Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
43rd Parliament of British Columbia
Type
Type	Unicameral house of the Legislature of British Columbia
Sovereign	The lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada)
History
Founded	July 20, 1871
Preceded by	Legislative Council
Leadership
Speaker	Raj Chouhan, NDP ; since December 7, 2020
Premier	David Eby, NDP ; since November 18, 2022
Leader of the Opposition	Lorne Doerkson, Conservative ; since September 20, 2026
Government House leader	Mike Farnworth, NDP ; since November 18, 2024
Opposition House leader	Sheldon Clare, Conservative ; since June 29, 2026
Structure
Seats	93
Political groups	His Majesty's Government New Democratic (47); His Majesty's Loyal Opposition Conservative (36); Parties with official status Green (2); OneBC (2); Parties without official status CentreBC (1); Independent (3); Vacancies Vacant (2);
Elections
Last election	October 19, 2024
Next election	October 24, 2026
Meeting place
	Parliament Buildings, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Website
	www.leg.bc.ca

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (French: Assemblée législative de la Colombie-Britannique) is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The legislature also includes the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. The assembly has 93 elected members and meets in Victoria. Members are elected from provincial ridings and are referred to as members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor in the name of the King of Canada.

The current legislature is the 43rd Parliament. The most recent general election was held on October 19, 2024. Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are broadcast by Hansard Broadcasting Services.

Location

From 1856 to 1860, the Legislature of the Colony of Vancouver Island met at Bachelor's Hall at Fort Victoria. From 1860 to 1898 it was housed in the first permanent building at Legislative Hall or Legislative Council Court, a two-storey wooden building along with four other buildings (Land Office, Colonial Office, Supreme Court, and Treasury) known colloquially as "The Birdcages" because of their shape (burned 1957). Since 1898, the legislature has been located in the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, which features a 150-metre-long facade (500 ft), central dome, two end pavilions, and a gilded statue of George Vancouver.

