Lawrence Mok
Lawrence Mok | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Maple Ridge East | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Bob D'Eith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | BC Conservative |
| Profession | Electrical engineer[1] |
Lawrence Mok MLA is a Singaporean-born Canadian politician who has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) representing the electoral district of Maple Ridge East since 2024. He is a member of the Conservative Party.
Early life and career
In 1988, Mok emigrated to Canada from Singapore along with his wife and two children.[2][3] They have lived in Maple Ridge, British Columbia for 35 years.[2]
Mok has attended universities in Canada and the United States, earning a total of nine degrees including a Bachelor of Applied Science & Technology, Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Religious Studies, Doctor of Business Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration.[3]
Mok is a member of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, The Chartered Management Institute, and an associate member of the Evangelical Theological Society. Additionally, he is a registered Applied Science Technologist in Canada, a registered Incorporated Engineer in the UK, and a Chartered Manager in the UK.[3]
With over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing, installation, sales, and services of overhead cranes and hoists in BC, he has worked with various industries including steel production, sawmills, construction, mining, and waste treatment.[3]
Mok has also taught business management as a guest lecturer at universities in Canada, China, and North Africa. He also preaches part-time at multiple local churches and has volunteered with the Maple Ridge Salvation Army Church.[3]
Political career
In July 2024, Mok was nominated as the BC Conservative Party candidate for Maple Ridge East. In October 2024, he narrowly defeated BC NDP incumbent Bob D'Eith by 327 votes in the provincial election.[4] After his election, he was appointed to the Conservative shadow cabinet as critic for skills development and international credentials.[5]
In February 2026, Mok was among the BC Conservative caucus members who voted in favour of the first reading of independent MLA Tara Armstrong's private member's bill, the Human Rights Code Repeal Act, which sought to repeal British Columbia's Human Rights Code and abolish the province's Human Rights Tribunal. The bill was defeated 50–37 at first reading and did not proceed further.[6][7] The caucus's support at first reading drew criticism; the party said that voting in favour of first reading reflected a legislative convention of allowing bills to be introduced and read, rather than an endorsement of the bill's substance.[8]
Electoral record
| 2024 British Columbia general election: Maple Ridge East | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Lawrence Mok | 12,058 | 47.02 | – | $13,720.30 | |||
| New Democratic | Bob D'Eith | 11,961 | 46.64 | -7.9 | $46,506.63 | |||
| Green | Kylee Williams | 1,626 | 6.34 | -3.8 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 25,645 | 99.81 | – | $71,700.08 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 49 | 0.19 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 25,694 | 57.95 | – | |||||
| Registered voters | 44,335 | |||||||
| Conservative notional gain from New Democratic | Swing | +27.4 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[9][10] | ||||||||
References
- ↑ "Know the candidates: Lawrence Mok, BC Conservatives, Maple Ridge East".
- 1 2 "Know the candidates: Lawrence Mok, BC Conservatives, Maple Ridge East". Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News. 2024-10-11. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Lawrence Mok at Conservative Party of BC". Conservative Party of BC. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ↑ Corbett, Neil (19 October 2024). "Maple Ridge East has new Conservative MLA". Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ↑ Corbett, Neil (2024-11-22). "New Maple Ridge East MLA gets post in Conservative shadow cabinet". Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ↑ "Votes and Proceedings, 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session, 26 February 2026". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. 2026-02-26. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ "Kelowna MLA's bill to repeal BC Human Rights Code quickly voted down". Castanet. 2026-02-26. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ Page, Mark (2026-03-04). "Vote on MLA's bill to repeal B.C. human rights code explained". Langley Advance Times. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
- ↑ "Statement of Votes – 43rd Provincial General Election – October 19, 2024" (PDF). Elections BC. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ↑ "2024 Provincial General Election Financing Reports Available". Elections BC. Retrieved 17 July 2025.