British Columbia Conservative Party
Encyclopedia
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party
in British Columbia
, Canada
. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933. In May 2011, a leadership convention acclaimed former Conservative MP John Cummins leader of the party.
selected its first provincial leader, Charles Wilson
. Several Opposition factions contested the 1900 general election
against the non-partisan government but these were loose formations. In 1902, the Conservative Party convention passed a resolution to stand candidates in the next general election. Party government was introduced on June 1, 1903 by Premier Sir Richard McBride
when he announced the formation of a Conservative government. The subsequent 1903 election
along party lines. McBride believed that the system of non-partisan government
that the province had been using was unstable and inhibiting development. His Conservatives won British Columbia's first election
fought on the party system on 3 October 1903 with a two-seat majority
in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. The Tories implemented a policy along the lines of those of the national Conservative Party
, which at the time favoured government intervention to help develop industry and infrastructure.
The Conservatives under McBride, and his successor William John Bowser
, held power for thirteen years until they were defeated by the Liberals
in the 1916 election
. In November 1926 the Liberal-Conservative Party officially changed its name to the Conservative Party.
The Tories returned to power in the 1928 election
under Simon Fraser Tolmie
. This was the last time the Conservatives would form a majority government in the province.
, and was wracked by infighting and indecision. The party was in such disarray that, despite being in power, the Conservative provincial association decided not to run any candidates in the 1933 election
. Instead, each local association was to act on its own. Some candidates ran as Independents, some as Independent Conservatives. Those supporting the premier, Simon Fraser Tolmie
, ran as Unionist Party of British Columbia, and those grouped around William John Bowser
, a former premier, ran as the Non-Partisan Independent Group. When Bowser died and the elections in Vancouver Centre and Victoria City were postponed, four Non-partisan and two Unionist candidates withdrew.
The Conservative Party rebounded under Frank Porter Patterson to run a near-full slate in the election of 1937
.
In the election of 1941
, the Conservatives managed to win 12 seats, compared to 21 for the Liberals and 14 for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF, which became the New Democratic Party in 1961). The Liberals and Conservatives formed a coalition government
. The business community feared the growing strength of the socialist
CCF, and supporters of both the Liberals and the Conservatives argued that a united free market
party was needed to keep the CCF from taking power.
Following the death of Conservative leader Royal Lethington Maitland in 1946 Herbert Anscomb
became Conservative leader and Deputy Premier as well as Finance Minister.
When Premier Hart retired in 1947 the Conservatives wanted Anscomb to succeed him as Premier of British Columbia
but the Liberals had more seats in the legislature and insisted that the Premier should remain a Liberal resulting in the appointment of Byron Johnson as premier. The conflict strained relations between Johnson and Anscomb and their parties in the subsequent coalition. The Conservatives were riven into three factions, one led by W.A.C. Bennett
called for the Tories and Liberals to fuse into a single party, a second faction supported the status quo and a third wanted the Conservatives to leave the coalition. The Liberals, meanwhile, began to doubt the need to continue the coalition rather than govern on their own. The coalition was re-elected in the 1949 provincial election
winning 39 seats against nine for the CCF opposition. Growing divisions within the Conservative Party resulted in Anscomb's leadership and the party's continuation in the coalition being unsuccessfully challenged at the 1950 party convention. W.A.C. Bennett, who was now in the anti-coalition faction, quit the party and crossed the floor to join and eventually lead the British Columbia Social Credit Party
.
. The Conservatives refounded their party calling themselves the "Progressive Conservatives" as the federal party had adopted the "Progressive" prefix in 1942. In the ensuing 1952 provincial election
the Liberals were reduced to six seats, the Conservatives to four and Johnson and Anscomb both lost their seats while the Social Credit Party was able to form a government under Bennett that would rule the province for the next two decades.
W. A. C. Bennett, a Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA), ran for the leadership of the Tories and lost. Bennett had been elected and re-elected as a BC Conservative MLA in the 1941, 1945, and 1949 provincial elections. After losing the BC Conservative leadership, Bennett left the party and joined the small Social Credit League
, becoming its leader. Bennett dropped the party's social credit
monetary reform
policy, and adopted a populist conservative platform.
The coalition government, whose raison d'être had been to keep the CCF out of power, had introduced an instant-runoff voting
system for the 1952 election
in the hope that Conservatives and Liberal supporters would list the other party as their second choice and keep the CCF out of power.
This worked to the benefit of Social Credit, who were able to take advantage of divisions between the Liberals and Conservatives, as well as the desire for change. Bennett's party was able to win a slim minority government with 19 Social Credit MLAs compared to 18 CCFers, one Labour, six Liberals, and four Tories.
