The Honourable Gordon Muir Campbell
The Hon. Gordon Campbell. Image File history File links Gordon_campbell_pose_head_2. ...
34th Premier of British Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office  June 5, 2001
Preceded by	Ujjal Dosanjh
Born	January 12, 1948 (1948-01-12) (age 59) Vancouver, British Columbia
Political party	BC Liberal
Spouse	Nancy Campbell

Gordon Muir Campbell, BA, MBA, MLA (born January 12, 1948) is the 34th Premier of British Columbia. He is the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party, which holds a majority in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Categories: Stub | British Columbia premiers ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year (157th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Hon. ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ... The British Columbia Liberal Party (usually referred to as the BC Liberals) is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. ... A B.A. issused as a certificate Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... EMBA redirects here; for the Mutation Mink Breeders Association, see American Legend Cooperative The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a masters degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. ... A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... In Canada, a Premier is the head of government of a province. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 4th - Total 944,735 km... The British Columbia Liberal Party (usually referred to as the BC Liberals) is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. ... A majority is a subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group. ... Legislature Building in Victoria, BC The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is located in Victoria. ...

Early life

Born into a wealthy Vancouver family, Campbell's circumstances changed abruptly at age 13 when his father committed suicide. The Campbell family was then forced to move out of their Point Grey family home and into a small rented apartment. Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. ...

Campbell attended University Hill Secondary School in Vancouver. After high school, he enrolled in Dartmouth College in New Hampshire with an athletic scholarship, studying urban management and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. University Hill Secondary School is a public secondary school located in the University Endowment Lands, just west of the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Dartmouth College is a private, coeducational university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,359 sq mi (24,239 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 3. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... A B.A. issused as a certificate Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and the Middle East, among other areas), English linguistics (including English phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics...

Under the Canadian University Service Overseas program, Gordon spent two years in Yola, Nigeria teaching at a secondary school. On his return to Canada he worked as an executive assistant to Art Phillips, then mayor of Vancouver, from 1973 to 1976. Campbell then left to become a realty developer. He became Marathon Realty's general manager of development, and was founder of Citycore Development Corporation. CUSO, founded 6 June 1961 as Canadian University Service Overseas, is a Canadian non-profit organization that aids in the development of third-world countries. ... Location of Yola in Nigeria Yola is the administrative center of the state of Adamawa, Nigeria. ... Art Phillips (born 1930) served as mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 1973 to 1977. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... A real estate developer (American English) or property developer (British English) makes improvements of some kind to real property, thereby increasing its value. ...

Campbell later earned a Master of Business Administration degree in 1978 from Simon Fraser University. Campbell has been awarded the Simon Fraser University “Distinguished Alumni” Award and the Inter-Faith Brotherhood “Man of the Year” Award. [1]. EMBA redirects here; for the Mutation Mink Breeders Association, see American Legend Cooperative The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a masters degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. ... Simon Fraser University (SFU) is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, part of the metropolitan area of Vancouver, British Columbia. ...

Vancouver councillor and mayor

Campbell was elected to the Vancouver city council in 1984, and from 1986 to 1993, Campbell served as the mayor of Vancouver for three successive terms. Campbell's tenure is most noted for the development of the Expo lands, the re-development of the Yaletown neighbourhood, and the foundation of the Coal Harbour residential community. Campbell's most significant public works during his term were the construction of the new Vancouver Public Library. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. ... Vancouver Public Library Funded by the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Public Library is the third largest public library system in Canada, with over 395,000 cardholders and more than 8 million items borrowed annually. ...

He also served as chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District and president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Motto: Building a sustainable region Area 2,878. ...

BC Liberal leader

Campbell became leader of the BC Liberal Party in 1993, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly next year in a Vancouver-Quilchena by-election. He has represented the Vancouver-Point Grey riding since 1996. He lost the 1996 BC provincial election despite winning more votes, and he remained opposition leader under New Democratic Party Premiers Glen Clark, Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh. Vancouver-Quilchena is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... Vancouver-Point Grey is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. ... In the British Isles since Anglo-Saxon times, a riding is traditionally a sub-division (especially in three) of a county, in Australia analogous. ... The 36th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada was called on April 30, 1996, and held on May 28, 1996. ... The Leader of the Opposition (French: Chef de lOpposition) in British Columbia is the MLA in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia who leads the political party recognized as the Official Opposition. ... The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a democratic socialist political party in British Columbia, Canada. ... Glen David Clark (born Nanaimo November 22, 1957) is a former politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999. ... The Honourable Arthur Daniel Miller (born December 24, 1944) is a former Canadian politician and member of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia (NDP). ... Hon. ...

