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Spencer Chandra Herbert

Spencer Chandra Herbert is a Canadian politician who serves in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Canada. Representing the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP), he won an October 2008 by-election in the electoral district of Vancouver-Burrard. He was re-elected to the Legislature, this time in the newly created riding of Vancouver-West End, in the 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2020 general elections. He has served as deputy speaker of the Legislature since December 7, 2020. He was re-elected in the 2024 British Columbia general election and was appointed Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

Chandra Herbert's BC NDP formed the Official Opposition in both the 38th and 39th and 40th British Columbia parliaments, and he was assigned to be the party's critic on tourism, arts and culture and later the critic on environment. He has introduced several private members' bills which were not adopted themselves, but some of the measures were partly or completely adopted by the government later. Examples include provisions to include gender identity or expression among the protected grounds of discrimination in the British Columbia Human Rights Code and measures to address the re-selling of tickets at prices higher than advertised. He also sponsored the ''Long Term Tenants Protection Act'', and the more comprehensive ''Residential Tenancy Amendment Act'', meant to address evictions and high rent increases that were occurring in Vancouver's West End neighbourhood.

Prior to becoming an MLA, he was elected to the Vancouver Park Board. He served as a Park Board commissioner between 2005 and 2008 as a member of the municipal Coalition of Progressive Electors party. While on the Park Board, he voted against removing the requirement for a referendum on an expansion of the Vancouver Aquarium but later voted in favour of the expansion. He advocated for bicycle valet service at large public events, investigating environmentally friendly means of disposing of animal waste, and implementing a zero-net-loss-of-greenspace policy.

Chandra Herbert is openly gay and married his partner, Romi Chandra, in March 2010. Afterwards, he legally changed his name to Spencer Chandra Herbert. Both men have been active supporting causes within the LGBT community. At the provincial level, Chandra Herbert has advocated for a community victim services worker in Davie Village, a specialized telephone line for people to call to report incidents involving gay-bashing or verbal and physical assaults, and for school boards to include LGBT issues, especially in anti-bullying lessons. Provided by Wikipedia