Darryl Plecas

The Honourable Doctor
Darryl Plecas
MLA
39th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia [1]
Assumed office
September 8, 2017
Premier John Horgan
Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon
Janet Austin
Preceded by Steve Thomson
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Abbotsford South
Assumed office
May 14, 2013
Preceded by John van Dongen
Personal details
Born 1951/1952 (age 66–67)[2]
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Political party Independent
Other political
affiliations		 Liberal (until 2017)
Profession criminologist

Darryl Plecas (born in 1951) is a Canadian politician, the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Abbotsford South, and current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2013 provincial election as a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party.[3] He was removed from the Liberal Party on September 9, 2017 for accepting his election as Speaker; he had previously promised the party he would not to run for the position as it would strengthen the New Democratic minority government.[4]

Background

Plecas holds two degrees in Criminology from Simon Fraser University, and a doctorate in Higher Education from the University of British Columbia.[5]

Plecas was a criminologist and a faculty member at the University of the Fraser Valley, where he worked for 34 years, and helped turn the criminal justice program from a college diploma into a fully credited degree program.[6][7]

Political career

Plecas served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Crime Reduction from June 10, 2013 to January 29, 2015. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health for Seniors on January 30, 2015.[5]

At a Liberal caucus meeting held in July 2017, shortly after the government of Christy Clark lost power following its defeat in a confidence vote, Plecas called for Clark's resignation as party leader and threatened to quit the Liberal caucus and sit as an Independent MLA if she remained. Later that month, Clark announced her resignation as leader.[8]

On September 8, 2017, he was acclaimed Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia after previously telling caucus colleagues that he would not run for the position.[9] His taking of the position, along with the support of Green Party MLAs, allows the British Columbia New Democratic Party minority government to have a working majority in the Legislative Assembly. The BC Liberal Party revoked his membership the day after he accepted the speakership, forcing him to sit as an Independent.[8]

Electoral record

2017 election

British Columbia general election, 2017: Abbotsford South
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalDarryl Plecas10,68752.82
New DemocraticJasleen Arora5,65227.93
GreenWilliam Aird Flavelle3,02114.93
Christian HeritageRon Gray8744.32
Total valid votes 20,234100.00
Liberal hold Swing +5.08
Source: Elections BC[10]

2013 election

British Columbia general election, 2013: Abbotsford South
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalDarryl Plecas9,56447.74
IndependentJohn van Dongen5,58727.89
New DemocraticLakhvinder Jhaj4,21021.01
MarijuanaSteve Finlay4172.08
ExcaliburPatricia Smith2561.28
Total valid votes 20,032100.00
Total rejected ballots 2021.00
Turnout 20,23455.77
Liberal hold Swing
Source: Elections BC[11]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.news1130.com/2017/09/08/bc-liberal-acclaimed-speaker-house/
  2. ↑ http://www.abbynews.com/news/election/205838271.html
  3. ↑ "Fraser Valley: End of the line for van Dongen as Liberals bolster stronghold in Fraser Valley". The Province, May 15, 2013.
  4. ↑ CBC News (9 September 2017). "BC Liberals revoke Speaker Darryl Plecas' membership". Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  5. 1 2 "About MLA Plecas". darryplecasmla.ca. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Gibson and Plecas prepare for new opportunities as Abbotsford MLAs". Abbotsford News, May 20, 2013.
  7. ↑ Ip, Stephanie. "Five things about new B.C. Speaker Darryl Plecas" (September 8, 2017). Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Abbotsford MLA Darryl Plecas named speaker". ladysmithchronicle.com. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Shaw, Rob (September 8, 2017). "MLA Darryl Plecas defects from B.C. Liberals to become Speaker". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "2017 Provincial General Election Preliminary Voting Results". Elections BC. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "2013 Provincial General Election Final Voting Results". Elections BC. Retrieved 16 May 2017.


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