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Christy Clark

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This article is about the British Columbian politician. For the Montana politician, see Christy Clark (Montana politician). For the American soap actress, see Christie Clark.
The Honourable
Christy Clark
MLA
35th Premier of British Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 14, 2011
Lieutenant GovernorSteven Point
Preceded byGordon Campbell
MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 30, 2011
Preceded byGordon Campbell
MLA for Port Moody-Westwood
(Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain)
In office
1996–2005
Preceded byBarbara Copping
Succeeded byIain Black
Deputy Premier of British Columbia
In office
June 5, 2001 – September 20, 2004
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byJoy MacPhail
Succeeded byShirley Bond
Minister of Children and Family Development
In office
January 26, 2004 – September 20, 2004
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byGordon Hogg
Succeeded byStan Hagen
Minister of Education
In office
June 5, 2001 – January 26, 2004
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byJoy MacPhail
Succeeded byTom Christensen
Personal details
Born
Christina Joan Clark

(1965-10-29) October 29, 1965 (age 58)
Burnaby, British Columbia
Political partyB.C. Liberal

Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA (born October 29, 1965) is a Canadian politician who currently serves as the 35th Premier of British Columbia, Canada. Clark was sworn in as premier on March 14, 2011, after she won the leadership of the British Columbia Liberal Party in the 2011 leadership election on February 26, 2011. She is the second, and longest serving, woman to serve as premier of British Columbia, after Rita Johnston in 1991.

Clark served as a Member of the Legislature from 1996 to 2005, serving as Deputy Premier from 2001 to 2005 during the first term of Gordon Campbell's government. She left politics in 2005, and became the host of an afternoon radio talk show[2] At the time of her leadership victory, Clark was not a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. She re-entered the legislature after winning a by-election on May 11, 2011, in Vancouver-Point Grey, the seat left vacant by Campbell.[3]

Background

Clark was born in Burnaby, British Columbia on October 29, 1965. Her father, Jim, was a teacher and a three-time candidate for the Legislative Assembly and her mother, Mavis, was a family counsellor. Clark attended Simon Fraser University (SFU), the Sorbonne in France and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She studied Political Science and Religious Studies but did not graduate.[4][5]

In 2001, Clark gave birth to her first child, Hamish Marissen-Clark, with then husband Mark Marissen. Clark was the second woman in Canadian history to give birth to a child while serving as a cabinet minister, after Pauline Marois, a Quebec provincial minister, in 1985.[6]

Politics

Opposition

Clark was first elected to the legislature in the 1996 election, representing the riding of Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain. During the next five years, she served as the Official Opposition critic for the environment, children and families and for the public service. She also served as the campaign co-chair for the BC Liberals during the 2001 election, in which the party won 77 of 79 seats in the legislature.

Government

Following the BC Liberal Party's election victory in 2001, Premier Gordon Campbell appointed Clark Minister of Education and Deputy Premier. She brought in a number of changes[which?] that were claimed to increase accountability, strengthen parental power in the decision-making process, and provide parents greater choice and flexibility in the school system.[citation needed] These changes were unpopular amongst teachers, school board members, opposition politicians, and union officials who argued that the decision not to fund the pay increases agreed to by the outgoing New Democratic Party government resulted in funding gaps.The changes made were challenged by the BC teacher's federation, and were later found to be unconstitutional. [7]

As Education Minister, Clark sought to increase the independence of the BC College of Teachers against heavy opposition from the British Columbia Teachers' Federation.[8][9]

In 2002 the BC Liberals and Education Minister Christie Clark introduced Bills 27 & 28 forcing teachers back to work and banning collective bargaining. In 2011 the BC Supreme Court found Minister Clark’s decision to do so unconstitutional and in fact illegal.BC Supreme Court Decision

Clark was deputy premier at the time of the privatization of BC Rail and resulting scandal.[10] Clark was also the Co-Chair of the 2001 Liberal campaign, which included a platform that specifically promised not to sell BC Rail.[11] In 2009, Michael Bolton, defence attorney in the Basi-Virk trial, alleged that Clark had participated in the scandal by providing government information to lobbyist Erik Bornmann. These allegations were never proven or tested in court.[12] Her brother Bruce Clark was the subject of one of the warrants. Though confidential draft "Request for Proposal" documents relating to the bid process allegedly provided by Dave Basi were found in Bruce Clark's home no charges were laid against him. Dave Basi and Bob Virk, Liberal Party insiders were charged for accepting benefits from one of the bidders, however.[13] Ms. Clark has rebuffed talk of her links to the scandal as "smear tactics". At the time of the raids and associated warrants, her then-husband Mark Marissen was visited at home by the RCMP.[14] Her husband was also not under investigation, and was told that he might have been the "innocent recipient" of documents (resumes of people looking for federal political work) then in his possession.[15]

In 2004, Clark was appointed Minister of Children and Family Development after Minister Gordon Hogg was forced to resign. On September 17, 2004, Clark quit provincial politics and did not seek re-election in the 2005 provincial election. She declared she wanted to spend more time with her three-year old son.[6]

Campaign for mayor of Vancouver

On August 31, 2005, Clark announced that she would seek the nomination of the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) to run for Mayor in the Vancouver Civic Elections against local councillor Sam Sullivan.[6] On September 24, 2005, she lost the NPA's mayoral nomination to Sullivan by 69 votes out of 2,100 cast. Sullivan was subsequently elected Mayor of Vancouver.[16]

Radio show and columnist

Clark hosted the The Christy Clark Show, airing weekdays on CKNW 980 AM in Vancouver from August 27, 2007 through to her decision to enter the BC Liberal leadership election in December 2010.

