David Mercier Explained

Dave Mercier
Birth Date:20 July 1939
Birth Place:Vancouver, British Columbia
Assembly1:British Columbia Legislative
Constituency Am1:Burnaby-Edmonds
Term Start1:October 22, 1986
Term End1:October 17, 1991
Predecessor1:Rosemary Brown
Successor1:Fred G. Randall
Party:Conservative
Social Credit
Occupation:Chartered accountant

David Maurice Mercier (July 20, 1939 – April 12, 2021) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991, as a Social Credit member for the constituency of Burnaby-Edmonds. In 1991, he served several months as British Columbia's Minister of Environment. He was a chartered accountant. Mercier was mayor of Burnaby, British Columbia from 1979 to 1981. [1] He previously ran unsuccessfully in Burnaby-Edmonds in the 1966 provincial election as a Liberal candidate and in Burnaby-Willingdon in the 1972 provincial election as a Social Credit candidate.

On October 3, 1989, Mercier and three colleagues — Graham Bruce, Duane Delton Crandall, 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[d] the fall of our government", but wished to spur an "open and realistic assessment" of Bill Vander Zalm's continued leadership.[2] Mercier returned the Socred caucus on February 14, 1990, alongside Bruce and Mowat (Crandall had already rejoined caucus in January). Mercier explained his move by saying his concerns about Vander Zalm's leadership and re-election chances had been addressed.[3]

He was the leader of the British Columbia Conservative Party between 1997 until 2001.[4] Mercier died in 2021 from complications of Parkinson's disease.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Search Results - 32 records Heritage Burnaby. search.heritageburnaby.ca . July 13, 2020 .
  2. News: Leyne . Les . Heiman . Carolyn . 1989-10-04 . Four Socreds quit caucus . A1–A2 . Times Colonist.
  3. News: 1990-02-15 . Valentine for Vander Zalm: Dissident MLAs will return to Socred fold . A3 . Times Colonist.
  4. Book: Guide Parlementaire Canadien. 1991. 9780921925408.
  5. News: Former Burnaby mayor and MLA dies after Parkinson's battle . April 26, 2021 . Chris . Campbell . Burnaby Now . Glacier Media Group . May 17, 2022.
  6. Web site: Obituary: David Maurice Mercier . Vancouver Sun . May 17, 2022.