Eric Foster (politician)
Encyclopedia
Eric Foster is a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
and a member of the BC Liberal Party
. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the riding of Vernon-Monashee in the 2009 provincial election
. In the 39th Parliament of British Columbia
, Foster was not named to Premier Gordon Campbell
's cabinet
, but he was appointed deputy whip. As a member of the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives which he voted to initiate province-wide referendum
concerning the Harmonized Sales Tax
. He was also a member of the Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills. Prior to his involvement with provincial politics, Foster served 12 years as municipal councillor and 3 years as mayor of Lumby, British Columbia
.
, Eric Foster moved to British Columbia and worked in the forestry industry. With his wife and son, Foster moved to Lumby, from Vernon
, working at a Lumby lumber mill. In the 1990s he became an educational assistant helping to develop the forestry program at Charles Bloom Secondary School. He became a municipal councilor in Lumby in 1990 and was re-elected until 2002 when he ran for mayor but lost. He filed his nomination papers to run for mayor again in 2005 but, with no other person being nominated, he was acclaimed
mayor. At the time, he noted downtown revitalization and building a road to connect the village with Silver Star Mountain resort as priorities. He represented Lumby on the Regional District of North Okanagan board of directors during his tenure as mayor. He fought the School Board
who tried to close Charles Bloom Secondary School, in favour of busing student to the expanded secondary school in Vernon, as well as fought the proposed closure of Whitevale Elementary in rural Lumby. He resented what he saw as provincial downloading of responsibilities, like riparian area regulations and police funding. He supported Lumby participating in a new Regional District economic development
function, but opted out of a Regional District emergency service function (opting to contract the service out to the City of Vernon). In 2008, he was again acclaimed as mayor, as no one else sought the position. In January 2009 he was acclaimed chair of the Regional District board of directors, however, as MLA Tom Christensen
announced his retirement in the same month, Foster announced his intention to seek the BC Liberal
nomination in up-coming provincial election.
businessman Michael Tindall, and lawyer Andrew Powell. He took a leave of absence from his job as mayor to campaign for the provincial election
where he faced school-bus driver Mark Olsen for the New Democratic Party, computer analyst Huguette Allen for the BC Green Party, salesman Dean Skoreyko for the BC Conservative Party, retired Coldstream resident RJ Busch for the BC Refederation Party, and Armstrong butcher Gordon Campbell (non-affiliated). Premier and BC Liberal Party leader Gordon Campbell
campaigned with Foster in Vernon but was involved in what was perceived as an offense joke at the expense of striking paramedics
. Foster won the riding, with his BC Liberals winning all Okanagan-Shuswap ridings. The BC Liberals were re-elected to form another majority government. Beginning the 39th Parliament
, Premier Campbell did not include Foster in his cabinet but he was named deputy whip for the Liberal caucus. Foster was also a member of the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills in the first two sessions, and which met only once in each session. Foster was a member of the Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act which presented its report and recommendations in May 2010.
Foster developed a feud with Nelson-Creston
MLA Michelle Mungall
who accused Foster of deceiving voters and of speaking very little in the legislature. He defended the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax
but became a target for recall when an Anti-HST petition gathered more signature in the Vernon-Monashee riding than votes that elected him. He was member of the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives which was forced to deal with the Anti-HST petition. Along party lines, Foster and the BC Liberals in favour of initiating a province-wide referendum
. Foster was among 13 BC Liberals left out during a late-October cabinet (and parliamentary secretary) shuffle by Premier Campbell. During the BC Liberal leadership election
, following the resignation of Campbell, Foster endorsed George Abbott
citing his profile as an Interior
MLA, his team-building skills, and analytical decision-making. Christy Clark
eventually won and, thus, became premier. She kept Foster as the deputy whip. Meanwhile, as the FightHST group continued to investigate a recall campaign against Foster, he accused the group of trying to "overthrow the government". On local issues, Foster lobbied in favour of locating a new regional correctional facility in Lumby, building a large new sports facility at Okanagan College
, and resolving overcrowding at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
|Eric Foster
|align="right"|9,015
|align="right"|37%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$89,935
|NDP
|Mark Olsen
|align="right"|7,698
|align="right"|32%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$42,427
|Green
|Huguette Allen
|align="right"|4,029
|align="right"|17%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$18,783
| Conservative
| Dean Skoreyko
|align="right"|1,972
|align="right"|8%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$5,617
|Non-affiliated
|Gordon Campbell
|align="right"|1,397
|align="right"|6%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$250
|Refederation
|R.J. Busch
|align="right"|76
|align="right"|0.3%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$260
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|24,187
!align="right"|100%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|213
!align="right"|0.9%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout
!align="right"|24,400
!align="right"|54%
|}
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 ....
and a member of the BC Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the riding of Vernon-Monashee in the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
. In the 39th Parliament of British Columbia
39th Parliament of British Columbia
The 39th Parliament of British Columbia is the current Parliament of British Columbia and composes of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 12, 2009, and Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point...
