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 Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

, 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 In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

upon swearing into office. The attorney general also serves as an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia. Since December 7, 2022, the post has been held by

Niki Sharma Niki Sharma is a Canadian politician and lawyer, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2020 British Columbia general election. She represents the electoral district of Vancouver-Hastings as a member of the Bri ...

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

* John Foster McCreight; 1871–1872 * George Anthony Walkem; 1871–1874 *

A. E. B. Davie Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, QC, referred to as A. E. B. Davie (November 24, 1847 – August 1, 1889), was the eighth premier of British Columbia. He served in office from 1887 until his death in 1889. Called to the bar in 1873, he was the f ...

; 1882–(1887?) *

John Roland Hett John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

; * Theodore Davie; 1889–1892 *

Joseph Martin Joseph Martin may refer to: Military *Joseph Martin (general) (1740–1808), American Revolutionary War general from Virginia *Joseph Plumb Martin (1760–1850), American soldier and memoir writer *Joseph M. Martin (born 1962), U.S. Army officer ...

; 1898–1900 *

Albert Edward McPhillips Albert Edward McPhillips (21 March 1861 – 24 January 1938) was a Canadian politician and a barrister. Early years He was the son of George McPhillips (born Co. Monaghan, 1805–1878) and Margaret Lavin (born Co. Armagh), both of whom were ...

; (1900?)–1903 * Charles Wilson; 1903–1906 *

Frederick John Fulton Frederick John Fulton, KC (December 8, 1862 – July 25, 1936) was a British-born and educated Canadian lawyer and politician. He practiced law in Kamloops, British Columbia. He was a member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly fro ...

; 1906–1907 * William John Bowser; 1907–1915 * Malcolm Archibald Macdonald; 1915–1917 *

John Wallace de Beque Farris John Wallace de Beque Farris, (December 3, 1878 – February 25, 1970) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Born in White's Cove, New Brunswick, the son of Laughlin P. Farris and Louise Hay, he was educated at St. Martin's Seminary, rece ...

; 1917–1922 * Alexander Malcolm Manson; 1922–1928 *

Gordon Sloan Gordon Wright Sloan (April 9, 1911 – August 23, 2006) was an American attorney and judge. He was the 70th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court in the United States. He previously served on the International Tuna Commission, and later the Kan ...

; 1933–1937 * Gordon Wismer; 1937–1941 * Royal Lethington Maitland; 1941–1946 * Gordon Wismer; 1946–1952 *

Robert Bonner Robert Bonner may refer to: * Robert C. Bonner (born 1942), American lawyer and government official * Robert E. Bonner (1824–1899), American newspaper editor * Robert Bonner (baseball) (1894–?), American baseball player *Robert Bonner (politici ...

; 1952–1968 * Leslie Peterson; 1968–1972 * Alex MacDonald; 1972–1975 * Garde Gardom; 1975–1979 * Allan Williams; 1979–1983 * Brian Smith; 1983–1988 *

Bud Smith Robert Allan "Bud" Smith (born October 23, 1979) is an American retired baseball pitcher. Smith was active at the major league level in 2001 and 2002, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Minor leagues In 2000, Smith led the minor league Cardin ...

; 1988–1990 *

Russell Fraser Russell Gordon Fraser (born March 1, 1934) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1983 to 1991, as a Social Credit member for the constituency of Vancouver South. He served as Attorney General ...

; 1990–1991 *

Colin Gabelmann Colin Stuart Gabelmann (born February 11, 1944) is a former politician in British Columbia. He represented North Vancouver-Seymour from 1972 to 1975 and North Island from 1979 to 1996 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a New Dem ...

; 1991–1995 * Ujjal Dosanjh; 1995–2000 * Andrew Petter; 2000 *

Graeme Bowbrick Graeme Bowbrick (born 1966) is a Canadian lawyer, educator and former politician. Bowbrick is a faculty member in the Criminology Department at Douglas College and sits on the College Board. He served as a New Democratic Member of the Legislat ...

; 2000–2001 *

Geoff Plant Geoff Plant, (born c. 1956) is a British Columbia lawyer and retired politician known for his interest in citizen's legal and electoral rights and aboriginal rights. As of 2010, he is chair of the board for Providence Health Care which opera ...

; 2001–2005 * Wally Oppal; 2005–2009 *

Mike de Jong Mike de Jong, (born 1963 or 1964) is a provincial politician and was cabinet minister of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Early life De Jong was born to Dutch parents who immigrated to Canada after Canadian soldiers liberated th ...

; 2009–2010 *

Barry Penner Barry Penner, is a Canadian licensed lawyer and former politician in the province of British Columbia. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) for Chilliwack-Hope for 16 years. He also served as Attorney Gener ...

; 2010–2011 * Shirley Bond; 2011–2013 *

Suzanne Anton Suzanne Anton, (born May 31, 1952) is a Canadian politician and the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of British Columbia. Elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election, Anton represent ...

; 2013–2017 *

Andrew Wilkinson Andrew Wilkinson is an Australian-born Canadian politician. He is the former leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party, and served as the leader of British Columbia's Official Opposition. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British ...

; 2017 *

David Eby David Robert Patrick Eby (born July 21, 1976) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has been serving as the 37th and current premier of British Columbia since November 18, 2022, and has been serving as the leader of the British Columbia New De ...

; 2017–2022 *

Murray Rankin Murray Rankin (born January 26, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, politician and public law expert who serves as British Columbia's Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. A member of the New Democratic Party, Rankin represents the rid ...

; 2022 *

; since 2022

References

External links

Ministry of Attorney GeneralMinistry of Attorney General Service Plan
British Columbia government departments and agencies * British Columbia 1859 establishments in the British Empire British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-poli-stub

List of attorneys general of the Colony of British Columbia

List of attorneys general of the province of British Columbia

See also

References

External links