Honourable Sheila Malcolmson

Sheila Malcolmson was first elected as the MLA for Nanaimo (now Nanaimo-Gabriola Island) in 2019.

Sheila was re-appointed Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in November 2024. Sheila previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Prior to her election as MLA, Sheila was elected four times to the Islands Trust Council, serving six of those years as Chair of the Islands Trust Council, where she championed fair ferry service, marine safety, and oil spill prevention. In 2015, Sheila was elected as federal MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmith. As MP, she was a leading advocate for solutions to vessel abandonment, oil spill prevention, and women’s equality.

Before entering public life, Sheila worked in ecology, tourism, and small business. She holds a B.A. in Environmental and Resource Studies from Trent University.

Sheila lives on Gabriola Island with her partner Howard, a fisheries biologist and climate change researcher.