Glen Clark

Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:For multi Template:BLP sources Template:Infobox officeholder Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957) is a Canadian retail 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, namely St. Jude’s Elementary and Notre Dame Secondary in East Vancouver. At Notre Dame, Clark was known as a small, fearless linebacker for the football team. He was also student council president and played the lead male role in The Sound of Music and later performed in South Pacific.<ref name="Jim Pattison Group">Template:Cite web</ref> Clark earned a bachelor's degree from Simon Fraser University and a master's degree from the University of British Columbia. Before entering politics, he was part of the labour movement and worked as a natural resource policy consultant.<ref name=assembly>Template:Cite web</ref>

Premier of British Columbia

Template:See also Clark was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 1986 provincial election. He served as the Minister of Finance and Corporate Relations and then as the Minister of Employment and Investment in the government of Mike Harcourt.<ref name=assembly /> When Harcourt resigned as a result of the Bingogate scandal, Clark stood for and won the leadership of the BC NDP and therefore became BC's 31st premier. Clark called an election in 1996 in which his party narrowly held onto its majority. Although it received fewer votes across the province than the second-place BC Liberal Party, the NDP was able to hold on to power by winning all but eight seats in Vancouver.

Clark largely continued the policies of the Harcourt government, particularly its implementation of the B.C. Benefits welfare reform package, similar to reforms carried out by Ralph Klein in Alberta and Mike Harris in Ontario. When the 1997 party convention adopted a motion condemning the reforms and calling for an increase in welfare rates, Clark responded, "No. We have a deficit."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Scandals

Fast ferry scandal

Clark undertook the B.C. fast ferries initiative, which was designed to upgrade the existing BC Ferries fleet as well as jump start the shipbuilding industry in Vancouver. Although the ferries were eventually produced, the project had massive cost overruns and long delays, and the ferries were never able to function up to expectations.<ref name="canada.com">"B.C. fast ferries' voyage to oblivion leads to Middle East" Template:Webarchive. Vancouver Sun, July 30, 2009.</ref> The ferries were later sold by the incoming Liberal government, for a fraction of their original price, to the American owned Washington Marine Group.<ref name="canada.com" />

Casinogate

In March 1999, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police executed a search warrant and searched the Clark household.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The media was tipped off about the raid, and BCTV showed live, primetime coverage of the premier pacing inside his house while the search was conducted. Two weeks later the RCMP conducted a search of the Premier's Office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The subsequent investigation spawned intense coverage by the media.<ref name=daggers>Judi Tyabji Wilson, Daggers Unsheathed: The Political Assassination of Glen Clark. Heritage House Publishing Co., 2002.</ref> However, subsequent coverage also exposed numerous inaccuracies in the way the story was initially portrayed, with some critics alleging a media or RCMP conspiracy to smear him for ideological reasons.<ref>"The conspiracy to get Glen Clark, or not". National Post, August 31, 2002.</ref>

Clark resigned suddenly on the night of August 21, 1999, following allegations that he had accepted favours (in the form of free renovations worth $10,000, which he had actually paid for) from Dimitrios Pilarinos in return for approving a casino application.<ref>"Glen Clark steps down under pressure". CBC News, August 21, 1999.</ref> He was later formally charged with committing breach of trust, a criminal offence.<ref name=canenc>Glen Clark at The Canadian Encyclopedia.</ref>

Conflict of interest commissioner H.A.D. Oliver concluded in 2001 that Clark had violated conflict of interest laws in British Columbia.<ref name=daggers /> However, Clark was acquitted of all criminal charges by the Supreme Court of British Columbia on August 29, 2002,<ref name=canenc /> with Justice Elizabeth Bennett ruling that while Clark had unwisely left himself open to a perception of unethical behaviour, there was no solid evidence that he had actually done anything illegal.<ref>"Glen Clark not guilty in breach of trust case". CBC News, August 29, 2002.</ref>

After political life

Upon Clark's resignation, Deputy Premier Dan Miller acceded to the interim leadership of the New Democratic Party and the premiership. Miller was succeeded by Ujjal Dosanjh after winning the party's leadership convention in 2000. Due in part to the scandals surrounding Clark, the NDP was heavily defeated by the BC Liberals under Gordon Campbell in the 2001 provincial election, winning just two seats.

In 2001 Jim Pattison hired Clark to manage his Neon Products Company. Later, Clark was president and chief operating officer of the Jim Pattison Group in Vancouver until he stepped down at the end of 2022.<ref name="Business in Vancouver">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Jim Pattison Group"/>

In December 2024, Clark left the Jim Pattison Group after his appointment to chair BC Hydro.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>