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Leader of the Opposition (British Columbia)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leader of the Opposition of British Columbia
Incumbent
John Rustad
since November 12, 2024
StyleThe Honorable
Member ofLegislative Assembly
SeatBritish Columbia Parliament Buildings
Inaugural holderJames Mackenzie McDonald
FormationNovember 7, 1871; 153 years ago (1871-11-07)[1]
SalaryCA$59,766.37 (2024)[a][2]

The leader of the Opposition (French: chef de l'Opposition) in British Columbia is the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia who leads the political party recognized as the Official Opposition. This position generally goes to the leader of the largest party in the Legislative Assembly that is not in government.

History

[edit]

Prior to the 1903 election, British Columbia politics operated as a non-partisan democracy. Members often declared themselves to be supporters of the government or of the opposition, but the labels were informal and the lines often shifted. The most prominent member of the Opposition was often called the "leader of the Opposition", but the position was not officially recognized until the introduction of formalized party politics.[3][4]

List of leaders of the Opposition

[edit]
Portrait Name[3]
Electoral district
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Party
James Alexander MacDonald
MLA for Rossland City
(1858–1939)
1903–1909 Liberal
John Oliver[b]
(1856–1927)
1909–1910 Liberal
James Hurst Hawthornthwaite[c]
MLA for Nanaimo City
(1863–1926)
1910 Socialist
Harlan Carey Brewster[c]
MLA for Alberni
(1870–1918)
1911–1912 Liberal
Parker Williams[d]
MLA for Newcastle
(1872–1958)
1913–1915 Socialist
Harlan Carey Brewster[e]
MLA for Victoria City
(1870–1918)
1916 Liberal
William John Bowser
MLA for Vancouver City
(1867–1933)
1917–1923 Conservative
Robert Henry Pooley[f]
MLA for Esquimalt
(1878–1954)
1924–1928 Conservative
Duff Pattullo
MLA for Prince Rupert
(1873–1956)
1929–1933 Liberal
Robert Connell
MLA for Victoria City
(1871–1957)
1933–1937 Co-operative Commonwealth
Social Reconstructive[g]
Frank Porter Patterson
MLA for Dewdney
(1876–1938)
1937–1938 Conservative
Royal Maitland
MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey
(1889–1946)
1938–1940 Conservative
Harold Winch
MLA for Vancouver East
(1907–1993)
1941–1951 Co-operative Commonwealth
Herbert Anscomb[h]
MLA for Oak Bay
(1892–1972)
1952 Progressive Conservative
Harold Winch
MLA for Vancouver East
(1907–1993)
1953 Co-operative Commonwealth
Arnold Webster
MLA for Vancouver East
(1899–1979)
1953–1956 Co-operative Commonwealth
Robert Strachan[i]
MLA for Cowichan-Newcastle
(until 1966)
MLA for Cowichan-Malahat
(from 1966)

(1913–1981)
1957–1969 Co-operative Commonwealth
New Democratic
Thomas R. Berger[b]
(1933–2021)
1969–1970 New Democratic
Dave Barrett
MLA for Coquitlam
(1930–2018)
1970–1972 New Democratic
W. A. C. Bennett
MLA for South Okanagan
(1900–1979)
1972–1973 Social Credit
Frank Richter Jr.
MLA for Boundary-Similkameen
(1910–1977)
1973 Social Credit
Bill Bennett
MLA for South Okanagan
(1932–2015)
1974–1975 Social Credit
William King[j]
MLA for Revelstoke-Slocan
(1930–2020)
1976 New Democratic
Dave Barrett
MLA for Vancouver East
(1930–2018)
1976–1984 New Democratic
Bob Skelly
MLA for Alberni
(1943–2022)
1984–1987 New Democratic
Mike Harcourt
MLA for Vancouver Centre
(born 1943)
1987–1991 New Democratic
Gordon Wilson
MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast
(born 1949)
1991–1993 Liberal
Fred Gingell
MLA for Delta South
(1930–1999)
1993–1994 Liberal
Gordon Campbell
MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena
(until 1996)
MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey
(from 1996)

