Janet Routledge was first elected as the MLA for Burnaby North in 2017 and was re-elected in 2020.  She serves as the Parliamentary Secretary for Labour. She also chairs the Government Women’s Caucus and represents British Columbia on the Steering Committee of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Canadian Region. Janet sits on the Government Caucus Committee on the Economy.

Prior to running for public office, Janet worked in the labour movement. She started her career in the Public Service Alliance of Canada in the late ‘70’s. She organized members to solve workplace problems, win better wages and improve working conditions. More recently she served the BC Federation of Labour as their Director of Political Action. In addition, she represented workers on the federal Employment Insurance Appeals Board. She was granted commenter status in the National Energy Board hearings on the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.

Janet was a leader in the fight for women’s rights. She played a pivotal role in the campaign to win pay equity settlements from the federal government and in ensuring that the voices of women were heard in positions of authority. She was a founding member of the Everywoman’s Health Centre, and served for several years on its board of directors.

She has been involved in many non-profits, including CoDevelopment Canada, which provides financial aid to workers’ organizations in Latin America, and Toxic Free Canada, an organization instrumental in helping workers and environmentalists work together.

Janet lives in Burnaby North with her husband, Bill Brassington. Her living arrangements recently became multigenerational when her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren joined the household.