Legislature of British Columbia
The Parliament of British Columbia is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada), and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (which meets at the British Columbia Parliament Buildings). The Parliament of British Columbia has existed since the province joined Canada in 1871, before which it was preceded by the Parliament of the United Colony of British Columbia.
Parliament of British Columbia | |
---|---|
42nd Parliament of British Columbia | |
Type | |
Type | |
Houses | Legislative Assembly |
Sovereign | The lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada) |
History | |
Founded | July 20, 1871 |
Preceded by | Governor-in-Council of the United Colony of British Columbia |
Like the Canadian federal government, British Columbia uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which members are sent to the Legislative Assembly after general elections and from there the party with the most seats chooses a premier of British Columbia and the Executive Council of British Columbia. The premier is British Columbia's head of government, while the King of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the lieutenant governor. Before 1903, candidates in British Columbia elections were not affiliated with political parties.
List of parliaments
Following is a list of the 42 times the Parliament has been convened since 1871. This article only covers the time since 1871. For the governing body from 1867 to 1871, see Legislative Council of British Columbia.
Assembly Sessions |
Election | From To[1][nb 1] |
Governing Party | Premier[2] | Official Opposition Party Leader[3] |
Other Official Party Leader[4] |
Speaker[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Parliament 4 sessions |
1st general | Nov. 20, 1871 Aug. 30, 1875 |
none[nb 2] | John Foster McCreight[nb 3] |
none[nb 5] | none | James Trimble |
2nd Parliament 3 sessions |
2nd general | Jan. 10, 1876 Apr. 12, 1878 |
none | George Anthony Walkem[nb 6] |
none | none | James Trimble |
3rd Parliament 5 sessions |
3rd general | Jul. 29, 1878 June 13, 1882 |
none | George Anthony Walkem[nb 7] Robert Beaven |
none | none | Frederick W. Williams |
4th Parliament 4 sessions |
4th general | Jan. 25, 1883 June 3, 1886 |
none | Robert Beaven[nb 8] William Smithe |
none | none | John Andrew Mara |
5th Parliament 4 sessions |
5th general | Jan. 24, 1887 May 10, 1890 |
none | William Smithe[nb 9] |
none | none | Charles Edward Pooley[nb 11] David Williams Higgins |
6th Parliament 4 sessions |
6th general | Jan. 15, 1891 June 2, 1894 |
none | John Robson[nb 12] Theodore Davie |
none | none | David Williams Higgins |
7th Parliament 4 sessions |
7th general | Nov. 12, 1894 June 7, 1898 |
none | Theodore Davie[nb 13] John Herbert Turner |
none | none | David Williams Higgins[nb 14] John Paton Booth |
8th Parliament 2 sessions |
8th general | Jan. 5, 1899 April 10, 1900 |
none | John Herbert Turner[nb 15] |
none | none | William Thomas Forster |
9th Parliament 4 sessions[6] |
9th general | July 19, 1900 June 16, 1903 |
none | James Dunsmuir[nb 17] |
none | none | John Paton Booth[nb 19] Charles Edward Pooley |
10th Parliament | 10th general | Nov. 26, 1903 Dec. 24, 1906 |
Conservative | Richard McBride | Liberal James Alexander MacDonald |
none | Charles Edward Pooley |
11th Parliament | 11th general | Mar. 7, 1907 Oct. 20, 1909 |
Conservative | Richard McBride | Liberal James Alexander MacDonald |
none | David McEwen Eberts |
12th Parliament | 12th general | Jan. 20, 1910 Feb. 27, 1912 |
Conservative | Richard McBride | Liberal James Alexander MacDonald |
none | David McEwen Eberts |
13th Parliament | 13th general | Jan. 16, 1913 May 31, 1916 |
Conservative | Richard McBride[nb 20] |
Liberal Harlan Carey Brewster |
none | David McEwen Eberts |
14th Parliament | 14th general | Mar. 1, 1917 Oct. 23, 1920 |
Liberal | Harlan Carey Brewster[nb 21] |
Conservative |
