BristolUK

What offices or roles - if any - did your province's Premier (and maybe some before them?) hold prior to becoming an MLA?

Basically I'm looking at background, just to see if they "worked their way there" or did something else happen?

For New Brunswick they all seem to have been Lawyers and nothing between Legal Practice and becoming an MLA.

I had to go back 6 Premiers before I found one who had been so much as a Councillor first. The three before him were all Lawyers and then became MLAs. This is all the way back to 1960 when I found another who had been a Councillor.

This is not to say some sort of public role should be essential but you have to go back 57 years to find a second Premier who didn't go from being a Lawyer to becoming an MLA. It just seems a bit odd to have no 'political life' beforehand.

Looking around the various ministerial positions it seems that the normal route to the Legislative Assembly comes from practicing law.

So, what of your province?

Novocastrian

There aren't a whole lot of Provinces and every Premier of one has a wiki entry, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Wynne

BristolUK

But that means me doing all the work
(not to mention I also included past Premiers and ministerial positions)

It may even be that some on BE will know the answer without having to look it up.

Maybe it might even be educational or illuminating

Partially discharged

Couldn't you have found an example of somebody who was less polarizing

Like this guy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hatfield

BristolUK

Now that's already interesting. A whole string of roles and activism prior to entering the Legislative Assembly.

Partially discharged

My wife's grandfather was a cabinet minister in NB for many years without finishing high school I believe and starting with local government council.

scrubbedexpat091

Not in office yet but will be Premier soon.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John...an_politician)

BristolUK

Looks like he had loads of government/political experience prior to becoming an MLA.

JonboyE

I will play. In the last 20 years:

Premier elect: John Horgan. A political activist before becoming an MLA. Not a lawyer.

Christy Clarke. Not a lawyer. A journalist as well as a political activist.

Gordon Campbell. Teacher, project manager, property developer. Served on Vancouver City council and as mayor before entering provincial politics. Not a lawyer.

Ujjal Dosanjh. He was a lawyer but gets a pass as he used his position to advocate for public good, and he is a brave man.

Glenn Clark. Worked in the labour movement before entering politics. Not a lawyer.

From your descriptions NB seems to be a backward place but you cannot extrapolate to the ROC.

magnumpi

Alien intervention I think

Partially discharged

That made me chuckle. We've got our fair share of city councillors here in ottawa who do a great job of spending other people's money

BristolUK

Excellent.
A 'proper' grounding for those then.

I've long said that in many ways NB is a bit backward - although I'd say there have been some significantly enlightened approaches in the last couple of years.

But now we have East and West with seemingly different approaches. What about the more minor () parts in between?

Novocastrian

Who knew?

dave_j

Are lawyers so poorly paid in NB that they have to branch off into politics.. or do they see politics as a more profitable diversion? Perhaps they're not quite as backward as you would have us believe.

scilly

John Horgan has had an interesting work history ............ father died when he was 18 months old, so he had to work to earn money for his education. Jobs included in a pulp mill in Ocean Falls, and waiting tables at The Keg. BA from Trent University, MA in history from University of Sydney (Australia), then going to Ottawa as Legislative Assistant to 2 NDP MPs. Then he worked as a bureaucrat in Victoria ....... non-political jobs. So quite a bit of experience in ordinary workforce before politics

Christie Clark attended 3 universities studying political science and religious studies. Didn't graduate from any of them. Was an MLA from 1996 to 2004 when she quit, and eventually became a talk radio host. Tried to get nomination to run for Mayor of Vancouver in 2005, but lost to sam Sullivan (still some animosity there). Ran for leadership of the provincial Liberals when Gordon Campbell stepped down, winning in 2011.


Mike (Michael) Harcourt, NDP Premier 1991-1996 ...... Vancouver born and bred. BA and Bachelor of Laws degrees from UBC. Founded and was first Director of the Vancouver Community Legal Assistance Society (considered to be Canada's first community law office). Vancouver alderman 1973-1980; Vancouver mayor 1980-1986. Elected as MLA in 1986, leader of the NDP in 1987, party won election in 1991.


and of course .................

W.A.C Bennett ........... more commonly known as Wacky Bennett . Founded the Social Credit Party in BC. He was premier for a total of 20 years 1952-1972. Born in NB, left school in Grade 9 (during WW1), worked in a hardware store. Family later moved to Alberta where father operated a hardware store. Wacky himself opened a hardware store with a partner in 1927, married soon after, then sold his share in the store just before the 1929 stock market crash. Moved to BC, opened a ahrdware store in kelowna, and also became a partner in a venture to make wines from a suprlus of Okanagan apples during the Depression, lbusiness later re-named Calona Wines and made wine using California grapes. Bennet and another of the partners were lifelong teetotallers . Entered politics in 1940.


If you think politics is wacky now ........... it was certainly wacky under WAC, , not least in the province's attitude to drinking and buying wine and alcohol (under his guidance). He also achieved many projects and made huge changes to BC .... paving roads all over the province, building many dams, taking over BC Ferries from a private operator, etc etc.