The Hart ministry, also known as the Hart–Maitland coalition (1941–1946) and Hart–Anscomb coalition (1946–1947), was the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from December 9, 1941, to December 29, 1947. It was led by John Hart, the 23rd premier of British Columbia, and was a coalition government that comprised members of both the Liberal Party and Conservative Party.
The Hart ministry was established shortly after the 1941 election. The incumbent Pattullo ministry, a single-party Liberal government, lost its majority in the Legislature, but Premier Duff Pattullo resisted calls to form a coalition. In response, Liberal delegates voted to establish a coalition government, and elected John Hart, who supported a coalition, as their new leader. The next day, Pattullo announced his resignation as premier, and Hart invited Royal Maitland, the Conservative leader, to join his government. The Pattullo ministry was thus replaced by the Hart ministry on December 9, 1941.
The Hart ministry governed through all of the 20th Parliament of British Columbia and, following its re-election in the 1945 election, continued into the 21st Parliament of British Columbia. On October 2, 1947, Hart announced his intention to retire. It was succeeded by the Johnson ministry on December 29, 1947.
List of ministers +Hart ministry by portfolioPortfolioMinisterTenurePartyStartEndPremier of British ColumbiaJohn HartDecember 9, 1941December 29, 1947Minister of AgricultureKenneth Cattanach MacDonaldDecember 10, 1941November 19, 1945Frank PutnamNovember 19, 1945December 29, 1947Attorney GeneralRoyal MaitlandDecember 10, 1941March 28, 1946Gordon Sylvester WismerMarch 28, 1946December 29, 1947Minister of EducationHenry George Thomas PerryDecember 10, 1941November 19, 1945George Moir WeirNovember 19, 1945December 29, 1947Minister of FinanceJohn HartDecember 10, 1941April 12, 1946Herbert AnscombApril 12, 1946December 29, 1947Minister of FisheriesLeslie Harvey EyresApril 17, 1947December 29, 1947Minister of Health and WelfareGeorge Sharratt PearsonOctober 1, 1946December 29, 1947Minister of LabourGeorge Sharratt PearsonDecember 10, 1941October 16, 1947Gordon Sylvester WismerOctober 16, 1947December 29, 1947Minister of Lands and ForestsWells GrayDecember 10, 1941May 7, 1944John HartMay 11, 1944November 8, 1944Edward Tourtellotte KenneyNovember 8, 1944December 29, 1947Minister of MinesHerbert AnscombDecember 10, 1941October 28, 1942Ernest Crawford CarsonOctober 28, 1942April 12, 1946Roderick Charles MacDonaldApril 12, 1946December 29, 1947Minister of Municipal AffairsWells GrayDecember 10, 1941May 7, 1944Herbert AnscombMay 11, 1944April 12, 1946Roderick Charles MacDonaldApril 12, 1946December 29, 1947Provincial SecretaryGeorge Sharratt PearsonDecember 10, 1941December 29, 1947Minister of Public WorksRolf Wallgren BruhnDecember 10, 1941August 30, 1942John HartSeptember 4, 1942September 15, 1942Herbert AnscombSeptember 15, 1942April 12, 1946Leslie Harvey EyresApril 12, 1946December 29, 1947Minister of RailwaysRolf Wallgren BruhnDecember 10, 1941August 30, 1942John HartSeptember 4, 1942September 15, 1942Herbert AnscombSeptember 15, 1942April 12, 1946Ernest Crawford CarsonApril 12, 1946December 29, 1947Minister of Trade and IndustryHerbert AnscombDecember 10, 1941October 28, 1942Ernest Crawford CarsonOctober 28, 1942April 12, 1946Leslie Harvey EyresApril 12, 1946December 29, 1947
Cabinet shuffles
On August 30, 1942, Rolf Wallgren Bruhn, the Minister of Public Works and Minister of Railways, died in office. Hart temporarily took responsibility for the portfolios until Herbert Anscomb was sworn in as the new minister on September 15. Anscomb held the portfolios in conjunction with his prior role as Minister of Mines and Minister of Trade and Industry until October 28, when Ernest Crawford Carson was appointed to cabinet for the latter two.
On May 7, 1944, longtime minister Wells Gray died. Anscomb took responsibility for the municipal affairs portfolio, while Hart took lands and forests; the two had already been acting ministers for the portfolios during Gray's illness. On November 8, Hart passed the lands portfolio to new cabinet minister Edward Tourtellotte Kenney.
On November 16, 1945, Henry George Thomas Perry resigned as Minister of Education; he was succeeded by George Weir on November 19. Also on November 19, agriculture minister K. C. MacDonald died. Frank Putnam was sworn in as the new agriculture minister on November 21. Putnam had previously been agriculture minister in the short-lived minority government of the Pattullo ministry.
On March 28, 1946, Royal Maitland, Attorney General and leader of the Conservative Party, died unexpectedly. Selecting a replacement was a difficult task: the coalition agreement had ensured the attorney general post would be given to a Conservative, but no Tory MLAs were lawyers. Moreover, if the new party leader would not be named attorney general, then they would be entitled to another high-ranking ministry, necessitating a shuffle. One suggestion was to recruit Howard Green, the MP for Vancouver South, as Conservative leader and attorney general. Ultimately, Hart appointed Gordon Sylvester Wismer, a Liberal, as the new attorney general, but pledged to increase the size of cabinet and appoint two more Conservatives. On April 12, Hart reorganized his cabinet accordingly, bringing Leslie Harvey Eyres and Roderick Charles MacDonald, both Conservatives, to cabinet. Hart also relinquished the finance ministry, which he had held for much of the last 13 years, to Anscomb, who had become the new Conservative leader; Carson, in turn, took over Anscomb's previous portfolio of public works.
New ministries On February 21, 1946, the government announced plans to establish a Department of Health; until then, health policy had been the purview of the Provincial Secretary. The Department of Health and Welfare was formally established on October 1, 1946, with George Sharratt Pearson as its inaugural minister.
On February 15, 1947, the government announced plans to establish an independent Department of Fisheries. Previously, fisheries were the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry, overseen by the Commissioner of Fisheries; the reorganization saw the commissioner named deputy minister of the new department and the incumbent Minister of Trade and Industry, Leslie Harvey Eyres, given the additional role as Minister of Fisheries. Officials believed the new department would "dignify" the industry, as every other province had a fisheries minister. However, opposition leader Harold Winch criticized the plan as something "just to give [Eyres] another ministry". Eyres was sworn in as the minister on April 17, 1947.
Notes
References
Sources