Glen Clark

Glen Clark David ( born November 22 1957 in Nanaimo ) is a Canadian politician. He was on February 22, 1996 to August 25, 1999 Prime Minister of the Province of British Columbia and Chair of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP ).

Biography

Clark studied political science at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. Professionally, he worked as a trade union activist in the Lower Mainland. In the elections to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in September 1986, he was elected to the constituency Vancouver East. After the electoral victory of the NDP in October 1991, Prime Minister Michael Harcourt appointed him Minister of Finance. In 1993 he moved to the Ministry of Labour and investments.

On 22 February 1996 Harcourt resigned: Although he had not been involved in it, he took over so that the responsibility for the "Bingo gate " affair, in which a member of the party had let flow the income of a charity bingo in the party coffers. Clark was appointed as the new party chairman and took over the premiership. The NDP won the elections in May 1996, extremely scarce: You scored a total of fewer votes than the British Columbia Liberal Party, but was able to win six more seats and thus hold a slim majority.

In Clark 's reign falls "fast ferry fiasco" ( Fast Ferry Fiasco ). To promote the shipbuilding industry, the government announced the construction of new catamarans for state ferry company BC Ferries in order. Massive cost overruns and numerous technical problems overshadowing the construction of the ships. Clark's refusal to withdraw the investment program, led to public criticism and a massive drop in popularity of the NDP. Another scandal involved the budget. Shortly after the 1996 elections revealed the media that the figures had been manipulated to show a small surplus during the election campaigns. After the elections, the government admitted that the province had generated a large deficit in truth. In addition, British Columbia was in an economic crisis.

Clark came on 25 August 1999 back surprisingly, after he was accused of having accepted as consideration for the granting of a casino license from its neighbor Dimitrios Pilarinos a free renovation valued at $ 10,000. The subsequent criminal investigation caused a media frenzy, with the live broadcast of a search of Clark's house by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as inglorious climax. On 29 August 2002, the Supreme Court of British Columbia for lack of evidence of all charges him acquitted.

Since his retirement from politics Clark has been working in the media company Jim Pattison Group in various management functions.

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