2023, O’Mahony agreed to moderate a panel discussion on Women’s Spaces, SOGI, Women’ Sports and Gender Ideology. The panelists’ testimonies pertaining to their experience with “cancel culture” were extremely concerning to Gwen and she lobbied her party to look into these issues, the B.C. Conservatives said. Her concerns were met with indifference. After the NDP announced the decriminalization of possession of hard drugs and began prescribing narcotic pills to addicts, Gwen withdrew her NDP membership and joined the Conservative Party of BC.

“Gwen believes that John Rustad is the only leader brave enough to tackle these issues. She admires his common-sense approach and his dedication to a fair, transparent, democratic process. She’s excited to be part of the Conservative team and represent Nanaimo-Lantzville,” the party stated in a candidate profile.