Gordon Fullerton Gibson, (born 1937) is a political columnist, author, and politician in

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, ...

(BC),

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He is the son of the late Gordon Gibson, who was a prominent businessman and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician in British Columbia in the 1950s. He received a BA (Honours) in mathematics and physics at the University of British Columbia and an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from Harvard Business School, and he did research work at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

. Gibson served as an assistant to the federal Minister of Northern Affairs from 1963 to 1968, and was a special assistant to

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Pierre Trudeau from 1968 to 1972. In the 1972 federal election, he ran as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate in

Vancouver South Vancouver South (french: Vancouver-Sud) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1997, and since 2004. It covers the southern portion of the city of Va ...

, but lost to Progressive Conservative candidate John Fraser by 3,000 votes. In 1974, Gibson won a by-election to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the riding of North Vancouver-Capilano under the

banner. The following year, three Liberal MLAs defected to the Social Credit Party three months before that year's general election, leaving Gibson and party leader David Anderson as the only two Liberals in the legislature. Anderson declined to be renominated to the leadership, and Gibson was approached to lead the party into the election. He was the only Liberal elected that year. He remained party leader until 1979, when he resigned to run again for a seat in the federal House of Commons, in the riding of North Vancouver-Burnaby. He was defeated in both the

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

and 1980 federal elections by Progressive Conservative candidate Chuck Cook by less than 2,000 votes on each attempt. He attempted to return to politics as a candidate in the 1993 B.C. Liberal leadership convention; he came in second to future Premier

Gordon Campbell Gordon Muir Campbell, (born January 12, 1948) is a retired Canadian diplomat and politician who was the 35th mayor of Vancouver from 1986 to 1993 and the 34th premier of British Columbia from 2001 to 2011. He was the leader of the British Co ...

. Gibson has been a senior fellow in Canadian Studies at the Fraser Institute since 1993, and has written several books on Canadian federalism and governance. Following the 2001 provincial election, he was hired by the government to make recommendations on the structure and mandate of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. His report was substantially adopted. His columns appear frequently in the Vancouver Sun, '' Winnipeg Free Press'' and ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''. In May 2008, Gibson was awarded the Order of British Columbia.

Writings

*''A New Look at Canadian Indian Policy: Respect the Collective - Promote the Individual'' (2009).

References

Fraser Institute Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Gordon Leaders of the British Columbia Liberal Party British Columbia Liberal Party MLAs Canadian columnists Harvard Business School alumni Candidates in the 1972 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 1979 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 1980 Canadian federal election 1937 births Living people Alumni of the London School of Economics Members of the Order of British Columbia University of British Columbia alumni Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons