Andrew J. Petter (born 1953) is a former academic and provincial politician in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. He represented the

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

Saanich South Saanich South is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was created by 1990 legislation dividing the previous two-member district of Saanich and the Islands which came into effect for the 1 ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

from 1991 to 2001. A member of the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...

(BC NDP) caucus, he served in various cabinet posts under premiers

Mike Harcourt Michael Franklin Harcourt Officer of the Order of Canada, OC (born January 6, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th List of mayors of Vancouver ...

Glen Clark Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957) is a Canadian retail executive and former politician who served as the 31st premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999. Early life and education Clark attended independent Roman Catholic schools, na ...

, Dan Miller and

Ujjal Dosanjh Ujjal Dev Dosanjh (; born September 9, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 33rd premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. He was minister of he ...

, including as

Attorney General of British Columbia The attorney general of British Columbia (AG) oversees the Ministry of Attorney General, a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system, within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The attorney gener ...

from February to November 2000. After politics, he worked as the dean of the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...

from 2002 to 2008, then served two terms as president and vice-chancellor of

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

from 2010 to 2020. He served as board chair of provincial Crown agency Innovate BC from 2021 to 2024, and was elected to be a director of Coast Capital Savings Credit Union in April 2024. He has written extensively about the role of the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the '' Constitution Act, 1982''. The ''Char ...

and its effect on government powers and decision making.

Background and education

Andrew Petter was born in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

in 1953, and grew up in the adjacent suburb of

Oak Bay Oak Bay is a municipality incorporated in 1906 that is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of thirteen member municipalities of the Capital Regional District, and is bordered ...

. His grandfather

Ernest Petter Sir Ernest Willoughby Petter (26 May 1873 – 18 July 1954) was an English industrialist and unsuccessful politician. Biography Ernest and Percival Waddams Petter (1873–1955) were identical twins born on 26 May 1873 in High Street, Ye ...

was an English industrialist who unsuccessfully ran for the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

on three occasions before moving to the

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

town of Comox in 1938; he then lived for a while in Saanich before moving back to the UK in 1954. Andrew's Jewish mother Elizabeth graduated from the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...

in the 1930s, then joined the ''Tanzgruppe Bodenwieser'' as a dancer. She was on tour in London when she met Ernest Petter's son Gordon; the couple married in Vienna and lived there until the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

''. After escaping Austria, the couple and Andrew's three elder siblings moved to Vancouver Island in 1946 to join Ernest. In the 1960s the family moved to the

interior Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

city of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, where Gordon Petter taught history at the now defunct

Notre Dame University College Notre Dame University College was a private university in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1950 by the Roman Catholic diocese of Nelson and opened with twelve students. In 1951 Notre Dame became affiliated as a junior college ...

. Andrew graduated from the city's L.V. Rogers Secondary School as valedictorian, then pursued undergraduate studies at Notre Dame. He also hosted an open-line show at radio station CKKC, interviewing figures such as then-premier

Dave Barrett David Barrett (October 2, 1930 – February 2, 2018) was a Canadian politician and social worker in British Columbia. A member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BCNDP), he was the 26th premier of British Columbia from 1972 to 1 ...

and former premier W.A.C. Bennett, before leaving the station to work as an executive assistant to

Nelson-Creston Kootenay Central is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It made its first appearance under the name Nelson-Creston in the general election of 1933 following a redistribution of the earli ...

member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

Lorne Nicolson. He began studying political science at the

(UVic) in 1976, then entered the school's law program in 1978, graduating with an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1981 and winning the

Law Society of British Columbia The Law Society of British Columbia is the regulatory body for lawyers in British Columbia, Canada. Purpose The society's primary mandate under the ''Legal Profession Act'' is to uphold and protect the public interest in the administration of ...

gold medal for his top-of-class standing. He subsequently attended

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

on a

Commonwealth Scholarship The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed ...

, receiving an

LL.M. A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

in 1982 and graduating with first class honours.

Career

Petter briefly worked at the

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Department of Justice, serving as the Constitutional Branch's adviser. He then taught at

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

as an assistant professor between 1984 and 1986, before joining his ''alma mater'', the

University of Victoria Faculty of Law The University of Victoria Faculty of Law, commonly referred to as UVic Law, is a law school at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The school grants JD, JID, LLM, and PhD degrees in law. The law school’s alumni ...

in 1986, becoming associate professor in 1988.

