# Legislature of British Columbia

The Legislature of British Columbia is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada), and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (which meets at the British Columbia Parliament Buildings). The Legislature of British Columbia has existed since the province joined Canada in 1871, before which it was preceded by the Legislature of the United Colony of British Columbia.
Like the Canadian federal government, British Columbia uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which members are sent to the Legislative Assembly after general elections and from there the party with the most seats chooses a premier of British Columbia and the Executive Council of British Columbia. The premier is British Columbia's head of government, while the King of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the lieutenant governor. Before 1903, candidates in British Columbia elections were not affiliated with political parties.

## List of parliaments

Following is a list of the 42 times the Legislature has been convened since 1871. This article only covers the time since 1871. For the governing body from 1867 to 1871, see Legislative Council of British Columbia.
| Assembly Sessions | Election | Opening date | Dissolution date | Governing party | Premier | Official Opposition party Leader | Other official parties Leader | Speaker |
| 1st Parliament 4 sessions | 1st general | November 20, 1871 | August 30, 1875 | None | John Foster McCreight Amor De Cosmos George Anthony Walkem | None | None | James Trimble |
| 2nd Parliament 3 sessions | 2nd general | January 10, 1876 | April 12, 1878 | None | George Anthony Walkem Andrew Charles Elliott | None | None | James Trimble |
| 3rd Parliament 5 sessions | 3rd general | July 29, 1878 | June 13, 1882 | None | George Anthony Walkem Robert Beaven | None | None | Frederick W. Williams |
| 4th Parliament 4 sessions | 4th general | January 25, 1883 | June 3, 1886 | None | Robert Beaven William Smithe | None | None | John Andrew Mara |
| 5th Parliament 4 sessions | 5th general | January 24, 1887 | May 10, 1890 | None | William Smithe Alexander Edmund Batson Davie John Robson | None | None | Charles Edward Pooley David Williams Higgins |
| 6th Parliament 4 sessions | 6th general | January 15, 1891 | June 2, 1894 | None | John Robson Theodore Davie | None | None | David Williams Higgins |
| 7th Parliament 4 sessions | 7th general | November 12, 1894 | June 7, 1898 | None | Theodore Davie John Herbert Turner | None | None | David Williams Higgins John Paton Booth |
| 8th Parliament 2 sessions | 8th general | January 5, 1899 | April 10, 1900 | None | John Herbert Turner Charles Augustus Semlin Joseph Martin | None | None | William Thomas Forster |
| 9th Parliament 4 sessions | 9th general | July 19, 1900 | June 16, 1903 | None | James Dunsmuir Edward Gawler Prior Richard McBride | None | None | John Paton Booth Charles Edward Pooley |
| 10th Parliament | 10th general | November 26, 1903 | December 24, 1906 | Conservative | Richard McBride | Liberal James Alexander MacDonald | None | Charles Edward Pooley |
| 11th Parliament | 11th general | March 7, 1907 | October 20, 1909 | Conservative | Richard McBride | Liberal James Alexander MacDonald | None | David McEwen Eberts |
| 12th Parliament | 12th general | January 20, 1910 | February 27, 1912 | Conservative | Richard McBride | Liberal James Alexander MacDonald | None | David McEwen Eberts |
| 13th Parliament | 13th general | January 16, 1913 | May 31, 1916 | Conservative | Richard McBride William John Bowser | Liberal Harlan Carey Brewster | None | David McEwen Eberts |
| 14th Parliament | 14th general | March 1, 1917 | October 23, 1920 | Liberal | Harlan Carey Brewster John Oliver | Conservative William John Bowser | None | John Walter Weart John Keen |
| 15th Parliament | 15th general | February 8, 1921 | May 10, 1924 | Liberal | John Oliver | Conservative James Alexander MacDonald | None | Alexander Malcolm Manson Frederick Arthur Pauline |
| 16th Parliament | 16th general | November 3, 1924 | June 7, 1928 | Liberal | John Oliver John Duncan MacLean | Conservative Robert Henry Pooley | Provincial Alexander Duncan McRae | John Andrew Buckham |
| 17th Parliament | 17th general | January 22, 1929 | August 1, 1933 | Conservative | Simon Fraser Tolmie | Liberal Thomas Dufferin Pattullo | None | James William Jones Cyril Francis Davie |
| 18th Parliament | 18th general | February 20, 1934 | April 12, 1937 | Liberal | Thomas Dufferin Pattullo | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Robert Connell | Unionist Simon Fraser Tolmie | Henry George Thomas Perry |
| 19th Parliament | 19th general | October 26, 1937 | July 21, 1941 | Liberal | Thomas Dufferin Pattullo | Conservative Frank Porter Patterson | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch | Norman William Whittaker |
| 20th Parliament | 20th general | December 4, 1941 | August 31, 1945 | Liberal-Conservative coalition | John Hart | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch | None | Norman William Whittaker |
| 21st Parliament | 21st general | February 1, 1946 | April 16, 1949 | Liberal-Conservative coalition | John Hart Byron Ingemar Johnson | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch | None | Norman William Whittaker Robert Henry Carson John Hart |
| 22nd Parliament | 22nd general | February 14, 1950 | April 10, 1952 | Liberal-Conservative coalition | Byron Ingemar Johnson | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch Conservative Herbert Anscomb | None | Nancy Hodges |
| 23rd Assembly | 23rd general | February 3, 1953 | March 27, 1953 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Harold Winch | Liberal Arthur Laing Progressive Conservative Herbert Anscomb | Thomas James Irwin |
| 24th Parliament | 24th general | September 15, 1953 | August 13, 1956 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Arnold Webster | Liberal Arthur Laing Progressive Conservative Deane Finlayson | Thomas James Irwin |
| 25th Parliament | 25th general | February 7, 1957 | August 3, 1960 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Robert Strachan | Liberal Ray Perrault | Thomas James Irwin Lorne Shantz |
| 26th Parliament | 26th general | January 26, 1961 | August 21, 1963 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Robert Strachan | Liberal Ray Perrault | Lorne Shantz |
| 27th Parliament | 27th general | January 23, 1964 | August 5, 1966 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | New Democratic Party Robert Strachan | Liberal Ray Perrault | William Harvey Murray |
| 28th Parliament | 28th general | January 24, 1967 | July 21, 1969 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | New Democratic Party Robert Strachan | Liberal Ray Perrault | William Harvey Murray |
| 29th Parliament 3 sessions | 29th general | January 22, 1970 | July 24, 1972 | Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett | New Democratic Party Dave Barrett | Liberal Pat McGeer | William Harvey Murray |
| 30th Parliament 5 sessions | 30th general | October 17, 1972 | November 3, 1975 | New Democratic Party | Dave Barrett | Social Credit W. A. C. Bennett Bill Bennett | Liberal David Anderson Progressive Conservative Derril Thomas Warren | Gordon Dowding |
| 31st Parliament 4 sessions | 31st general | March 17, 1976 | April 3, 1979 | Social Credit | Bill Bennett | New Democratic Party William Stewart King Dave Barrett | Liberal Gordon Gibson Progressive Conservative George Scott Wallace | Ed Smith Harvey Schroeder |
| 32nd Parliament 4 sessions | 32nd general | June 6, 1979 | April 7, 1983 | Social Credit | Bill Bennett | New Democratic Party Dave Barrett | None | Harvey Schroeder Kenneth Walter Davidson |
| 33rd Parliament 4 sessions | 33rd general | June 23, 1983 | September 24, 1986 | Social Credit | Bill Bennett Bill Vander Zalm | New Democratic Party Dave Barrett Bob Skelly | None | Kenneth Walter Davidson |
| 34th Parliament 5 sessions | 34th general | March 9, 1987 | September 19, 1991 | Social Credit | Bill Vander Zalm Rita Johnston | New Democratic Party Bob Skelly | None | John Douglas Reynolds Stephen Rogers |
| 35th Parliament 5 sessions | 35th general | March 17, 1992 | April 30, 1996 | New Democratic Party | Mike Harcourt Glen Clark | Liberal Gordon Wilson | Social Credit Rita Johnston | Joan Sawicki Emery Barnes |
| 36th Parliament 5 sessions | 36th general | June 25, 1996 | April 18, 2001 | New Democratic Party | Glen Clark Dan Miller Ujjal Dosanjh | Liberal Gordon Campbell | Reform Jack Weisgerber Progressive Democrat Gordon Wilson | Dale Lovick Gretchen Brewin William James Hartley |
| 37th Parliament 6 sessions | 37th general | June 19, 2001 | 2005 | Liberal | Gordon Campbell | New Democratic Party Joy MacPhail | None | Claude Richmond |
| 38th Parliament 5 sessions | 38th general | September 12, 2005 | 2009 | Liberal | Gordon Campbell | New Democratic Party Carole James | None | Bill Barisoff |
| 39th Parliament 5 sessions | 39th general | August 29, 2009 | April 16, 2013 | Liberal | Gordon Campbell Christy Clark | New Democratic Party Adrian Dix | None | Bill Barisoff |
| 40th Parliament | 40th general | June 26, 2013 | April 11, 2017 | Liberal | Christy Clark | New Democratic Party Adrian Dix John Horgan | Green Andrew J. Weaver | Linda Reid |
| 41st Parliament | 41st general | June 26, 2017 | September 21, 2020 | Liberal New Democratic Party | Christy Clark John Horgan | New Democratic Party John Horgan Liberal Christy Clark | Green Andrew J. Weaver Adam Olsen Sonia Furstenau | Steve Thomson Darryl Plecas |
| 42nd Parliament | 42nd general | Dec 7, 2020 | Sep 21, 2024 | New Democratic Party | John Horgan David Eby | Liberal / BC United Andrew Wilkinson Shirley Bond Kevin Falcon | Green Sonia Furstenau | Raj Chouhan |
| 43rd Parliament | 43rd general | Feb 18, 2025 | (n/a) | New Democratic Party | David Eby | Conservative John Rustad | Green Sonia Furstenau | Raj Chouhan |