Lisa Beare ties NDP record for women in cabinet ahead of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows vote
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA Lisa Beare tied the record for the longest-serving NDP woman in cabinet in July 2026, as she campaigns for a third term on October 24.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on mapleridgenews.com.
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA Lisa Beare tied the NDP record for the longest time spent by a woman in an NDP cabinet in July 2026, Maple Ridge News reported on October 12. Beare is now seeking a third term as MLA on October 24.
Maple Ridge News reported that Beare tied with NDP colleague Lana Popham in July, after both served longer in NDP cabinets than any other woman had before them. Popham is not running for re-election.
Four cabinet roles since 2017
Beare was first elected MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows in 2017. Premier John Horgan appointed her Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture that year. She was re-elected in 2020 and then appointed Minister of Citizens Services. She also held the post-secondary education and future skills portfolio. After the 2024 election, she was appointed Minister of Education and Child Care.
"It's been an honour," Beare told Maple Ridge News. "This job is a privilege."
She also held her first public office earlier: Beare was elected to the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board as a trustee in 2014, three years before her first MLA win.
What she says she did in the riding
Beare told Maple Ridge News that her riding has received $240 million in capital investment for schools, including a new Pitt Meadows secondary school and a new Eric Langton Elementary school. These are her campaign figures.
On health care, she said 17 physicians in Maple Ridge are now accepting patients. She attributed this to what she called the NDP government's success in recruiting health care professionals from the United States.
Beare said the Education and Child Care portfolio has the second-largest budget of any provincial ministry, with operating expenses of more than $10 billion, by her account.
Campaign messages
Beare said on the doorstep, residents are asking about the economy, jobs and protection from US tariffs.
"People are appreciating the strong stance we're taking, the Team BC approach," she told Maple Ridge News.
She said voters also raise education and health care. "People want us to focus on the services that matter to them," she said.
Voters in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows can review Beare's record and her competitors' profiles at voche.me's Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows candidate pages. Advance voting is open October 16 to 21. Voting day is October 24, 2026.
Questions this story answers
What record did Lisa Beare tie in 2026?
Maple Ridge News reported that in July 2026, Lisa Beare tied with NDP colleague Lana Popham for the longest time spent in an NDP cabinet by a woman. The longest-serving woman in B.C. cabinet overall was Social Credit MLA Grace McCarthy, who served more than 22 years in total. Beare has held four different cabinet portfolios since first being elected MLA in 2017.
What cabinet portfolios has Lisa Beare held?
According to Maple Ridge News, Beare was first appointed Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture by Premier John Horgan in 2017. She was then appointed Minister of Citizens Services after the 2020 election, and also held the post-secondary education and future skills portfolio. After the 2024 election, she received the Education and Child Care portfolio, which she held when the October 2026 election was called.
What is the Education and Child Care budget in BC?
Lisa Beare said, as reported by Maple Ridge News, that the Education and Child Care portfolio has the second-largest budget of any provincial ministry, with operating expenses of more than $10 billion. This figure is what she stated during the campaign and has not been independently verified in this article. The BC government publishes its estimates documents where the official figure can be found.
What school investments is Beare pointing to in her riding?
Beare told Maple Ridge News that her riding has seen $240 million in capital investment for schools. She said this includes building a new Pitt Meadows secondary school and a new Eric Langton Elementary school, as well as additions and renovations at other schools in the district. These are figures she cited during her campaign.
How many family doctors are accepting patients in Maple Ridge?
Beare told Maple Ridge News that 17 physicians in Maple Ridge are currently accepting patients. She cited this as evidence that the NDP government has improved access to family doctors. This is her campaign claim and has not been independently verified in this article.
Is Lana Popham running in the 2026 election?
Maple Ridge News reported that Lana Popham, the NDP MLA who tied with Beare for the longest time in NDP cabinet, is not running for re-election in the 2026 provincial election. Popham had served alongside Beare in the NDP cabinet.
When was Lisa Beare first elected to public office?
According to Maple Ridge News, Beare was first elected to public office as a school board trustee for the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board in 2014. She was then first elected as MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows in 2017. She has been re-elected twice since then, in 2020 and 2024.
When and where do voters in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows vote?
Voting day for the BC provincial election is Saturday, October 24, 2026. Advance voting runs from October 16 to October 21. Voters in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows can visit the Elections BC website at elections.bc.ca to find their assigned voting place and check advance voting locations in their area.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Maple Ridge News: Lisa Beare sets new mark for NDPmapleridgenews.com
- Elections BC: advance voting placeselections.bc.ca
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