Politics

Recruited by

BC NDP The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since ...

leader

to enter politics, Petter was twice elected to the

in the provincial elections of

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, representing the riding of

. His constituency work included establishing the

Galloping Goose Regional Trail The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a rail trail between Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and the ghost town of Leechtown, north of Sooke, where it meets the old Sooke Flowline. Maintained by the Capital Regional District (CRD), the ...

for cyclists. He was named Minister of Aboriginal Affairs in November 1991 by Premier Harcourt. In that role, he worked alongside

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

, federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Tom Siddon Thomas Edward Siddon, (born November 9, 1941) is a Canadian aerospace engineer and politician. Early life and education Born in Drumheller, Alberta, Siddon pursued engineering, graduating from the University of Alberta in 1963, followed by earn ...

and Harcourt in the First Nations Task Force, which created and put into effect the Treaty Commission Act in British Columbia in May 1993. He then served as Minister of Forests from September 1993 to February 1996, with the BC Forest Practices Code being established during his term. After

took over as premier in February 1996, Petter was appointed Minister of Health, Minister Responsible for Seniors, and Minister Responsible for Intergovernmental Relations. That June he was named Minister of Finance and Corporate Relations, while holding on to the intergovernmental portfolio and dropping the health and seniors file. He then served as Minister of Advanced Education, Training and Technology and Minister of Intergovernmental Relations from February 1998 onwards, adding the role of Minister Responsible for Youth in August 1999 after Clark resigned and Dan Miller took over as premier and interim NDP leader. Following

's election as new NDP leader, Petter was named

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and Minister Responsible for Human Rights in February 2000. He declined to run again in the 2001 provincial election, and was dropped from the cabinet in November 2000, replaced in both roles by

Graeme Bowbrick Graeme Bowbrick is a Canadian lawyer, educator and former politician. A faculty member in the criminology department at Simon Fraser University, he previously represented the riding of New Westminster in the Legislative Assembly of British Co ...

Higher education

Subsequent to his career in politics, he served as dean of the University of Victoria's faculty of law from 2001 until 2008 (the first year as acting dean), before returning to teaching. During his time as dean, the UVic Faculty established a new graduate law program, created a national aboriginal economic development chair and supported the first cohort of the

Akitsiraq Law School Akitsiraq Law School is a legal education program designed to increase the number of lawyers in Nunavut and the Canadian Arctic, including a program leading to a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B.) in Iqaluit, Nunavut. The Law School has no perma ...

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

. He was named president and vice-chancellor of

in January 2010, starting his term on September 1 that year. He was succeeded by Joy Johnson in 2020.

Innovate BC

From 2021 to 2024, Petter was served as chair of the board of directors of Innovate BC, a provincial Crown agency responsible for supporting innovation and growth in the technology sector in British Columbia. He took over the position from Alan Shaver. The appointment was announced by

Ravi Kahlon Ravinder "Ravi" Kahlon (born May 15, 1979) is a Canadian politician and athlete. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia, representing the riding of Delta North as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Pa ...

, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

Honours and awards

Other distinctions

*2002: Honorary citizen award from the

City of Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

*2003: Distinguished alumni award from the

*2018: Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership in Public Policy from the

Public Policy Forum The Public Policy Forum (PPF) is an independent, non-profit Canadian think tank for public-private dialogue. The organization's stated vision is "good policy for a better Canada, where everyone has an opportunity to flourish individually and toge ...

*2020: Honorary doctorate (LLD) from

Kwantlen Polytechnic University Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is a public undergraduate degree-granting polytechnic university in British Columbia, Canada, with campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, Whalley, and Langley. KPU is one of the largest institutions b ...

*2022: Honorary doctorate (LLD) from Simon Fraser University *2023: Honorary doctorate (LLD) from the University of Victoria *2024: King Charles III Coronation Medal

Selected publications

* "Private Rights/Public Wrongs: The Liberal Lie of the Charter" in the ''

University of Toronto Law Journal The ''University of Toronto Law Journal'' is a law review published by University of Toronto Press. It was established in 1935 by William Paul McClure Kennedy. History The journal was established in 1935 "under the insistent prompting of Dean W. ...

'', 1995 * "The Politics of the Charter", '' Supreme Court Law Review'', 1986 * "Rights in Conflict: The Dilemma of Charter Legitimacy", '' University of British Columbia Law Review'', 1989 * "Federalism and the Myth of the Federal Spending Power", ''

Canadian Bar Review The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada. History The Association's first Annual Meeting was ...

'', 1989

Electoral results

References

External links

Legislative Assembly Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petter, Andrew 1953 births Academic staff of the Osgoode Hall Law School Academic staff of the University of Victoria Alumni of the University of Cambridge British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs Canadian King's Counsel Canadian legal scholars Canadian people of English descent Canadian radio hosts Deans of law schools in Canada Lawyers in British Columbia Living people Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of British Columbia Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia Presidents of Simon Fraser University University of Victoria alumni Attorneys general of British Columbia Ministers of finance of British Columbia Ministers of health of British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia