Kiel Giddens MLA | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Prince George-Mackenzie | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Morris |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1984or1985(age 40–41) |
| Political party | BC Conservatives |
Kiel Giddens (born 1984 or 1985 [1] ) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2024 British Columbia general election. He represents the electoral district of Prince George-Mackenzie as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. [2] [3]
Giddens lives in Prince George with his wife,Elyse,and his two sons,Thomas and Charlie. [4] He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
Prior to being elected as an MLA,Giddens served on the Board of Directors for Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation. He has also served as the Land,Community &Aboriginal Relations Liaison and later Public Affairs Manager for TC Energy's Coastal GasLink pipeline project from 2013 to 2022, [5] on behalf of which he met with the Government of British Columbia as a registered lobbyist 29 times. [6] He also served on the Premier's LNG Labour Working Group,the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Strategic Workforce Opportunities Team,and the College of New Caledonia President's Industry Council. [4] He also advocated for small businesses and jobs in Prince George and the region through his past role as President of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. [4]
Giddens has also held senior roles in previous governments of BC. These include Chief of Staff to the Minister of Environment and Chief of Staff to the Minister of Transportation &Infrastructure,as well as roles in the Ministry of Forests,Lands,and Natural Resource Operations,and the Ministry of Labour. This political career history has supported the reduction of red tape in environmental assessments;enhanced environmental stewardship;fast-tracked spending on projects like the Cariboo Connector and South Taylor Hill in the Peace;and supported policy making and implementation in wildlife management,forestry,climate,WorkSafeBC,and construction labour relations. [4]
Giddens was previously the BC United candidate for the same riding,entering the race in September in 2023 to fill MLA Mike Morris' spot in the legislature after his retirement announcement. [7] However he switched to the BC Conservative Party after BC United suspended its campaign. [3] [8] On September 4th 2024,Giddens was nominated as the Conservative Party of BC's candidate for Prince George-Mackenzie. [9]
In the 2024 provincial election,Giddens was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Prince George-Mackenzie,winning with 61% of the vote. After his election,Giddens was named to the Conservative shadow cabinet as critic for Labour. [10] In his role as critic for Labour,Giddens has stated a focus on the small business and forestry sectors. [11]
| 2024 British Columbia general election : Prince George-Mackenzie | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Kiel Giddens | 11,307 | 60.92 | – | $23,119.75 | |||
| New Democratic | Shar McCrory | 5,242 | 28.24 | -5.4 | $10,003.63 | |||
| Green | James Steidle | 1,576 | 8.49 | -2.6 | $2,382.05 | |||
| Unaffiliated | Rachael Weber | 435 | 2.34 | – | $6,347.43 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 18,560 | 99.85 | – | $71,700.08 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 28 | 0.15 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 18,588 | 59.50 | – | |||||
| Registered voters | 31,239 | |||||||
| Conservative notional gain from BC United | Swing | N/A [n 1] | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC [12] [13] | ||||||||
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