British Columbia (BC) is the westernmost province in Canada, between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 5.1 million as of 2020, it is Canada's third-most populous province. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada, named for Queen Victoria, who ruled during the creation of the original colonies. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In October 2013, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,606,371. The province is currently governed by the British Columbia New Democratic Party, led by John Horgan with a majority government.
The British Columbia Liberal Party is a centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. The leader of the Liberal Party, and Leader of the Official Opposition of British Columbia, is Andrew Wilkinson. Subsequent to the 2020 British Columbia general election, Wilkinson announced his resignation as party leader on October 26, 2020; he will retain the post until the Liberal Party selects a new leader.
The Christian Heritage Party of Canada, also referred to as CHP Canada, is a minor social and fiscal conservative federal political party in Canada; it was founded in 1987. CHP advocates for Canada to be governed according to Christian principles. The party's stated principle is that "the purpose of civil government is to ensure security, freedom, and justice for all its citizens from conception till natural death, by upholding just laws". CHP states that, if the party forms government, it hopes to "apply proven Judeo-Christian principles of justice and compassion to Canada's contemporary public policy needs".
Christina Joan Clark is a former Canadian politician who served as the 35th Premier of British Columbia, Canada from 2011 to 2017. Clark was sworn in as premier on March 14, 2011, after she won the leadership of the British Columbia Liberal Party in the 2011 leadership election on February 26, 2011. She was the second woman to serve as premier of British Columbia, 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. While she lost her own seat in her first election, she led the BC Liberals to win an additional five seats for a larger majority in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Subsequently, an elected member of the Liberal Party caucus stepped aside so there could be a by-election in a riding, to provide her with a seat in the House. During her second election as leader, she led her party to win 43 out of 87 ridings. Due to a historic confidence and supply agreement between the NDP and BC Green Party, her party narrowly lost the confidence of the House, forcing her government's resignation. Clark tried unsuccessfully to have the BC Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon reject the NDP-Green Party combined majority and willingness to govern and to call another election. Her decision to leave politics followed shortly after this. Following a period of repose, Clark was hired by Bennett Jones, a law firm with offices in Vancouver, in May 2018, with more appointments to follow at other institutions and firms.
Nathan Cullen is a Canadian federal politician who was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Skeena—Bulkley Valley from the 2004 federal election until 2019. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Cullen was re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2015, allowing him to serve in the 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, and 42nd Parliaments. Cullen was a candidate in the 2012 New Democratic Party leadership election, and came in third. During the 41st Parliament, Cullen was the House Leader for the Official Opposition and then Finance critic in Thomas Mulcair's Shadow Cabinet. He was the NDP critic for Democratic Reform as well as Ethics, and deputy critic for Finance in the 42nd Parliament.
Elections BC is a non-partisan office of the British Columbia legislature responsible for conducting provincial and local elections, by-elections, petitions, referenda, plebiscites in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its federal equivalent is Elections Canada.
Rich Coleman is a politician and former police officer who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia from 1996 to 2020, and is a former interim leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party. He was first elected in 1996 and re-elected in 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017. Coleman represented the riding of Langley East.
Mike de Jong, is a provincial politician and was cabinet minister of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
Joyce Murray is a Canadian politician, businesswoman and environmental advocate. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she has represented the riding of Vancouver Quadra in the House of Commons since 2008. She was re-elected in the 41st, 42nd, and 43rd federal elections; Murray was appointed President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government on March 18, 2019. She was re-appointed as Minister of Digital Government following the 2019 election.
Lana Popham is Canadian politician representing the riding of Saanich South in the 41st Parliament of British Columbia and has been the Minister of Agriculture since 2017. She was first elected in 2009 provincial general election to the 39th and then re-elected in 2013 to the 40th, both times as a member of the official opposition with the British Columbia New Democratic Party. While in opposition, she has served predominately as the critic for the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. She introduced two private members bills: the British Columbia Local Food Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act. Popham owns and operates the organic grape orchard, Barking Dog Vineyard, on Vancouver Island. Her background in community work has included participating in campaigns to reduce excessive automobile driving and to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags within the Capital Regional District.
