The Honourable Mary McNeil

1. What has been your greatest professional challenge?

That is a tough question to answer but I would say the greatest challenge for me has been a personal one that impacts my professional life.  For me it has been working to find the correct balance between ‘mother/grandma-hood’ and my professional life, especially in my current role as an MLA and Cabinet Minister.  Time is precious.  I get to attend some incredible events and meet some very interesting people, but at the same time I may miss some time with those that I love.  Your grandchildren are only young for a short time so oftentimes you ask yourself “why am I spending these crazy hours away from them?”, but the actual work is so rewarding and your potential successes could quite easily end up making a difference in their lives as well.  And that is meaningful. 

1. What is your greatest area of opportunity?

That would be the ability I have to be “at the table” discussing policy and/or making legislative changes that will directly impact people’s lives.  Every discussion is meaningful and different from the one previous, and it doesn’t get much better than that.    

1. What are you most passionate about? What gets you up in the morning and into the office?

Each day you encounter different issues. This is a fascinating role, especially as the Minister of Children and Family Development.  It is not an easy portfolio but we exist as a ministry because everyday life can be tough for families and sometimes they can’t do it without the help of government.  As a ministry we touch the lives of around 127,000 children and youth each and every year and the successes are incredible.  Ministry staff and workers on the frontline have to make very tough judgment calls that impact the lives of children and youth in this province.  By far the majority of time things work well but sometimes there are challenges and unfortunately those are the stories the public hears about.  I would like to change that.

1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I see myself retired and surrounded by family, talking to my grandchildren and helping them get through tough situations they will encounter as they grow up.  To be able to talk about what is important to them and to figure out what I can do, or say, to make their lives better. As a grandparent you have another opportunity to guide the young people you love, but with the benefit of lots of years behind you so hopefully the guidance is a little more solid.  

1. Where do you see the province in 10 years?

I sincerely hope the BC Liberals continue as government and that the province continues to thrive as it has been for the past decade. The world recently went through an economic crisis that it will never recover from, and even though as a province we are one of the strongest jurisdictions in North America, we can’t afford to risk losing what we have achieved or to change our focus, especially in these uncertain times. When the economy is strong, it enables the Ministry of Children and Family Development to deliver the services that our society needs.  Without a strong economy, it is far more challenging and certainly not sustainable. 

1. If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

That would definitely be with my Dad.  He passed away in 1998, a year before I joined the BC Cancer Foundation as their President and CEO.  I was able to work with some incredible people during my time with the organization, and to watch them achieve some incredible results in cancer research.  As a physician himself, he would have loved the fact that I had the opportunity to be involved with this worthwhile organization.  He also would have enjoyed that I went into politics after telling me for years that I should do just that.  At the time I told him that it would never happen, and now I would enjoy to have the opportunity to talk to him about it all.    

1. If you could give your younger self (say 10 years ago) one piece of advice, what would it be?

“Take the risk, whatever it is!”  Jump into an opportunity that speaks to you and make the most of it.  Change is different and can be very tough but it is what makes life interesting.  I am so glad I have had the opportunities I have had in my career and I don’t regret taking on any of it – including entering politics in my mid 50’s!

1. What do you love most about your job? What do you love least?

I enjoy the diversity of the issues I have to deal with; however, I also find the diversity of the oftentimes very intense issues to be a real challenge.  In my role, I am often not able to talk openly about an issue or a situation for privacy reasons and this makes talking to the public and/or media tough.  I can only say what is ‘appropriate’ and often I am not able to say what I actually know.  The saying ‘there are two sides to a story’ has greater meaning for me now more than ever.