David Zirnhelt was appointed Minister of Aboriginal Affairs on November 1, 2000.

He previously served as Minister of Forests from June 1996 to February 2000; as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from September 1993 to June 1996; and as Minister of Economic Development, Small Business and Trade from November 1991 to September 1993.

Mr. Zirnhelt was first elected to the Legislature in a 1989 byelection and re-elected in1991 and 1996. He serves the constituency of Cariboo South.

Born and raised in the Williams Lake area, Mr. Zirnhelt and his wife Susan raise cattle on their Beaver Valley ranch. They practise selective logging on their nearby woodlot.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Mr. Zirnhelt holds a bachelor of arts and a master's degree in political science and public administration, with a focus on resource management.

He worked in Ottawa to establish a new Ministry of State for Urban Affairs and later headed a federal youth employment program for B.C. and the Yukon. He was also a planning and economic development consultant for Cariboo-Chilcotin First Nations.

Mr. Zirnhelt served on the Cariboo Regional District Board between 1974 and 1977. In 1987, he was elected to the Cariboo-Chilcotin School Board and served as chair before his election as MLA.

David and Susan Zirnhelt, a teacher, have three sons.