Andrew Weaver

Last updated

ISBN 978-0-670-06800-5). His second book, Generation Us: The Challenge of Global Warming was published by Raven Books in 2011 (ISBN 978-1-55469-804-2). [1]

Politics

Andrew Weaver in conversation with Silver Donald Cameron

Weaver joined the British Columbia Green Party in October 2012 as the party's deputy leader and candidate for the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head. [13] He was elected in the 2013 provincial election as the first Green Party MLA in British Columbia's history. [14]

Since running for office, Weaver has been a strong supporter of the development of the clean technology industry and a firm critic of the LNG Canada project. Weaver called the LNG plan a "pipe-dream", asserting that Liberal government promises of a $1 trillion boost to the provincial GDP, a $100 billion prosperity fund, and the elimination of the provincial debt and sales tax were unsubstantiated and irresponsible. [15] Weaver was also involved in several local issues, such as calling for a reconsideration of the Capital Regional District's sewage treatment plan in 2013. [16]

In August 2013, Weaver chose not to take on leadership of the BC Green Party stating: "I have an ambitious agenda for my term as MLA and achieving this requires focus and hard work. I consider it in the best interests of my constituents, the party and the province if, for now, I focus on my role as MLA and support a new interim leader who can concentrate on building the party." [17]

However, Weaver also stated that if he decided to re-run in the 2017 provincial election and was still the only elected BC Green Party MLA, he would then seek leadership of the party. [18]

On 24 November 2015 Weaver announced his bid to run for leader of the British Columbia Green Party. [19] [20] He was acclaimed to this position on 9 December 2015. [21]

Green Party leader Andrew Weaver and NDP Premier John Horgan sign the confidence and supply agreement. Andrew Weaver and John Horgan (34612192490).jpg
Green Party leader Andrew Weaver and NDP Premier John Horgan sign the confidence and supply agreement.

In the 2017 election, Weaver was reelected and the BC Green Party increased their share of the popular vote to 16.8% from 8.13%. Weaver was joined by BC Green MLAs Sonia Furstenau and Adam Olsen, forming the first BC Green Caucus in the province's history. [22] The election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Greens holding the balance of power. Weaver led the subsequent negotiations with the BC Liberal Party and BC NDP. The Greens ultimately opted to remain an opposition party rather than forming a formal coalition and signed a confidence and supply agreement with the BC NDP, allowing NDP leader John Horgan to become premier. The agreement committed Weaver, Furstenau and Olsen to vote with the BC NDP government in matters of confidence, such as provincial budgets, and committed both parties to implementing a number of shared policy priorities. [23]

In October 2019, Weaver announced that, due to a family health issue, he would step down as Green Party leader once another leader had been chosen and that he would not seek re-election to the Legislative Assembly. [24] [25] Adam Olsen became interim leader effective 6 January 2020. [26] Weaver later announced that he was leaving the leadership, and the Green caucus, effective 20 January 2020, before a new leader could be elected, citing the need to "attend to personal matters". He continued to serve as an independent for the remainder of his term as an MLA. [27] In the 2020 election, Murray Rankin was elected in Weaver's former riding. [28]

In the lead-up to the 2024 BC election, Weaver publicly criticized David Eby, Horgan's successor as NDP leader and premier, and praised John Rustad, the leader of the BC Conservatives. [29] He subsequently endorsed the Conservative candidate Stephen Andrew in his former riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head, stating that the BC Greens had "lost their way fiscally and are proposing aspirational solutions that they have no hope of delivering or funding". [30]

Lawsuit over National Post articles

The British Columbia Supreme Court ruled that Weaver had been libelled in a series of National Post articles written by Terence Corcoran, Peter Foster and Kevin Libin that accused him of scientific misconduct in his studies of climate change, among other claims. In Weaver v. Corcoran [31] the court ruled that the charges were false and that "the defamation in this case was serious. It offended Dr. Weaver's character and the defendants refused to publish a retraction". The court awarded Weaver $50,000 in damages, ordered that the offending articles be removed from the newspaper's archives and that a complete retraction be published. The National Post appealed the decision. [32] [33] On 21 April 2017, the British Columbia Court of Appeal ordered a retrial in the defamation suit, citing an error in the judge's analysis of the articles pertaining to the suit. [34] [35]

Documentary film

Weaver is featured in the documentary film Running on Climate . Filming began before Weaver was nominated as a candidate and continued through the 2013 election campaign. [36]

