Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid - In Focus

Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid was elected MLA for Vancouver-Fairview in the 2009 general provincial election and was appointed as Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Learning and Literacy on June 10, 2009.

Margaret has dedicated her life to caring for others as a family physician in the BC Interior and in Vancouver. Her challenging and rewarding family practice has allowed her to make a difference in the lives of patients. For Margaret, being a doctor is more than dispensing health care—it is relating to people, listening to their problems and concerns, and finding ways to help.

Margaret served on the board of the BC Medical Association for 12 years, and was BCMA President in 2006-2007. In this work she proved herself to be a strong leader and advocate for patients and the health care system.

Margaret experienced the health care system as a patient after an early diagnosis of breast cancer in 2007. She received prompt and excellent treatment and has fully recovered. Her treatment gave her time to reflect on what matters most. She is grateful for the compassionate care she received and wants to give back by working to build the system as the MLA for Vancouver-Fairview.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Margaret and her husband Robert moved to Rossland, BC in 1989. Since the mid-1990s, both Robert’s and Margaret’s work brought them increasingly to Vancouver, where they have decided to settle permanently. Margaret enjoys golf, bridge, playing the piano, kayaking and treasures her time with family and friends.

Margaret chose the BC Liberal Party because of their strong leadership, their commitment to values, their stewardship of the provincial economy and their vision for a better future for everyone in British Columbia—aspirations she worked tirelessly to achieve for her patients during her time in the medical system.