Kevin Falcon | |
---|---|
Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia | |
Assumed office May 16, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Shirley Bond |
Leader of BC United [1] | |
Assumed office February 5,2022 | |
Preceded by | Shirley Bond (interim) |
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Quilchena | |
Assumed office April 30,2022 | |
Preceded by | Andrew Wilkinson |
12th Deputy Premier of British Columbia | |
In office March 14,2011 –September 5,2012 | |
Premier | Christy Clark |
Preceded by | Colin Hansen |
Succeeded by | Rich Coleman |
Minister of Finance of British Columbia | |
In office March 14,2011 –September 5,2012 | |
Premier | Christy Clark |
Preceded by | Colin Hansen |
Succeeded by | Mike de Jong |
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Cloverdale | |
In office May 16,2001 –April 16,2013 | |
Preceded by | Bonnie McKinnon |
Succeeded by | Stephanie Cadieux |
Minister of Health Services of British Columbia | |
In office June 10,2009 –November 30,2010 | |
Premier | Gordon Campbell |
Preceded by | George Abbott |
Succeeded by | Colin Hansen |
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure of British Columbia | |
In office January 26,2004 –June 10,2009 | |
Premier | Gordon Campbell |
Preceded by | Judith Reid |
Succeeded by | Shirley Bond |
Minister of State for Deregulation of British Columbia | |
In office June 5,2001 –January 26,2004 | |
Premier | Gordon Campbell |
Succeeded by | Rick Thorpe |
Personal details | |
Born | 1963 (age 60–61) [2] West Vancouver,British Columbia |
Political party | BC United |
Residence | North Vancouver,British Columbia |
Occupation | Financial executive |
Kevin Falcon is a Canadian provincial politician who is the leader of BC United and became the Leader of the Opposition in May 2022. [3] He is the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Vancouver-Quilchena,being elected in a byelection in April 2022. [4] He formerly served as the MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale as a member of the then BC Liberals from 2001 to 2013. He served as both the 12th deputy premier of British Columbia,and the province's minister of Finance. [5]
Born in North Vancouver,British Columbia,Falcon worked in the insurance field after graduating from Vancouver College,an all-boys Catholic preparatory high school. [2] Falcon studied political science at Simon Fraser University (SFU). He was a member of the Young Socreds on campus while future Premier Christy Clark was also at SFU. [2]
After graduation,Falcon was part of a movement to that saw Doug McCallum upset incumbent mayor Bob Bose of the NDP-affiliated Surrey Civic Electors party in 1996,and the election to council of future mayor Dianne Watts. [2]
Falcon set up a communications consultancy,Access Group,in 1998. [2] He was a lead organizer of the "Total Recall" effort to recall a number of BC New Democratic Party MLA's in 1999. [6] [2]
Falcon became the BC Liberal nominee for Surrey-Cloverdale in 1999,defeating incumbent Bonnie McKinnon. [2] He was elected in the 2001 British Columbia general election,and re-elected in the 2005,and 2009 elections. [7]
Following the election of a Liberal majority in 2001,Falcon joined Gordon Campbell's cabinet. He was appointed to the newly created position of Minister of State for Deregulation,where he cut "red tape" (ie,regulations that create costs or frustration for consumers and producers while providing little benefit to the public). [8] [9] Falcon's reforms are credited with moving B.C. to among the best performing provinces:economic growth increased from 1.9% below the provincial average between 1994 and 2001 to 1.21% above the average between 2002 and 2006. [8] [10]
In 2004,Falcon was elevated to Minister of Transportation,following the resignation of the then minister,Judith Reid,in the wake of the BC Legislature raids linked to the sale of BC Rail ("Railgate"). [11] In that role he changed TransLink's governance structure to introduce a government-appointed board of professionals (engineers,accountants,etc.) to run day-to-day operations,and a council of mayors to deal with long term planning. [12] He also introduced the Gateway Program,a $3 billion regional transportation strategy for Metro Vancouver that launched the construction of the new Port Mann Bridge. [13]
In June 2009,Falcon was appointed as Minister of Health. [2]
On November 3,2010,Premier Gordon Campbell announced that he would step down as Premier of British Columbia once his successor was chosen. On November 30,2010,Falcon launched his campaign for the 2011 BC Liberal Party leadership. [14]
On December 11,the Vancouver Sun reported that Falcon's social media traffic was the highest of declared candidates. [15] Falcon's leadership campaign focused on “returning BC to a fiscally responsible path”in the aftermath of the global economic crisis. [16] On February 26,2011,Falcon narrowly lost his bid to become the Liberal leader,and the province's Premier,to Christy Clark by a margin of 52% - 48% in the third round of voting by party members.
