List of premiers of British Columbia

Christy Clark is the current Premier of British Columbia

The Premier of British Columbia is the First Minister for the Canadian province of British Columbia. The province was a British crown colony governed by the Governors of British Columbia[1] before joining Canadian Confederation in 1871.[2] Since then, it has had a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the legislative assembly. The premier is British Columbia's head of government, and the Queen of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. The premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of British Columbia and presides over that body.[3]

Members are first elected to the legislature during general elections. General elections must be conducted every four years from the date of the last election. An election may also take place if the governing party loses the confidence of the legislature by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a no-confidence motion.[3]

Before 1903, British Columbia did not use a party system; instead, Premiers of British Columbia had no official party affiliation and were chosen by elected members of the legislative assembly from among themselves. Candidates ran as "Government", "Opposition", "Independent", or in formulations such as "Opposition independent", indicating their respective positions to the incumbent regime.

British Columbia has had 34 individuals serve as premier since joining Confederation, of which 14 individuals had no party affiliation, three were Conservatives, eight were Liberals, four were Socreds, and five were New Democrats. The first premier was John Foster McCreight, who was inaugurated in 1871. Joseph Martin spent the shortest time in office, at 106 days. At over twenty years, W. A. C. Bennett spent the longest time in office, and is the only premier to serve in more than four parliaments. The incumbent premier is Christy Clark, who was sworn in on March 14, 2011.

Premiers of British Columbia

  No party affiliation   British Columbia Conservative Party   British Columbia Liberal Party   British Columbia Social Credit Party   British Columbia New Democratic Party

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
District		 Term of office Electoral mandates (Assembly) Political party
1
John Foster McCreight
(1827–1913)
MLA for Victoria City		 November 14 1871
–
December 23 1872		 no party affiliation
2
Amor De Cosmos
(1825–1897)
MLA for Victoria		 December 23 1872
–
February 9 1874		 no party affiliation
3
(1 of 2)
George Anthony Walkem
(1834–1908)
MLA for Cariboo		 February 11 1874
–
January 29 1876		 no party affiliation
4
Andrew Charles Elliott
(1829–1889)
MLA for Victoria City		 February 1 1876
–
June 25 1878		 no party affiliation
5
(2 of 2)
George Anthony Walkem
(1834–1908)
MLA for Cariboo		 June 25 1878
–
June 6 1882		 no party affiliation
6
Robert Beaven
(1836–1920)
MLA for Victoria City		 June 13 1882
–
January 29 1883		 no party affiliation
7
William Smithe
(1842–1887)
MLA for Cowichan		 January 29 1883
–
March 28 1887		 no party affiliation
died in office
8
Alexander Edmund Batson Davie
(1847–1889)
MLA for Lillooet		 April 1 1887
–
August 1 1889		 no party affiliation
died in office
9
John Robson
(1824–1892)
MLA for New Westminster (until 1890)
MLA for Cariboo (from 1890)		 August 2 1889
–
June 29 1892		 no party affiliation
In the 1890 election he also won the seat in the riding of Westminster, but turned it down. died in office
10
Theodore Davie
(1852–1898)
MLA for Cowichan-Alberni		 July 2 1892
–
March 2 1895		 no party affiliation
11
John Herbert Turner
(1834–1923)
MLA for Victoria City		 March 4 1895
–
August 8 1898		 no party affiliation
12
Charles Augustus Semlin
(1836–1927)
MLA for Yale-West		 August 15 1898
–
February 27 1900		 no party affiliation
13
Joseph Martin
(1852–1923)
MLA for Vancouver City		 February 28 1900
–
June 14 1900		 no party affiliation
Immediately lost a vote of non-confidence 28-1 upon being appointed, but formed a cabinet and governed for another three months anyway.
14
James Dunsmuir
(1851–1920)
MLA for South Nanaimo		 June 15 1900
–
November 21 1902		 no party affiliation
15
Edward Gawler Prior
(1853–1920)
MLA for Victoria City		 November 21 1902
–
June 1 1903		  (9th Parliament)
 no party affiliation
16
Richard McBride
(1870–1917)
MLA for Westminster-Dewdney (until 1903)
MLA for Dewdney (1903-1907)
MLA for Victoria City (from 1907)		 June 1 1903
–
December 15 1915		  (9th Parliament)
 Conservative Party
Named leader in 1903
In the 1907 election he also won the seat in the riding of Dewdney, but turned it down. In the 1909 election he also won the seat in the riding of Yale, but turned it down.
17
William John Bowser
(1867–1933)
MLA for Vancouver City		 December 15 1915
–
November 23 1916		  (13th Parliament)
 Conservative Party
Named leader in 1915
18
Harlan Carey Brewster
(1870–1918)
MLA for Victoria City		 November 23 1916
–
March 1 1918		 Liberal Party
Named leader in 1912
In the 1916 election he also won the seat in the riding of Alberni, but turned it down. died in office
19
John Oliver
(1856–1927)
MLA for Dewdney (until 1920)
MLA for Victoria City (1920-1924)
MLA for Nelson (from 1924)		 March 6 1918
–
August 17 1927		 Liberal Party
Named leader in 1918
In the 1920 election he also won the seat in the riding of Delta, but turned it down. died in office
20
John Duncan MacLean
(1873–1948)
MLA for Yale		 August 20 1927
–
August 20 1928		 Liberal Party
Named leader in 1927
21
Simon Fraser Tolmie
(1867–1937)
MLA for Saanich		 August 21 1928
–
November 15 1933		 Conservative Party
Named leader in 1926
22
Thomas Dufferin Pattullo
(1873–1956)
MLA for Prince Rupert		 November 15 1933
–
December 9 1941		 Liberal Party
Named leader in 1929
23
John Hart
(1879–1957)
MLA for Victoria City		 December 9 1941
–
December 29 1947		 Liberal Party (Coalition)
Named leader in 1941
24
Boss Johnson
(1890–1964)
MLA for New Westminster		 December 29 1947
–
August 1 1952		 Liberal Party (Coalition)
Named leader in 1947
25
W. A. C. Bennett
(1900–1979)
MLA for South Okanagan		 August 1 1952
–
September 15 1972		 Social Credit Party
26
Dave Barrett
(b. 1930)
MLA for Coquitlam		 September 15 1972
–
December 22 1975		 New Democratic Party
Named leader in 1970
27
Bill Bennett
(1932–2015)
MLA for South Okanagan (until 1979)
MLA for Okanagan South (from 1979)		 December 22 1975
–
August 6 1986		 Social Credit Party
Named leader in 1973
28
Bill Vander Zalm
(b. 1934)
MLA for Richmond		 August 6 1986
–
April 2 1991		 Social Credit Party
Named leader in 1986
29
Rita Johnston
(b. 1935)
MLA for Surrey-Newton		 April 2 1991
–
November 5 1991		 Social Credit Party
Named leader in 1991
30
Mike Harcourt
(b. 1943)
MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant		 November 5 1991
–
February 22 1996		 New Democratic Party
Named leader in 1987
31
Glen Clark
(b. 1957)
MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway		 February 22 1996
–
August 25 1999		 New Democratic Party
Named leader in 1996
32
Dan Miller
(b. 1944)
MLA for North Coast		 August 25 1999
–
February 24 2000		 New Democratic Party
Named leader in 1999 (interim)
33
Ujjal Dosanjh
(b. 1947)
MLA for Vancouver-Kensington		 February 24 2000
–
June 5 2001		 New Democratic Party
Named leader in 2000
34
Gordon Campbell
(b. 1948)
MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey		 June 5 2001
–
March 14 2011		 Liberal Party
Named leader in 1993
35
Christy Clark
(b. 1965)
MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey (until 2013)
MLA for Westside-Kelowna (from 2013)		 March 14 2011
–
 Liberal Party
Named leader in 2011
Min. Minority government
Co. Coalition government

