55-559: William Nicholas Vander Zalm (born Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie van der Zalm ; May 29, 1934) is a Dutch-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as the 28th premier of British Columbia and leader of the British Columbia Social Credit Party from 1986 to 1991. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia , representing the riding of Surrey from 1975 to 1983, and
110-634: A merger of the Reform Party with other right-wing parties, but ran into stiff opposition. Vander Zalm and supporters within the party would later merge with several other small right-wing parties to form the British Columbia Unity Party . The Reform Party was de-registered as a BC political party in 2001 and Vander Zalm retired from politics. He now lives in Ladner . Vander Zalm returned to the political spotlight in 2009, alongside Bill Tieleman , as
165-507: A multifaceted variety of positions of responsibility both domestically and internationally. The role of the politician has changed dramatically over time, for example, Pericles of Athens played an important role in politics in ancient Greece both in public life and in decision-making as depicted in Philip Foltz's 19th-century painting. Over time the figure of the politician has evolved to include many forms and functions. For example, In
220-471: A new business venture using their political connections. The personal histories of politicians have been frequently studied, as it is presumed that their experiences and characteristics shape their beliefs and behaviors. There are four pathways by which a politician's biography could influence their leadership style and abilities. First, a politician’s biography may shape their core beliefs, which are essential to shaping their worldview. The second pathway
275-622: A nursery. Vander Zalm was elected an alderman of Surrey in 1965, and served as the municipality's mayor from 1969 to 1975. His tenure was marked by his crackdown on welfare recipients (until the early 1970s, welfare in BC was a municipal responsibility). He was originally a supporter of both the Liberal Party of Canada and the BC Liberal Party . He sought election to the House of Commons of Canada in
330-719: A position in government . Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties that politicians must perform vary depending on the level of government they serve, whether local , national, or international. The ideological orientation that politicians adopt often stems from their previous experience, education, beliefs, the political parties they belong to, or public opinion . Politicians sometimes face many challenges and mistakes that may affect their credibility and ability to persuade. These mistakes include corruption resulting from their misuse and exploitation of power to achieve their interests, which requires them to prioritize
385-399: A recall campaign for Liberal MLAs. Vander Zalm told reporters. "We will recall every Liberal MLA in the province, if that's what it takes." However, the initial attempts at recalls were unsuccessful. On August 20, 2010, Chief Justice Robert J. Bauman ruled that the petition was valid. Bauman said Elections BC was correct when it approved the petition on August 11. On September 14, 2010, it
440-674: A recurring critic of the provincial government's conversion of the Provincial Sales Tax to the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). A series of populist rallies led to him becoming the official proponent, in accordance with the Recall and Initiative Act , of a petition seeking a referendum to cancel the HST. Vander Zalm established a website, FightHST, to promote the initiative. The provincial Liberal government countered Vander Zalm's campaign and devoted
495-414: A role in legislative gridlock and negatively impact public perception, which negatively impacts politicians’ interests. Additionally, research highlighted that politicians, especially populist politicians, may create a challenge for themselves by increasingly accusing the media of spreading misinformation or “fake news.” Such accusations can undermine the credibility of media platforms, even though trust in
550-694: A role in shaping shape voter behavior and political preferences Also, educational background in politics also plays an important role in shaping the political awareness of politicians and plays a major role in increasing people’s confidence in them. Some critics often accuse politicians of not communicating with the public. They accuse politicians' speeches of being sometimes overly formal, filled with many euphemisms and metaphors, and generally seen as an attempt to "obscure, mislead, and confuse". Lack of awareness, selfishness, manipulation , and dishonesty are perceptions that people often accuse politicians of, and many see them as prioritizing personal interests over
605-462: A section of their website to the positive aspects of the HST. For the petition to be certified, there was a requirement to secure the signatures of a minimum of 10% of all registered voters on the provincial voters list in each riding in the province, no later than June 30, 2010. On that date, Vander Zalm delivered 85 boxes containing 705,643 signatures from voters in every riding across the province. Those signatures represented some 45% of votes cast in
