Former Tory cabinet minister James Moore named chancellor at B.C. university

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Former federal Conservative party cabinet minister James Moore has been named chancellor of the University of Northern B.C.

Moore becomes the sixth chancellor at UNBC and will be sworn in during the convocation ceremony in Prince George next May.

The 39-year-old former politician who held senior positions such as industry minister did not stand for re-election in October after representing his Metro Vancouver riding for 15 years.

Moore was elected in 2000, at the age of 24, becoming the youngest MP in B.C.’s history, and his election came even before his 2001 graduation from UNBC with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Earlier this month, Dentons, a law firm with offices around the world, said Moore would join its Vancouver office as senior business adviser.

Moore did not rule out a return to politics when he announced his political retirement in June, and he has long been rumoured to have leadership aspirations.