The new premier,Christy Clark,included Falcon in her cabinet,appointing him Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier.
In August 2012,expecting the birth of his second daughter Rose,Falcon indicated he would not run in the 2013 election. [17]
After leaving the legislature,Falcon moved to North Vancouver and joined Vancouver-based Anthem Capital as their Executive Vice President. [18] Additionally,Falcon took on a number of volunteer roles with non-profit organizations including the Canuck Place Foundation,Lions Gate Hospital Foundation and the Streetohome Foundation. He was also named as an honorary director of the Surrey Board of Trade. [19]
Falcon stayed involved in politics during this time. He endorsed Maxime Bernier in the 2017 Conservative Leadership Race. [20] Falcon worked with friend and real estate developer Ryan Beedie to raise $130,000 for Bernier in a single night - a record for the campaign at the time. [21]
BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson announced his resignation on 26 October 2020, [22] and officially resigned on 17 February 2021,triggering a year-long BC Liberal leadership race. [23] Falcon officially joined the race a month later. [24] In his launch speech,Falcon committed to renaming the BC Liberal Party in consultation with members to better reflect the party's values. [25]
On October 31,2021,Diamond Isinger,campaign manager for fellow leadership candidate Michael Lee,shared a statement about an "incident of sexual &personal harassment" with a Falcon campaign staffer. Insinger said she went public with her allegations "due to the lack of action taken" after addressing her concerns privately with the Falcon campaign. Falcon fired the staffer the day after Isinger's statement. [26]
Falcon won the leadership on February 5,2022,crossing the 50% threshold required to win on the fifth ballot. [3] Following Falcon's win,Andrew Wilkinson formally resigned as an MLA to free up his seat in Vancouver-Quilchena for Falcon to run. [27] A by-election for the riding was called on April 2,2022. [28] Falcon won the by-election,being elected MLA for the riding. [29]
In August 2022,Liberal MLA John Rustad drew criticism for suggesting that CO2 emissions were not contributing to climate change. Falcon fired Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus,adding:“John Rustad does not speak on behalf of caucus on this issue.” [30] Rustad later joined the BC Conservatives and was acclaimed as their new leader in March 2023. [31]
Falcon unveiled the new BC United name and branding on April 12,2023. [32]
Falcon lives in North Vancouver with his wife Jessica and daughters Josephine and Rose. [33]
BC United (BCU),formerly known as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals,is a provincial political party in British Columbia,Canada. The party has been described as conservative,neoliberal,and being on the centre-right of the left–right political spectrum. The party commonly describes itself as a "free enterprise coalition" and draws support from members of both the federal Liberal and Conservative parties. Since the 1990s,BC United has been the main centre-right opposition to the centre-left New Democratic Party (NDP). Once affiliated with the Liberal Party of Canada,the British Columbia Liberal Party became independent in 1987. The party changed its name to BC United on April 12,2023.
The Conservative Party of British Columbia is a provincial political party in British Columbia,Canada. In the early half of the 20th century,the Conservatives competed with the British Columbia Liberal Party for power in the province. However,the party has had only a minor presence in the legislature since the 1950s,and last ran a full slate in 1960. The current party leader is Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad,who was originally elected as a BC Liberal. John Rustad was a minister under former premier Christy Clarke.
Christina Joan Clark is a former Canadian politician who was the 35th premier of British Columbia (BC),from 2011 to 2017. Clark was the second woman to be premier of BC,after Rita Johnston in 1991,and the first female premier in Canada to lead her party to a plurality of seats in two consecutive general elections.
Vancouver-Point Grey is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,Canada. It was first contested in the general election of 1933. It was created out of parts of Richmond-Point Grey,South Vancouver and Vancouver City. The riding began as a three-member seat,and was reduced to a two-member seat in 1966 when Vancouver-Little Mountain was created. In the redistribution preceding the 1991 election,it was reduced to a one-member riding along with the other older urban ridings,as several new one-member ridings were created.