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#1732838510189660-493: A target date of March 31, 2013. In 2012, a BC Supreme Court judge and jury heard a defamation lawsuit lodged against Vander Zalm by retired conflict-of-interest commissioner Ted Hughes . The former judge alleged that he had been defamed in Vander Zalm's 2008 self-published autobiography, For The People . The book suggested that Hughes, then in an interim appointment, may have conducted an unfair inquiry of Vander Zalm in 1991 by
715-652: Is influenced by their social and work environments, their ideology, and the parties to which they belong, furthermore, the development of means of communication and social media have increased public participation in policy-making, leading to a reformation of politician's identity and increasing the complexity of political work. Politicians are influential people who use rhetoric to impact people as in speeches or campaign advertisements. They are especially known for using common themes, and media platforms that allow them to develop their political positions, developing communication between them and
770-548: Is those personal experiences that influence a politician's skills and competence, and which determine where politicians focus their resources and attention as leaders. The third pathway refers to biographical characteristics that influence a politician's resource allocation and responses based on characteristics such as race or gender. The fourth pathway is how a politician's biography affects his public perception, which affects politicians' leadership style and their strategy for gaining people's respect. Numerous scholars have studied
825-645: The Victoria Daily Times published a political cartoon by Bob Bierman that portrayed the Minister of Human Resources as a grinning sadist , deliberately pulling the wings off flies. Vander Zalm launched legal action for libel , Vander Zalm v. Times Publishers . Justice Craig Munroe of the BC Supreme Court awarded Vander Zalm $ 3,500 in damages. The decision was overturned by the BC Court of Appeal in 1980, which
880-552: The 1968 federal election as a Liberal in Surrey , but lost by 4,445 votes to New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Barry Mather . He was a candidate at the 1972 provincial Liberal leadership convention , where he lost to David Anderson . He subsequently ran in the Surrey constituency for the Liberal Party in the 1972 provincial election , but lost to incumbent BC New Democratic Party candidate Ernest Hall . Vander Zalm joined
935-475: The BC Social Credit Party (Socred) in 1974, and was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 1975 election for the riding of Surrey. The Socreds won back power after a three-year hiatus, and Vander Zalm served in the cabinet of Premier Bill Bennett as minister of human resources from 1975 to 1978, where he continued his crusade against welfare fraud . On June 22, 1978,
990-441: The public interest and develop long-term strategies. Challenges include how to keep up with the development of social media and confronting biased media, in addition to discrimination against them on the basis of gender , race , or belief, which requires them to adapt their communications to engage citizens, confront discrimination, and spread their message effectively. Politicians are people who participate in policy-making, in
1045-412: The 2009 provincial election. On August 11, 2010, Elections BC verified the official anti-HST petition submitted by the province's Fight HST campaign. Vander Zalm said he was pleased with the result, but "very disappointed" to learn the province's chief electoral officer would not act on the petition until all court proceedings involving the tax were complete. The anti-HST campaign turned its attention to
1100-625: The BC Court of Appeals. Vander Zalm resigned in 1991 after a provincial conflict of interest report by Ted Hughes found that he had mixed private business with his public office in the sale of the Gardens. He was charged with criminal breach of trust, but was acquitted in BC Supreme Court in 1992. The judge ruled that Vander Zalm had acted in a manner that was "foolish, ill-advised and in apparent or real conflict of interest or breach of ethics", but that
1155-568: The Mexican government introduced the Federal Law on Administrative Responsibilities of Public Officials (2002) which establishes professional and accountable standards for officials against corruption and the spoils system. Also, The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 in the USA has established corruption to protect federal employees who report corruption, fraud, or other illegal activities within
