New Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors Margaret MacDiarmid meets with seniors at the Terraces assisted living care facility in Vancouver
When the new BC Cabinet was sworn in by BC Premier Christy Clark last month, the BC Care Providers Association and other seniors organizations welcomed the appointment of Hon. Margaret MacDiarmid as Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors to the Minister of Health. BCCPA officials had a chance to meet her this week during a visit to The Terraces assisted living facility in Vancouver. A follow-up meeting is being planned for next week to discuss a number of hot issues facing the sector. BCCPA staff also met last week with officials for new Health Minister Michael de Jong. Minister de Jong will rely very much on the advice of his new Parliamentary Secretary on seniors care issues.
A meeting with the new Minister will be organized in the coming weeks to review opportunities associated with recommendations of the BCCPA Action Plan.
Dr. MacDiarmid was elected MLA for Vancouver-Fairview in the 2009 general provincial election. In addition to being appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors to the Minister of Health on March 14, 2011, she also serves as Vice Chair on the Cabinet Committee for Families First. Margaret was appointed Minister of Tourism, Trade and Investment and Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Relations on October 25, 2010. She previously served as Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Learning and Literacy from June, 2009 to October, 2010.
Margaret has been a family physician for 23 years. She served on the board of the BC Medical Association for 12 years and was president in 2006-2007. She experienced the health care system as a patient after an early diagnosis of breast cancer in 2007. She received treatment and has fully recovered.
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