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'Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie Vander Zalm, commonly known as Bill Vander Zalm (born 1934) became British Columbia's 28th Premier in 1986. He was succeeded as Premier of B.C. by Rita Johnston in 1991. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada after World War II settling in the Fraser Valley in 1947. After leaving high school he sold tulip bulbs and ultimately established himself in the nursery and gardening business and also invested in real estate.

Vander Zalm was elected alderman in 1965 before becoming mayor of Surrey, British ColumbiaSurrey one of the fastest growing major cities in Canada, is strategically located at the crossroads of the Pacific Rim, Greater Vancouver and the United States. Easy and convenient access to Vancouver international Airport, two international border cross from 1969For other uses, see Number 1969. For the movie, see 1969 (movie). Events January January 1 Australian media baron Rupert Murdoch purchases the largest selling British Sunday newspaper The News Of The World January 5 The Derry Riots leave over 100 people i to 1975Events January January 1 Watergate scandal: John N. Mitchell, H. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up and are sentenced to 30 months to 8 years in jail on February 21 January 5 The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, i. His tenture there was marked by his crackdown on welfare "deadbeats" (at the time, welfare in BC was a municipal responsibility).

Vander Zalm was orginally a supporter of both the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal Party of Canada Current Leader Paul Martin Founded July 1, 1867 (nation's founding) Headquarters Suite 40081 Metcalfe Street Ottawa, OntarioK1P 6M8 Colours Red Political ideology liberal International alignment Liberal International The Liberal Pa and the British Columbia Liberal Party running in Surrey for the federal Liberals in the 1968 Canadian election (and losing by 5,000 votes). He was also candiate at the 19721972 is a leap year starting on Saturday (click link for calendar). Events January events January 2 the Pierre Hotel Heist Six men rob the safety deposit boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Loot is at least $4 million January 5 President of the Un provincial Liberal leadership conventionThis page lists the results of Leadership Conventions held by the British Columbia Liberal Party . Liberal Leadership Convention, 1972 (Held on May 22, 1972. ANDERSON, David 388 VANDER ZALM, Bill 177 Liberal Leadership Convention, 1975 (Held on September where he lost to David Anderson after which he joined the British Columbia Social Credit Party in 1974.

He was first elected MLA in 1975, and joined the cabinet of William R. Bennett as Minister of Human Resources from ( 1975 - 1978), where he continued his crusade against welfare "fraud". He also served as Minister of Municipal Affairs ( 1978 - 1981). His short tenture as Minister of Education ( 1981 - 1983) resulted in him forced from cabinet after he called Bennett and his ministers "gutless".

In 1984, he bought Fantasy Garden World. That same year, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Vancouver, as the candidate for the Non-Partisan Association.

In 1986, premier William R. Bennett announced he was retiring. Instantly, Vander Zalm was thrust into the spotlight, as he waffled on whether he would run for the leadership of the Social Credit Party of British Columbia. He generated more press out of the race than the other candidates did in it.

At a conference centre in Whistler, British Columbia, he won the leadership easily.

From around just after he became premier, to about one month into the 1986 election campaign, "Vandermania" swept BC. Bill and his wife, Lillian Vander Zalm attracted public adoration with their high-voltage smiles and charisma.

The party or even its leader had no public plan for when they were elected for the long term. However, the main clear goal was to have a "fresh start" after the confrontational Bennett years.

Once elected with a majority, Vander Zalm selected his cabinet, mostly backbenchers who had languished under Bill Bennett. Oddly, Vander Zalm decided to release the normally secret list of cabinet appointments to two Vancouver Sun reporters hours before the official announcement was to be made.

He held conservative views on subjects such as abortion and homosexuality. In fact, his government once tried to cut public funding for abortions that were not medically necessary, prompting a public uproar and resulting in the plan being dropped. Furthermore, his government had a confrontational relationship with union labour.

As well, he appointed a close friend by the name of David Poole to be his "Principal Secretary". Before resigning in 1989, Poole amassed a good amount of power, and became the second most powerful person in the province - despite never having been elected. This naturally attracted the anger of numerous cabinet ministers, such as Grace McCarthy.

He was also accused of influence peddling with his close friend Peter Toigo in the sale of the Expo 86 site.

Vander Zalm became embroiled in a conflict of interest controversy over the sale of his Fantasy Gardens flower garden and theme park. The confict of interest arose because the Taiwanese buyer, Tan Yu was provided with VIP treatment and lunch with the Lieutenant-Governor prior to the sale, as well, Vander Zalm claimed that control over the theme park was his wife's responsibility.

It was proven in BC Supreme Court that he was in fact intimately involved in the sale. The implication was that Vander Zalm used his position as Premier to gain access to cabinet ministers for Tan Yu and himself, to promote his own business transactions. Vander Zalm was forced to resign over the scandal.

After many years out of the spotlight, Vander Zalm again took a stab at office by running in Delta-South in a by-election in 1999 for the BC Reform Party. This by-election was notable for many reasons including the incredibly low support the governing NDP received (coming in fourth) and marking the absolute low point for the NDP's electoral support (NDP candidate Richard Tones receiving just 2.44% of the vote). Vander Zalm finished second with 32.91% of the vote to Liberal Val Roddick who received 59.63%.