Premier of British Columbia

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Premier of British Columbia
Premier ministre de la Colombie-Britannique
Coat of arms of British Columbia.svg
Flag of British Columbia.svg
David Eby, BC NDP candidate for Vancouver-Point Grey (54002997713) (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
David Eby
since November 18, 2022
Office of the Premier
Style
Status Head of Government
Member of
Reports to
Seat Victoria
Appointer Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
(with the confidence of the British Columbia Legislature)
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
(contingent on the premier's ability to command confidence in the Legislative Assembly)
FormationNovember 13, 1871
First holder John Foster McCreight
Deputy Deputy premier of British Columbia
Salary$218,587.27 [1]
Website Office of the Premier

The premier of British Columbia is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s, the title prime minister of British Columbia was often used. The word premier is derived from the French word of the same spelling, meaning "first"; and ultimately from the Latin word primarius, meaning "primary". [2]

Contents

Although the premier is the day-to-day leader of the provincial government, they receive the authority to govern from the Crown (represented in British Columbia by the province's lieutenant governor). Formally, the executive branch of government in British Columbia is said to be vested in the lieutenant governor acting by and with the advice and consent of the executive council.

The position of premier is not described in Canadian constitutional statutes. By convention, the leader of the political party that has the support of a majority of members of the Legislative Assembly is usually invited by the lieutenant governor to form the government.

Formal responsibilities

The responsibilities of the premier usually include:

President of the Executive Council

Generally, the premier selects MLAs from their party to be appointed ministers of the Crown by the Lieutenant Governor. Cabinet appointees are designated ministers in charge of government ministries; they are responsible for the day-to-day activities of individual government ministries such as the Ministry of Forests, and for proposing new laws or changing existing ones. The premier may also choose an individual who is not an MLA to be a cabinet minister, although on the rare occasion that this does happen, the practice is that the minister proceeds to obtain a seat in the House. The appointment of an MLA to Cabinet is based on their ability and expertise and is also influenced by political considerations such as geography, gender and ethnicity.

A minister remains in office solely at the pleasure of the premier. The resignation of the premier also triggers the resignation of the other members of Cabinet. [3]

See also

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  1. The King of Canada: His Majesty King Charles III
  2. Lieutenant Governor of Alberta: Her Honour the Honourable Salma Lakhani
  3. Premier of Alberta: The Honourable Danielle Smith
  4. The Chief Justice of The Court of Appeal of Alberta: The Honourable Justice Ritu Khullar
  5. Former lieutenant governors of Alberta
    1. The Honourable Donald Ethell
    2. The Honourable Lois Mitchell
  6. Former premiers of Alberta
    1. The Honourable Ed Stelmach
    2. The Honourable Alison Redford
    3. The Honourable Dave Hancock
    4. The Honourable Rachel Notley
    5. The Honourable Jason Kenney
  7. Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta: Nathan Cooper
  8. Ambassadors and high commissioners accredited to Canada
  9. Members of the Executive Council of Alberta, in relative order of precedence as determined by the premier
  10. Leader of the Official Opposition: Christina Gray
  11. Current members of the King's Privy Council for Canada resident in Alberta, with precedence given to current members of the federal cabinet
  12. Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta with precedence governed by the date of their first election to the Legislature
  13. Members of the Senate of Canada who represent Alberta, by date of appointment
    1. The Honourable Scott Tannas
    2. The Honourable Patti LaBoucane-Benson
    3. The Honourable Paula Simons
    4. The Honourable Karen Sorensen
    5. The Honourable Daryl Fridhandler
    6. The Honourable Kristopher Wells
  14. Members of the House of Commons of Canada who represent Alberta constituencies, by date of election
  15. Superior court justices
    1. Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta: The Honourable Justice Kenneth G. Nielsen
    2. Justices of the Court of Appeal of Alberta
    3. Justices of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta
  16. Heads of religious denominations
  17. Heads of consular posts: consuls-general; consuls; vice-consuls; consular agents
  18. Judges of the Provincial Court of Alberta
    1. Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta
    2. Other judges by seniority of appointment
  19. Mayors of Alberta municipalities
  20. Aboriginal Leaders
    1. Chiefs of the Treaty First Nations in Alberta, in order of seniority of election to office;
    2. President of Métis Settlements General Council
    3. President of Métis Nation of Alberta: Audrey Poitras
  21. Deputy Minister to the Premier and Cabinet Secretary
  22. Clerk of the Legislative Assembly
  23. Ombudsman
  24. Provincial Auditor
  25. Chief Electoral Officer
  26. Ethics Commissioner: Marguerite Trussler
  27. Information and Privacy Commissioner: Jill Clayton
  28. Deputy Ministers
  29. Senior Alberta government officials with rank of Deputy Minister as determined by the Executive Council
  30. Chief executive officers of Crown corporations
  31. Leadership of Alberta universities
    1. Chancellor of the University of Alberta: Ralph B. Young
    2. Chancellor of the University of Calgary: Jim Dinning
    3. Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge: Shirley McClellan
    4. Chairman of the Board, University of Alberta
    5. Chairman of the Board, University of Calgary
    6. Chairman of the Board, University of Lethbridge
    7. Chairman of the Board, Athabasca University
    8. Chairman of the Board, Mount Royal University
    9. Chairman of the Board, MacEwan University
    10. President of the University of Alberta: David H. Turpin
    11. President of the University of Calgary: Ed McCauley
    12. President of the University of Lethbridge: Michael J. Mahon
    13. President of Athabasca University: Frits Pannekoek
    14. President of Mount Royal University: David Docherty
    15. President of Grant MacEwan University: David W. Atkinson
  32. Police and military
    1. Commanding Officer, "K" Division, Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Curtis Zablocki
    2. Commander, 3rd Canadian Division: Brigadier-General W.H. Fletcher
    3. Commanding Officer, HMCS Nonsuch
    4. Commanding Officer, 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
    5. Commanding Officer, 1 Area Support Group
    6. Commanding Officer, 41 Canadian Brigade Group
    7. Commanding Officer, 4 Wing

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The Government of Quebec is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day and the non-political staff within each provincial department or agency whom the ministers direct. By virtue of French being the province's official language, the governement corporately brands itself as the Gouvernement du Québec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Heyman</span> Canadian politician

George Heyman is a Canadian politician and former social, environmental and labour activist. He represented the district of Vancouver-Fairview in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2013 until 2024 as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. He served as Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opening of the Parliament of Canada</span>

The opening of the Parliament of Canada is the commencement of a session of the Parliament of Canada following a general election. It involves summons from the governor general on behalf of the monarch and a ceremony based on the same in the United Kingdom, though less elaborate and now evolved to include uniquely Canadian elements.

References

  1. "MLA Remuneration and Expenses". www.leg.bc.ca. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  2. Onions, C.T. Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1985.
  3. Much of the information above is adapted from the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia website article "Discover more about the role of an MLA". Please see the external links.