Glen Clark

Infobox_President


name = Glen David Clark
caption = Hon. Glen Clark
order = 31st Premier of British Columbia
term_start = February 22, 1996
term_end = August 25, 1999
predecessor = Mike Harcourt
successor = Dan Miller
birth_date = birth date and age |1957|11|22
birth_place = Nanaimo, British Columbia
death_date =
death_place =
party = New Democratic Party of British Columbia
spouse =
religion =|:"For the lacrosse coach & former player, see Glenn Clark"

Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957 in Nanaimo, British Columbia) is a former politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.

Clark was first elected to the BC Legislature in the 1986 provincial election.

Clark served as finance minister under New Democratic Party of British Columbia (NDP) Premier Mike Harcourt. He earned a reputation for his often dynamic, socialist-style rhetoric. When Harcourt resigned amid scandal in 1995, Clark was elected by the NDP to replace him. Clark became BC's 31st Premier.

Clark called an election in 1996 in which his party narrowly won a majority of seats, despite receiving fewer votes across the province than the second-place BC Liberal Party.

During his premiership, Clark worked hard to increase the accessibility of education by lowering tuition fees, and he successfully completed the widening of the Island Highway linking many communities on Vancouver Island and the choice for the Millennium Line.

The Clark government is most remembered for the "fast ferry fiasco". In an effort to revitalize a shipbuilding industry, 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. Clark's refusal to cancel the program became a focus of public criticism.

Another scandal that beset the NDP government occurred in the immediate aftermath of the 1996 election when it was revealed that provincial budget figures had been manipulated to show a surplus when in fact a deficit had been projected (the "Fudge-It Budget" scandal).

Clark resigned suddenly on the night of August 25, 1999 following allegations that he had accepted favours (in the form of free renovations worth $10,000) from Dimitrios Pilarinos in return for approving a casino application. He was later formally charged with committing a criminal offence. The subsequent investigation spawned a media circus, infamously highlighted with live coverage of an R.C.M.P. raid on the Clark household.

Conflict of Interest Commissioner H.A.D. Oliver concluded [http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/public/clark/report.pdf] that Clark had violated Conflict of Interest laws in British Columbia. However, Clark was acquitted of all criminal charges on August 29, 2002. Justice Elizabeth Bennett of the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that "there is nothing in his conduct that crosses the line from an act of folly to behaviour calling for criminal sanctions."

Clark was succeeded as Premier of B.C. by Deputy Premier Dan Miller, briefly, until a leadership convention selected Ujjal Dosanjh.

After Clark left office the BC Liberal Party led by Gordon Campbell won a landslide election in 2001.

He is currently employed as Executive Vice President of the Jim Pattison Group and president of [http://thenewsgroup.com The News Group North America] .

External links

* [http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/nrm_news_releases/2002AG0083-000981.htm Link to Glen Clark Conflict of Interest ruling]
* [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/02/12/2002BCSC1267.htm BC Supreme Court ruling on the Clark-Pilarinos case]
* [http://www.jimpattison.com The Jim Pattison Group]