Parliaments

Parliament	Period		Government Premier of British Columbia			Opposition Leader of the Opposition
Parliament	Start	End	Party		Name	Party		Name
1st 1871 election	1871	1875		None	John Foster McCreight Amor De Cosmos George Anthony Walkem		None	None
2nd 1875 election	1876	1878		None	George Anthony Walkem Andrew Charles Elliott		None	None
3rd 1878 election	1878	1882		None	George Anthony Walkem Robert Beaven		None	None
4th 1882 election	1883	1886		None	Robert Beaven William Smithe		None	None
5th 1886 election	1887	1890		None	William Smithe Alexander Edmund Batson Davie John Robson		None	None
6th 1890 election	1891	1894		None	John Robson Theodore Davie		None	None
7th 1894 election	1894	1898		None	Theodore Davie John Herbert Turner		None	None
8th 1898 election	1899	1900		None	John Herbert Turner Charles Augustus Semlin Joseph Martin		None	None
9th 1900 election	1900	1903		None	James Dunsmuir Edward Gawler Prior Richard McBride		None	None
10th 1903 election	1903	1906		Conservative	Richard McBride		Liberal	James Alexander MacDonald
11th 1907 election	1907	1909		Conservative	Richard McBride		Liberal	James Alexander MacDonald
12th 1909 election	1910	1912		Conservative	Richard McBride		Socialist	James Hawthornthwaite
12th 1909 election	1910	1912		Conservative	Richard McBride		Liberal	Harlan Carey Brewster
13th 1912 election	1913	1916		Conservative	Richard McBride William John Bowser		Socialist	Parker Williams
13th 1912 election	1913	1916		Conservative	Richard McBride William John Bowser		Liberal	Harlan Carey Brewster
14th 1916 election	1917	1920		Liberal	Harlan Carey Brewster John Oliver		Conservative	William John Bowser
15th 1920 election	1921	1924		Liberal	John Oliver		Conservative	William John Bowser
16th 1924 election	1924	1928		Liberal	John Oliver John Duncan MacLean		Conservative	Robert Henry Pooley
17th 1928 election	1929	1933		Conservative	Simon Fraser Tolmie		Liberal	Duff Pattullo
18th 1933 election	1934	1937		Liberal	Duff Pattullo		CCF	Robert Connell
18th 1933 election	1934	1937		Liberal	Duff Pattullo		Social Constructive	Robert Connell
19th 1937 election	1937	1941		Liberal	Duff Pattullo		Conservative	Frank Porter Patterson Royal Maitland
20th 1941 election	1941	1945		Liberal–Conservative coalition	John Hart		CCF	Harold Winch
21st 1945 election	1946	1949		Liberal–Progressive Conservative coalition	John Hart Boss Johnson		CCF	Harold Winch
22nd 1949 election	1950	1952		Liberal–Progressive Conservative coalition	Boss Johnson		CCF	Harold Winch
22nd 1949 election	1950	1952		Liberal	Boss Johnson		Progressive Conservative	Herbert Anscomb
23rd 1952 election	1953	1953		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		CCF	Harold Winch
24th 1953 election	1953	1956		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		CCF	Arnold Webster
25th 1956 election	1957	1960		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		CCF	Robert Strachan
26th 1960 election	1961	1963		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		CCF	Robert Strachan
27th 1963 election	1964	1966		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		NDP	Robert Strachan
28th 1966 election	1967	1969		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		NDP	Robert Strachan
29th 1969 election	1970	1972		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett		NDP	Dave Barrett
30th 1972 election	1972	1975		New Democratic	Dave Barrett		Social Credit	W. A. C. Bennett Frank Richter Jr. Bill Bennett
31st 1975 election	1976	1979		Social Credit	Bill Bennett		NDP	Bill King Dave Barrett
32nd 1979 election	1979	1983		Social Credit	Bill Bennett		NDP	Dave Barrett
33rd 1983 election	1983	1986		Social Credit	Bill Bennett Bill Vander Zalm		NDP	Dave Barrett Bob Skelly
34th 1986 election	1987	1991		Social Credit	Bill Vander Zalm Rita Johnston		NDP	Bob Skelly Mike Harcourt
35th 1991 election	1991	1996		New Democratic	Mike Harcourt Glen Clark		Liberal	Gordon Wilson Fred Gingell Gordon Campbell
36th 1996 election	1996	2001		New Democratic	Glen Clark Dan Miller Ujjal Dosanjh		Liberal	Gordon Campbell
37th 2001 election	2001	2005		Liberal	Gordon Campbell		NDP	Joy MacPhail
38th 2005 election	2005	2009		Liberal	Gordon Campbell		NDP	Carole James
39th 2009 election	2009	2013		Liberal	Gordon Campbell Christy Clark		NDP	Carole James Dawn Black Adrian Dix
40th 2013 election	2013	2017		Liberal	Christy Clark		NDP	Adrian Dix John Horgan
41st 2017 election	2017	2020		Liberal	Christy Clark		NDP	John Horgan
41st 2017 election	2017	2020		New Democratic	John Horgan		Liberal	Christy Clark Rich Coleman Andrew Wilkinson
42nd 2020 election	2020	2024		New Democratic	John Horgan David Eby		Liberal	Shirley Bond
42nd 2020 election	2020	2024		New Democratic	John Horgan David Eby		United	Kevin Falcon
43rd 2024 election	2025	2026		New Democratic	David Eby		Conservative	John Rustad Trevor Halford Heather Maahs Lorne Doerkson

Officeholders

As of June 2026^[update]:

Speaker

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia: Raj Chouhan (New Democratic)

Other chair occupants

Deputy speaker; chair, Committee of the Whole: Mable Elmore (New Democratic)
Assistant deputy speaker: vacant

Leaders

Premier of British Columbia: David Eby (New Democratic)
Leader of the Opposition: Lorne Doerkson (Conservative)
Third party leader: Jeremy Valeriote (Green; parliamentary)

House leaders

Government House leader: Mike Farnworth (New Democratic)
Opposition House leader: Sheldon Clare (Conservative)
Third party House leader: Rob Botterell (Green)

Whips

Chief government whip: Janet Routledge (New Democratic)
Official Opposition whip: Macklin McCall (Conservative)

Hansard TV

Hansard TV (also known as Hansard Broadcasting Services) is the official television network of the assembly. It is available on the vast majority of cable systems province-wide, nationally on satellite services, and on the Legislative Assembly's website and its YouTube channel. The brand name of "Hansard" refers to printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system government. Hansard TV also manages the operation of the Saskatchewan Legislative Network, the broadcaster for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Hansard TV's broadcasts are available with closed captioning, with live sessions available with Canadian Sign Language interpretation on-screen.

