 He was named one of Canada's "Top 40 under 40" by "The Globe and Mail".He was also a Tides Canada director from 2002 until 2004, when he entered politics with the provincial New Democratic Party.He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2005 election as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party having defeated the trade union leader Judy Darcy in a high-profile battle for the party's nomination.