Timeline of British Columbia Premiers

Christy Clark Gordon Campbell Ujjal Dosanjh Glen Clark Mike Harcourt Rita Johnston Bill Vander Zalm William Richards Bennett Dave Barrett William Andrew Cecil Bennett Byron Ingemar Johnson John Hart Thomas Dufferin Pattullo Simon Fraser Tolmie John Duncan MacLean John Oliver Harlan Carey Brewster William John Bowser Richard McBride Edward Gawler Prior James Dunsmuir Joseph Martin (Canadian politician) Charles Augustus Semlin John Herbert Turner Theodore Davie John Robson Alexander Edmund Batson Davie William Smithe Robert Beaven George Anthony Walkem Andrew Charles Elliott George Anthony Walkem Amor De Cosmos John Foster McCreight

Living former premiers

As of December 2015, eight former premiers are alive, the oldest being Dave Barrett (1972–1975, born 1930). The most recent former premier to die was Bill Bennett (1975–1986), on December 3, 2015.

NameTermDate of birth
Dave Barrett 1972–1975 October 2, 1930
Bill Vander Zalm 1986–1991 May 29, 1934
Rita Johnston 1991 April 22, 1935
Mike Harcourt 1991–1996 January 6, 1943
Glen Clark 1996–1999 November 22, 1957
Dan Miller 1999–2000 December 24, 1944
Ujjal Dosanjh 2000–2001 September 9, 1947
Gordon Campbell 2001–2011 January 12, 1948

See also

References

General

Specific

  1. ↑ "History and Heritage of British Columbia". BritishColumbia.com. Shangaan Webservices. Archived from the original on November 2, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  2. ↑ "British Columbia – Canadian Confederation". Library and Archives Canada. August 9, 2006. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
  3. 1 2 "The Office of the Lieutenant-Governor and the Legislature – Province of British Columbia". Province of British Columbia. Retrieved November 5, 2008.

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