How VIU helped prepare him for his career as a lawyer and politician
Nanaimo-Lantzville MLA George Anderson is used to firsts. The Vancouver Island University Criminology grad remains one of the youngest people ever elected to a city council – a feat he achieved while still a student at VIU. While there, he was instrumental in passing the city’s first transportation master plan, which to this day, residents see in action through the addition of bike lanes and other alternative transportation amenities across the city. Years later, he would return to his alma mater to serve on VIU’s Board of Governors, becoming the youngest-ever chair just before running for MLA.
“When I ran for council, it was about uplifting voices that didn’t have a say in the local government process, and my hope is to lift up those voices at a provincial level,” says Anderson.
Here’s more of his story – and how his time at VIU helped shape it.
Why did you choose VIU?
I wanted to stay in my community. My parents are here, my siblings are here. Most of my friends are in the Nanaimo area, and I could achieve what I wanted to at Vancouver Island University. It was a great opportunity for me to start to develop those building blocks to be able to go off somewhere else.
You were elected to Nanaimo City Council and served a full term while you were a full-time student. How did you balance it all, and how do you think that experience has impacted you?
It wasn’t easy. It meant staying up late at night so I could do my studies. It meant waking up earlier so that I could study more. And unfortunately, every once in a while, I did miss a class or two because I had to accomplish the business of our community. That really opened my eyes to government and the fact that the structure isn’t made for everyone to be able to participate. And that was part of the reason that I ran – I wanted people who historically didn’t have their voice as part of the local government decision-making process to have their voices there.
VIU prepared me in the sense that I got to meet a lot of people. I got to know my professors and got to have those good dialogues and discussions. It prepared me for law school. I still remember Professor McLin, who was a tough marker, but that made me ready to be able to write the type of things that I needed to go to law school and then work at one of the largest law firms in the country. It does really start at a place like VIU, where professors were willing to spend that extra time with you, to say, “Hey, you might want to consider this. Or have you thought about trying to get into Osgoode Hall Law School or the University of Toronto because there might be even more opportunities for you there. And it was that type of encouragement that gave me the self-confidence to say, “Maybe I can try striving a little higher.” There was a quote that I remember from some time ago, it’s: “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footsteps on the moon.” And that’s the type of experience that I think VIU really encouraged for me.
Tell us a bit about your career trajectory after VIU.
I was valedictorian for my graduating class, which was another honour to have my fellow students feel that I could best represent them. After that, I went to Osgoode Hall Law School. I met many brilliant people living in the largest city in our country. While there, I participated in a legal clinic exchange in Switzerland, during which I met the lead negotiator for Brexit on the EU side, and the lead negotiator for the Iran-US nuclear deal.
From there, I articled and worked on Bay Street with Flaherty McCarthy, which was Jim Flaherty, our former federal finance minister’s law firm. Then I came out to Vancouver and practiced there. I became president of Literacy Central Vancouver Island, and I was also director for the Nanaimo Art Gallery. Then I was asked to sit on the Board of Governors at Vancouver Island University, became vice-chair quite soon after, and ultimately, albeit short, the chair of the board and youngest-ever chair before becoming an MLA. I’m the first MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville, it’s a brand-new riding. Currently I’m the Parliamentary Secretary for Transit and Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole.
What made you decide to get into provincial politics?
Similar to what happened when I ran for council, several people came and asked that I consider running to be our MLA. I was very happy being a commercial lawyer and being part of the various volunteer organizations. However, I recognize that we’re at a pivotal time where the world is dealing with some significant issues, and I think that we need to do things differently.
In If Science is to Save Us, Martin Rees explores whether we have a duty to be a good ancestor. I say 100% yes. And that’s what I would like to be part of, making sure that we’re creating a world that is better for people who aren’t even here yet. If that means taking some time away from my goals and aspirations as a lawyer, then it is worth it.
I didn’t come from a household of privilege, and I remember that every single day. No one gets ahead without the help of others. And that's exactly what I want – equal opportunity. It shouldn't matter whether you come from a background with socio-economic challenges, or whether you have a family that is able to afford to pay for you to go to university.
What do you find most rewarding about the MLA job so far?
The people I get to connect with. I’ll go back to that idea of people who historically haven’t had a voice in politics. I feel like I'm giving them that opportunity, and they’re also challenging me on things and that really makes me excited about what’s possible. I might not be able to get everything done. I might not be able to change some things at all, because there are different jurisdictions, different levels of government that have different authorities, but at least if I can ensure that people feel heard, regardless of their political background, then I’ve done what I’ve needed to do, which is make sure that people feel that their representatives are listening to their concerns and trying to bring those issues forward.
What advice do you have for students considering a move into politics?
Show up if you think something needs to change. You need to be part of that conversation; you can’t abdicate that responsibility to somebody else. And when people say that it’s not your time, that’s probably your time to go in and change things. If you aren’t part of that discussion, other people aren’t going to bring those perspectives to the table. When I was on Nanaimo City Council and looking at passing a 40-year transportation master plan, one of my colleagues had never been on a bus before. We went on a bus ride throughout the city, and after that experience he supported new transit hour expansions.
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