Linda Li (李珍) | Ep. 1: A Life That Touches Lives | 2026 BC Election Interview
https://youtu.be/7WQTkK2Mv0s
(Transcript from the episode's English subtitles; speakers not labelled. Host: Sarah Yu.)

[0:00] Highlights
But what I'm saying is, if the needle hasn't pierced your own skin, you really don't know how much it hurts. Doors slammed in my face, things thrown out at me, told to get lost. I've always held one belief: touch lives with your life. That's the meaning of being alive.

[0:17] How they met: the 2022 school board race
Linda, when we first met, you were running for school trustee four years ago, for the Richmond School Board. I remember you got over ten thousand votes. That's right. A really good result. You were only a few hundred votes short of being elected. That's right. So back then, I remember after the election we met at a dinner, and you said to me, "Sarah, I'm going back to school." To do an MBA, or further studies in management. I remember at the time I was filled with respect. I felt you were someone always striving forward. Thank you. Actually, it's a bit of a long story. Why I ran for office, or why I wanted to keep studying, I think there were certain turns of fate. I immigrated here 30 years ago, and the first 10 to 20 years, I spent a long time doing community service, raising kids and running a business. How many kids do you have? We have three sons. Yes. And one turning point was my

[1:20] After losing her husband
husband's death. He passed away in 2019. It was cancer. Very unfortunate. After he passed, I went through a period of reflection, and I felt we had to turn the page, not stay in the past. Life has to go on. From 2019 to now, it's been seven years. And in 2022 you came out to run in the municipal election, so you took three years to heal. I hear you and your husband were very close. Losing a loved one, yet you didn't stay in grief. Instead you walked out of it resolutely and gave back to society with love. What kind of strength is that? I think it was a kind of revelation. My husband wasn't very old when he passed. When you look back on it, you realize he was a wonderful man who volunteered a lot. He once said, "We're very blessed, because we're able to volunteer, able to give back. We should see it as a blessing." Yes, that was an inspiration he gave to my life: that's how we should see society. The other thing is, such a good man, when he passed, so very many of our friends were heartbroken. But when you're still, you realize that once you're gone, the longer it's been, the less your influence on others. But for yourself, in our limited lives, it's not the length that matters, it's the depth and breadth. But for a woman, you lost a partner, a partner who volunteered with you. Did you feel very lonely then? It was very... back then it felt very empty, I'd say. I think there is that. When your life partner leaves, for us, why do two people come together? To have a shared home, a shared future. When that's gone, you feel everything has collapsed. Everything I'd built over twenty-some years suddenly seemed gone, as if it had no meaning. Very often people will understand, or you'll understand, that it hurts a lot. But what I'm saying is,

[3:19] A pain only you can feel
if the needle hasn't pierced your skin, you really don't know how much it hurts. Yes. I can probably only grasp a hundredth, a thousandth of what you felt. But I can understand: a woman on her own, still raising three kids, and a husband who was so loving, who left so early like that. And yet within those three years you were able to come back to life, and put your backpack on and start again. Actually, even when my husband was alive, I was always doing community service. I've done it for twenty-some years. My

[3:54] 20+ years of community service
very first volunteering was when my kid started elementary school, in the school library. Back then we had no concept of volunteering. I just felt that having come here, we needed to learn Canadian culture. Later, after volunteering there, I joined the City of Richmond's early childhood advisory committee. After that I went on to become president of the Richmond Chinese Community Society. And of course, where I met you: the Chinese business association, the Lions Club. Later on I became a former ambassador for the Richmond Hospital Foundation, up to now. All of this has been my long-term path, building on this foundation. After my husband passed, I just felt we had to keep moving forward. Life goes on. That's why I thought I'd step out again and further my education, because it had always been my dream to do a master's. Your late husband's encouragement has always influenced you: his words, his voice and smile, all his dreams, his ideals, his constant dedication to the community kept influencing you, and you've carried on passing on his love. Actually, my impression of you was always the Hong Kong circle. Your community work, the Lions Club, all Hong Kong-based

[5:10] Learning Cantonese to fit in
groups. Yes. Are you from Hong Kong? No, my husband is from Hong Kong. I worked very hard to learn Cantonese, because when I had my kids, back then, since we came quite early, in the '90s, family doctors in our community never spoke Mandarin at all. So you had to push yourself and just start speaking. I think that was a very good thing. And with other friends, I always encourage them: it's okay, just believe in yourself. Just like us here, as first-generation immigrants, our English may not be as good as people born here, but that's okay. Language is just a tool for communication. Be brave in expressing yourself. Yes, fitting into the community is what matters most. Over these twenty-some years,

[5:55] Richmond Chinese Community Society
of course, you weren't the founding president, but I hear that before, this society was so influential that, without even being invited, all three levels of government would call you. Yes. At its busiest and most influential, over a thousand people. Once a month? We had an event every month, and all of them were large events. All of our directors, all board members, were volunteers. For example, I'm sure many people have been. Every year we'd hold events at Lansdowne: Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn, Asian Heritage Month, or a health fair. We also had a children's art contest. We'd hold them all at Lansdowne, a place with big community reach. And each event was a full day. On top of that, every year we'd join the Salmon Festival parade, and other events. Basically, we had an event every month. So we were very busy, and at the same time we had a great deal of contact with the community. Actually, in terms of entering politics, I've learned a lot from it. These past years, across Richmond, without exaggeration,

