Mike Bernier
Mike Bernier | |
|---|---|
 Bernier in 2016 | |
| Leader of CentreBC | |
| Assumed office November 14, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Elenore Sturko |
| In office July 18, 2026 – September 18, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Karin Kirkpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Peter Milobar |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Peace River South | |
| In office May 14, 2013 – September 21, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Blair Lekstrom |
| Succeeded by | Larry Neufeld |
| Minister of Education of British Columbia | |
| In office July 30, 2015 – July 18, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Fassbender |
| Succeeded by | Rob Fleming |
| Mayor of Dawson Creek | |
| In office December 1, 2008 – May 15, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Calvin Kruk |
| Succeeded by | Dale Bumstead |
| Dawson Creek Municipal Councillor | |
| In office December 5, 2005 – December 1, 2008 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 57–58) |
| Party | CentreBC |
Other political affiliations | BC Liberal (until 2024) Independent (2024) |
Mike Bernier (born 1968) is a Canadian politician who served as leader of CentreBC from July to September 2026 and again since November 2026. He represented Peace River South in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 2013 to 2024 as a member of the BC Liberal Party, later renamed BC United, and served as British Columbia's minister of education from 2015 to 2017. Before entering provincial politics, he was a Dawson Creek city councillor from 2005 to 2008 and mayor from 2008 to 2013.
Political career
Before being elected provincially, he served as a city councillor (2005–2008) and then the mayor (2008–2013) of Dawson Creek, BC. Before entering politics, he worked for 20 years in the natural gas industry.
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election. He represented the electoral district of Peace River South as a member of the BC United. In December 2014, he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Literacy and the Environment for the Minister of Environment. On July 30, 2015, he was chosen to be Minister of Education in British Columbia.
In September 2016, Bernier announced that school districts and independent schools would be required to include explicit references to sexual orientation and gender identity in their anti-bullying policies by the end of the year.
On October 17, 2016, Bernier fired the Vancouver School Board for failing to pass a balanced budget.
On May 9, 2017, Bernier was re-elected in his rural riding of Peace River South with 75.63% of the vote, the highest a BC Liberal has ever been elected with in provincial history and the eleventh highest across all parties in BC history when the Conservative Party of British Columbia did not run a candidate in the riding.
Bernier was reappointed Minister of Education on June 12, 2017. Bernier sought the BC Liberal Party leadership after Christy Clark's resignation in August 2017, but dropped out of the race after two weeks.
In opposition, he has served as the opposition critic for housing and for finance.[citation needed]
In the 2024 British Columbia general election, he ran as an independent candidate but was unseated by Conservative Party of British Columbia candidate Larry Neufeld.
CentreBC
On July 18, 2026, Bernier was named leader of CentreBC, succeeding Karin Kirkpatrick.
On September 18, he stepped aside as leader in favour of Peter Milobar, as eight former Conservative MLAs joined CentreBC. Their arrival made CentreBC the third-largest party in the provincial legislature.
Four days later, on September 22, Milobar and six other CentreBC MLAs returned to the Conservatives following the resignation of Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and the calling of a snap provincial election. Elenore Sturko, the only MLA to remain with CentreBC, succeeded Milobar as leader. CentreBC subsequently failed to win any seats in the October 24 election.
Bernier did not stand as a candidate in the 2026 British Columbia general election, instead working as a campaign strategist.
Electoral record
| 2024 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Larry Neufeld | 7,182 | 69.84 | +39.32 | $44,112.40 | |||
| Unaffiliated | Mike Bernier | 2,525 | 24.56 | -26.64 | $12,313.25 | |||
| New Democratic | Marshall Bigsby | 576 | 5.60 | -10.04 | $1,286.83 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 10,283 | 99.85 | – | $71,700.08 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 15 | 0.15 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 10,298 | 56.56 | +14.91 | |||||
| Registered voters | 18,206 | |||||||
| Conservative gain from BC United | Swing | +32.98 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
- ↑ Swing against BC United incumbent Mike Bernier, standing for re-election as an unaffiliated candidate.
| 2020 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Mike Bernier | 3,862 | 51.19 | −24.78 | $11,466.78 | |||
| Conservative | Kathleen Connolly | 2,303 | 30.53 | – | $0.00 | |||
| New Democratic | Corey Grizz Longley | 1,180 | 15.64 | −8.39 | $1,321.80 | |||
| Wexit | Dorothy Sharon Smith | 199 | 2.84 | – | $538.35 | |||
| Total valid votes | 7,544 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 42 | 0.56 | ||||||
| Turnout | 7,586 | 41.66 | ||||||
| Registered voters | 18,211 | |||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
| 2017 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Mike Bernier | 6,637 | 75.97 | +29.24 | $26,175 | |||
| New Democratic | Stephanie Goudie | 2,099 | 24.03 | +2.79 | $8,179 | |||
| Total valid votes | 8,736 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 131 | 1.48 | ||||||
| Turnout | 8,867 | 49.97 | ||||||
| Registered voters | 17,746 | |||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
| 2013 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Mike Bernier | 4,373 | 46.73 | -16.35 | $107,254 | |||
| Conservative | Kurt Zane Peats | 2,546 | 27.21 | - | $26,829 | |||
| New Democratic | Darwin Wren | 1,988 | 21.24 | -5.79 | $36,616 | |||
| Independent | Tyrel Andrew Pohl | 451 | 4.82 | - | $2,668 | |||
| Total valid votes | 9,358 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 37 | 0.39 | ||||||
| Turnout | 9,395 | 49.89 | ||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | –21.78 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
References
- ↑ "Centrists, former B.C. Conservatives join forces under Milobar as snap election speculation swirls | CBC". Archived from the original on September 18, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
- ↑ Gousseau, Ken. "Newest councillor keeps busy". Peace River Block Daily News [Dawson Creek, B.C], 08 Sep 2006: A1.
- ↑ "Hon. Mike Bernier". www.leg.bc.ca. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ↑ "Early results: Interior of B.C.". Global News, May 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Education Minister Wants Fresh Start" The Globe and Mail, July 30, 2015.
- ↑ "School anti-bullying policies enhanced to support and respect diversity". Government of British Columbia. September 8, 2016.
- ↑ Care, Education and Child (September 8, 2016). "School anti-bullying policies enhanced to support and respect diversity". BC Gov News. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
- ↑ "SOGI-Inclusive Education".
- ↑ Shaw, Rob; Sherlock, Tracy. "B.C. education minister Bernier fires Vancouver school board". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ↑ "1871-1986_electoralhistoryofbc" (PDF). www.llbc.leg.bc.ca.
- ↑ "Provincial Election Results". January 19, 2017.
- ↑ Premier, Office of the (June 12, 2017). "Premier Christy Clark introduces new Executive Council". news.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ↑ "Mike Bernier drops out of B.C. Liberal leadership race". cbc.ca. October 14, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ↑ "BC election 2024 results: Peace River South | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ↑ Grochowski, Sarah (July 18, 2026). "Former cabinet minister Mike Bernier named CentreBC leader, positioning party between NDP and Conservatives". Vancouver Sun.
- ↑ The Canadian Press (September 18, 2026). "Former Conservatives MLAs join CentreBC, Milobar takes over as leader". CityNews.
- ↑ Joveski, Emily (September 22, 2026). "CentreBC MLAs defect back to the B.C. Conservatives after snap election call". My Comox Valley Now.
- ↑ Shen, Nono (September 25, 2026). "Elenore Sturko's roller-coaster political ride lands her as leader of CentreBC". Global News. The Canadian Press.
- ↑ Duncan, Josh (October 24, 2026). "Doerksen and Conservatives win convincing majority, Eby resigns as NDP leader". PrinceGeorgeNow.
- ↑ Allen, Lisa (October 16, 2026). "Three candidates vie for South Peace seat". Tumbler RidgeLines.
- ↑ "Statement of Votes – 43rd Provincial General Election – October 19, 2024" (PDF). Elections BC. April 17, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ↑ "2024 Provincial General Election Financing Reports Available". Elections BC. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Provincial General Election Final Voting Results". Elections BC. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ↑ "Election Financing Reports". Elections BC. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Statement of Votes – 41st Provincial General Election – May 9, 2017" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ↑ "Statement of Votes - 40th Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
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