Michael C. Farnworth (born July 23, 1959) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 15th and current
deputy premier of British Columbia The deputy premier of British Columbia is the representative of the premier of British Columbia in the Canadian province of British Columbia when the current premier is unable to attend functions executed by the premier.
Mike Farnworth has been th ...
since 2021, and the minister of public safety and solicitor general since 2017. A member of 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 Democrati ...
(BC NDP), Farnworth represents the riding of
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
in 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, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...
, where he is the NDP's
house leader
{{Politics of Canada
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament (MP) and an expert in parliamentary procedure. The same representation is found in the pr ...
, and the
dean of the Legislative Assembly.
Background
Born in
Bebington
Bebington () is a town and unparished area within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it lies south of Liverpool, close to the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula. Ne ...
, England,
Farnworth was raised in
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
,
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, ...
.
He attended
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...
, earning a bachelor's degree in geography.
Prior to entering elected office, Farnworth worked at
CP Rail
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
,
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...
, and
Mount Isa Mines
Mount Isa Mines Limited ("MIM") operates the Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia as part of the Glencore group of companies. For a brief period in 1980, MIM was Australia's largest company. It has ...
.
Farnworth has publicly acknowledged that he is gay. He has had a relationship with his partner, Doug, for over twenty five years.
Political career
After serving three terms on Port Coquitlam City Council
and working for
Port Moody—Coquitlam
Port Moody—Coquitlam (formerly known as Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004 and since 2015.
Geography
...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
Ian Waddell
Ian Gardiner Waddell (November 21, 1942March 15, 2021) was a Canadian politician, author and filmmaker. He served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1993, and in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2001.
...
,
Farnworth ran for the BC NDP in the
1991 provincial election, in which he was first elected
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...
(MLA) for
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
.
He was re-elected in
1996, and was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing by
Premier
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 governm ...
Glen Clark
Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957) is a Canadian business executive and former politician who served as the 31st premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.
Early life and education
Clark attended independent Roman Catholic schools, n ...
in January 1997, before becoming Minister of Employment and Investment and Minister Responsible for Housing in 1998.
Under Premier
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Dosanjh ( pa, ਉੱਜਲ ਦੇਵ ਦੁਸਾਂਝ) (), (born September 9, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 33rd premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada member of ...
, Farnworth was named Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Seniors in February 2000, before becoming Minister of Social Development and Economic Security in November that year.
He ran in the redistributed riding of
Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain
Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 2001 to 2009.
Demographics
Geography
1999 Redistribution
Changes from Port Coquitlam to Port Coquitlam-Burke M ...
in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, but lost his seat amidst the party's province-wide wipeout. Following the election, Farnworth worked in the Balkans and Iraq for the U.S.-based
National Democratic Institute
The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...
.
In the
2005 B.C. general election, Farnworth sought to take back his old seat, winning the riding with 11,844 votes (48.14% of valid votes). In
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, he was re-elected to his fourth term in the recreated riding of Port Coquitlam with 54.71% of valid votes. He then ran in the
2011 NDP leadership election to replace outgoing leader
Carole James
Carole Alison James (born December 22, 1957) is a Canadian politician and former public administrator, who represented Victoria-Beacon Hill in the MLA from 2005 to 2020. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former ...
; he lost to
Adrian Dix after three rounds of voting.
Farnworth was returned to the legislature in the
2013 B.C. general election with more than half of the riding's popular vote, but the BC NDP lost the election despite favourable opinion polls leading up to the vote. Following Dix's resignation as party leader in September 2013, both Farnworth and
John Horgan
John Joseph Horgan (born August 7, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022, and also as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2014 to 2022. Horgan has been the ...
formally announced their candidacies for the post in March 2014.
With a significant number of NDP MLAs backing Horgan (including
Dawn Black
Dawn Black (born April 1, 1943) is a politician in British Columbia, Canada.
Born ''Dawn Whitty'', Black became involved in politics from a young age, she became an assistant to New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Pauline Jewett.
Member ...
,
Joe Trasolini and
Fin Donnelly
Fin Donnelly (born May 27, 1966) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada to represent the electoral district of Port Moody—Coquitlam. He is a member of the New Democratic Party. Donnelly was first elected ...
, all figures from Farnworth's own
Tri-Cities area), Farnworth withdrew from the leadership race in April, leaving Horgan the sole candidate. After the deadline for nominations passed on May 1, Horgan was acclaimed leader of the BC NDP, and appointed Farnworth as opposition house leader.
Farnworth was re-elected MLA in the
2017 B.C. general election with more than 55% of the vote. In the subsequent NDP minority government, Farnworth was appointed Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. He retained the same cabinet posts in the NDP majority government following his re-election in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
.
On October 28, 2021, Farnworth was appointed
Deputy Premier of British Columbia The deputy premier of British Columbia is the representative of the premier of British Columbia in the Canadian province of British Columbia when the current premier is unable to attend functions executed by the premier.
Mike Farnworth has been th ...
by Premier
John Horgan
John Joseph Horgan (born August 7, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022, and also as the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2014 to 2022. Horgan has been the ...
, in the wake of an announcement that Horgan was to undergo throat surgery on October 29.
When Horgan stepped down as premier and was succeeded by
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 ...
, Farnworth retained his portfolios in Eby's cabinet.
Electoral record
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnworth, Mike
Living people
British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs
Canadian LGBT people in provincial and territorial legislatures
English emigrants to Canada
Gay politicians
People from Port Coquitlam
Health ministers of British Columbia
Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia
British Columbia municipal councillors
Solicitors general of Canadian provinces
1959 births
20th-century Canadian politicians
21st-century Canadian politicians
Simon Fraser University alumni
People from Bebington