, Foster was not named to Premier Gordon Campbell
Gordon Campbell
Gordon Muir Campbell, is a Canadian diplomat and politician, who is currently serving as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He previously served as the 34th Premier of British Columbia from 2001 to 2011...
's cabinet
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
, but he was appointed deputy whip. As a member of the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives which he voted to initiate province-wide referendum
British Columbia sales tax referendum, 2011
A postal referendum on sales tax was held in British Columbia from June 13 to August 5, 2011, though Canada Post workers were locked out until June 27. Voters were asked whether the Harmonized Sales Tax should be retained or split back to the original Provincial Sales Tax and Goods & Services Tax...
concerning the Harmonized Sales Tax
Harmonized Sales Tax
The Harmonized Sales Tax is the name used in Canada to describe the combination of the federal Goods and Services Tax and the regional Provincial Sales Tax into a single value added sales tax in five of the ten Canadian provinces: Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, British...
. He was also a member of the Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills. Prior to his involvement with provincial politics, Foster served 12 years as municipal councillor and 3 years as mayor of Lumby, British Columbia
Lumby, British Columbia
Lumby is a small community of 1,804, located at the northeast corner of the Okanagan Valley, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is mainly a logging, manufacturing and agriculture community, but tourism is a growing trend within the area....
.
Background
Originally from Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
, Eric Foster moved to British Columbia and worked in the forestry industry. With his wife and son, Foster moved to Lumby, from Vernon
Vernon, British Columbia
Vernon is a city in the south-central region of British Columbia, Canada. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 35,944 , while...
, working at a Lumby lumber mill. In the 1990s he became an educational assistant helping to develop the forestry program at Charles Bloom Secondary School. He became a municipal councilor in Lumby in 1990 and was re-elected until 2002 when he ran for mayor but lost. He filed his nomination papers to run for mayor again in 2005 but, with no other person being nominated, he was acclaimed
Acclamation
An acclamation, in its most common sense, is a form of election that does not use a ballot. "Acclamation" or "acclamatio" can also signify a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval in certain social contexts in ancient Rome.-Voting:...
mayor. At the time, he noted downtown revitalization and building a road to connect the village with Silver Star Mountain resort as priorities. He represented Lumby on the Regional District of North Okanagan board of directors during his tenure as mayor. He fought the School Board
School District 22 Vernon
School District 22 Vernon is a school district in Okanagan region of British Columbia. It includes Vernon, Lumby and Coldstream.-Schools:...
who tried to close Charles Bloom Secondary School, in favour of busing student to the expanded secondary school in Vernon, as well as fought the proposed closure of Whitevale Elementary in rural Lumby. He resented what he saw as provincial downloading of responsibilities, like riparian area regulations and police funding. He supported Lumby participating in a new Regional District economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
function, but opted out of a Regional District emergency service function (opting to contract the service out to the City of Vernon). In 2008, he was again acclaimed as mayor, as no one else sought the position. In January 2009 he was acclaimed chair of the Regional District board of directors, however, as MLA Tom Christensen
Tom Christensen
Tom Christensen is a former Canadian politician and lawyer. He has served as British Columbia's Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, as Minister of Education and as Minister of Children and Family Development....
announced his retirement in the same month, Foster announced his intention to seek the BC Liberal
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
nomination in up-coming provincial election.
Provincial politics
In nomination election was held in March and with over 800 BC Liberal Party members voting, Foster defeated four other candidates: Lumby councilor Deb Leroux, morning radio host Betty Selin, ColdstreamColdstream, British Columbia
Coldstream is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada, located at the northern end of Kalamalka Lake in the Okanagan Valley. Incorporated on December 21, 1906, Coldstream celebrated its centennial in 2006. The municipality is directly southeast of Vernon and is considered part of...
businessman Michael Tindall, and lawyer Andrew Powell. He took a leave of absence from his job as mayor to campaign for the provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
where he faced school-bus driver Mark Olsen for the New Democratic Party, computer analyst Huguette Allen for the BC Green Party, salesman Dean Skoreyko for the BC Conservative Party, retired Coldstream resident RJ Busch for the BC Refederation Party, and Armstrong butcher Gordon Campbell (non-affiliated). Premier and BC Liberal Party leader Gordon Campbell
Gordon Campbell
Gordon Muir Campbell, is a Canadian diplomat and politician, who is currently serving as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He previously served as the 34th Premier of British Columbia from 2001 to 2011...
campaigned with Foster in Vernon but was involved in what was perceived as an offense joke at the expense of striking paramedics
British Columbia Ambulance Service
The British Columbia Ambulance Service is the sole ambulance service and provider of pre-hospital emergency care in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It operates under the Emergency and Health Services Commission and the Provincial Health Services Authority, and is tasked with the...
