Joan Phillip

Early life and activism Phillip was born Joan Carter on June 12, 1952, and raised in the city of North Vancouver, British Columbia, She was born alongside her twin sister, Joyce. Glen Coulthard described Phillip, then Carter, in the Routledge Handbook of Critical Indigenous Studies as one of the core NARP members alongside Ray Bobb, Willie Dunn, David Hanuse, and Henry Jack. As an activist, she allied herself with the Palestine Liberation Organization and Black Panthers. In 1975, Carter led a delegation of 18 Western Canadian Indigenous representatives, called the Native Peoples Friendship Delegation, to the People's Republic of China. Phillip alongside her husband were closely associated with one another in activist circles, having protested together since the 1970s.

Political career

Phillip ran twice for the federal New Democratic Party during the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections before her subsequent win during the 2023 Vancouver-Mount Pleasant provincial by-election. but moved the New Democrats into second place in the riding. Despite her connections with the Penticton Indian Band, Phillip touted her long-term, ancestral connections to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside including previous employment, experiences in the riding, and family relations.

Her victory was celebrated by the First Nations Leadership Council, a council composed of representatives from the BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit, and Union of BC Indian Chiefs. Her predecessor, Melanie Mark, stated that a "toxic culture" at the Legislative Assembly contributed to her resignation. In response, Phillip asserted that she would choose to "give any MLAs who are rude to her a good whack with her SIA stick", a stick from a Saskatoon berry tree.

Political positions Phillip was a supporter of Premier of British Columbia David Eby's proposed rental protection fund, which provided greater abilities for non-profit housing providers to purchase rental buildings slated for redevelopment.

Personal life Phillip alongside her husband, Stewart Phillip, and Premier of British Columbia David Eby.

Phillip was married to Chief Stewart Phillip, the president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), until her death. Both were previously married and had children from their previous relationships.

Phillip died on August 28, 2026, at the age of 74 from an undisclosed illness. The UBCIC asked for donations to be directed to the BC Cancer Society.

Electoral history Provincial elections

Federal elections