[2] The next day, Pattullo announced his resignation as premier, and Hart invited Royal Maitland, the Conservative leader, to join his government.

[11] On November 8, Hart passed the lands portfolio to new cabinet minister Edward Tourtellotte Kenney.

[15] On March 28, 1946, Royal Maitland, Attorney General and leader of the Conservative Party, died unexpectedly.

[16] 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.

[20] The Department of Health and Welfare was formally established on October 1, 1946, with George Sharratt Pearson as its inaugural minister.