Christy Clark

Christy Clark was the Premier of British Columbia, Canada’s third largest province, for over six
years. Throughout her tenure, Ms. Clark demonstrated the strongest performance of any
Canadian Premier for economic growth, fiscal management and job creation.
When she is not traveling to give keynote or panel presentations, Ms. Clark works for as an
advisor to a national Canadian law firm Bennett Jones, where she offers clients insights tied to
her experience in infrastructure, Canada-Asia trade, natural resources, social licence and
indigenous relations.
As Premier, Ms. Clark earned a well-deserved reputation as a consensus builder both within the
Cabinet, and outside it. Her management style was to carefully set out a plan that included hard
goals and deadlines for each Ministry and monitor progress through regular reporting to
Cabinet and Committees which she chaired.
Her legacy is characterized by her determination to plan for future generations. She left
British Columbia with a significantly diversified economy, a greater diversity of markets, a plan
for a new, clean energy supply, billions of dollars of new infrastructure, and a dramatic
reduction in the burden of public debt that will be borne by future generations of British
Columbians.
When she left office, British Columbia had been Canada’s economic leader for three years
running—the first time that has happened since the 1960s. B.C. went from being ninth in job
creation to first among provinces. And, after inheriting a deficit of $1.2 billion, Ms. Clark’s
government went on to balance five consecutive budgets. Her last budget included $52 billion
in revenues and boasted a $2.8 billion surplus. When she retired, B.C. was on track to
eliminating its operating debt by 2020—the first time since 1976. B.C. was also the only
Canadian province with a AAA credit rating.
Ms. Clark retired from political life in 2017 as the longest serving female Premier in Canadian
history and the only woman in Canada ever to be re-elected.