Mike Bernier
Canadian politician (born 1968)
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Mike Bernier (born 1968) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election.[2] He represented the electoral district of Peace River South as a member of the BC United. In December 2014, he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Literacy and the Environment for the Minister of Environment. On July 30, 2015, he was chosen to be Minister of Education in British Columbia.[3] As Minister of Education, Bernier mandated the SOGI 123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) created by the ARC Foundation into all schools in the province.[4][5]
Mike Bernier | |
|---|---|
Bernier in 2016 | |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Peace River South | |
| In office May 14, 2013 – September 21, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Blair Lekstrom |
| Succeeded by | Larry Neufeld |
| Minister of Education of British Columbia | |
| In office July 30, 2015 – July 18, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Fassbender |
| Succeeded by | Rob Fleming |
| Mayor of Dawson Creek | |
| In office December 1, 2008 – May 15, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Calvin Kruk |
| Succeeded by | Dale Bumstead |
| Dawson Creek Municipal Councillor | |
| In office December 5, 2005 – December 1, 2008 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968[1] |
| Party | BC United |
On October 17, 2016, Bernier fired the Vancouver School Board for failing to pass a balanced budget.[6]
On May 9, 2017, Bernier was re-elected in his rural riding of Peace River South with 75.63% of the vote, the highest a BC Liberal has ever been elected with in provincial history and the eleventh highest across all parties in BC history when the Conservative Party of British Columbia did not run a candidate in the riding.[7][8]
Bernier was reappointed Minister of Education on June 12, 2017.[9] Bernier sought the BC Liberal Party leadership after Christy Clark's resignation in August 2017, but dropped out of the race after two weeks.[10]
In opposition, he has served as the opposition critic for housing and for finance.
Before being elected provincially, he was served as a city councillor (2005–2008) and then the mayor (2008–2013) of Dawson Creek, BC. He previously worked for 20 years in the natural gas industry.[11]
In the 2024 British Columbia general election, he ran as an independent candidate but was unseated by Conservative Party of British Columbia candidate Larry Neufeld.[12]
Electoral record
| 2024 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Larry Neufeld | 7,182 | 69.84 | +39.32 | $44,112.40 | |||
| Unaffiliated | Mike Bernier | 2,525 | 24.56 | -26.64 | $12,313.25 | |||
| New Democratic | Marshall Bigsby | 576 | 5.60 | -10.04 | $1,286.83 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 10,283 | 99.85 | – | $71,700.08 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 15 | 0.15 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 10,298 | 56.56 | +14.91 | |||||
| Registered voters | 18,206 | |||||||
| Conservative gain from BC United | Swing | +32.98[n 1] | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[13][14] | ||||||||
- Swing against BC United incumbent Mike Bernier, standing for re-election as an unaffiliated candidate.
| 2020 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Mike Bernier | 3,862 | 51.19 | −24.78 | $11,466.78 | |||
| Conservative | Kathleen Connolly | 2,303 | 30.53 | – | $0.00 | |||
| New Democratic | Corey Grizz Longley | 1,180 | 15.64 | −8.39 | $1,321.80 | |||
| Wexit | Dorothy Sharon Smith | 199 | 2.84 | – | $538.35 | |||
| Total valid votes | 7,544 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 42 | 0.56 | ||||||
| Turnout | 7,586 | 41.66 | ||||||
| Registered voters | 18,211 | |||||||
| Source: Elections BC[15][16] | ||||||||
| 2017 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Mike Bernier | 6,637 | 75.97 | +29.24 | $26,175 | |||
| New Democratic | Stephanie Goudie | 2,099 | 24.03 | +2.79 | $8,179 | |||
| Total valid votes | 8,736 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 131 | 1.48 | ||||||
| Turnout | 8,867 | 49.97 | ||||||
| Registered voters | 17,746 | |||||||
| Source: Elections BC[17] | ||||||||
| 2013 British Columbia general election: Peace River South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Mike Bernier | 4,373 | 46.73 | -16.35 | $107,254 | |||
| Conservative | Kurt Zane Peats | 2,546 | 27.21 | - | $26,829 | |||
| New Democratic | Darwin Wren | 1,988 | 21.24 | -5.79 | $36,616 | |||
| Independent | Tyrel Andrew Pohl | 451 | 4.82 | - | $2,668 | |||
| Total valid votes | 9,358 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 37 | 0.39 | ||||||
| Turnout | 9,395 | 49.89 | ||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | –21.78 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[18] | ||||||||