Colin Hansen is a former politician in the Canadian province of British Columbia. He served as member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2013,representing the electoral district of Vancouver-Quilchena. As a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus,he served in a variety of cabinet posts while that party was in power,including as the 11th Deputy Premier from June 2009 to March 2011,and twice as the province's Minister of Finance.
Richard Thomas Coleman is a Canadian politician and former police officer who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in British Columbia,representing Fort Langley-Aldergrove from 1996 to 2017,and Langley East from 2017 to 2020. As part of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus,he served in several cabinet posts under Premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark,including as the 13th Deputy Premier of British Columbia from 2012 to 2017. He was also the party's interim leader and Leader of Opposition in British Columbia between 2017 and 2018.
Mike de Jong is a politician in the Canadian province of British Columbia. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia,representing the electoral district of Matsqui from 1994 to 2001,Abbotsford-Mount Lehman from 2001 to 2009,and Abbotsford West since 2009. A caucus member of BC United,he served in several cabinet posts under premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark,and ran for party leadership in 2011 and 2018.
George Abbott is a former politician and cabinet minister for the Canadian province of British Columbia. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia,representing the riding of Shuswap from 1996 to 2013. As part of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus,he served in several cabinet posts under premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark,and ran for party leadership in 2011.
John Joseph Horgan is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to Germany since 2023. Horgan served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022,and also as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2014 to 2022. Horgan was the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Langford-Juan de Fuca and its predecessors from 2005 to 2023.
John Rustad is a Canadian politician who is the current leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. He was first elected as a BC Liberal to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 2005,representing Prince George–Omineca. He currently represents the constituency of Nechako Lakes,which he has held since the 2009 election. He served in Premier Christy Clark's cabinet as Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation,and Minister of Forests,Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
The 2011 British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election was prompted by Gordon Campbell's announcement on November 3,2010,that he would be resigning as Premier of British Columbia and had asked the BC Liberal Party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date". The convention elected Christy Clark as the new leader of the party on February 26,2011.
Moira Stilwell is a Canadian politician and physician who served as the member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for the riding of Vancouver-Langara from 2009 to 2017. As part of the British Columbia Liberal Party caucus,she served in several cabinet posts under premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark.
Todd Graham Stone is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election. He represents the electoral district of Kamloops-South Thompson as a member of the BC United Party. On February 7,2022,he was appointed BC Liberal house leader and Official Opposition Critic for Jobs,Economic Recovery,Trade,&Innovation.
Andrew Wilkinson is an Australian-born Canadian politician. He is the former leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party,and served as the leader of British Columbia's Official Opposition. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election and re-elected in 2017 and 2020. He represented the electoral district of Vancouver-Quilchena.
Ellis Ross is a Canadian politician who has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia since 2017,representing the electoral district of Skeena. A caucus member of BC United,he briefly served as Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing in Premier Christy Clark's cabinet,and ran for party leadership in 2022.
Michael Lee is a Canadian politician who has represented the electoral district of Vancouver-Langara in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2017. A member of the BC United caucus,he serves as its Critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. He ran for the party's leadership in 2018 and 2022.
A British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election was held on February 3,2018,due to the resignation of Christy Clark as Liberal leader on August 4,2017. Rich Coleman was elected interim leader announcing that he has no intention of running for leader,but would resign as interim leader if he changed his mind,adding that he did not anticipate changing his mind.
The 42nd Parliament of British Columbia was chosen in the 2020 British Columbia general election. All 87 seats were up for election.
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A British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election was held on February 5,2022,to elect a new party leader,following the resignation of Andrew Wilkinson after the 2020 British Columbia general election. Kevin Falcon was declared the winner following the counting of the fifth ballot. This was the last leadership election under the name "BC Liberal Party",as the party changed its name to "BC United" in April 2023.
"My priority was managing through the economic fallout from the global financial crisis and returning BC to a fiscally responsible path. I'm dedicated to once again committing to making BC's economy a leader in Canada's post-pandemic economic recovery."
In 2013, I joined Anthem Capital and have overseen a portfolio of investments in everything from mining, technology, craft beer and housing development.
I continued my work in community service with several non-profit organizations, including the Canuck Place Foundation, the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, and the Streetohome Foundation, an organization that works to house the homelessness in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.