Some background on the new Speaker of the B.C. legislature
VICTORIA — Political observers were surprised Friday when Opposition Liberal member Darryl Plecas accepted the role of Speaker, despite earlier reassurances he’d given that he would not consider the position. The Speaker traditionally comes from within government ranks, but this move gives NDP Premier John Horgan breathing room for his minority government. Here are some facts about the new Speaker:
— Plecas was first elected to the B.C. legislature in 2013 as a member of the Liberal party to represent the riding of Abbotsford South. He won handily against longtime Liberal politician John van Dongen, who left the party earlier in the year to join the provincial Conservatives before running as an Independent. Plecas won re-election in 2017.
— While in office, Plecas served as parliamentary secretary for crime reduction and later for seniors health.
— Plecas spent 34 years as a criminology professor at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, where he held the position of RCMP research chair and director for the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research.