The Executive Council of British Columbia (the Cabinet) is the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

. Almost always composed of members of the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria. Members are elected from provincial ...

, the Cabinet is similar in structure and role as the federal

Cabinet of Canada The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du Canada) is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the ...

is to the Canadian House of Commons. Executive power is vested in the Crown; the

lieutenant governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...

, as representative of

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

, exercises executive power on behalf of the Cabinet, acting as the

lieutenant governor in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it would mean the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of ap ...

. Members of the Cabinet are selected by the

premier of British Columbia Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of gov ...

, who chairs the Cabinet.

History

Prior to their union in 1866, the Executive Councils of the separate

crown colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council ...

and

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

were largely appointed by the governor and included military and judicial officials, their role that of the governor's cabinet, similar to the present except that the governor took part in cabinet meetings and political decisions, whereas the modern-day lieutenant governor does not. The colonial Legislative Assemblies were subordinate to the governor and the Council and served more as a sounding-board than a legislative body.

Cabinet

The current Cabinet consists of members of the Legislative Assembly representing the province's governing party, the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. As of 2017, it governs the province. It is the British Columbia provincial arm of the federal New Democratic ...

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 ...

was sworn in as

by Lieutenant Governor

Janet Austin Janet Edna Merivale Austin (born ) is a Canadian former nonprofit sector executive and public servant who is the 30th lieutenant governor of British Columbia, having served since 2018. She is the List of viceregal representatives of Elizabeth ...

on November 18, 2022. His initial cabinet was sworn in on December 7, 2022.

List of historical cabinets

* Vander Zalm ministry (1986–1991) * Johnston ministry (1991) *

Harcourt ministry The Harcourt ministry was the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from November 5, 1991, to February 22, 1996. It was led by Mike Harcourt, the 30th premier of British Columbia, an ...

(1991–1996) *

Glen Clark ministry The Glen Clark ministry was the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from February 22, 1996 to August 25, 1999. It was led by Glen Clark, the 31st premier of British Columbia, and c ...

(1996–1999) *

Miller ministry The Miller ministry was the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from August 25, 1999, to February 24, 2000. It was led by Dan Miller, the 32nd premier of British Columbia, and c ...

(1999–2000) * Dosanjh ministry (2000–2001) * Campbell ministry (2001–2011) * Christy Clark ministry (2011–2017) *

Horgan ministry The Horgan ministry is the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from July 18, 2017, to November 18, 2022. It was chaired by the 36th premier of British Columbia, John Horgan. The C ...

(2017–2022)

References

{{Executive Councils of Canada