Brian Ray Douglas Smith is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and business executive. After serving for a decade on Oak Bay municipal council, Smith was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 in the 1979 election

British Columbia general election, 1979

The British Columbia general election of 1979 was the 32nd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 3, 1979...

 to represent the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head

Oak Bay-Gordon Head

Oak Bay-Gordon Head is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :...

 for the Social Credit Party

British Columbia Social Credit Party

The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...

. He was reelected in the 1983

British Columbia general election, 1983

The British Columbia general election of 1983 was the 33rd provincial election for the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 7, 1983. The election was held on May 5, 1983...

 and 1986 election

British Columbia general election, 1986

The British Columbia general election of 1986 was the 34th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 24, 1986...

.

Under the Bill Bennett

Bill Bennett

William Richards Bennett, PC, OBC , commonly known as Bill Bennett, was the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is a son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of R.B...

 government, he served as Minister of Education and Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.

In 1986, after Bennett's decision to step down, Smith was a candidate for the leadership of the Social Credit Party. In a field of 12, he finished second to Bill Vander Zalm

Bill Vander Zalm

Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie "Bill" Vander Zalm is a politician and entrepreneur in British Columbia, Canada. He was the 28th Premier of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991.-Early life:...

, losing on the fourth ballot.

Vander Zalm appointed Smith to the post of Attorney General

Attorney General of British Columbia

The Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia is a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system within the province of British Columbia, Canada...

. Smith resigned his post in a speech to the Legislature on June 28, 1988. On October 19, 1989, he announced that he was resigning his seat, effective November 15, 1989, and became chairman of CN Rail until 1994. He was the Chairman of BC Hydro

BC Hydro

The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...

from 1996-2001.