July 20, 1991 - Rita Johnston - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Rita Johnson becomes Canada's first woman premier. Rita Johnston was born in Melville, Saskatchewan on April 22, 1935. After moving to Surrey, British Columbia, she and her husband operated a mobile home park and became actively involved in the Chamber of Commerce. From there, Johnston got involved in municipal politics, where she sat as a city councillor from 1969 until 1983, with one failed attempt at the mayorship in 1975. In 1983, Bill Vander Zalm, who would eventually become B.C.’s premier, resigned from provincial politics. Johnston was elected into Vander Zalm’s former riding of Surrey-Newton, where she served as the Social Credit MLA for eight years before becoming a parliamentary secretary. When Vander Zalm returned to politics as premier in 1986, Johnston was sworn into cabinet. She served in a number of portfolios, eventually becoming deputy premier in 1990. When Vander Zalm resigned over a political scandal in 1991, Johnston was ensconced as interim leader of her party, and therefore premier of the province. Later winning the party leadership on July 20, 1991, she became Canada’s first woman premier. Unfortunately, fallout over the Vander Zalm scandal contributed to her and her party’s defeat in the October 17, 1991 election. After Johnston resigned as leader of the Social Credit Party in early 1992, the party moved into political oblivion as the Liberal Party of B.C. filled its role on the right wing.

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