On February 11, 2010, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia was honoured to host its first formal visit from a sitting Canadian Prime Minister. After being welcomed into the Legislative Chamber by Premier Gordon Campbell, Speaker Bill Barisoff, and Clerk George E. MacMinn, Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the Legislative Assembly on the eve of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, thanking the people of British Columbia for their role in preparing the games and for hosting the international athletic community.
In the 139 years between B.C.'s entrance into Confederation in 1871 and Prime Minister Harper's visit in 2010, no Prime Minister had ever addressed the Assembly. Instead, Prime Ministers visiting the province would often host events alongside MLAs in a variety of settings outside the legislature, ranging from joint press releases to the unveiling of new public projects.
Before 2010, the last Prime Minister to formally address any provincial legislature was Brian Mulroney in 1990, where he gave a speech to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly about the Meech Lake Accord.
John A. Macdonald was Canada's first Prime Minister and was the Member of Parliament for Kingston, Ontario, from 1867 to 1878. Following an electoral defeat in 1878, Macdonald ran again in both Marquette, Manitoba, and Victoria, B.C., to keep his seat in Parliament. He won in both ridings, but since he could only represent one, he resigned from Marquette and remained the Member for Victoria until 1882. However, Macdonald had never actually been to B.C., let alone Victoria, and it wasn't until 1886 - when the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed - that Macdonald finally visited the province.