Clark's government was beset by controversy and difficult economic and fiscal conditions. After the NDP's approval rating dropped to historic lows, in the BC election of 2001 Campbell's Liberals defeated them, taking 77 of 79 seats in the legislature. This was the largest majority of seats, and the second-largest majority of the popular vote in BC history. British Columbia riding map showing the winning parties and their vote percentage of each riding. ...

Although he is leader of a nominally liberal party, Campbell is better identified as a small-c conservative. The BC Liberal Party has no formal ties to the Liberal Party of Canada, and is essentially a centre-right coalition opposed to the New Democratic Party of British Columbia. Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... A small-c conservative is anyone who believes in the philosophy of conservatism but disagrees with a national Conservative Party. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: ), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party. ... The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a democratic socialist political party in British Columbia, Canada. ...

Campbell's first term

Tax Reductions

In 2001, Campbell campaigned on a promise to significantly reduce income taxes to stimulate the economy. A day after taking office, Campbell reduced personal income tax for all taxpayers by 25 per cent.[2] Cuts were applied to every tax bracket. The government also introduced reductions in the corporate income tax, and eliminated the Corporation Capital Tax (a tax on job creation) for most taxpayers. Tax rates around the world Tax revenue as % of GDP Economic policy Monetary policy Central bank   Money supply Fiscal policy Spending   Deficit   Debt Trade policy Tariff   Trade agreement Finance Financial market Financial market participants Corporate   Personal Public   Banking   Regulation        An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income... Tax brackets are the divisions at which tax rates change in a progressive tax system (or an explicitly regressive tax system, although this is much rarer). ...

Conviction for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Mug shot of Gordon Campbell in Hawaii

In January 2003, Campbell was arrested and pled no contest for driving under the influence of alcohol while vacationing in Hawaii. According to court records Campbell's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. As is customary in the United States, Campbell's mugshot was provided to the media by Hawaiian police. The image has proved to be a lasting personal embarrassment, frequently used by detractors and opponents. Image File history File links Gordon_campbell_arrested_dui. ... Image File history File links Gordon_campbell_arrested_dui. ... In criminal trials in some common law jurisdictions, a plea of nolo contendere means that the defendant neither admits nor disputes the charge, and is an alternative to pleading guilty or not guilty. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... Blood alcohol content (BAC) or blood alcohol concentration is the concentration of alcohol in blood. ... Al Capone. ...

It is unknown whether his B.C. driver's license was suspended for the Hawaii conviction.

Austerity

To balance the provincial budget, Campbell's first term was also noted for fiscal austerity. This included major reductions in welfare rolls (by making it harder to quality for assistance) and some social services, deregulation, the sale of some government assets (in particular the ferries built by the previous government during the Fast Ferry Scandal), and the privitization of BC Rail (which was made, despite contrary campaign promises). Campbell also reduced the size of the civil service, and closed some government agent and welfare offices in some communities. He also closed the BC Human Rights Commission and replaced it with the BC Human Rights Tribunal [3]. Austerity is a term from economics that describes a policy where nations reduce living standards, curtail development projects, and generally shift the revenue stream out of the physical economy, in order to satisfy the demands of creditors. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove, reduce, or simplify restrictions on business and individuals in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... The three BC Ferries PacifiCats sitting idle in the North Vancouver shipyards. ... Privatization (alternately denationalization or disinvestment) is the transfer of property or responsibility from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business). ... BC Rail (AAR reporting marks BCOL and BCIT), known as the British Columbia Railway between 1972 and 1984 and as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE; AAR reporting marks PGE and PGER) before 1972, was a railway that operated in the Canadian province of British Columbia between 1912 and 2004. ...