It was clear to those who wanted to keep the CCF out of power that only the Social Credit Party would be able to accomplish that task. In the 1953 election
, Liberal and Tory supporters transferred their support to Bennett's party, sweeping it to power with 28 out of 48 seats. Having a majority government
the Social Credit government changed the electoral system back to first past the post in order to cement their base. Social Credit became, in effect, the new centre-right coalition party, and both the Liberals and the Tories became marginalised.
The Progressive Conservatives won only four seats in 1952, one in 1953, and were completely shut out of the legislature between 1956
and 1972
as conservative-minded voters moved to Social Credit. The Tories managed to win two seats in the 1972 election (Oak Bay
and Saanich and the Islands
), and one in the 1975 election
(Oak Bay
).
George Scott Wallace
was elected in the 1969 general election as a Social Credit Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Oak Bay]. Wallace crossed the floor to join the British Columbia Progressive Conservative Party in 1971 and was reelected as a Tory in the 1972 general election. He was elected leader of the party in 1973, after the previous party leader lost his seat, and led it through the 1975 general election in which he was the only Tory MLA to win a seat. He stepped down as party leader in July 1977 and retired from the Legislature on December 31, 1977 in order to return to his medical practice.
With most Conservatives in the province supporting Social Credit, the federal Progressive Conservative Party
kept its distance in order to avoid alienating Social Credit Party supporters:
"When the federal and provincial general election campaigns overlapped in 1979, the federal Conservative leader [ Joe Clark
] was clearly at some pains to avoid any contact with Vic Stephens, the leader of the provincial party."
Wallace's successor was the last BC Progressive Conservative MLA to be elected: Victor Albert Stephens in the 1978 Oak Bay by-election. The last MLA to represent the BC Progressive Conservative Party was Prince Rupert
MLA Graham Lea, who had been elected as a New Democrat in 1983 but crossed the floor after losing the 1984 NDP leadership convention to become the sole member of the United Party. He then became a Progressive Conservative on March 26, 1986 before quitting politics altogether in October 1986 when the legislature was dissolved for the 1986 general election
.
.
In 1991, the party changed its name back to the BC Conservative Party but was unable to take advantage of the collapse of Social Credit that year. In 2000 and 2001, it discussed with four other conservative parties to form the British Columbia Unity Party
, but that coalition soon fell apart, and the BC Conservative Party remained as a separate entity.
On September 1, 2004, BC Unity and the BC Conservatives announced an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) for the two parties to merge under the Conservative Party name.
On September 18, 2004, the delegates in attendance at the BC Conservative Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Burnaby voted 24-13 to ratify the Agreement-in-Principle signed by party leader Barry Chilton, but this did not attain the 2/3 vote required to pass. A new board of directors was elected at the AGM. A new president, Bill Smith, was elected on a promise to support the merger provided it was voted on by the membership, not just the board. The merger deal, therefore, fell through.
For the October 28, 2004 Surrey-Panorama Ridge
by-election, the party nominated David James Evans as its candidate. Evans finished in fourth place with 2.19% of the vote -- behind Green Party
Leader Adriane Carr
, and ahead of Reform BC President Shirley Abraham.
The party nominated seven candidates in the 2005 election
, who won a total of 9,623 votes, 0.55% of the provincial total. None were elected. Two candidates, Colin Black in Okanagan-Vernon, and Beryl Ludwig in Shuswap, won over 2,000 votes each. Black won over 11.56% of the vote in his riding, while Ludwig won 9.92%. Both Black and Ludwig finished in third place.
On January 26, 2008 the British Columbia Unity Party
Board decided to poll the membership regarding the merger of the Party with the BC Conservatives or its de-registration. A General Meeting was called for Saturday March 29, 2008 in Surrey. The poll returns indicated 4:1 ratio in favour of a merger with the BC Conservative Party, and the General Meeting confirmed this motion. The BC Conservative Party accepted the former BC Unity Party memberships at their April 19, 2008 executive meeting in Abbotsford. However, the memberships were not approved as a merger but as a transfer of memberships from one party to another party. Members transferring would have to pay for their memberships in the usual manner. The BC Unity Party was planning to complete the merger and de-registration process before the BC Conservative Party AGM in Kamloops on Saturday June 7, 2008.
On February 16, 2009, the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that a group claiming to be the Board of Directors after a meeting in August 2008 were not the directors of the party. The court also ruled that group bringing forward the petition to have themselves recognized as the directors and executive were also denied their petition and therefore they were not the executive and directors of the society/party. The presiding judge of the case also made note that; because the "registered" constitution was not being used from 2005 onward; that all SGM's and AGM's and all elections held in these general meetings were null and void.
Under the leadership of Wilf Hanni
, the BC Conservatives nominated 24 candidates in the 2009 election
. The party performed strongly in several ridings: former Liberal Joe Cardoso won 20.16% of the vote in Boundary-Similkameen
, the party's best showing, and several other candidates polling over 10% of the vote. Following the election, the party has seen a rise in support in opinion polls.
