B.C. holding public state memorial service for former premier Dave Barrett
Barrett governed British Columbia from 1972 to 1975
The life of former B.C. premier Dave Barrett is being honoured with a public state memorial service in Victoria.
Barrett, who led the province's first New Democratic Party government, died on Feb. 2 at the age of 87.
The service is being held at the Farquhar Auditorium at the University of Victoria on March 3 at 10 a.m. PT. The service is open to the public.
It is being streamed online here.
Barrett's short-lived government from September 1972 to December 1975 carried out reforms at a blistering pace, including the creation of the Agricultural Land Reserve, the public auto insurance corporation ICBC, a provincial ambulance system and Pharmacare. It also brought in full Hansard transcripts of proceedings in the legislature.
After just three years in government, Barrett called a snap election and the Social Credit party swept back into power.
Barrett's son Dan said in a statement his father died after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
He said his father cared deeply about the province and that he devoted much of his life to trying to make it a better and fairer place to live. His love of the province was surpassed only by his devotion to his family, he added.
Barrett was living in a Victoria care facility in recent years.
With files from The Canadian Press and Susana da Silva