History

Premier Bill Vander Zalm had promised to introduce television cameras into the BC Legislature in 1986, but high costs had delayed the implementation of such a service. As a result, the plans were redrawn to cut the costs from $6 million to $2 million. Even though that system was not yet in service, temporary manual-operated coverage debuted on March 11, 1991, with five camera positions, when the legislature was recalled. The permanent facility was completed by March 1992, for the opening of the 35th Parliament. The broadcasts were uplinked to the Anik E2 satellite for distribution by cable television companies throughout the province.

Gallery

Photos of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings
The Parliament Buildings roof with a gilded statue of George Vancouver
The Legislative Chamber

Notes

↑ Green Party leader Emily Lowan does not have a seat in the Legislative Assembly.

References

↑ "Opposition". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
↑ Pawson, Chad (February 9, 2026). "B.C. Greens pull out of governing accord with B.C. NDP | CBC News". CBC.
↑ "Current Party Standings". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
↑ "Organizational structure – Province of British Columbia". Government of British Columbia. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
↑ "Order of Her Majesty in Council admitting British Columbia into the Union, dated the 16th day of May 1871", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1871/
↑ Duffus, Maureen. "Vancouver Island First Legislature" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Vancouver Island History. Accessed September 1, 2022.
↑ Harberer, E. (April 8, 1876). "Victoria B.C. -The Provincial Public Buildings" Archived December 24, 2004, at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Illustrated News. via University of Victoria. Accessed September 1, 2022.
↑ "About Victoria: History". City of Victoria. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
↑ "Attractions in Victoria, BC". Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2007.
↑ Hauka, Don (February 12, 1991). "Wage-control debate to be on TV: Socreds". The Province. p. 5. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
↑ Young, Gerard (March 11, 1991). "B.C. legislature latest TV show". Nanaimo Daily Free Press. Canadian Press. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
↑ Hunter, Justine (March 17, 1992). "Lights, cameras, action — it's showtime in Victoria". The Vancouver Sun. p. A3. Retrieved August 30, 2026.

External links

48°25′10″N 123°22′13″W / 48.4194°N 123.3703°W / 48.4194; -123.3703

[10] Green Party leader Emily Lowan does not have a seat in the Legislative Assembly.

[1] "Opposition". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved March 8, 2025.

[2] Pawson, Chad (February 9, 2026). "B.C. Greens pull out of governing accord with B.C. NDP | CBC News". CBC.

[3] "Current Party Standings". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved February 17, 2026.

[4] "Organizational structure – Province of British Columbia". Government of British Columbia. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.

[5] "Order of Her Majesty in Council admitting British Columbia into the Union, dated the 16th day of May 1871", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1871/

[6] Duffus, Maureen. "Vancouver Island First Legislature" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Vancouver Island History. Accessed September 1, 2022.

[7] Harberer, E. (April 8, 1876). "Victoria B.C. -The Provincial Public Buildings" Archived December 24, 2004, at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Illustrated News. via University of Victoria. Accessed September 1, 2022.

[8] "About Victoria: History". City of Victoria. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2022.

[9] "Attractions in Victoria, BC". Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2007.

[11] Hauka, Don (February 12, 1991). "Wage-control debate to be on TV: Socreds". The Province. p. 5. Retrieved August 30, 2026.

[12] Young, Gerard (March 11, 1991). "B.C. legislature latest TV show". Nanaimo Daily Free Press. Canadian Press. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2026.

[13] Hunter, Justine (March 17, 1992). "Lights, cameras, action — it's showtime in Victoria". The Vancouver Sun. p. A3. Retrieved August 30, 2026.

v t e Politics of British Columbia
Lieutenant governor	Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia Former lieutenant governors
Premier	David Eby Former premiers By time in office Deputy premier
Leader of the Opposition	Lorne Doerkson Former Opposition leaders
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly	Raj Chouhan
Legislative Assembly	Current Parliament Former Parliaments
Cabinet	Current Cabinet Current Shadow Cabinet Previous Cabinets Previous Shadow Cabinets
Political parties	CentreBC Conservative Green New Democratic OneBC more
Elections	2026 general election 2024 general election Past elections By-elections Electoral districts
Other Canadian politics	Federal AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PEI NL YT NT NU

v t e Legislative television channels in Canada
Federal	CPAC
Provincial	Hansard TV BC House of Assembly Channel NL Legislative Television NS Ontario Parliament Network ON Canal de l'Assemblée nationale QC Saskatchewan Legislative Network SK Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Television Service NB

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