. Foster won the riding, with his BC Liberals winning all Okanagan-Shuswap ridings. The BC Liberals were re-elected to form another majority government. Beginning the 39th Parliament
39th Parliament of British Columbia
The 39th Parliament of British Columbia is the current Parliament of British Columbia and composes of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 12, 2009, and Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point...
, Premier Campbell did not include Foster in his cabinet but he was named deputy whip for the Liberal caucus. Foster was also a member of the Select Standing Committee on Parliamentary Reform, Ethical Conduct, Standing Orders and Private Bills in the first two sessions, and which met only once in each session. Foster was a member of the Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act which presented its report and recommendations in May 2010.
Foster developed a feud with 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....
MLA Michelle Mungall
Michelle Mungall
Michelle Mungall is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a New Democratic Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election, representing the riding of Nelson-Creston. She was born and raised in St. Albert, Alberta where she attended Paul Kane High...
who accused Foster of deceiving voters and of speaking very little in the legislature. He defended the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax
Harmonized Sales Tax
The Harmonized Sales Tax is the name used in Canada to describe the combination of the federal Goods and Services Tax and the regional Provincial Sales Tax into a single value added sales tax in five of the ten Canadian provinces: Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, British...
but became a target for recall when an Anti-HST petition gathered more signature in the Vernon-Monashee riding than votes that elected him. He was member of the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives which was forced to deal with the Anti-HST petition. Along party lines, Foster and the BC Liberals in favour of initiating a province-wide referendum
British Columbia sales tax referendum, 2011
A postal referendum on sales tax was held in British Columbia from June 13 to August 5, 2011, though Canada Post workers were locked out until June 27. Voters were asked whether the Harmonized Sales Tax should be retained or split back to the original Provincial Sales Tax and Goods & Services Tax...
. Foster was among 13 BC Liberals left out during a late-October cabinet (and parliamentary secretary) shuffle by Premier Campbell. During the BC Liberal leadership election
British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election, 2011
The British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election of 2011 was prompted by Gordon Campbell's announcement on November 3, 2010 that he would be resigning as Premier of British Columbia and had asked the BC Liberal Party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date." The...
, following the resignation of Campbell, Foster endorsed George Abbott
George Abbott (politician)
George Abbott is a BC Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. He represents the riding of Shuswap, which he has held since 1996...
citing his profile as an Interior
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
MLA, his team-building skills, and analytical decision-making. Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
eventually won and, thus, became premier. She kept Foster as the deputy whip. Meanwhile, as the FightHST group continued to investigate a recall campaign against Foster, he accused the group of trying to "overthrow the government". On local issues, Foster lobbied in favour of locating a new regional correctional facility in Lumby, building a large new sports facility at Okanagan College
Okanagan College
Okanagan College is a public, post-secondary institution with over 120 certificates, diplomas, degrees and programs including Apprenticeship & Pre-apprenticeship Trades programs. It is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada...
, and resolving overcrowding at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
Election history
| style="width: 130px" |BC LiberalBritish Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
|Eric Foster
|align="right"|9,015
|align="right"|37%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$89,935
|NDP
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...
|Mark Olsen
|align="right"|7,698
|align="right"|32%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$42,427
|Green
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is led by former Esquimalt municipal councillor, university professor and businessperson Jane Sterk, she was elected by the party in 2007. Penticton realtor and columnist Julius Bloomfield serves as the deputy...
|Huguette Allen
|align="right"|4,029
|align="right"|17%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$18,783
| Conservative
British Columbia Conservative Party
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...
| Dean Skoreyko
|align="right"|1,972
|align="right"|8%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$5,617
|Non-affiliated
|Gordon Campbell
|align="right"|1,397
|align="right"|6%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$250
|Refederation
British Columbia Refederation Party
The B.C. Refederation Party is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada advocating direct democracy and reform to Canadian federalism...
|R.J. Busch
|align="right"|76
|align="right"|0.3%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$260
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|24,187
!align="right"|100%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|213
!align="right"|0.9%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout
!align="right"|24,400
!align="right"|54%
|}
External links
- Legislative Assembly of British Columbia - Eric Foster
- Member of the Legislative Assembly - Eric Foster (Vernon-Monashee)
- BC Liberal - Eric Foster (Vernon-Monashee)