none | John Walter Weart[nb 22] John Keen |
15th Parliament | 15th general | Feb. 8, 1921 May 10, 1924 |
Liberal | John Oliver | Conservative James Alexander MacDonald |
none | Alexander Malcolm Manson[nb 23] Frederick Arthur Pauline |
16th Parliament | 16th general | Nov. 3, 1924 June 7, 1928 |
Liberal | John Oliver[nb 24] John Duncan MacLean |
Conservative Robert Henry Pooley |
Provincial Alexander Duncan McRae |
John Andrew Buckham |
17th Parliament | 17th general | Jan. 22, 1929 Aug. 1, 1933 |
Conservative | Simon Fraser Tolmie | Liberal |
none | James William Jones[nb 25] Cyril Francis Davie |
18th Parliament | 18th general | Feb. 20, 1934 Apr. 12, 1937 |
Liberal | Thomas Dufferin Pattullo | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Robert Connell[nb 26] |
Unionist |
Henry George Thomas Perry |
19th Parliament | 19th general | Oct. 26, 1937 Jul. 21, 1941 |
Liberal | Thomas Dufferin Pattullo | Conservative Frank Porter Patterson |
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch[nb 27] |
Norman William Whittaker |
20th Parliament | 20th general | Dec. 4, 1941 Aug. 31, 1945 |
Liberal-Conservative coalition | John Hart | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch |
none | Norman William Whittaker |
21st Parliament | 21st general | Feb. 1, 1946 Apr. 16, 1949 |
Liberal-Conservative coalition | John Hart[nb 28] |
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch |
none | Norman William Whittaker[nb 29] |
22nd Parliament | 22nd general | Feb. 14, 1950 Apr. 10, 1952 |
Liberal-Conservative coalition | Byron Ingemar Johnson | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation[nb 31] Harold Winch Conservative |
none | Nancy Hodges |
23rd Assembly | 23rd general | Feb. 3, 1953 Mar. 27, 1953 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch |
Liberal Arthur Laing Progressive Conservative |
Thomas James Irwin |
24th Parliament | 24th general | Sep. 15, 1953 Aug. 13, 1956 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Arnold Webster |
Liberal Arthur Laing Progressive Conservative |
Thomas James Irwin |
25th Parliament | 25th general | Feb. 7, 1957 Aug. 3, 1960 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Robert Strachan |
Liberal Ray Perrault |
Thomas James Irwin[nb 32] Lorne Shantz |
26th Parliament | 26th general | Jan. 26, 1961 Aug. 21, 1963 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Robert Strachan |
Liberal Ray Perrault |
Lorne Shantz |
27th Parliament | 27th general | Jan. 23, 1964 Aug. 5, 1966 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | New Democratic Party Robert Strachan |
Liberal Ray Perrault |
William Harvey Murray |
28th Parliament | 28th general | Jan. 24, 1967 Jul. 21, 1969 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | New Democratic Party Robert Strachan |
Liberal Ray Perrault |
William Harvey Murray |
29th Parliament 3 sessions |
29th general | Jan. 22, 1970 Jul. 24, 1972 |
Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | New Democratic Party |
Liberal Pat McGeer |
William Harvey Murray |
30th Parliament 5 sessions |
30th general | Oct. 17, 1972 Nov. 3, 1975 |
New Democratic Party | Dave Barrett | Social Credit |
Liberal Progressive Conservative |
Gordon Dowding |
31st Parliament 4 sessions |
31st general | Mar. 17, 1976 Apr. 3, 1979 |
Social Credit | Bill Bennett | New Democratic Party William Stewart King[nb 34] |
Liberal Gordon Gibson Progressive Conservative |
Ed Smith[nb 35] Harvey Schroeder |
32nd Parliament 4 sessions |
32nd general | June 6, 1979 Apr. 7, 1983 |
Social Credit | Bill Bennett | New Democratic Party |
none | Harvey Schroeder[nb 36] Kenneth Walter Davidson |
33rd Parliament 4 sessions |
33rd general | June 23, 1983 Sep. 24, 1986 |
Social Credit | Bill Bennett[nb 37] |
New Democratic Party Dave Barrett[nb 38] |
none | Kenneth Walter Davidson |
34th Parliament 5 sessions |
34th general | Mar. 9, 1987 Sep. 19, 1991 |
Social Credit | Bill Vander Zalm[nb 39] |
New Democratic Party Bob Skelly |
none | John Douglas Reynolds[nb 40] Stephen Rogers |
35th Parliament 5 sessions |
35th general | Mar. 17, 1992 April 30, 1996 |
New Democratic Party | Mike Harcourt[nb 41] |
Liberal Gordon Wilson |
Social Credit |
Joan Sawicki[nb 42] Emery Barnes |
36th Parliament 5 sessions |
36th general | June 25, 1996 April 18, 2001[7] |
New Democratic Party | Glen Clark[nb 43] |
Liberal |
Reform Jack Weisgerber Progressive Democrat |
Dale Lovick[nb 45] Gretchen Brewin[nb 46] |
37th Parliament 6 sessions |
37th general | June 19, 2001 2005 |
Liberal | Gordon Campbell | New Democratic Party |
none | Claude Richmond |
38th Parliament 5 sessions |
38th general | Sep. 12, 2005 2009 |
Liberal | Gordon Campbell | New Democratic Party |
none | Bill Barisoff |
39th Parliament 5 sessions[8] |
39th general | Aug. 29, 2009 April 16, 2013 |
Liberal | Gordon Campbell[nb 47] |
New Democratic Party |
none | Bill Barisoff |
40th Parliament | 40th general | June 26, 2013 April 11, 2017 |
Liberal | Christy Clark | New Democratic Party |
Green | Linda Reid |
41st Parliament | 41st general | June 26, 2017 Sep. 21, 2020 |
Liberal[nb 50] New Democratic Party |
Christy Clark[nb 51] John Horgan |
New Democratic Party | Green
Andrew J. Weaver[nb 53] |
Steve Thomson[nb 55] Darryl Plecas |
42nd Parliament | 42nd general | Dec 7, 2020 present |
New Democratic Party | John Horgan[nb 56] David Eby |
Liberal BC United Andrew Wilkinson[nb 57] Shirley Bond[nb 58] Kevin Falcon |
Green Sonia Furstenau |
Raj Chouhan |
Notes:
- From opening day of legislature to the day that the legislature was dissolved.
- Political parties did not exist in the British Columbia legislature before 1903
- Until December 1872
- Until February 1874
- Did not exist until 1903
- Until January 25, 1876
- Until June, 1882
- Until January, 1883
- Until March, 1887
- Until August, 1889
- Until 1889
- Until June, 1892
- Until March, 1895
- Until March, 1898
- Until August, 1898
- Until February, 1900
- Until November, 1902
- Until June, 1902
- Until February 26, 1902
- Until December, 1915
- Until March, 1918
- Until February, 1918
- Until January 28, 1922
- Until August 17, 1927
- Until 1930
- After August 1936, following a split in the party, the Social Constructive Party led by Connell became the official opposition
- From June, 1939
- Until December 28, 1947
- Until 1947
- Until January, 1949
- Until February, 1952
- Until April, 1957
- Until November, 1973
- Until June, 1976
- Until 1978
- Until 1982
- Until August 1986
- Until May 1984
- Until April 2, 1991
- Until 1989
- Until February 22, 1996
- Until 1994
- Until August 25, 1999
- Until February 24, 2000
- Until 1998
- Until 2000
- Until March 14, 2011
- Until May 4, 2014
- From December 9, 2015
- until July 18, 2017; government defeated in a non-confidence vote June 29, 2017
- until July 18, 2017; government defeated in a non-confidence vote June 29, 2017
- until July 18, 2017
- until January 6, 2020
- until September 14, 2020
- until June 29, 2017
- until November 18, 2022
- until November 21, 2020
- until May 16, 2022
References
- "Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
- "Premiers of British Columbia 1871-" (PDF). BC Legislature. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- "Leaders of the Opposition in British Columbia 1903-" (PDF). BC Legislature. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- "Party Leaders in British Columbia 1900-" (PDF). BC Legislature. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- "Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 1872-" (PDF). BC Legislature. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- Magurn, A J (1905). Canadian Parliamentary Guide 1905.
- "Electoral History of British Columbia, Supplement, 1987-2001" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- "Previous Sessions Debates and Indexes". Hansard Services. Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2014.