Electoral record

Andrew J. Weaver
Andrew Weaver (34189176593) (cropped).jpg
Leader of the Green Party of British Columbia
In office
9 December 2015 6 January 2020
Preceded by Adam Olsen (interim)
Succeeded byAdam Olsen (interim)
2017 British Columbia general election : Oak Bay-Gordon Head
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Green Andrew Weaver 15,40552.20+11.77$50,974
Liberal Alex Dutton7,00823.74−5.55$62,220
New Democratic Bryce Casavant6,97223.63−4.79$42,402
Vancouver Island Party Jin Dong Yang-Riley660.23$100
4BCXaanja Ganja Free590.20$115
Total valid votes29,510100.00
Total rejected ballots890.30−0.08
Turnout29,59971.99+2.43
Registered voters42,117
Source: Elections BC [37] [38]
2013 British Columbia general election : Oak Bay-Gordon Head
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Green Andrew Weaver 10,72240.43+31.52$111,365
Liberal Ida Chong 7,76729.29−17.35$128,726
New Democratic Jessica Van der Veen7,53628.42−16.03$105,108
Conservative Greg Kazakoff4921.86$3,550
Total valid votes26,517100.00
Total rejected ballots1020.38−0.25
Turnout26,61969.56+2.70
Registered voters38,267
Source: Elections BC [39]

References

  1. 1 2 "Andrew Weaver, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Modelling and Analysis, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria" (PDF). Metro Vancouver. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Andrew Weaver, BC Green Party Candidate, Ready To Surprise Voters". HuffPost. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  3. UVic Climate People
  4. 1 2 Weaver, Andrew. "Meet Andrew Weaver". Victoria, BC: Andrew Weaver. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  5. "Victoria Weather". Archived from the original on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  6. "Weaver Publications". Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Dr. Andrew Weaver". Victoria, BC: Legislative Assembly of BC. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  8. "Andrew Weaver elected as American Geophysical Union fellow". University of Victoria. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  9. "Andrew Weaver". HuffPost . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  10. "Andrew Weaver". Vancouver Sun . 6 August 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  11. "Climate Change & the Economy—a conversation with Dr. Andrew Weaver". Greens of BC . Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  12. "Laird lecturer to discuss global warming". mun.ca. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  13. "Nobel-contributing climate scientist Andrew Weaver to run for B.C. Greens". Vancouver, BC: Metro Vancouver. 20 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  14. Shaw, Rob (6 June 2013). "Andrew Weaver walks into history as B.C.'s first Green party MLA". Times Colonist . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  15. Cleverley, Bill (19 September 2013). "B.C.'s liquefied natural gas plan a 'pipe dream,' says Green MLA Andrew Weaver". Times Colonist . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  16. Wright, Mat (13 August 2013). "Province Flexible on CRD Sewage Project". Andrew Weaver. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  17. Pope, Danielle (16 August 2013). "MLA Weaver leaves door open to leadership". Victoria News . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  18. Keller, James (14 August 2013). "Andrew Weaver: Green Leader Should Be Someone Else, For Now". Huffintgon Post. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  19. "Andrew Weaver to seek B.C. Green Party leadership". CBC News. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  20. Kines, Lindsay (24 November 2015). "Andrew Weaver says he's ready to lead B.C. Greens". Victoria, BC: Times Colonist . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  21. Woodford, Shane (9 December 2015). "BC Greens elect Andrew Weaver as next leader". CKNW . Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  22. Johnson, Lisa (10 May 2017). "Greens celebrate 'historic' BC wins amid minority uncertainty". CBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  23. Baker, Paula (29 May 2017). "BC Greens and NDP strike deal for 'stable minority government'". Global News. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  24. Larsen, Karin (7 October 2019). "Andrew Weaver says he'll step down as B.C. Green Party leader". CBC News . Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  25. Harnett, Cindy (7 October 2019). "Andrew Weaver stepping down as leader of B.C. Green Party, won't run for re-election". Times Colonist . Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  26. "B.C. Green MLA Adam Olsen named new interim party leader". CBC News. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  27. "Former BC Green leader Andrew Weaver to sit as an independent in legislature". The Globe and Mail. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  28. "2020 Provincial General Election Final Voting Results". Elections BC . 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  29. "Former B.C. Green leader praises B.C. Conservatives". CBC. 13 July 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  30. Jäger, Jarryd (13 October 2024). "Former BC Greens leader Andrew Weaver endorses Conservative candidate in Victoria". Western Standard. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  31. Weaver v. Corcoran, 2015 BCSC 165 (Justice Burke) available online at
  32. "National Post appeals ruling on defaming B.C. scientist Andrew Weaver". CBC News. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  33. Mendleson, Rachel (10 March 2015). "National Post appealing libel ruling in Andrew Weaver case". Toronto Star. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  34. B.C. Appeal Court overturns decision in Andrew Weaver's defamation suit
  35. Weaver v. Corcoran, 2017 BCCA 160 (Justice Dickson) available at: http://canlii.ca/t/h398d
  36. Hill, Dara (21 September 2015). "Professor Lynne Quarmby is Running on Climate". Burnaby, BC: The Peak. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  37. "2017 Provincial General Election - Statement of Votes" (PDF). Elections BC . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  38. "Election Financing Reports". Elections BC. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  39. "Statement of Votes - 40th Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved 17 May 2017.