British Columbia of British Columbia, and Victoria became the united colony's capital. In 1871, British Columbia became the sixth province of Canada. Its Latin motto is "Splendor sine occasu" ("Splendour without Diminishment"). The capital of British Columbia remains Victoria, the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada, named for Queen Victoria who ruled during the creation of the original colonies. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In October 2013, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,606,371 (about 2.5 million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The
Parliament of British Columbia British Columbia. Notes: Parliament of British Columbia The Parliament of British Columbia is made of two elements: the Queen of Canada in Right of British Columbia, represented by the Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (which meets at the British Columbia Parliament Buildings). The Parliament of British Columbia has existed since the province joined Canada in 1871, before which it was preceded by the Parliament of the United Colony of British Columbia. Like the Canadian federal government, British Columbia uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which members are sent to the Legislative Assembly after general elections and