Bill Barisoff is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician who served as a

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 ...

(MLA) of

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 ...

from 1996 to 2013, representing the districts of

Okanagan-Boundary Okanagan-Boundary was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacifi ...

, Penticton-Okanagan Valley and

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

over the course of his career. A caucus member of the

British Columbia Liberal Party BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

, he served in the cabinet of

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Gordon Campbell as Minister of Provincial Revenue and Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection. He was also the 36th

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The office of Speaker in British Columbia The Speaker is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly ...

from 2005 to 2013.

Biography

Born in

Oliver, British Columbia Oliver is a town near the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the southern British Columbia Interior, interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of nearly 5,000 people. It is located along the Okanagan River by Tuc-el-nuit Lake betwe ...

, Barisoff owned a trucking company and served as a volunteer firefighter before entering politics. He was also a trustee with School District 53 for 18 years, including eight years as the district's chair. He was approached by

BC Liberal BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

leader Gordon Campbell to contest the 1996 provincial election for that party, and was elected MLA in

by narrowly defeating the incumbent

Bill Barlee Neville Langrell "Bill" Barlee (October 6, 1932 – June 14, 2012) was a Canadian politician who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a New Democrat in 1988 (after unsuccessfully running in the 1969 and 197 ...

. While the Liberals were the

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

, he served as critic for agriculture, transportation and highways, and aboriginal affairs. With the Okanagan-Boundary riding dissolved ahead of the 2001 election, he ran in Penticton-Okanagan Valley and was re-elected there. The Liberals gained power in that election, and Barisoff was appointed to the cabinet that June to serve as Minister of Provincial Revenue; he was re-assigned as Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection in January 2004. He was re-elected MLA in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, and was chosen as

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures in Australia, and in provincial and terr ...

that September. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

he won re-election in the renamed riding of

, and continued as speaker. He faced criticism in 2012 following a report from the province's auditor general stating that basic accounting practices were not followed in the legislature, such as asking for receipts when approving MLA expenses; Barisoff was responsible for overseeing the legislature's budget ($63 million as of 2012) in his capacity as speaker. He announced in August 2012 that he would not run in the next election. He and his wife Edna have three sons together.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barisoff, Bill Year of birth missing (living people) Living people BC United MLAs British Columbia school board members Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Oliver, British Columbia Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia