Only months after being elected for the first time into the B.C. legislature, the new MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head has a monumental challenge ahead. The new Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Diana Gibson is embroiled in a tariff war with the U.S.

But Gibson is taking it all in stride, feeling confident in the people around her and focusing on one word: consistency.

"Our government has been very consistent with a really clear strategy," she said. "For me, I can rise to this moment as a minister because our premier and our government have been super clear that we will respond strong, we're Team Canada."

Overseeing international trade, environmental sustainability, and fostering innovation, among other duties, "opportunity" is another word on her mind.

"The opportunity is that we really are coming together as a country, as a province, and working to do what's best for our businesses, for our communities ... strengthening our economy and diversifying our trading relationships so we can ensure we're better protected in the future."

One area where she sees an opportunity to grow the economy is the tech sector, particularly in research, science, and engineering. According to many B.C. job reports, this is the fastest-growing job sector, followed by life sciences and biotech.

According to multiple sources, B.C. is considered to have the fastest-growing bio sector in Canada.

An example she gave is the first approved COVID-19 vaccine and treatments have UBC origins.

The B.C. government has also invested in Providence Health Care's Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, which will soon become the only non-cancer Phase 1 Clinical Trials Unit in Western Canada. It's also creating the Clinical Support and Research Centre on the new St. Paul's Hospital campus in Vancouver. Previously, clinical trials for biomedical technologies developed in B.C. had to be done outside of the province due to a lack of facilities.

"We've been at the forefront of the research and development side in life sciences. And my goal is to move that into manufacturing and clinical trials," Gibson said. "We're hiring Canadians that were trained here and left  ... who are coming back now because those opportunities exist."

Tackling broader, global-reaching issues coincides with representing her constituents in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, where she's lived for over a decade with her spouse and three children.

As an award-winning community social planner, policy advisor and entrepreneur, she engages with her community B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ who gave her a decisive victory in the election B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ while aiming to improve their lives.

"I think a lot of people brush Oak Bay with one brush, but Oak Bay is very diverse," she said. Door knocking informed her that they care about community, green space, affordable housing, health care, and seniors programs and services. 

"We've got a strong seniors demographic and ensuring that seniors have the support and services they need in our community is a big priority for me," she said.

Another is building a future for the former Oak Bay Lodge property on Cadboro Bay Road.

Her past role as the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria's executive director guides her approach. Through that work, she launched an award-winning regional climate action program, helped get e-bikes and heat pumps into low-income households and launched the region's Rent Bank that helped more than 2,000 households avoid eviction during the pandemic.

Throughout her journey, Gibson said her biggest inspiration has been her mother B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ a single mom of five. Her mother initially became a nurse after her father told her she could choose between that and teaching. However, her true aspirations eventually led her to break free from what once seemed like a preordained path.

"She went back to school and at 50, she got a PhD and became a chair of a department at the university. So to say that the door's never closed, you can always do something new in your life, was inspiring," she said, adding that her mother was a "strong, community-minded individual" who among other things, worked internationally distributing food aid.

"Probably what led me to run and pivot in my career, is that [understanding that] there's never the wrong moment for you to look around and say, what can I do? So she inspired me to do that."