Father, once more we pray for MLA: Honorable Michael de Jong the Minister of Finance in our province. We pray that You will continue to give him clear wisdom, vision and direction in the oversight of our monetary resources. We are thankful for the 20 years of service he has in many different positions, many of which were cabinet positions. May that experience and the insight gained in those roles be valuable resources to him and his team in the allocation of funding. Give him times of rest and refreshing with those closest to him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Michael de Jong was re-elected in 2013 as the MLA for Abbotsford West, an area he has represented since first being elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in a 1994 by-election. Michael was reappointed as Minister of Finance on June 10, 2013.
He currently chairs the Treasury Board and the Legislative Review Committee, and is a member of the Cabinet Working Group on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the Priorities and Planning Committee, and the Cabinet Working Group on Core Review.
The six-term MLA previously served as Minister of Health, Attorney General, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services, and Minister of Forests. In addition, he also served as Government House Leader.
Before his election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1994, de Jong served two terms as an elected school trustee for Abbotsford School District 34, and was a practising lawyer with his own Abbotsford firm. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University in Ottawa and a law degree from the University of Alberta.
Michael has also been involved with the Abbotsford-Matsqui Arts Council, the Matsqui Youth Commission and holds the rank of Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces Air Force Reserve.
Still an avid hockey player, in his teen years Michael was a member of the Abbotsford Pilots Junior B hockey team. He attended Mouat Secondary School and still lives on the Matsqui Prairie farm where he grew up.