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#17328385101891210-628: The Socred government took a more social conservative hue. This did not sit well with more moderate Socreds, who began drifting to the previously moribund Liberals—a trend that would haunt Vander Zalm's successors later. On July 7, 1987, during the first session of the 34th Parliament , Vander Zalm's health minister Peter Dueck introduced the Health Statutes Amendment Act ( Bill 34 ). This bill specified quarantine procedures for individuals with “serious reportable communicable disease." The bill
1265-654: The United States of America, George Washington played a pivotal role as a politician because he was the first President of the United States of America . Today, political offices take many forms in the modern century in the United States of America such as ministers, mayors , governors , senators , and presidents, each of whom has different duties. While all government leaders are considered politicians, not all politicians are subject to voters, autocratic and dictatorial regimes remain extant. The identity of politicians
1320-400: The accused politicians remains largely unaffected. They will therefore have a negative impact on the credibility of media platforms, and this distrust may extend to the media institutions as a whole that politicians use to communicate with people. Regarding the challenges of gender dynamics, particularly the role of women in politics , some recent research focuses on the life path of women in
1375-559: The ballot was: Are you in favour of extinguishing the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) and reinstating the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) in conjunction with the GST (Goods and Services Tax)? Yes or No On August 26, 2011, Elections BC revealed the results of the referendum: 55% of 1.6 million voters in favour of abolishing the HST. The BC Liberals revealed a plan to re-instate the GST/PST system within 18 months, with
1430-536: The candidate for the Non-Partisan Association . He lost to the incumbent Mike Harcourt , who was later the provincial NDP leader during most of Vander Zalm's tenure as premier. In 1986, Premier Bennett announced he was retiring. Vander Zalm attracted considerable attention as he considered whether he would run for the leadership of the Social Credit Party . He generated more press from the race than
1485-493: The characteristics of politicians and in economic class to explain characteristics impact on politicians' effectiveness and electoral success, comparing politicians involves different dimensions such as level of government (the local and national levels), political ideology (liberal or the more conservative), economic class , and comparing the more successful and less successful in terms of elections. Demographic factors such as age, gender, education, income, and race/ethnicity, play
1540-413: The government. Mattozzi and Merlo argue that politicians typically follow two main career paths in modern democracies. The first is career politicians who remain in government until retirement. The second is political careerists, who have gained a reputation for their experience at various levels of government such as international, federal, state, and local governments, they often leave politics and start
1595-436: The immunity from prosecution they receive as politicians results in further corruption and evasion from legal punishment, as represented by the immunity bath depiction by J.J. Hanberg 1983 British Columbia general election Bill Bennett Social Credit Bill Bennett Social Credit The 1983 British Columbia general election was the 33rd provincial election for the province of British Columbia , Canada. It
1650-479: The integrity of government positions. A notable example of government reform over time are The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 passed by the U.S. Congress to combat corruption, favoritism in hiring, and the spoils system. It advocated hiring based on merit and protected civil servants from political influence. In the modern century, many laws have been put in place to protect employees and reduce corruption and favoritism in employment, for example,
1705-463: The legislature by winning one of the two seats in Richmond . Vander Zalm promised a fresh start after the confrontational Bennett years, filling most of the cabinet slots with MLAs who had languished on the backbench under Bennett. He decided to release the normally secret list of cabinet appointments to two Vancouver Sun reporters hours before the official announcement was to be made. Under his watch,
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1760-526: The other candidates did. At the party's convention in Whistler, British Columbia , he prevailed over 11 other candidates (including future prime minister Kim Campbell ) by winning on the fourth ballot, and was sworn in as premier on August 6, 1986. During the 1986 provincial election campaign, "Vandermania" swept BC, and the Socreds easily won another term over the opposition BC NDP. Vander Zalm himself re-entered
1815-399: The people. Politicians of necessity become expert users of the media . Politicians in the 19th century made heavy use of newspapers , magazines, and pamphlets, as well as posters to disseminate their messages to appeal to voters' emotions and beliefs in their campaigns. In the 20th century, the scope of media expanded out into radio and television, and a major change occurred as speech
