Former MLA Jane Thornthwaite has released a memoir, Unfinished Business: Notes from the memoir of a recovering politician. It tells the story of her 15 years of political life in the BC Legislature and the North Vancouver Board of Education.
On launch day, the book was an Amazon bestseller in eight categories: Political Leadership, Politics in Government, Political Biographies, Hot New Releases, and Movers & Shakers. It quickly became one of Amazon’s top 100 books and, at one point, was selling even faster than Michelle Obama’s BECOMING audiobook, Pope Francis’s LIFE, and Prince Harry’s SPARE, according to a press release.
Film producer Gina Lazarowich says Jane’s story will be a must-read for all politicians, but especially those wanting to get into politics. “She was unfairly cancelled for the smallest joke when all she did that was (so) good for society (was) thrown out the window.”
Thornthwaite describes how she was suddenly the target of a severe hate campaign when some of her remarks at a private retirement roast were leaked on social media in the middle of a divisive election campaign. Despite her apology, her remarks and the hate continued for months afterwards, spilling over into television and radio, even after she lost her seat in the October 2020 provincial election.
“Serving as an elected official can be very rewarding,” says Thornthwaite, “but it also has a dark and cruel side that has grown exponentially darker with the advent of social media. People can now attack others anonymously with no thought to the impact of those words on the target. And it is much worse for women in politics.”
Her book is a heartfelt message to aspiring politicians on how to avoid some of the pitfalls she fell into and was eventually unable to recover from. It’s not only for those interested in running for political office but also for anyone seeking a behind-the-scenes look into how politics works, those in the media, and in particular, the general public who say they want good people to vote for. It also discusses some of the passion projects she worked on, including Mental Health and Addictions, Children, Youth, Animal Welfare, 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy, BC Film, local infrastructure projects and North Shore Rescue.
Unfinished Business: Notes from the memoir of a recovering politician is now available for purchase at Amazon.
That Ms. Thornthwaite was “unfairly cancelled for the smallest joke” is nonsense.
She was a member of a political party that had become known for ethical challenges after holding government for 16 years after 2001. In effect, the BC Liberal Party had defeated itself in 2017. Ms. Thornthwaite was successful until the 2020 election, but her percentage of votes had been declining.
In 2009, Ms. Thornthwaite’s vote share was 59%. In 2013, 51%. In 2017, 46%. In 2020, 36%.
I believe the 2020 BC Liberal result in North Vancouver-Seymour was influenced by the popularity of NDP MLA Bowinn Ma in the adjoining North Van riding. Ms. Ma increased her vote from 45% in 2017 to 60% in 2020. Her coattails helped Susie Chant gain victory.
Election defeats seldom result from a single factor and Ms. Thorthwaite’s departure from the BC Legislature involved a few different issues, some of which were not in her direct control.