Attorney General of British Columbia

British Columbia cabinet minister

Attorney General of British Columbia

Incumbent
Niki Sharma

since December 7, 2022

Member of|

* Executive Council of British Columbia
* King's Counsel

Nominator| Premier of British Columbia
Appointer| Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
Formation| 1859
First holder| George Hunter Cary

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, 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.[1] Under the King's Counsel Act, the attorney general is automatically appointed a King's Counsel upon swearing into office.[2] The attorney general also serves as an ex officio bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia. A separate cabinet position, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, administers the province's law enforcement agencies (police, prisons and security).

Since December 7, 2022, the post has been held by Niki Sharma.

## List of attorneys general of the Colony of British Columbia

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

List of ministers  Minister  | Term start  | Term end  | Political party  | Ministry

|
|
|
|

Edward Graham Alston  | August 17, 1871  | August 22, 1871  | Non-partisan | Interim
John Foster McCreight | August 22, 1871  | November 13, 1871  | Non-partisan | Interim
November 14, 1871  | December 23, 1872  | Non-partisan | McCreight
George Anthony Walkem | December 23, 1872  | February 9, 1874  | Non-partisan | De Cosmos
February 11, 1874  | January 27, 1876  | Non-partisan | Walkem I
Andrew Charles Elliott | February 1, 1876  | June 25, 1878  | Non-partisan | Elliott
George Anthony Walkem | June 25, 1878  | June 6, 1882  | Non-partisan | Walkem II
John Roland Hett | June 13, 1882  | January 29, 1883  | Non-partisan | Beaven
Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | January 29, 1883  | March 28, 1887  | Non-partisan | Smithe
April 1, 1887  | August 1, 1889  | Non-partisan | A. E. B. Davie
Theodore Davie | August 3, 1889  | June 29, 1892  | Non-partisan | Robson
July 2, 1892  | March 2, 1895  | Non-partisan | T. Davie
David McEwen Eberts | March 4, 1895  | August 8, 1898  | Non-partisan | Turner
Joseph Martin | August 15, 1898  | July 27, 1899  | Non-partisan | Semlin
Alexander Henderson | August 7, 1899  | February 27, 1900  | Non-partisan
Joseph Martin | February 28, 1900  | June 14, 1900  | Non-partisan | Martin
David McEwen Eberts | June 15, 1900  | November 21, 1900  | Non-partisan | Dunsmuir
November 25, 1902  | May 27, 1903  | Non-partisan | Prior
Albert Edward McPhillips | June 4, 1903  | November 5, 1903  | █ Conservative | McBride
Charles Wilson | November 5, 1903  | March 15, 1906  | █ Conservative
Frederick John Fulton | March 15, 1906  | July 24, 1907  | █ Conservative
William John Bowser | July 24, 1907  | December 15, 1915  | █ Conservative
December 15, 1915  | November 23, 1916  | █ Conservative | Bowser
Malcolm Archibald Macdonald | November 29, 1916  | May 14, 1917  | █ Liberal | Brewster
John Wallace de Beque Farris | May 14, 1917  | March 1, 1918  | █ Liberal | Brewster
March 6, 1918  | January 28, 1922  | Oliver
Alexander Malcolm Manson | January 28, 1922  | August 17, 1927  | █ Liberal | Oliver
August 20, 1927  | August 20, 1928  | MacLean
Robert Henry Pooley | August 21, 1928  | November 15, 1933  | █ Conservative | Tolmie
Gordon McGregor Sloan | November 15, 1933  | April 5, 1937  | █ Liberal | Pattullo
Duff Pattullo | April 5, 1937  | July 5, 1937  | █ Liberal
Gordon Sylvester Wismer | July 5, 1937  | November 14, 1941  | █ Liberal
Norman William Whittaker | November 14, 1941  | November 19, 1941  | █ Liberal
Duff Pattullo | November 24, 1941  | December 9, 1941  | █ Liberal
Royal Maitland | December 10, 1941  | March 28, 1946  | █ Conservative | Hart
Gordon Sylvester Wismer | March 28, 1946  | December 29, 1947  | █ Liberal | Hart
December 29, 1947  | August 1, 1952  | Johnson
Robert Bonner | August 1, 1952  | May 27, 1968  | █ Social Credit | W. A. C. Bennett
Leslie Peterson | May 27, 1968  | September 15, 1972  | █ Social Credit
Alexander Macdonald | September 15, 1972  | December 22, 1975  | █ New Democratic | Barrett
Garde Gardom | December 22, 1975  | November 23, 1979  | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett
Allan Williams | November 23, 1979  | May 26, 1983  | █ Social Credit
Brian Smith | May 26, 1983  | August 6, 1986  | █ Social Credit | B. Bennett
August 6, 1986  | June 29, 1988  | Vander Zalm
Elwood Veitch | June 29, 1988  | August 6, 1988  | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm
Bud Smith | August 6, 1988  | July 13, 1990  | █ Social Credit
Russell Fraser | July 13, 1990  | April 2, 1991  | █ Social Credit | Vander Zalm
April 2, 1991  | November 5, 1991  | Johnston
Colin Gabelmann | November 5, 1991  | August 16, 1995  | █ New Democratic | Harcourt
Ujjal Dosanjh | August 16, 1995  | February 22, 1996  | █ New Democratic | Harcourt
February 28, 1996  | August 25, 1999  | G. Clark
August 25, 1999  | February 24, 2000  | Miller
Andrew Petter | February 29, 2000  | November 1, 2000  | █ New Democratic | Dosanjh
Graeme Bowbrick | November 1, 2000  | June 5, 2001  | █ New Democratic
Geoff Plant | June 5, 2001  | June 16, 2005  | █ Liberal | Campbell
Wally Oppal | June 16, 2005  | June 10, 2009  | █ Liberal
Mike de Jong | June 10, 2009  | December 1, 2010  | █ Liberal
Barry Penner | December 1, 2010  | March 14, 2011  | █ Liberal
March 14, 2011  | August 18, 2011  | █ Liberal | C. Clark
Shirley Bond | August 18, 2011  | June 10, 2013  | █ Liberal | C. Clark
Suzanne Anton | June 10, 2013  | June 12, 2017  | █ Liberal
Andrew Wilkinson | June 12, 2017  | July 18, 2017  | █ Liberal
David Eby | July 18, 2017  | July 19, 2022  | █ New Democratic | Horgan
Murray Rankin | July 22, 2022  | November 18, 2022  | █ New Democratic
Niki Sharma | December 7, 2022  | Incumbent | █ New Democratic | Eby

