# Attorney General of British Columbia

The attorney general of British Columbia (AG) oversees the Ministry of Attorney General, a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system, within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The attorney general is a member of the provincial cabinet, typically a member of Legislative Assembly who is chosen by the premier of British Columbia and formally appointed by the lieutenant governor of British Columbia.
The attorney general is responsible for ensuring that public administration is conducted according to the law and as such, they are the chief advisor of law to the government, in addition to overseeing the court system and Sheriff Service. Under the King's Counsel Act, the attorney general is automatically appointed a King's Counsel upon swearing into office. The attorney general also serves as an ex officio bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia. A separate cabinet position, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, administers the province's law enforcement agencies (police, prisons and security).
Since December 7, 2022, the post has been held by Niki Sharma.

## List of attorneys general of the Colony of British Columbia

* George Hunter Cary; 1859–1861
* Henry Pering Pellew Crease; 1861–1870
* George Phillippo; 1870–1871

## List of attorneys general of the province of British Columbia

List of ministers :
| Minister | Term start | Term end | Political party | Ministry |
| Edward Graham Alston | August 17, 1871 | August 22, 1871 | Non-partisan | Interim |
| John Foster McCreight | August 22, 1871 | November 13, 1871 | Non-partisan | Interim |
| John Foster McCreight | November 14, 1871 | December 23, 1872 | Non-partisan | McCreight |
| George Anthony Walkem | December 23, 1872 | February 9, 1874 | Non-partisan | De Cosmos |
| George Anthony Walkem | February 11, 1874 | January 27, 1876 | Non-partisan | Walkem I |
| Andrew Charles Elliott | February 1, 1876 | June 25, 1878 | Non-partisan | Elliott |
| George Anthony Walkem | June 25, 1878 | June 6, 1882 | Non-partisan | Walkem II |
| John Roland Hett | June 13, 1882 | January 29, 1883 | Non-partisan | Beaven |
| Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | January 29, 1883 | March 28, 1887 | Non-partisan | Smithe |
| Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | April 1, 1887 | August 1, 1889 | Non-partisan | A. E. B. Davie |
| Theodore Davie | August 3, 1889 | June 29, 1892 | Non-partisan | Robson |
| Theodore Davie | July 2, 1892 | March 2, 1895 | Non-partisan | T. Davie |
| David McEwen Eberts | March 4, 1895 | August 8, 1898 | Non-partisan | Turner |
| Joseph Martin | August 15, 1898 | July 27, 1899 | Non-partisan | Semlin |
| Alexander Henderson | August 7, 1899 | February 27, 1900 | Non-partisan | Semlin |
| Joseph Martin | February 28, 1900 | June 14, 1900 | Non-partisan | Martin |
| David McEwen Eberts | June 15, 1900 | November 21, 1900 | Non-partisan | Dunsmuir |
| David McEwen Eberts | November 25, 1902 | May 27, 1903 | Non-partisan | Prior |
| Albert Edward McPhillips | June 4, 1903 | November 5, 1903 | █ Conservative | McBride |
| Charles Wilson | November 5, 1903 | March 15, 1906 | █ Conservative | McBride |
| Frederick John Fulton | March 15, 1906 | July 24, 1907 | █ Conservative | McBride |
| William John Bowser | July 24, 1907 | December 15, 1915 | █ Conservative | McBride |
| William John Bowser | December 15, 1915 | November 23, 1916 | █ Conservative | Bowser |
| Malcolm Archibald Macdonald | November 29, 1916 | May 14, 1917 | █ Liberal | Brewster |
| John Wallace de Beque Farris | May 14, 1917 | March 1, 1918 | █ Liberal | Brewster |
| John Wallace de Beque Farris | March 6, 1918 | January 28, 1922 | █ Liberal | Oliver |
| Alexander Malcolm Manson | January 28, 1922 | August 17, 1927 | █ Liberal | Oliver |
| Alexander Malcolm Manson | August 20, 1927 | August 20, 1928 | █ Liberal | MacLean |
| Robert Henry Pooley | August 21, 1928 | November 15, 1933 | █ Conservative | Tolmie |
| Gordon McGregor Sloan | November 15, 1933 | April 5, 1937 | █ Liberal | Pattullo |
| Duff Pattullo | April 5, 1937 | July 5, 1937 | █ Liberal | Pattullo |
| Gordon Sylvester Wismer | July 5, 1937 | November 14, 1941 | █ Liberal | Pattullo |
| Norman William Whittaker | November 14, 1941 | November 19, 1941 | █ Liberal | Pattullo |
| Duff Pattullo | November 24, 1941 | December 9, 1941 | █ Liberal | Pattullo |
| Royal Maitland | December 10, 1941 | March 28, 1946 | █ Conservative | Hart |
| Gordon Sylvester Wismer | March 28, 1946 | December 29, 1947 | █ Liberal | Hart |
| Gordon Sylvester Wismer | December 29, 1947 | August 1, 1952 | █ Liberal | Johnson |
| Robert Bonner | August 1, 1952 | May 27, 1968 | █ Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett |
| Leslie Peterson | May 27, 1968 | September 15, 1972 | █ Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett |
| Alexander Macdonald | September 15, 1972 | December 22, 1975 | █ New Democratic | Barrett |
| Garde Gardom | December 22, 1975 | November 23, 1979 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Allan Williams | November 23, 1979 | May 26, 1983 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Brian Smith | May 26, 1983 | August 6, 1986 | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett |
| Brian Smith | August 6, 1986 | June 29, 1988 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| Elwood Veitch | June 29, 1988 | August 6, 1988 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| Bud Smith | August 6, 1988 | July 13, 1990 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| Russell Fraser | July 13, 1990 | April 2, 1991 | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm |
| Russell Fraser | April 2, 1991 | November 5, 1991 | █ Social Credit | Johnston |
| Colin Gabelmann | November 5, 1991 | August 16, 1995 | █ New Democratic | Harcourt |
| Ujjal Dosanjh | August 16, 1995 | February 22, 1996 | █ New Democratic | Harcourt |
| Ujjal Dosanjh | February 28, 1996 | August 25, 1999 | █ New Democratic | G. Clark |
| Ujjal Dosanjh | August 25, 1999 | February 24, 2000 | █ New Democratic | Miller |
| Andrew Petter | February 29, 2000 | November 1, 2000 | █ New Democratic | Dosanjh |
| Graeme Bowbrick | November 1, 2000 | June 5, 2001 | █ New Democratic | Dosanjh |
| Geoff Plant | June 5, 2001 | June 16, 2005 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Wally Oppal | June 16, 2005 | June 10, 2009 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Mike de Jong | June 10, 2009 | December 1, 2010 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Barry Penner | December 1, 2010 | March 14, 2011 | █ Liberal | Campbell |
| Barry Penner | March 14, 2011 | August 18, 2011 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Shirley Bond | August 18, 2011 | June 10, 2013 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Suzanne Anton | June 10, 2013 | June 12, 2017 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| Andrew Wilkinson | June 12, 2017 | July 18, 2017 | █ Liberal | C. Clark |
| David Eby | July 18, 2017 | July 19, 2022 | █ New Democratic | Horgan |
| Murray Rankin | July 22, 2022 | November 18, 2022 | █ New Democratic | Horgan |
| Niki Sharma | December 7, 2022 | Incumbent | █ New Democratic | Eby |