1870-509: The permission of either parents or the local school board, a questionnaire concerning "mutual masturbation, oral sex, use of pornography and prostitution" to a class of Grade 8 students in Smithers. He declined to run in the May 1983 provincial election . In 1984, he bought Fantasy Garden World , a theme park in Richmond, British Columbia . The same year, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Vancouver as
1925-560: The political field and the challenges surrounding them. For example, there are studies on the "supermader" model in politics in Latin America, which illustrate the difficulties women face and how to balance their home and work and the distinction between women and men that negatively affects their acceptance in political work. . Historically, in patronage-based systems, especially in the 19th century, winning politicians replaced civil servants and government employees who were not protected by
1980-485: The popular vote to almost half of all votes cast, and their number of seats in the legislature. No other parties other than the Socreds and the NDP won seats in the legislature. In addition to 43 single member districts, where single winner First-past-the-post voting was used, this election used seven two-member constituencies. Voters in those places were allowed two votes ( plurality block voting ) and generally used them both on
2035-421: The prosecution had not proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. It was revealed that during the sale of Fantasy Gardens, Vander Zalm had accepted $ 20,000 payment in cash from Tan Yu, the buyer of Fantasy Gardens, to which Vander Zalm said he took "for innocent reasons relating to travel and expenses incurred." Vander Zalm was succeeded as premier by Deputy Premier Rita Johnston , who defeated Grace McCarthy in
2090-426: The prospect of achieving a permanent employment. Vander Zalm defended the statements about Hughes, saying they had been fair comments, not facts, and that they had been made as a matter of public interest . Vander Zalm was found liable and ordered to pay $ 60,000 in damages, with Hughes to pay his own costs. Politician A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes , usually holding
2145-472: The provinces were now expected to cover abortion. Vander Zalm chose not to extend provincial medical coverage to abortion by citing that abortions were an elective procedure and not medically necessary. Vander Zalm became embroiled in an alleged conflict of interest controversy over the sale of his Fantasy Gardens flower garden and theme park. The conflict of interest arose because the Taiwanese buyer, Tan Yu ,
2200-520: The public interests. Politicians in many countries are seen as the “most hated professionals,” and the least trustworthy, leading to public skepticism and constant criticism. In addition, some politicians tend to be negative, this strategy, although it does not enhance their chances of being re-elected or gaining public support, politicians see this negativity as consistent with negative media bias, which increases their chances of securing media access and public attention. Also, lack of accountability and
2255-560: The race to replace him as Socred leader. Contrary to popular belief that the party would thrive under new leadership, Social Credit collapsed to a distant third in the 1991 election , with the NDP returning to government and the Liberals becoming official opposition. The Social Credit Party were completely shut out of the legislature in the subsequent 1996 election and never again won seats. Vander Zalm returned to politics in November 1999 when he
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2310-529: The riding of Richmond from 1986 to 1991. Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie van der Zalm was born and raised in Noordwijkerhout , Netherlands . He emigrated to Canada after World War II , settling in the Fraser Valley in 1947. After completing high school, he sold tulip bulbs and ultimately established himself in the gardening business. He moved to Surrey after marrying Lillian Mihalic, and purchased
2365-414: The rules of government service with their supporters, a so-called “ spoils system .” In response to the corruption this system fostered, government job reforms were introduced. These reforms required elected politicians to work with existing civil servants and officials to pursue long-term public interest goals, rather than simply rewarding their supporters. This shift aimed to reduce corruption and prioritize
2420-399: The same party. None of those districts elected both a SC and a NDP MLA. All districts elected either two SC members (4 districts) or two NDP members (three districts), with no representation given to the other voters in the district. In the case of Surrey, Social Credit candidates with only a minority of the vote, a combined 71,000 votes of the 150,000 cast, took both seats. That helped ensure