[7:09] Knocking on doors across Richmond
I've knocked on doors in 70 to 80% of it. All of Richmond, as big as it is, because school trustee covers the whole city. Do you knock on doors by yourself? I have a team, but I'm always there. My friends say I stay in shape because I knock on doors. Another thing is, when we run provincially, you cover one riding, about a quarter of the city. Last time I knocked on every single door. I knocked on every door. Of course there are supporters, and there are always opponents, because in a democracy there are different voices. I think you just accept that calmly, and hope more and more people understand my only aim is to serve the community. That takes perseverance. So when you're knocking on doors, has anyone been rude to you, or refused to talk to you? Definitely. Or doors slammed in my face, things thrown out at me, told to get lost. Yes. I think whatever we do, we'll always run into setbacks. Don't take it to heart and let it become a setback, a resistance. So how do you handle it yourself, not get emotional, and in the moment turn it around quickly? Yes, because often when people are emotional with you, it's not really about you. It's really their feelings about the status quo. Right, it's not about you. And I feel even if they don't like me, no one is liked 100%. Not everyone has to like you, and that's fine. We just let everything happen and do our best. We show our best, and hope to win more people's hearts. Because you shouldn't dwell or wear yourself out. That's how we keep living. In life or in politics, don't wear yourself out, just keep charging ahead. Yes, because I meet a lot of young mothers too. Many of them see so many Chinese women entering politics, and they also have this idea. What advice would you give them? I warmly welcome everyone to join us. Having immigrated here, what matters most? This is our home. We have to treat it as our home. In this home, you have to be

[9:12] Advice for women entering politics
the master of the house. To have a say, you have to speak up, step up and raise issues. Right. What gives you standing to speak? Your participation in society. Besides volunteering, you can enter politics. Besides doing business to contribute, you can also go into politics. Because it's easy for us to say this policy is bad, that policy is bad. Only when you have a voice, when you're in politics, when you become someone who makes the rules, part of the process, can you better change society and make our society even better. So I encourage all my friends, if you're willing, and it's what we encourage now, we hope more Chinese Canadians get into politics. Actually, the party doesn't matter. Every party surely has a good side that helps our society. Each time, when voters choose a different party, it's just from their point of view. They feel at this time, this party's platform suits me better. But in the end, it comes down to the individual. Right? Each individual person. Yes. I just hope voters will think carefully and choose well. Choose someone willing to listen to your voice, willing to speak up for you. So each of you voters is our focus. Every one of us is a living, breathing person. We're not data. We change the community through every person's voice. A representative of the people brings your voices forward. So over these past 20 years, you must have gathered many residents' voices. Can you give a few examples? Actually, there are all kinds, because I'm very involved in the community. Ever since my kids were young, I've been closely connected with education: volunteering at schools, then the City's advisory committee, all the way to now, on the SFU Board of Governors. I've always been closely tied to education. So I also joined parent advisory councils, and so I have many such friends. For example, from daily school drop-offs, traffic, to the school's curriculum, what's good and what's not, we have lots and lots of conversations. So hearing so many different opinions, I hope that with this foundation I can truly bring everyone's voices to our policymakers and implementers. That's really why you need to step up and run: to listen to people and represent them. Great answer, thank you. So today, in our conversation, we'd really like to talk from a woman's perspective about women in politics. For you, from 2022, 2020, 2022 onward, you've been on the path of politics.

[11:51] Women in politics
Have you had really down moments, really sad moments, or felt that you'd taken the wrong path, or people around you really discouraged you? Has that happened to you? I'd say I haven't really had a particularly down moment. Because of course when you run, you want to win. You want to get across what you stand for. How should I put it... when my husband, my late husband, passed away seven years ago, when he left, that was the first blow in my life. Right? Then later you realize there are still many people around you to care for, and you become strong. I mean, I don't want others to see me disappointed. When I step out, I'm still an upbeat leader. I've always been this upbeat. So when you're in politics, you have many... when you go into politics, often some people won't understand you, and some will disagree with you. I think, first, be tolerant. Second, don't hit back at others. Look at it from a higher vantage point: what can I do that can have an impact on society? Because if I just volunteer on my own, it may be on a small scale. If I go into politics, I hope I can do more. Actually, I've always held one belief:

[13:10] Touching lives with your life
touch lives with your life. That is the meaning of being alive. That's also why I've been involved in community work all these years, including politics now. I believe that's the original purpose behind it. And because of that purpose, this year you're able to step up once again. Win or not, you'll be the best version of yourself. Yes. I won't make any predictions, but I'll be the best version of myself. I'll give it my very hardest. I hope that... each of us carries the hopes of many people. I won't let down those who believe in me. So your story is really a role model for many of us women. Thank you. I'd really encourage everyone:

[13:53] Learning to turn the page
be strong. In life, learn to turn the page. Don't let yourself sink into it and not get out. There's really no need. Life is very short. Let's live it deeper and wider, make it more meaningful. I remember Nietzsche said, "Every day we have not danced is a day wasted." So I hope to live every day well. We grow as we chase our dreams, right? Yes. Let's grow together. Yes, so glad. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing with us today.