Kevin Falcon

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Kevin Falcon
Kevin Falcon Headshot-2021-Vancouver.jpg
Leader of the BC Liberal Party
Assumed office
February 5, 2022
Preceded byShirley Bond (interim)
12th Deputy Premier of British Columbia
In office
March 14, 2011 – September 5, 2012
PremierChristy Clark
Preceded byColin Hansen
Succeeded byRich Coleman
Minister of Finance of
British Columbia
In office
March 14, 2011 – September 5, 2012
PremierChristy Clark
Preceded byColin Hansen
Succeeded byMike de Jong
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Surrey-Cloverdale
In office
May 16, 2001 – April 16, 2013
Preceded byBonnie McKinnon
Succeeded byStephanie Cadieux
Minister of Health Services of
British Columbia
In office
June 10, 2009 – November 30, 2010
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byGeorge Abbott
Succeeded byColin Hansen
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure of British Columbia
In office
January 26, 2004 – June 10, 2009
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byJudith Reid
Succeeded byShirley Bond
Minister of State for Deregulation
of British Columbia
In office
June 5, 2001 – January 26, 2004
PremierGordon Campbell
Succeeded byRick Thorpe
Personal details
Born1963 (age 58–59)
North Vancouver
Political partyBC Liberal
ResidenceSurrey, British Columbia
OccupationFinancial executive

Kevin Falcon (born 1963[1]) is a Canadian financial executive and a provincial politician who is the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party as of 2022.[2] He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Surrey-Cloverdale as a member of the BC Liberals from 2001 to 2013. He served as both the 12th deputy premier of British Columbia, and the province's Minister of Finance.[3]

Personal life[]

Born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Falcon worked in insurance after graduating from a private Catholic high school Vancouver College. Falcon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University (SFU).[1] He lives in North Vancouver with his wife Jessica and daughters Josephine and Rose.[4]

Politics[]

After being involved with the Social Credit (Socred) party in the 1980s, Falcon decided to study political science at SFU. He was a member of the Young Socreds on campus while future Premier Christy Clark was also at SFU.[1]

After graduation, he was part of a movement to revitalize the right-wing municipal party in Surrey that saw Doug McCallum upset incumbent mayor Bob Bose of the NDP-affiliated party in 1996 and the election to council of future mayor Dianne Watts.[1]

Falcon then set up a communications consultancy (Access Group) in 1998. His major step into provincial politics was as a lead organizer of the "Total Recall" effort to recall a number of BC New Democratic Party MLA's in 1999.[5]

After replacing incumbent Bonnie McKinnon as the Liberal nominee, he was first elected in 2001 as a BC Liberal to represent the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, and re-elected in the 2005, and 2009 elections.[6]

His first cabinet appointment was in the newly created position of Minister of State for Deregulation which earned kudos from business and industry for cutting government 'red tape.'[citation needed] In January 2009, after police "raided" the legislature to investigate corruption in the sale of BC Rail, Falcon replaced Judith Reid as Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.[citation needed]

As transport minister, Falcon changed the governance structure of TransLink to reduce the oversight by municipal representatives. He also introduced the Gateway Program, a $3 billion regional transportation strategy for Metro Vancouver that launched the construction of the new Port Mann Bridge.[citation needed]

In June 2009, Falcon was appointed as Minister of Health. He approved expansion of Surrey Memorial Hospital, pursued new models of shared-services and province-wide purchasing between health authorities, and launched a provincial agency to begin P4P (Pay For Performance) funding models.[citation needed]

2011 Leadership campaign[]

Main article: 2011 British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election

On November 3, 2010, Premier Gordon Campbell announced that he would step down as Premier of British Columbia once his successor was chosen. On November 30, 2010, Falcon launched his campaign to be the leader of the BC Liberal Party, and subsequently the Premier of British Columbia.[7]

On December 11, the Vancouver Sun reported that Falcon's social media traffic was the highest of declared candidates.[8] Falcon’s leadership campaign focused on “returning BC to a fiscally responsible path” in the aftermath of the global economic crisis.[9]

On February 26, 2011, Falcon narrowly lost his bid to become the Liberal leader, and the province's Premier, to Christy Clark by a margin of 52%-48% in the third round of voting by party members.

