British Columbia (Canada), August 5, 2024: Did you know that British Columbia was originally a British colony? Canadian Politician Dave Sukhdip Singh Hayer shared the history of Canada on his Facebook page.
Here's what he shared:
"Happy BC Day Weekend! BC was originally a British Colony, the Colony of British Columbia. The colony was governed by Sir James Douglas, regarded as the "father of B.C." from 1858 to 1864. He was born in present day Guyana, his mother was Barbadian Creole, from Barbados, she being of Black decent. He settled in BC, his wife being of First Nations Cree decent.
Sir Douglas began the building of the Parliament Buildings in Victoria in 1859 and the Cariboo Wagon Road in 1862. The two colonies - the Colony of Vancouver Island (1849) and Colony of British Columbia (1858) combined to form the Colony of British Columbia in 1866.
On July 20, 1871 British Columbia joined Confederation to become a Canadian Province. The first election of Premier was in November 1871.The Legislature first sat in February 1872. BC continued to prosper and grow, quite rapidly during the 1950s to late 1960s, steadily during the mid 1980s onward. The map behind Sir James Douglas shows BC as of 1870.
My family joins my wife Isabelle Martinez Hayer and me to wish all of you our cherished friends and supporters, a most happy and safe BC Weekend!Please read my statement from February 18,2008 in BC Hansard..," he wrote on his Facebook page.