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 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 ...
, representing the electoral district of
Cowichan-Malahat
Cowichan-Malahat 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 ...
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 ...
. He was a
cabinet minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...
under
premiers
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 governm ...
Rita Johnston
Rita Margaret Johnston (born April 22, 1935; née Leichert) is a Canadian politician in British Columbia. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded Bill Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th premier of Br ...
North Cowichan
North Cowichan (Canada 2021 Census population 31,990) is a district municipality established in 1873 on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. The municipality is part of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. North Cowichan is noted fo ...
councillor for three years, before serving as the municipality's mayor from 1979 to 1987. In the 1983 provincial election, he ran as a Social Credit Party candidate in the riding of
Cowichan-Malahat
Cowichan-Malahat 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 ...
, but lost to the incumbent
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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* The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
(NDP) candidate Barbara Wallace.
He ran in Cowichan-Malahat again in the 1986 provincial election, this time defeating NDP candidate Carolyn Askew to become the riding's
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). On October 3, 1989, Bruce and three colleagues — Duane Delton Crandall, David Mercier, and Doug Mowat — quit the governing Social Credit caucus to sit as "Independent Social Credit" members. In a joint statement, the four stressed that they "in no way desire the fall of our government", but wished to spur an "open and realistic assessment" of Premier
Bill Vander Zalm
William Nicholas Vander Zalm (born Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie van der Zalm; May 29, 1934) is a Dutch-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as the 28th premier of British Columbia and leader of the British Columbia Social ...
's continued leadership. Bruce was said to have grown discontent after the shocking by-election defeat in
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the Caribou (North America), caribou that were once abundant in the reg ...
, a longtime stronghold for the party, two weeks prior. He returned to the Socred caucus on February 14, 1990, alongside Mercier and Mowat (Crandall had already rejoined caucus in January).
Vander Zalm resigned as premier and party leader in April 1991; his successor
Rita Johnston
Rita Margaret Johnston (born April 22, 1935; née Leichert) is a Canadian politician in British Columbia. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded Bill Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th premier of Br ...
appointed Bruce to the cabinet as Minister of Municipal Affairs, Recreation and Culture. With the Cowichan-Malahat riding being disestablished ahead of that October's provincial election, Bruce instead contested the new riding of Cowichan-Ladysmith. Despite the change in leadership, the Socreds were unable to make up lost ground, and was defeated by the NDP; Bruce himself lost to NDP candidate Jan Pullinger.
Bruce ran for party leader following Johnston's resignation in January 1992. In the November 1993 leadership election, he came in second place behind Grace McCarthy after three ballots.
He returned to politics in 2001 by running again in Cowichan-Ladysmith in that year's provincial election, this time for the BC Liberals. He defeated NDP candidate Rob Hutchins to re-enter the legislature, and was named to Premier Gordon Campbell's cabinet that June as Minister of Skills Development and Labour; he was additionally named Government House Leader in December 2004. He ran for re-election 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 ...
, but lost to NDP challenger
Doug Routley
Doug Routley (born May 9, 1961) is a former MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Following his re-election loss, Bruce conducted consulting work for the
Cowichan Tribes
Cowichan Tribes () is the band government of the Cowichan, a group of Coast Salish peoples who live in the Cowichan Valley region on Vancouver Island. With over 3,800 registered members, it is the single largest First Nations band in British C ...
. In 2007, he was accused by the opposition NDP of improper lobbying activities on behalf of the tribes within two years of his departure from the legislature. Conflict of Interest Commissioner Paul Fraser ruled in 2009 that Bruce did not benefit directly from his previous ministerial role. However, in a separate investigation by the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, Bruce was found in breach of the Federal Lobbyists' Code of Conduct for not registering.
From 2009 to 2018, Bruce served as chief executive officer of the Island Corridor Foundation, an organization seeking to revive passenger rail service on
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 ...
.
He and his wife Anneke have four children together.