She served as a weekly columnist for the Vancouver Province and the Vancouver Sun newspapers during the 2005 provincial election and an election analyst for Global BC and CTV News Channel during the 2006 federal election.

Campaign for party leadership, 2010–2011

Main article: British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election, 2011

On December 8, 2010, Clark officially announced her intent to seek the leadership of the BC Liberal Party. While Clark had long been touted as a potential successor to BC Premier Gordon Campbell, she often claimed she had no further interest in a political career.[17][18][19]

One of her early campaign announcements promised to cancel the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) referendum scheduled for September 2011. She suggested a free vote in the House by MLAs, believing the HST referendum has little chance of success. “Let our MLAs do their jobs and let our MLAs vote down the HST. Do it by March 31 and get it over with and get on with life in B.C.,” Clark told a crowd of about 40 in Pitt Meadows.[20]

Her campaign faced questions regarding her involvement in the sale of BC Rail due to her cabinet position and family connection to people "mentioned prominently in court documents, including search warrants", with opposition members stating that she "wants to shut down the public's questions about the scandal".[12][21] It was in the wake of the controversial Basi-Virk guilty pleas that ended the trial proceedings that she declared her candidacy for the party leadership on her radio show. Clark had called for more questions to be answered about BC Rail, but since then has said that there is no need for a public inquiry, as have the other Liberal Party leadership contenders.[22]

Premiership

Clark's first task as Premier was to win a seat in the provincial legislature for herself. She ran in former Premier Gordon Campbell's riding of Vancouver-Point Grey and defeated NDP candidate David Eby by 595 votes.[23] She was sworn into the legislature on May 30, 2011.[24]

Since becoming the Premier, her popularity has been on the decline.[25]

In the summer of 2012, several high profile Caucus members, including the Ministers of Education and Finance, announced they wouldn't seek re-election. Though Premier Clark suggested she "expected" the resignations, the news shook her government.[26]

References

  1. ^ http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2011/03/02/christy-clark-goes-to-church-and-isnt-shy-about-it/
  2. ^ Armstrong, Jeanne (December 8, 2010). "Christy Clark to seek leadership of B.C. Liberals". National Post. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  3. ^ Hunter, Justin (May 12, 2011). "With Clark singed by close vote, Grits may feel election is playing with fire". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  4. ^ "Premier Christy Clark". Christyclark.ca. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  5. ^ Fong, Petti (February 26, 2011). [Toronto Star "Christy Clark will be new B.C. premier"]. The Toronto Star. Retrieved February 13, 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  6. ^ a b c Richmond, Vanessa (December 9, 2010). "Christy Clark and the Woman Politician Thing". The Tyee.
  7. ^ Pablo, Carlito (December 2, 2010). "Christy Clark's legacy of education cuts lingers in B.C." Georgia Straight.
  8. ^ Steffenhagen, Janet (December 14, 2010). "Liberals to blame for B.C. College of Teachers dysfunction, former registrar says". Vancouver Sun.
  9. ^ Hyslop, Katie (January 28, 2011). "When Christy Clark Ran BC's Schools". The Tyee.
  10. ^ Tieleman, Bill (January 8, 2004). "Raids prompt revelations of Martin-Campbell connections". Georgia Straight.
  11. ^ ""BC Rail questions remain 7 years after raid", CBC News, with material from the Canadian Press". Cbc.ca. December 28, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Tieleman, Bill (November 29, 2010). "Hard Questions for Christy Clark". The Tyee. Cite error: The named reference "Hard Questions" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. ^ [1][dead link]
  14. ^ Tamsyn Burgmann The Canadian Press (December 27, 2010). ""Questions still linger after stunning raid of B.C. legislature", Tamysn Burgmann, ''Toronto Star''". Thestar.com. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  15. ^ CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bcraids/. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ Leiren-Young, Mark (September 26, 2005). "Man in Wheelchair Runs over Christy Clark!". The Tyee.
  17. ^ Mason, Gary (November 26, 2010). "Candidates emerge in race for Campbell's seat". Toronto: Globe and Mail.
  18. ^ The Canadian Press (November 12, 2010). "B.C. Liberals to decide on leadership vote". CBC.
  19. ^ Smyth, Michael (November 28, 2010). "Clark eyes bid to replace Campbell". The Province.
  20. ^ Melnychuk, Phil (November 26, 2010). "Christy Clark makes stop in Pitt Meadows". Maple Ridge News. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  21. ^ "B.C. Rail's toxic cargo poisoning Clark's bid". The Province, 2010-12-16.
  22. ^ "BC Rail questions remain 7 years after raid". CBC News, with material from the Canadian Press, 2010-12-27.
  23. ^ "2011 Vancouver-Point Grey By-election Preliminary Results". Elections BC, 2011-05-12.
  24. ^ Christy Clark sworn in as MLA for Vancouver Point Grey
  25. ^ http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/article/20120206/PRINCEGEORGE0304/302069961/-1/princegeorge03/clark-146-s-poll-numbers-plummet
  26. ^ http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1250314--christy-clark-expects-more-b-c-liberal-resignations
Political offices
Preceded by Order of precedence in British Columbia
as of 2011 		Succeeded by
Lance Finch, Chief Justice of British Columbia

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