Corky Evans
Encyclopedia
Corky Evans was a prominent provincial politician
in British Columbia
, Canada
. He twice ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia
, placing second both times. In both cases, the party formed the government of BC and its leader became Premier of British Columbia
. He served in several cabinet
ministries.
recorded his name as Conrad St. George Evans, he insists Corky Evans is his correct name.
Born in California the son of a prominent defense attorney and a graduate of Palo Verde High School
in Tucson
, Arizona
, he moved to British Columbia
in 1969 with his wife and two daughters. Evans describes himself as a war resister
. Their son was born soon after. Before his election to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
, Evans worked as a stevedore
, logger, tree-planter, heavy-equipment operator, first-aid attendant, and highways surveyor. By the mid-1970s, Evans had settled in the Kootenay
region of southern British Columbia, and became active in local environmental
and land use
initiatives, particularly in developing the Slocan Valley
Forest Management Project, which aimed to control logging
and protect watershed
s.
In 1975, he became a Canadian citizen and he joined the New Democratic Party
. He was elected to the Central Kootenay Regional District
government, serving three consecutive terms as director and hospital board member.
, he was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Nelson-Creston
in the 1991 provincial election
. He served as parliamentary secretary
to the Minister of Forests and chair of the legislature's Select Standing Committee on Forests, Mine
s and Petroleum
Resources.
His first run in a BC NDP leadership convention
came in 1996, when Glen Clark
was very widely assumed to be a shoo-in for the leadership. Evans' folksy candidacy earned him a second-place finish, and he encouraged his supporters to rally around Clark.
In Clark's cabinet, Evans became Minister of Transportation and Highways from February 1996 to June 1996. Evans and the Clark NDP government were re-elected in the 1996 general election
on May 28. In June, Evans was named Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; fisheries was spun off into a separate portfolio in February.
Evans retained his position as Minister of Agriculture and Food when Dan Miller
served as premier on an interim basis in 1999–2000.
In the leadership convention of February 20, 2000, Evans placed a strong second to Ujjal Dosanjh
, who had been frontrunner throughout the race. Dosanjh returned Fisheries, a high-profile responsibility at the time, to Evans' portfolio. Evans had campaigned for a Ministry of Rural Development, and Dosanjh additionally named him Minister Responsible for Rural Development and empowered him to organize such a ministry.
In a cabinet shuffle
of November 1, 2000, Evans left his previous portfolios to become Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Seniors.
He was approached to run in the 2003 BC NDP leadership convention
, but declined, citing his commitment to his new job with a local community-service organization.
He returned to politics as the MLA for Nelson-Creston on May 17, 2005 when he won his riding in the provincial election
.
On July 3, 2008, Evans announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2009 provincial election.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
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...
. He twice ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...
, placing second both times. In both cases, the party formed the government of BC and its leader became Premier of British Columbia
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
. He served in several cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
ministries.
Early life and career
While his birth certificateBirth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
recorded his name as Conrad St. George Evans, he insists Corky Evans is his correct name.
Born in California the son of a prominent defense attorney and a graduate of Palo Verde High School
Palo Verde High School
Palo Verde High School is a high school in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.The school was built in 1996 with an adjacent 10 portable classrooms located in Summerlin, a rapidly growing suburban middle class to affluent community in the western portion of the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated...
in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, he moved to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in 1969 with his wife and two daughters. Evans describes himself as a war resister
War resister
A war resister is a person who resists war. The term can mean several things: resisting participation in all war, or a specific war, either before or after enlisting in, being inducted into, or being conscripted into a military force....
. Their son was born soon after. Before his election 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 ....
, Evans worked as a stevedore
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
, logger, tree-planter, heavy-equipment operator, first-aid attendant, and highways surveyor. By the mid-1970s, Evans had settled in the Kootenay
Kootenays
The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...
region of southern British Columbia, and became active in local environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
and land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
initiatives, particularly in developing the Slocan Valley
Slocan Valley
The Slocan Valley is a valley in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada.The valley is home to the villages of Slocan City, New Denver, Silverton, as well as the unincorporated communities of Crescent Valley, Slocan Park, Passmore, Vallican, Winlaw, Appledale, Perry Siding, Lemon...
Forest Management Project, which aimed to control logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and protect watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
s.
In 1975, he became a Canadian citizen and he joined the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
. He was elected to the Central Kootenay Regional District
Regional District of Central Kootenay, British Columbia
The Regional District of Central Kootenay is a regional district in the province of British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the population was 55,883. The area is 22,130.72 square kilometres. The administrative centre is located in the city of Nelson...
government, serving three consecutive terms as director and hospital board member.
In provincial politics
After one unsuccessful run for the provincial legislature for the BC NDPNew Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...
, he was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston
Nelson-Creston is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the general election of 1933 following a redistribution of the earlier Nelson riding....
in the 1991 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1991
The British Columbia general election of 1991 was the 35th provincial 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 19, 1991, and held on October 17, 1991...
. He served as parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Minister of Forests and chair of the legislature's Select Standing Committee on Forests, Mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s and Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
Resources.
His first run in a BC NDP leadership convention
British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership conventions
This page covers the results of leadership elections in the British Columbia New Democratic Party .-Early developments:...
came in 1996, when Glen Clark
Glen Clark
Glen David Clark is a politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.-Early life and education:...
was very widely assumed to be a shoo-in for the leadership. Evans' folksy candidacy earned him a second-place finish, and he encouraged his supporters to rally around Clark.
In Clark's cabinet, Evans became Minister of Transportation and Highways from February 1996 to June 1996. Evans and the Clark NDP government were re-elected in the 1996 general election
British Columbia general election, 1996
The British Columbia general election of 1996 was the thirty sixth provincial 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 30, 1996, and held on May 28, 1996...
on May 28. In June, Evans was named Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; fisheries was spun off into a separate portfolio in February.
Evans retained his position as Minister of Agriculture and Food when Dan Miller
Dan Miller (Canadian politician)
Arthur Daniel Miller is a Canadian politician. He served as interim leader of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia and served as the 32nd Premier of British Columbia for six months from August 25, 1999 to February 24, 2000, following the resignation of Glen Clark.First elected to the BC...
served as premier on an interim basis in 1999–2000.
In the leadership convention of February 20, 2000, Evans placed a strong second to Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost...
, who had been frontrunner throughout the race. Dosanjh returned Fisheries, a high-profile responsibility at the time, to Evans' portfolio. Evans had campaigned for a Ministry of Rural Development, and Dosanjh additionally named him Minister Responsible for Rural Development and empowered him to organize such a ministry.
In a cabinet shuffle
Cabinet shuffle
In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet....
of November 1, 2000, Evans left his previous portfolios to become Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Seniors.
Defeat and return
Evans was defeated in his riding in the 2001 provincial election, when all but two NDP candidates were defeated.He was approached to run in the 2003 BC NDP leadership convention
Leadership convention
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.- Overview :...
, but declined, citing his commitment to his new job with a local community-service organization.
He returned to politics as the MLA for Nelson-Creston on May 17, 2005 when he won his riding in the provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2005
The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
.
On July 3, 2008, Evans announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2009 provincial election.
External links
- Corky Evans Unplugged (Corky Evans interview with The Tyee.ca)
- Hansard - March 12, 2009 (Farewell speech to B.C. Legislature)