Leader of the Opposition (British Columbia)

Leader of the Opposition
Chef de l'Opposition
Incumbent
John Rustad
since October 19, 2024
Member ofLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
SeatBritish Columbia Parliament Buildings
Term lengthWhile leader of the largest party not in government
Inaugural holderJames Mackenzie McDonald
FormationNovember 7, 1871 (1871-11-07)[1]
SalaryCA$59,766.37 (2024)[a][2]

The leader of the Opposition (French: chef de l'Opposition) 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

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

Portrait Opposition leader Constituency Term of office Party
James Alexander MacDonald
(1858–1939) 		Rossland City October 19, 1903 – October 10, 1909 Liberal
John Oliver
(1856–1927) 		Delta October 10, 1909 – November 25, 1909 Liberal
vacant[b] — November 25, 1909 – January 1910 Liberal
James Hurst Hawthornthwaite[c]
(1863–1926) 		Nanaimo City January 1910 – March 1910 Socialist
Harlan Carey Brewster[c]
(1870–1918) 		Alberni January 1910 – March 28, 1912 Liberal
Parker Williams[d]
(1872–1958) 		Newcastle March 1912 – March 1, 1916 Socialist
Harlan Carey Brewster[e]
(1870–1918) 		Victoria City March 1, 1916 – November 23, 1916 Liberal
William John Bowser
(1867–1933) 		Vancouver City November 23, 1916 – June 20, 1924 Conservative
Robert Henry Pooley[f]
(1878–1954) 		Esquimalt August 1924 – July 18, 1928 Conservative
Duff Pattullo
(1873–1956) 		Prince Rupert January 1929 – November 15, 1933 Liberal
Robert Connell
(1871–1957) 		Victoria City November 15, 1933 – June 1, 1937 Co-operative Commonwealth
Social Reconstructive[g]
Frank Porter Patterson
(1876–1938) 		Dewdney June 1, 1937 – February 10, 1938 Conservative
vacant[h] — February 10, 1938 – September 1938 Conservative
Royal Maitland
(1889–1946) 		Vancouver-Point Grey September 1938 – October 21, 1941 Conservative
Harold Winch
(1907–1993) 		Vancouver East October 21, 1941 – January 19, 1952 Co-operative Commonwealth
Herbert Anscomb[i]
(1892–1972) 		Oak Bay January 19, 1952 – June 12, 1952 Progressive Conservative
Harold Winch
(1907–1993) 		Vancouver East June 12, 1952 – April 10, 1953 Co-operative Commonwealth
Arnold Webster
(1899–1979) 		Vancouver East April 10, 1953 – April 6, 1956 Co-operative Commonwealth
Robert Strachan
(1913–1981) 		Cowichan-Newcastle
(until 1966)
Cowichan-Malahat
(from 1966) 		April 6, 1956 – April 12, 1969 Co-operative Commonwealth[j]
New Democratic[j]
vacant[k] — April 12, 1969 – September 1969 New Democratic
Dave Barrett
(1930–2018) 		Coquitlam September 1969 – September 15, 1972 New Democratic
W. A. C. Bennett
(1900–1979) 		South Okanagan September 15, 1972 – June 5, 1973 Social Credit
Frank Richter Jr.
(1910–1977) 		Boundary-Similkameen June 5, 1973 – November 24, 1973 Social Credit
Bill Bennett
(1932–2015) 		South Okanagan November 24, 1973 – December 22, 1975 Social Credit
William King[l]
(1930–2020) 		Revelstoke-Slocan December 22, 1975 – June 3, 1976 New Democratic
Dave Barrett
(1930–2018) 		Vancouver East June 3, 1976 – May 20, 1984 New Democratic
Bob Skelly
(1943–2022) 		Alberni May 20, 1984 – April 12, 1987 New Democratic
Mike Harcourt
(born 1943) 		Vancouver Centre April 12, 1987 – November 5, 1991 New Democratic
Gordon Wilson
(born 1949) 		Powell River-Sunshine Coast November 5, 1991 – February 1993 Liberal
Fred Gingell
(1930–1999) 		Delta South February 1993 – February 17, 1994 Liberal
Gordon Campbell
(born 1948) 		Vancouver-Quilchena
(until 1996)
Vancouver-Point Grey
(from 1996) 		February 17, 1994 – June 5, 2001 Liberal
Joy MacPhail[m]
(born 1952) 		Vancouver-Hastings June 5, 2001 – May 17, 2005 New Democratic
Carole James
(born 1957) 		Victoria-Beacon Hill May 17, 2005 – January 20, 2011 New Democratic
Dawn Black
(born 1943) 		New Westminster January 20, 2011 – April 17, 2011 New Democratic
Adrian Dix
(born 1964) 		Vancouver-Kingsway April 17, 2011 – May 4, 2014 New Democratic
John Horgan
(1959–2024) 		Juan de Fuca May 4, 2014 – July 18, 2017 New Democratic
Christy Clark
(born 1965) 		Kelowna West July 18, 2017 – August 4, 2017 Liberal
Rich Coleman
(born 1956) 		Langley East August 4, 2017 – February 3, 2018 Liberal
Andrew Wilkinson
(born 1958) 		Vancouver-Quilchena February 3, 2018 – November 21, 2020 Liberal
Shirley Bond
(born 1956 or 1957) 		Prince George-Valemount November 23, 2020 – April 30, 2022 Liberal
Kevin Falcon
(born 1963) 		Vancouver-Quilchena April 30, 2022 – October 19, 2024 Liberal
BC United[n]
John Rustad
(born 1961) 		Nechako Lakes October 19, 2024 – present Conservative

Notes

  1. ^ This number does not include the base salary received by all BC MLAs.
  2. ^ John Oliver lost his seat in the 1909 election.
  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. ^ Patterson died on office on February 10, 1938, leaving the post vacant until the Conservatives chose Royal Maitland as their leader in September.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b The CCF became the NDP in 1961 as a result of the creation of the federal New Democratic Party.
  11. ^ Some sources name Thomas R. Berger as leader of the Official Opposition from 1969–1970 as he was the leader of the second largest party in the Legislative Assembly. However, he never sat in the Legislative Assembly during this time and could not have been called upon by the speaker as leader of the Opposition.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ MacPhail served as the interim leader of the New Democrats from 2001 to 2003. After Carole James became party leader in 2003, MacPhail remained the leader of the Opposition until James won a seat in the 2005 election.
  14. ^ The BC Liberal Party changed its name to BC United on April 12, 2023.

References

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