2475-497: The speed of spread and interaction. Politicians, who rarely meet voters in person, seek to use the media as a means of communicating with people, winning votes, and obtaining political roles. Some research confirms that the media increases the popularity of a politician, and indicates that negative news has a stronger effect on popularity than positive news. Some research has suggested that politicians tend to use social media more than traditional media because their perception of
2530-662: The traditional media’s influence as a public informant greatly affects their satisfaction with democratic processes. So they prefer to use social media and communicate directly with people in order to have greater control over their message and easier communication. This continuous evolution in media has made politicians adapt their discourse to these diverse and evolving platforms for greater communication and effectiveness. In this century of advanced communications, politicians face challenges and difficulties while communicating with people through various social media platforms . The implicit importance of social media for politics stems from
2585-413: The virtual space these platforms have created for expressing ideas and spreading mutual messages without restrictions. Misinformation , rumors, and discrimination complicate their political behavior and communication with people. Also, Political polarization created by the media plays a role in influencing politicians’ behavior and communications, which reinforces negative campaigns. They also play
2640-538: Was acclaimed as leader of the Reform Party of British Columbia . Shortly after, he ran in a December 1999 provincial by-election in Delta South , but finished second with 32.91% of the vote behind BC Liberal Party candidate Val Roddick , who received 59.63%. The BC Green Party came in third place and the governing NDP finished in a distant fourth place with just 2.44%, their worst showing ever. He attempted to orchestrate
2695-431: Was announced a referendum would be held September 24, 2011 on repealing the HST. Premier Gordon Campbell stated a simple majority (50%+1) of those eligible and casting ballots would be sufficient for the government to cancel the HST if the referendum went against the government. The 2011 British Columbia sales tax referendum was conducted by Elections BC via mail-in ballot throughout June and July 2011. The question on
2750-466: 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. The new legislature that resulted from this election met for the first time on June 23, 1983. The governing Social Credit Party of British Columbia was re-elected with a majority government , defeating the opposition New Democratic Party of British Columbia . The "Socreds" increased both their share of
2805-718: Was met with serious backlash and protest from HIV/AIDS activism groups like ACT UP , the Vancouver Lesbian Connection, and the Vancouver Persons With AIDS Coalition. The mobilization by activists in protest of the bill led to the formation of the Coalition for Responsible Health Legislation (CRHL) by Vancouver-based AIDS activists that led several actions for protest, but also education like safer sex workshops focused on preventing HIV transmission. The bill received Royal Assent on December 17, 1987, and
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#17328385101892860-484: Was now presented visually as well as verbally as evidenced by the Kennedy-Nixon debates , marking a new era where visual media became crucial to campaigns. The twenty-first century has provided wide and diverse media platforms represented by Facebook, and Twitter, which has now become X, Instagram, YouTube, and others. This development has made their rhetorical messages faster, shorter more efficient, and characterized by
2915-581: Was passed into law. The protests continued, but effort from the BC Civil Liberties Association shifted to the modification of the bill, rather than discarding it completely. The government of Premier Bill Vander Zalm refused to fund the 1990 Gay Games in Vancouver and cited inappropriate usage of public resources. In 1988, after the Supreme Court of Canada decision of R v Morgentaler ,
2970-676: Was praised by journalists as a victory for free speech. The original cartoon was purchased by the National Archives of Canada for $ 350. Vander Zalm was re-assigned as Minister of Municipal Affairs in December 1978, and kept the portfolio after winning re-election in 1979 , before becoming Minister of Education in August 1982. In 1983, he publicly called on the Smithers school board to suspend teacher Madeleine Sauve without pay. Sauve distributed, without
3025-606: Was provided VIP treatment by members of the Vander Zalm Government prior to the sale. Adding fuel to the fire, Faye Leung , a Chinese-Canadian entrepreneur and the woman who brokered the deal, claimed that Vander Zalm was a "bad man" since the day she first met him and secretly recorded conversations she had with him, which were subsequently leaked to the media. For her part in the affair, Leung would later be convicted of four counts of secret commissions over 100k, and one count of theft over 45k, and two counts of fraud in 1995 by
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