A noteworthy aspect of Campbell's first administration was the prevalent labour strife in the public sector. To reduce program costs, the government embarked on a policy to hold most public sector unions to "zero, zero and zero" percent wage increases over three years. Campbell’s government passed bill 29, the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act that imposed a contract on over 40,000 union workers. [4] Although there were some labour unions that took job action over these contract positions, BC had the fewest number of worker-days lost due to strikes and lockouts in 30 years. [5]

Education

The Campbell government passed legislation in August 2001 declaring education as an “essential service” and therefore making it illegal for teachers to strike. This fulfilled a platform plank from the previous election campaign. [6].

The government embarked upon the largest expansion of BC's post-secondary education system since the foundation of Simon Fraser University in 1965. In 2004, the government announced that 25,000 new post-secondary places would be established between 2004 and 2010. [7]

The Campbell government also lifted the six-year long tuition fee freeze that was placed on the BC universities and colleges by the previous NDP government. Since then, tuition fees have risen by an average of 88% and now remain within Canadian averages. [8]. The Campbell government has since moved forward since then to cap tuition at the rate of inflation. The tuition limit policy took effect September 2005. [9] Tuition means instruction, teaching or a fee charged for educational instruction especially at a formal institution of learning. ...

Health care

The Campbell government drew up legislation that required health authorities to contract out positions when savings could be predicted. This led to the privatization of many healthcare jobs. [10] [11] [12] These changes met resistance from many health care workers and resulted in a strike by some of them. This strike was ended by court order and amendments by the government on parts of the legislation.

The Campbell government increased health funding by $3-billion during their first term in office to help meet the demand at hand and to increase wages for some health professionals [13].

During their first term in office, the Campbell government increased the number of new nurse training spaces by 2,500, and increase of 62% [14]. At the same time, they nearly doubled the doctors in training, and opened new medical training facilities in Kamloops and Prince George. [15]

While the increase in doctors in training has been seen as a positive, the BC Medical Association has argued more spaces still need to be opened. [16]

Wage rates for doctors and nurses also increased in the Campbell government’s first term. Nurses received a 23.5% raise [17] while doctors received a 20.6% raise [18]. The government argued these wage increases were needed to attract and retain skilled professionals in the health care system.

First Nations

Main article: British Columbia Treaty Referendum

During the 2001 election, the BC Liberals also campaigned on a promise to hold a consultative referendum on First Nation treaty rights.^[1] The BC Treaty Referendum was a province-wide referendum on First Nations treaty rights in British Columbia, Canada. ... First Nations is the current title used by Canada to describe the various societies of the indigenous peoples, called Native Americans in the U.S. They have also been known as Indians, Native Canadians, Aboriginal Americans, Amer-Indians, or Aboriginals, and are officially called Indians in the Indian Act, which...

The referendum, led by Attorney General Geoff Plant, proposed eight questions that voters were asked to either support or oppose. Critics claimed the phrasing was flawed or biased toward a predetermined response. While some critics, especially First Nations and religious groups, called for a boycott of the referendum, by the May 15 deadline almost 800,000 British Columbians had cast their ballots. About one third of ballots were returned, significantly less than the usual turnout in provincial general elections, but considerably more than predicted by opponents.^{[citation needed]} Geoff Plant, QC is a British Columbia lawyer and politician known for his interest in citizens legal and electoral rights and aboriginal rights. ...

The ballots that were returned showed enthusiastic support, with over 80 per cent of participating voters agreeing to all eight proposed principles. The referendum cost about $9 million.

After the conclusion of the treaty referendum, many treaty negotiations resumed.

In the lead-up to the 2005 election, Campbell discussed opening up a New Relationship with Aboriginal People [19]. This has become the foundation for agreements in principal that were made during the second term.

2010 Olympics

British Columbia won the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympics on July 2nd, 2003. This was a joint Winter Olympics bid by Vancouver and the ski resort of Whistler. [20].

Campbell, a main proponent of the bid to get the games, attended the final presentations in Prague, Czech Republic and made an impassioned plea for the games to come back to Canada for the first time since it was held in Calgary in 1988.