(born 1948)
1994–2001 Liberal
Joy MacPhail[k]
MLA for Vancouver-Hastings
(born 1952)
2001–2005 New Democratic
Carole James
MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill
(born 1957)
2005–2011 New Democratic
Dawn Black
MLA for New Westminster
(born 1943)
2011 New Democratic
Adrian Dix
MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway
(born 1964)
2011–2014 New Democratic
John Horgan
MLA for Juan de Fuca
(1959–2024)
2014–2017 New Democratic
Christy Clark
MLA for Kelowna West
(born 1965)
2017 Liberal
Rich Coleman
MLA for Langley East
(born 1956)
2017–2018 Liberal
Andrew Wilkinson
MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena
(born 1958)
2018–2020 Liberal
Shirley Bond
MLA for Prince George-Valemount
(born 1956 or 1957)
2020–2022 Liberal
Kevin Falcon
MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena
(born 1963)
2022–2024 Liberal
United[l]
John Rustad
MLA for Nechako Lakes
(born 1961)
2024–present Conservative

Notes

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  1. ^ This number does not include the base salary recieved by all BC MLAs.
  2. ^ a b Did not sit in the Legislature as leader of the Official Opposition
  3. ^ a b The 1909 election saw four opposition members, two Liberals and two Socialists, elected. As seats were assigned by alphabetical order, Hawthornthwaite physically occupied the seat typical of the Opposition leader. Hawthornthwaite initially rejected the idea of being leader, but was later reported to have "assumed the functions of Opposition leader". However, by the next session, Brewster was being referred to as Opposition leader.[5]
  4. ^ Declined to be named Opposition leader, but was referred to as such by the media and received the appropriate salary.[5]
  5. ^ Became Opposition leader mid-legislature after by-election victories.[5]
  6. ^ After party leader William John Bowser lost his seat in the 1924 election, house leader Robert Henry Pooley became leader of the Opposition. In 1926 Simon Fraser Tolmie was elected Conservative leader but he did not seek a seat in the legislature until the 1928 provincial election, which his party won.
  7. ^ Connell was exeplled from the CCF in 1936 for opposing party policy. He and three other CCF MLAs formed the "Social Reconstructive" party. With a total of 4 MLAs compared to 3 remaining in the CCF, Connell's new party was the second largest in the legislature allowing him to retain the title of "leader of the Official Opposition".
  8. ^ Anscomb's Conservatives had been part of a coalition government with the Liberals until late 1951 when the Liberals decided to terminate the arrangement and Premier John Hart dropped his Conservative ministers from Cabinet. The Tories moved to the opposition benches and displaced the CCF to form the Official Opposition from February 1952 until the June 1952 provincial election.
  9. ^ The CCF became the NDP in 1961 as a result of the creation of the federal New Democratic Party.
  10. ^ Barrett lost his seat in the December 1975 general election and re-entered the legislature through a June 1976 by-election. William Stewart King acted as leader of the Opposition in the house in the interim. Barrett continued as leader of the party during this period.
  11. ^ Although Gordon Campbell refused to recognize the NDP as an official party since it lacked the number of seats required for official party status, the Speaker recognized MacPhail as Opposition leader and ensured the NDP received the resources and funding due to the party's status as the Official Opposition.
  12. ^ The BC Liberal Party changed its name to BC United on April 12, 2023.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BC Archives".
  2. ^ "MLA Remuneration and Expenses | Legislative Assembly of BC". www.leg.bc.ca.
  3. ^ a b "Leaders of the Official Opposition of British Columbia" (PDF). Legislative Library of British Columbia. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Electoral History of British Columbia 1871–1986" (PDF). Legislative Library of British Columbia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Leaders of the Opposition in British Columbia 1903–" (PDF). Legislative Library of British Columbia. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2020.