- Rita Johnston
Infobox_President
name = Rita Margaret Johnston
caption = Hon. Rita Johnston
order = 29thPremier of British Columbia
term_start =April 2 ,1991
term_end =November 5 ,1991
predecessor =William Vander Zalm
successor =Mike Harcourt
birth_date = birth date and age |1935|04|22
birth_place =Melville, Saskatchewan
death_date =
death_place =
party = Social Credit Party
spouse =
religion =|Rita Margaret Johnston (born
Melville, Saskatchewan April 22 ,1935 née Leichert) was apolitician inBritish Columbia ,Canada . Johnston became Canada's first female premier, when she succeededWilliam Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29thPremier of British Columbia .Much of her early life was spent running a successful
trailer park in the city ofSurrey, British Columbia .She first entered politics as a city
councillor in Surrey. She was then elected to as a member of BC'sLegislative Assembly as part of the Social Credit Party caucus.She became a
cabinet minister under PremierWilliam Vander Zalm . She had previously served under Vander Zalm when she was a councillor and he was the mayor of Surrey.Vander Zalm appointed Johnston deputy premier. When Vander Zalm resigned on April 2, 1991, Johnston succeeded him and became premier on
April 2 ,1991 , making her Canada's first female premier.At a Social Credit party convention in July 1991 she was formally elected leader of the Social Credit Party of BC, in an upset, defeating the favoured front-runner
Grace McCarthy . She served as both premier and leader only briefly, and was defeated in the October 1991 provincial election by the New Democratic Party led byMichael Harcourt . Johnston also lost her Surrey-Newton seat to the NDP'sPenny Priddy .She resigned as leader of the Social Credit Party on
January 11 ,1992 , and was replaced by McCarthy. Following her defeat Johnston retired from politics and has had a low public profile.External links
* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/women/002026-835-e.html biography at collections canada]
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