Electoral reform

Prior to the 2001 election, Campbell made political reform and electoral reform a campaign promise. This was first reflected in the 1996 provincial election where Campbell’s BC Liberals received more votes than their rivals the BC NDP (42% vs. 39% of the popular vote), but the non-proportional nature of the electoral system resulted in the NDP forming government (39 seats vs. 33 seats [21]. The 2001 election again reflected this issue as the BC Liberal party received 57% percent of the popular vote, but won 97% of the seats [22]. British Columbia riding map showing the winning parties and their vote percentage of each riding. ... Politics is the process by which decisions are made within groups. ... Electoral reform projects seek to change the way that public desires are reflected in elections through electoral systems. ...

The new Campbell administration introduced fixed-term election dates for BC, departing from the standard British parliamentary procedure that left election dates at the discretion of the party in power. Campbell also founded a first in Canada, the Citizens' Assembly composed of randomly-selected British Columbians from around the province. The Assembly advised adopting the Single Transferable Vote system in future elections. Whether or not to adopt BC-STV was put to a province-wide referendum; the 57.4% in favour fell slightly short of the 60 percent required to pass.^[2] A Fixed-term election is an election that occurs on a set date, and cannot be changed by the incumbent politician. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform is a group created by the government of British Columbia, Canada to investigate changes to the provincial electoral system. ... This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...

2005 election

Campbell campaigned on the slogan "Our Plan is Working", alluding to BC's recovered economic conditions and lower unemployment. In the May 17, 2005, election, Campbell and the BC Liberals won a second majority government, with a reduced number of seats. Campbell thus became the first BC Premier to be re-elected in more than 25 years. Popular vote map by riding. ...

Campbell's second term

The economy

The economy remains strong during Campbell’s second term in office. B.C. has created 320,000 new jobs since December 2001, the best job creation record in Canada. In 2006, the economy has created 65,300 more jobs, virtually all full time positions [23]. By Spring 2007, unemployment had fallen to 4.0% -- the lowest rate in 30 years, and 6 full points less than when Campbell took office.[24]

2010 Olympics projects begin

After Campbell's re-election, major construction work for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games got underway. This includes venue construction, the Olympic Village, and a significant road construction program on the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler. While the majority of the public continues to support the Olympics, there is mounting concern over cost overruns on major construction projects as the cost of labour and raw materials rise beyond initial projections. The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games, are the next Winter Olympics, scheduled to be performed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2010. ... British Columbia provincial highway 99 is the major nouth-south artery through the Greater Vancouver Regional District. ...

Labour relations

In 2006 the Campbell government changed its strategy in dealing with public sector unions given that over 90% of the public sector labour force had contracts expiring early that year. Bonuses of between $3,500 and $4,000 per employee were offered if contracts were signed before March 31, 2006 (June 30, 2006 in the case of the BCTF). The strategy succeeded as virtually all public sector contracts have now been extended to after the 2009 election and 2010 Olympics. This was the first time a provincial government and the BCTF reached a negotiated collective agreement. [25]

Health care

The Campbell government launched the Conversation on Health, a province-wide consultation with British Columbians on their health care to lay the groundwork for improvements to the principles of the Canada Health Act that will be presented in the Fall of 2007 [26].

First Nations

The Campbell government has taken steps to resolve a number of First Nations issues in their second term. Campbell has initialed final agreements in principle with the Tsawwassen [27], Maa-Nulth [28], and Lheidli T’enneh First Nations [29].

There have been opponents that have come out against these agreements as well, mostly with respect to the Tsawwassen agreement’s proposition to take a parcel of land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve [30]. There has also been support on the local level as well [31].

References

1. ^ In the spring of 2002, the government held the referendum. "B.C. treaty referendum" - CBC, July 2, 2002
2. ^ Preliminary Referendum Results, Elections BC.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gordon Campbell

• Official biography (PDF file)
• Gordon Campbell's official MLA site
• Canadian Encyclopedia entry on Gordon Campbell
• Maclean's interview with Campbell, 1999
• "Campbell Contradiction" (Globe and Mail profile, April 2005)
• CBC profile, April 2005
• B.C. premier fined for drunk driving

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