Christy Clark : Ask Biography

Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA (born October 29, 1965) is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada. Clark was sworn in as premier on March 14, 2011, after she won the leadership of the BC Liberal Party in the 2011 leadership election on February 26, 2011.

At the time of her leadership victory, Clark was not a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, though she previously represented the ridings of Port Moody-Westwood and Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain between 1996 and 2005. During that time she served as Minister of Education, Minister of Children and Family Development and as Deputy Premier. She re-entered the legislature after winning a by-election on May 11, 2011 in Vancouver-Point Grey, the riding vacated by her predecessor as premier, Gordon Campbell.

Clark is the second woman, following Rita Johnston in 1991, to serve as Premier of British Columbia, as well as the fourth woman in Canadian history to serve as a provincial premier, and the eighth woman overall to be a first minister. With Eva Aariak currently serving as Premier of Nunavut, and with Kathy Dunderdale holding the office of Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Clark's investiture as premier in British Columbia also marked the first time in Canadian history that three provinces or territories have simultaneously had female premiers. When Alison Redford became Premier of Alberta seven months later, this number was increased to four.