Doug Donaldson is a Canadian politician, who was the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development in British Columbia, a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the riding of Stikine in the 2009 provincial election and re-elected in the 2013 and 2017 elections. With the New Democratic Party assuming Government as of July 18, 2017, he opened the 41st Parliament of British Columbia under Premier John Horgan on September 11, 2017.
Murray Rankin is a Canadian politician and environmental and public law expert. Rankin is currently Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. Rankin served as the Member of Parliament for Victoria from 2012 to 2019, with senior roles including NDP House Leader. From 2019 to 2020 Rankin was head of Canada's National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), overseeing all national security and intelligence activities carried out by the Government of Canada.
The 40th Parliament of British Columbia was in session from June 26, 2013 to April 11, 2017. It consisted of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 14, 2013, and the Queen represented by the Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon. That election unexpectedly returned the BC Liberal Party to another absolute majority government, their fourth consecutive government since 2001, this time with Christy Clark who had been premier since 2011. The BC New Democratic Party formed the official opposition under Adrian Dix and John Horgan who replaced Dix in the 2014 leadership election. The first member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Green Party of BC, Andrew J. Weaver served in this parliament, along with independent Vicki Huntington. Three MLAs resigned: Jenny Kwan and Douglas Horne who resigned to stand in a federal election, as well as Ben Stewart who resigned for the purpose of providing the Premier, who had lost her seat in the general election, with another opportunity to gain a seat. The by-elections to replace the resigned members Clark won Stewart's Kelowna riding, while Melanie Mark and Jodie Wickens replaced Kwan and Horne, respectively. The only members to leave their party, Marc Dalton briefly left the BC Liberals as he unsuccessfully sought the Conservative Party nomination in the federal election, and Pat Pimm left the BC Liberal Party just prior to being arrested.
Jennifer Rice is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to represent the electoral district of North Coast. She is a member of the BC New Democratic Party. Rice was first elected as a member of legislative assembly (MLA) in the 2013 provincial election and was re-elected in the 2017 election. In the 40th Parliament of British Columbia she acted as the official opposition's critic for northern and rural economic development and deputy critic for children and family development and introduced one private member bill, the Drinking Water Protection Amendment Act regarding regularizing testing of drinking water in schools.
The 2017 British Columbia general election was held on May 9, 2017, to elect 87 members (MLAs) to the Legislative Assembly to serve in the 41st Parliament of the Canadian province of British Columbia. In the 40th Parliament prior to this general election, the British Columbia Liberal Party formed the government under the leadership of Christy Clark, while the BC New Democratic Party, under the leadership of Adrian Dix and then John Horgan, formed the Official Opposition; the BC Green Party were also represented in the legislature with sole MLA and later leader Andrew Weaver.
Richard J. "Dick" Cannings is a Canadian biologist, author and politician. He is currently serving as the South Okanagan—West Kootenay member of parliament in the 42nd Canadian Parliament. He was elected to that position in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a member of the New Democratic Party. During that parliament he sponsored three private member bills: one to promote the use of wood in federal public works projects, one to add various lakes and rivers to Navigable Waters Protection Act, and another to a Minister of Environment to respond to a Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada report. Cannings was appointed the NDP Critic for Post-Secondary Education as well as the Deputy Critic for Natural Resources in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.
The 41st Parliament of British Columbia was in session from June 22, 2017, to September 21, 2020. It consisted of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 9, 2017, and subsequent by-elections, and the Queen in right of British Columbia, represented by the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. It was the first parliament following the increase in size of the legislature from 85 to 87 seats. Immediately following the election, Christy Clark, the incumbent premier, asked the lieutenant governor to remain governing until the final votes were counted and it would be known if there would be a majority or minority government. Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon agreed and Clark appointed a cabinet of 21 ministers and 13 parliamentary secretaries, which were sworn in on June 12, 2017.
The 2020 British Columbia general election was held on October 24, 2020, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly to serve in the 42nd parliament of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The incumbent New Democratic Party of British Columbia won a majority government, making John Horgan the first leader in the history of the British Columbia New Democratic Party to win a second consecutive term as Premier. The incoming Legislature marks the first time the NDP commanded an outright majority government in BC since the 1996 election, as well as the first province-wide popular vote win for the party since 1991.
