Manly was born in Port Alice on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. His grandfather had a farm just outside of Nanaimo and Manly spent his formative years growing up in Ladysmith. He has been living in Nanaimo since 2002. His father, James Manly was a United Church minister and a New Democratic Party member of the House of Commons for the 32nd and 33rd Canadian Parliaments. His mother Eva Manly, a graduate of the University of Ottawa is a multi-disciplinary artist who has collaborated with him on several video and documentary projects. Manly has a diploma in broadcasting from Algonquin College in Ottawa and a degree in media studies and global studies from Vancouver Island University. Manly is married to Samantha Letourneau, and has two daughters and one granddaughter.
Career
Manly started making documentary and educational films after graduating from broadcasting in 1991. His work focuses on environmental and social justice issues and has broadcast nationally and internationally. His first major film was a collaboration with his parents on a historic documentary about residential schools, entitled the Awakening of Elizabeth Shaw. He collaborated with his parents again on a film about human rights workers in Guatemala entitled ‘Bringing Truth to Light’. His film Sombrio documents the end of a community of surfers and squatters on the south west coast of Vancouver Island. In 2007, Manly videotaped three police provocateurs inciting violence at the Security and Prosperity Partnership leaders event and the footage went viral, making international news. He included that footage in his film ‘You, Me and the SPP’, which he released in 2009. Manly has made two films about water issues on Vancouver Island, ‘Voices of the River’ about the Nanaimo River, and ‘Troubled Water’ about the community drinking-water watershed on the east coast of the island. Manly has worked on a number of educational projects related to aboriginal culture, mental health, health care, environmental stewardship and economic alternatives. He has collaborated on educational projects with organizations such as the Council of Canadians, Columbia Centre Society, Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre, Hul’qumi’num Health Hub, the B.C. Health Coalition, The Land Conservancy of B.C., the Georgia Straight Alliance, and Tanker Free B.C. among others. In 2010, Manly produced the first video exposing the export of raw bitumen out of the Port of Vancouver and the plans for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He then produced a PSA with Pamela Anderson which attracted international attention to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and received media coverage across Canada and around the world. He was a department manager at the Satellite Video Exchange Society for six years. He also worked in artist management, negotiating international recording, licensing and distribution deals and managing international tours. He was a director on the board of the development company for Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community, a multi-million dollar housing project. He is currently a director of the Mid Island Consumer Services Cooperative. Previously, Manly was a director on the national board of the Council of Canadians representing the B.C. Yukon region. Recently he has also been working in the non-profit sector coordinating Nanaimo Foodshare’s Cultivating Abilities skills training program for people with barriers to employment.
Politics
Manly initially sought the NDP nomination for Nanaimo—Ladysmith in the 2015 election. He was denied by the party's federal executive for publicly criticizing the NDP because the party did not advocate on behalf of his father Jim when the former MP was detained for four days by the Israeli military in 2012. He ran for the Green Party in that election, finishing in fourth place. Manly was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election on May 6, 2019, making him the second elected Green MP in Canadian history, following party leader Elizabeth May's first election victory in the 2011 federal election. He was re-elected in the 2019 federal election.
