Christy Clark was born and raised in Burnaby, B.C. Her father ran unsuccessfully for provincial office three times and often involved Clark in his campaigns, fostering her skills and interest in politics. She was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as a B.C. Liberal in 1996 in the riding of Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain, and she quickly gained a strong reputation as an opposition critic. She later held Cabinet positions as Minister of Education, Deputy Premier, and Minister of Children and Family Development. Clark was sworn in as the 35th Premier of B.C. on March 14, 2011, following then-Premier Gordon Campbell's resignation.
Clark's B.C. Liberal Party won the 2013 provincial general election, making her the first woman in B.C. to be elected Premier (Rita Johnston served as Premier in 1991 following the resignation of Bill Vander Zalm; however, her government was defeated at the next provincial general election).
In 2017, Clark became the first woman to be re-elected as Premier in Canadian history. However, the B.C. Liberal Party did not win enough seats to form a majority government, securing only 43 seats out of then 87. The B.C. New Democratic Party and the B.C. Green Party combined their 44 seats to vote down the B.C. Liberal government on a confidence motion on June 29, 2017. The Ms. Clark then resigned as leader of her party and retired from politics.
