41st Parliament of British Columbia
The 41st Parliament of British Columbia was in session from June 22, 2017, to September 21, 2020. It consisted of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 9, 2017, and subsequent by-elections, and the Queen in right of British Columbia, represented by the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. It was the first parliament following the increase in size of the legislature from 85 to 87 seats. Immediately following the election, Christy Clark, the incumbent premier, asked the lieutenant governor to remain governing until the final votes were counted and it would be known if there would be a majority or minority government. Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon agreed and Clark appointed a cabinet of 21 ministers and 13 parliamentary secretaries, which were sworn in on June 12, 2017.
| 41st Parliament of British Columbia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Minority parliament | |||
| 22 June 2017 – 21 September 2020 | |||
| Parliament leaders | |||
| Premier | Christy Clark March 14, 2011 – July 18, 2017 | ||
| John Horgan July 18, 2017 – November 18, 2022 | |||
| Cabinets | C. Clark III Horgan I | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | John Horgan May 4, 2014 – July 18, 2017 | ||
| Christy Clark July 18 – August 4, 2017 | |||
| Rich Coleman August 4, 2017 – February 3, 2018 | |||
| Andrew Wilkinson February 3, 2018 – November 21, 2020 | |||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | Liberal Party* | ||
| New Democratic Party * The Liberal Party briefly formed government but was defeated in a confidence vote on June 29, 2017. | |||
| Opposition | New Democratic Party | ||
| Liberal Party | |||
| Recognized | Green Party* | ||
| * The Green Party agreed to provide confidence and supply for the NDP government. It was granted official party status retroactive to October 4, 2017. | |||
| Legislative Assembly | |||
Seating arrangements of the Legislative Assembly | |||
| Speaker of the Assembly | Steve Thomson June 22–29, 2017 | ||
| Darryl Plecas September 8, 2017 – December 7, 2020 | |||
| Government House Leader | Mike de Jong May 4, 2014 – July 18, 2017 | ||
| Mike Farnworth July 18, 2017 – present | |||
| Opposition House Leader | Mike Farnworth May 4, 2014 – July 18, 2017 | ||
| Mike de Jong July 18, 2017 – present | |||
| Members | 87 MLA seats | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II February 6, 1952 – present | ||
| Lieutenant Governor | Judith Guichon November 2, 2012 – April 24, 2018 | ||
| Janet Austin April 24, 2018 – present | |||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session June 22, 2017 – September 8, 2017 | |||
| 2nd session September 8, 2017 – February 13, 2018 | |||
| 3rd session February 13, 2018 – February 12, 2019 | |||
| 4th session February 12, 2019 – February 11, 2020 | |||
| 5th session February 11, 2020 – September 21, 2020 | |||
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Although the final vote confirmed that the British Columbia Liberal Party under Clark remained the largest party in the legislative assembly after the election, the British Columbia New Democratic Party under leader John Horgan and Green Party of British Columbia under Andrew Weaver combined had 44 seats (41 NDP and 3 Green) to the Liberals' 43. On May 29, 2017, the Greens announced they had agreed to a confidence and supply accord with the NDP which would allow the NDP to form a minority government.
Clark convened the Legislative Assembly on June 22, 2017, before losing a vote of confidence on June 29. As leader of the second-largest party, Horgan was then asked to serve as premier by the lieutenant governor and was sworn in along with his 22-member cabinet on July 18, 2017.
The minority parliament lasted for three and a half years despite the small combined NDP and Green working majority. The longevity of this one-seat working majority was made possible, in part, due to the expulsion of Abbotsford South MLA Darryl Plecas from the Liberal caucus after Plecas accepted his election as speaker of the legislature. The 41st Parliament ended on September 21, 2020, after Horgan requested the lieutenant governor dissolve the legislature and call a snap election for October 24, 2020, almost exactly one year ahead of the planned fixed date of October 16, 2021.