Christy Clark, the new Premier, included Falcon in her new cabinet by appointing him as Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier. In August 2012, expecting the birth of his second daughter Rose, Falcon indicated he would not run in the 2013 election.[10]

After politics[]

After leaving the legislature, Falcon joined Vancouver-based Anthem Capital as their Executive Vice President.[11]

Additionally, Falcon took on a number of volunteer roles with non-profit organizations including the Canuck Place Foundation, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation and the Streetohome Foundation. He was also named as an honorary director of the Surrey Board of Trade.[12]

2022 BC Liberal Leadership Campaign[]

Main article: 2022 British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election

As early as October 2020, there was speculation that Kevin Falcon might emerge as a candidate in the 2022 British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election[13] with Richard Zussman of Global News going so far as to suggest Falcon was "the early frontrunner" .[14]

In a May 15 Vancouver Sun article, columnist Vaughn Palmer lauded Falcon’s potential candidacy. Palmer suggested that Premier John Horgan and the governing BC NDP would be “in for a tough fight at the next election” were Falcon to win the leadership, pointing to Falcon’s reputation as a “formidable, relentless campaigner”.[15]

Falcon announced his candidacy on May 17, 2021 with introductions from Musqueam indigenous leader Wade Grant, former BC Liberal candidate Puneet Sandhar, and longtime Mayor of Surrey Dianne Watts.[16]

In his launch speech, Falcon touched on the need for “competent and principled leadership” in BC, emphasizing his background as a business executive and former cabinet minister. Falcon cited concern for his daughters and their generation’s future as being the motivating factor behind his decision to run. Affordability, fiscal responsibility, climate change and post-COVID economic recovery were among the issues discussed at the launch.[16]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d McMartin, Will (10 Feb 2011). "For Kevin Falcon, Next Stop Premier?". The Tyee. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  2. ^ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kevin-falcon-voted-as-new-leader-of-b-c-liberal-party-1.6341317[bare URL]
  3. ^ "Christy Clark sworn in as B.C. premier". The Globe and Mail, March 14, 2011.
  4. ^ "Kevin Falcon". Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  5. ^ "BC recall not so easy". rabble.ca.
  6. ^ "Official Biography: Kevin Falcon". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
  7. ^ "Falcon joins B.C. Liberal leadership race". CTVNews. 30 November 2010.
  8. ^ Shaw, Gillian (2010-12-11). "Kevin Falcon topping Liberal leadership social media traffic". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  9. ^ Falcon, Kevin (17 May 2021). "Meet Kevin Falcon". kevinfalcon.ca. Kevin Falcon Leadership Campaign. Retrieved 18 May 2021. “My priority was managing through the economic fallout from the global financial crisis and returning BC to a fiscally responsible path. I’m dedicated to once again committing to making BC’s economy a leader in Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery.”
  10. ^ Stueck, Wendy (29 August 2012). "Resignation forces B.C cabinet overhaul". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  11. ^ Falcon, Kevin (17 May 2021). "Meet Kevin Falcon". kevinfalcon.ca. Kevin Falcon Leadership Campaign. Retrieved 18 May 2021. “In 2013, I joined Anthem Capital and have overseen a portfolio of investments in everything from mining, technology, craft beer and housing development.”
  12. ^ Falcon, Kevin (17 May 2021). "Meet Kevin Falcon - Life after Politics". kevinfalcon.ca. Kevin Falcon Leadership Campaign. Retrieved 18 May 2021. “I continued my work in community service with several non-profit organizations, including the Canuck Place Foundation, the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, and the Streetohome Foundation, an organization that works to house the homelessness in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.”
  13. ^ Online, Voice (24 October 2020). "As Wilkinson suffers crushing defeat, Kevin Falcon and Dianne Watts likely to emerge as leadership contenders". Voice Online. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  14. ^ Zussman, Richard (26 February 2021). "BC Liberals set choose new leader on Feb. 5, 2022". Global News. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  15. ^ Palmer, Vaughn (14 May 2021). "Despite political baggage, Kevin Falcon as B.C. Liberal leader would be a relentless foe for the NDP". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ a b Falcon, Kevin (17 May 2021). "Kevin Falcon BC Liberal Leadership Announcement". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAOewe_kugg. Kevin Falcon. Retrieved 18 May 2021. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)

External links[]

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