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Carole Alison James, MLA, (born December 22, 1957, in Dukinfield, England) is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and leader of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia (NDP), a democratic socialist political party in Canada.

Contents 1 Background 2 Early career 3 Leader of the Opposition 4 Controversy 5 External links

James was raised in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and in Victoria, British Columbia. After graduating from high school, James and her first husband worked in institutions for the developmentally disabled in Alberta and British Columbia. As a mother of young children, Alison and Evan, she became involved in a parents' group in Victoria, which led to her first foray into politics. James is part Métis, and in 2004 married her long-time partner, Albert Gerow, a First Nations artist and former Burns Lake, British Columbia municipal councillor and RCMP officer.

James has been a foster parent for over twenty years.

On July 13, 2006, James announced publicly that she had been diagnosed with localized uterine endometrial cancer. She underwent surgery and radiation treatment and her prognosis is considered to be excellent.

James served on the Greater Victoria School Board from 1990 to 2001, including seven terms as Chair, and gained a province-wide profile in her unprecedented five terms as President of the BC School Trustees' Association. She also served at the national level as Vice-President of the Canadian School Boards Association. From 1999 to 2001, James held the position of Director of Child Care Policy for the British Columbia government. In addition, she served on several local and provincial panels and committees.

In 2001, James ran unsuccessfully for the NDP in the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill. She subsequently moved to Prince George, British Columbia to serve as the Director of Child and Family Services for Carrier Sekani Family Services, and later as Co-ordinator of the Northern Aboriginal Authority for Families.

James was elected leader of the provincial NDP on November 23, 2003. At the time of her election the party was suffering low morale in the wake of the 2001 provincial election, which had reduced the NDP to only two seats in the Legislative Assembly. During her campaign to win the party leadership, James pledged to modernize the NDP's ideology and internal structures and build a broader base of support for the party, a move which alienated some traditional supporters.

During the 2005 provincial election, James campaigned heavily on her name and image. On election night James and the NDP surprised many supporters and critics alike with a very strong electoral showing; the party winning 41.52% of the popular vote (a 19.96% increase from the 2001 election result) and 33 out of 79 seats in the Legislative Assembly. James also won her own seat in the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill with 57.21% of the vote, defeating the incumbent B.C. Liberal MLA Jeff Bray by an almost 2-1 margin of victory.

In its February 6, 2007, edition, the Vancouver Province reported that while James was criticizing the government's stand on climate change, she still drove a sport utility vehicle, in contrast to the hybrid vehicle driven by Premier Gordon Campbell whose own driving habits caused controversy in 2003 when he was arrested for drunk driving.

• Profile on the BC Legislative Assembly
• Official site of the B.C. New Democratic Party

Preceded by Joy MacPhail (unofficial)	Leader of the Opposition In British Columbia 2005–Present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Joy MacPhail	Leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party 2003–Present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Jeff Bray	MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill 2005–Present	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e Politics of British Columbia
Lieutenant-Governor	Iona Campagnolo • Former lieutenant-governors
Premier	Gordon Campbell • Former premiers
Opposition Leader	Carole James • Former Opposition Leaders
Speaker of the Assembly	Bill Barisoff
Legislature	Current assembly • Former legislatures • Cabinet
Political parties	Liberals • New Democrats
Elections	2005 general election • Past elections • Electoral districts
Current issues	Equalization payments • Same-sex marriage
Other Canadian politics	Federal • BC • AB • SK • MB • ON • QC • NB • NS • PEI • NL • YU • NT • NU