Newly elected MLA Jane Shin is still missing in action, leaving Liberals and members of the Korean community with many unanswered questions about her credentials.
The Burnaby NOW has tried several times to contact Shin, who ran for the NDP in Burnaby-Lougheed.
Shin was unavailable in the weeks leading up to the election.
The NOW was not able to find her on election night either. Sage Aaron, her campaign manager, said they would be at the campaign office until about 9 p.m., but when the NOW showed up around 8: 30 p.m., the office was closed, and no one was onsite.
Aaron then told the NOW there was a change of plans and they were at Raj Chouhan's office in
Burnaby-Edmonds, but when the voting results came in, and Shin won the riding, she was still unavailable to comment, and Aaron told the NOW she was with friends and family. Shin, a first-time candidate, was previously available to media until the Liberals started raising questions about her background and whether she was misrepresenting herself as a medical doctor.
The Liberals, acting on what they said was an anonymous tip, started monitoring Shin's online information and documented changes to her biography and cases where she was referred to as a doctor who apparently graduated from UBC.
Furthermore, Shin's candidate biography, sent to the NOW early in the campaigning period, states the following: "Educated in genetics and cell biology at University of British Columbia, Jane went on to receive her medical doctorate in 2007," and that "Dr. Shin has acquired a diverse set of skills and insight through her work as a physician, . "
The NOW tried to contact Shin prior to the election but received a response from NDP communications staff instead, who spoke on background only, stating that Shin received a medical degree from Spartan Health Science University in the Caribbean. Much of the confusion surrounding Shin's credentials appears to be based on the omission of the fact that she studied at Spartan Health Science University, so it would appear she went to medical school elsewhere. When asked why she omitted this information, the NDP told the NOW it was an oversight. Many of the questions about inconsistencies in her background were explained as mistakes or misunderstandings.
Shin's online information started changing once the media began asking questions, and the NDP said that was because they wanted everything consistent. The only response the NOW received from Shin was an emailed statement sent by her campaign manager.
"I try not to pay attention to these attacks, but obviously it doesn't feel good to have your background unfairly questioned," Shin stated. "I worked very hard to earn my Doctor of Medicine degree, and I'm proud of my medical education and my decision to follow my passion for teaching."
When Shin's candidacy was announced, she was touted as the first Korean-Canadian woman to run for the B.C. legislature, but members of the Korean community have also contacted the NOW and written letters, raising questions about her background.
As someone who holds a doctor of medicine, Shin can call herself a "doctor" like anyone else with a PhD. She was trained as a medical doctor but has not practised and did not complete her residency. She does not have a licence to practice medicine in B.C. She currently teaches students in the health-care sector at Vancouver Community College and has also worked at BCIT.
As of press deadline, the NOW had yet to hear from Shin, but we welcome any clarification on the matter.
To read Shin's full candidate bio, go to Jennifer Moreau's blog at www. burnabynow.com.
