40 Facts About Gordon Campbell

Gordon Campbell was the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party from 1993 to 2011.

Gordon Campbell's father, Charles Gordon Campbell, was a physician and an assistant dean of medicine at the University of British Columbia, until his suicide in 1961, when Gordon was 13.

Gordon Campbell's mother Peg was a kindergarten assistant at University Hill Elementary School.

Gordon Campbell intended to study medicine but was persuaded by three English professors to shift his focus to English and urban management.

Gordon Campbell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English.

At Dartmouth, in 1969, Gordon Campbell received a $1,500 Urban Studies Fellowship that made it possible for him to work in Vancouver's city government where he met Art Phillips, a TEAM city councilor who later became the 32nd mayor of Vancouver.

Stanford accepted Gordon Campbell to pursue a master's degree in education, but the couple returned to Vancouver instead where Gordon Campbell entered law school at the University of British Columbia and Nancy earned her education degree.

When Phillips was elected in 1972, Gordon Campbell became his executive assistant, a job he held until 1976.

From 1975 to 1978, Gordon Campbell pursued a Master of Business Administration degree at Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business.

In 1979, Nancy Gordon Campbell gave birth to their second child, Nicholas.

In 1981, Gordon Campbell left Marathon Realty and started his own business, Citycore Development Corporation.

Gordon Campbell was elected to Vancouver City Council in 1984 as a member of the Non-Partisan Association.

Gordon Campbell was then elected as mayor of Vancouver for three successive terms from 1986 to 1993.

Gordon Campbell served as chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District and president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

Gordon Campbell was elected to the Legislative Assembly the next year in a by-election in Vancouver-Quilchena.

Gordon Campbell's party gained 16 seats and won a slight plurality of the popular vote, but the NDP retained enough seats to continue as the majority government.

Gordon Campbell stayed on as leader of the Opposition, opposing NDP premiers Glen Clark, Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh.

In 2001, Gordon Campbell campaigned on a promise to reduce income taxes significantly to stimulate the economy.

In 2003, Gordon Campbell announced the sale of BC Rail, a publicly owned rail corporation, to the Canadian National Railway.

The Gordon Campbell government passed legislation in August 2001 declaring education as an essential service, therefore making it illegal for educators to go on strike.

The Gordon Campbell government lifted the six-year-long tuition fee freeze that was placed on BC universities and colleges by the previous NDP government.

Gordon Campbell made significant changes, including new Environmental Assessment Legislation, as well as controversial new aquaculture policies on salmon farming.

In January 2003, after visiting broadcaster Fred Latremouille, Gordon Campbell was arrested and pleaded no contest for driving under the influence of alcohol while vacationing in Hawaii.

Gordon Campbell was fined $913 and the court ordered him to take part in a substance abuse program, and to be assessed for alcoholism.

Gordon Campbell attended the final presentations in Prague, the Czech Republic.

On February 12,2010, Gordon Campbell was in attendance at the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and attended events during the games and was present at the closing ceremony.

Gordon Campbell having made striking illegal for teachers, educators referred to this as an act of civil disobedience.

In 2008, Premier Gordon Campbell's government developed and entrenched in law the Climate Action Plan.

Gordon Campbell told Tim Flannery that he introduced the carbon tax in British Columbia after reading his book The Weather Makers.

The Gordon Campbell government attempted to negotiate treaties with a number of First Nations in its second term.

The Gordon Campbell government launched the Conversation on Health, a province-wide consultation with British Columbians on their health care to lay the groundwork for changes to the principles of the Canada Health Act that were presented in the Fall of 2007.

Gordon Campbell's government were re-elected in the May 12,2009, election.

On July 23,2009, Gordon Campbell announced British Columbia would move towards a Harmonized Sales Tax, or HST.

Much of the opposition stemmed from Gordon Campbell's perceived dishonesty about the HST as his government had said it was not on their radar prior to the election despite leaked emails revealing it was, and that it equated to a tax hike for several sectors.

In late June 2011 it was reported that Gordon Campbell was to be named Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

On September 15,2011, Gordon Campbell officially became the Canadian High Commissioner in London.

Gordon Campbell represented Canadian interests throughout Britain until his term ended in 2016.

Gordon Campbell was shortlisted for the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award in 2015 for his work on business partnership as the High Commissioner of Canada, and he remains in the directory of the Grassroot Diplomat Who's Who publication.

Gordon Campbell is seeking damages for anxiety, stress and lost income.

Gordon Campbell was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.