## See also

[edit]

* Justice ministry
* Politics of British Columbia

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ministry of Attorney General (2023-02-28). "Attorney General - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Victoria: Government of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
2. ^ King's Counsel Act, RSBC 1996, c. 393, s. 1

## External links

[edit]

* Ministry of Attorney General
* Ministry of Attorney General Service Plan

* v
* t
* e

Attorney General of Canada (by province or territory)

Provinces|

* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Manitoba
* New Brunswick
* Newfoundland and Labrador
* Nova Scotia
* Ontario
* Prince Edward Island
* Quebec
* Saskatchewan

Territories|

* Northwest Territories
* Nunavut
* Yukon

* v
* t
* e

Government of British Columbia

Sovereign|

* Monarchy in British Columbia
* Lieutenant Governor

Branches|

* Executive Council
* Parliament
* Judiciary

Ministers and officers|

* Premier
* Deputy premier
* Attorney general
* Auditor General
* Ombudsperson

Ministries|

* Attorney General of British Columbia
* Children and Family Development
* Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
* Environment and Parks
* Health
* Public Safety and Solicitor General
* Social Development and Poverty Reduction
* Transportation and Transit

Departments and agencies|

* Agricultural Land Reserve
* British Columbia Ambulance Service
* B.C. Ferry Authority
* Commission on Resources and Environment
* Creative BC Film Commission
* Elections BC
* British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission
* Emergency Support Services
* Environmental Assessment Office
* British Columbia Family Maintenance Enforcement Program
* HealthLinkBC
* British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
* Independent Investigations Office
* Land Title and Survey Authority
* Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch
* Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons
* Open Learning Agency
* BC Parks
* BC Pension Corporation
* British Columbia Resources Investment Corporation
* Recreation Sites and Trails BC
* British Columbia Securities Commission
* BC Transit
* British Columbia Utilities Commission
* BC Wildfire Service
* WorkSafeBC

See also|

* Order of precedence in British Columbia
* Government House
* Politics of British Columbia
* List of British Columbian ministries

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template