Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
43rd Parliament of British Columbia
Type
TypeUnicameral house of the Legislature of British Columbia
SovereignThe lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada)
History
FoundedJuly 20, 1871 (1871-07-20)
Preceded byLegislative Council
Leadership
SpeakerRaj Chouhan, NDP
since December 7, 2020
PremierDavid Eby, NDP
since November 18, 2022
Leader of the OppositionTrevor Halford, Conservative
since December 4, 2025
Government House leaderMike Farnworth, NDP
since November 18, 2024
Opposition House leaderÁ'a:líya Warbus, Conservative
since November 20, 2024
Structure
Seats93
Political groupsHis Majesty's Government
  •   New Democratic (47)

His Majesty's Loyal Opposition[1]

  •   Conservative (39)

Parties with official status[2][3]

  •   Green (2)

Parties without official status

Elections
Last electionOctober 19, 2024
Next electionOn or before October 21, 2028
Meeting place
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Website
www.leg.bc.ca

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (French: Assemblée législative de la Colombie-Britannique) is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The legislature also includes the lieutenant governor of British Columbia. The assembly has 93 elected members[4] and meets in Victoria. Members are elected from provincial ridings and are referred to as members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor in the name of the King of Canada.[5]

The current legislature is the 43rd Parliament. The most recent general election was held on October 19, 2024. Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are broadcast by Hansard Broadcasting Services.

Location

From 1856 to 1860, the Legislature of the Colony of Vancouver Island met at Bachelor's Hall at Fort Victoria.[6] From 1860 to 1898 it was housed in the first permanent building at Legislative Hall or Legislative Council Court, a two-storey wooden building along with four other buildings (Land Office, Colonial Office, Supreme Court, and Treasury) known colloquially as "The Birdcages" because of their shape (burned 1957).[7][8] Since 1898, the legislature has been located in the British Columbia Parliament Buildings,[9] which features a 150-metre-long facade (500 ft), central dome, two end pavilions, and a gilded statue of George Vancouver.

Recent parliaments

Parliament Period Government
Premier of British Columbia 		Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
Start End Party Name Party Name
30th
1972 election 		1972 1975 New Democratic Dave Barrett Social Credit
  • W. A. C. Bennett
  • Bill Bennett
31st
1975 election 		1976 1979 Social Credit Bill Bennett NDP Dave Barrett
32nd
1979 election 		1979 1983 Social Credit Bill Bennett NDP Dave Barrett
33rd
1983 election 		1983 1986 Social Credit
  • Bill Bennett
  • Bill Vander Zalm
 NDP
  • Dave Barrett
  • Bob Skelly
34th
1986 election 		1987 1991 Social Credit
  • Bill Vander Zalm
  • Rita Johnston
 NDP
  • Bob Skelly
  • Mike Harcourt
35th
1991 election 		1991 1996 NDP
  • Mike Harcourt
  • Glen Clark
 Liberal
  • Gordon Wilson
  • Fred Gingell
  • Gordon Campbell
36th
1996 election 		1996 2001 NDP Liberal Gordon Campbell
37th
2001 election 		2001 2005 Liberal Gordon Campbell NDP Joy MacPhail
38th
2005 election 		2005 2009 Liberal Gordon Campbell NDP Carole James
39th
2009 election 		2009 2013 Liberal
  • Gordon Campbell
  • Christy Clark
 NDP
  • Carole James
  • Dawn Black
  • Adrian Dix
40th
2013 election 		2013 2017 Liberal Christy Clark NDP
  • Adrian Dix
  • John Horgan
41st
2017 election 		2017 2020 Liberal Christy Clark NDP John Horgan
NDP John Horgan Liberal
  • Christy Clark
  • Rich Coleman
  • Andrew Wilkinson
42nd
2020 election 		2020 2024 NDP
  • John Horgan
  • David Eby
 Liberal
  • Andrew Wilkinson
  • Shirley Bond
  • Kevin Falcon
  United Kevin Falcon
43rd
2024 election 		2025 present NDP David Eby Conservative
  • John Rustad
  • Trevor Halford

Officeholders

Since 2024

Speaker

Other chair occupants

Leaders

House leaders

Photos of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

See also

Notes

References

  1. "Opposition". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
  2. Pawson, Chad (February 9, 2026). "B.C. Greens pull out of governing accord with B.C. NDP | CBC News". CBC.
  3. "Current Party Standings". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
  4. Engagement, Government Communications and Public. "Organizational structure - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024.
  5. "Order of Her Majesty in Council admitting British Columbia into the Union, dated the 16th day of May 1871", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1871/
  6. Duffus, Maureen. "Vancouver Island First Legislature" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Vancouver Island History. Accessed 1 September 2022.
  7. Harberer, E. (8 April 1876). "Victoria B.C. -The Provincial Public Buildings" Archived December 24, 2004, at the Wayback Machine. Canadian Illustrated News. via University of Victoria. Accessed 1 September 2022.
  8. "About Victoria: History". City of Victoria. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009.
  9. "Attractions in Victoria, BC". Archived from the original on May 23, 2007.

48°25′10″N 123°22′13″W / 48.4194°N 123.3703°W / 48.4194; -123.3703