At the end of 2010, the party had the support of 8% of votes according to opinion polls, had approximately 2,000 members, up from 300 in June of that year, and had constituency associations established in 45 of the province's 85 ridings.
The BC Conservative 2005 Annual General Meeting was held in Vernon on September 24, 2005. and subsequent to the AGM, a board meeting was held to appoint former Reform BC Leader Wilf Hanni
as Interim Leader. A BC Conservative Special General Meeting was held in Kamloops on March 18, 2006 – where Hanni was acclaimed as the Leader of the BC Conservatives. After surviving an attempt to remove him as leader and ban him from the party, Hanni led the party's 24 candidates into the 2009 provincial election
in which the party won 2% of the popular vote. Hanni resigned as leader in June 2009, along with eight members of the party's board of directors, saying that he "spent much of the last four years fighting a long and protracted battle with a group of dissidents."
on September 26, 2009 the party elected a new executive and re-elected Wayne McGrath as president. The party held its leadership convention on May 28, 2011, and former Conservative MP John Cummins was acclaimed leader.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933. In May 2011, a leadership convention acclaimed former Conservative MP John Cummins leader of the party.
Founding of the BC Conservative Party
The BC Conservative Party, (also known as Tories), was formed in 1900 when the Liberal-Conservative PartyLiberal-Conservative Party
The Liberal-Conservative Party was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the label as late as the 1911 election and others ran as simple Conservatives prior to 1873...
selected its first provincial leader, Charles Wilson
Charles Wilson (British Columbia politician)
Charles Wilson was an English-born lawyer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cariboo from 1882 to 1886 as an Independent member and Vancouver City from 1903 to 1906 as a Conservative in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He was born in London and was educated in...
. Several Opposition factions contested the 1900 general election
British Columbia general election, 1900
The British Columbia general election of 1900 was the ninth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 24, 1900, and held on June 9, 1900...
against the non-partisan government but these were loose formations. In 1902, the Conservative Party convention passed a resolution to stand candidates in the next general election. Party government was introduced on June 1, 1903 by Premier Sir Richard McBride
Richard McBride
Sir Richard McBride, KCMG was a British Columbian politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election, and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901...
when he announced the formation of a Conservative government. The subsequent 1903 election
British Columbia general election, 1903
The British Columbia general election of 1903 was the tenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 5, 1903, and held on October 3, 1903...
along party lines. McBride believed that the system of non-partisan government
Non-partisan democracy
Nonpartisan democracy is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections take place without reference to political parties.-Overview:...
that the province had been using was unstable and inhibiting development. His Conservatives won British Columbia's first election
British Columbia general election, 1903
The British Columbia general election of 1903 was the tenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 5, 1903, and held on October 3, 1903...
fought on the party system on 3 October 1903 with a two-seat majority
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. The Tories implemented a policy along the lines of those of the national Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
, which at the time favoured government intervention to help develop industry and infrastructure.
The Conservatives under McBride, and his successor William John Bowser
William John Bowser
William John Bowser was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He served as Premier of British Columbia from 1915 to 1916....
, held power for thirteen years until they were defeated by the Liberals
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
in the 1916 election
British Columbia general election, 1916
The British Columbia general election of 1916 was the fourteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 5, 1916, and held on September 14, 1916...
. In November 1926 the Liberal-Conservative Party officially changed its name to the Conservative Party.
The Tories returned to power in the 1928 election
British Columbia general election, 1928
The British Columbia general election of 1928 was the seventeenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on June 7, 1928, and held on July 18, 1928...
under Simon Fraser Tolmie
Simon Fraser Tolmie
Simon Fraser Tolmie, PC was a veterinarian, farmer, politician, and the 21st Premier of the Province of British Columbia, Canada....
. This was the last time the Conservatives would form a majority government in the province.
Decline of the Conservative Party
The Tolmie government was unable to deal with the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and was wracked by infighting and indecision. The party was in such disarray that, despite being in power, the Conservative provincial association decided not to run any candidates in the 1933 election
British Columbia general election, 1933
The British Columbia general election of 1933 was the eighteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 13, 1933, and held on November 2, 1933...
. Instead, each local association was to act on its own. Some candidates ran as Independents, some as Independent Conservatives. Those supporting the premier, Simon Fraser Tolmie
Simon Fraser Tolmie
Simon Fraser Tolmie, PC was a veterinarian, farmer, politician, and the 21st Premier of the Province of British Columbia, Canada....
, ran as Unionist Party of British Columbia, and those grouped around William John Bowser
William John Bowser
William John Bowser was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He served as Premier of British Columbia from 1915 to 1916....
, a former premier, ran as the Non-Partisan Independent Group. When Bowser died and the elections in Vancouver Centre and Victoria City were postponed, four Non-partisan and two Unionist candidates withdrew.
The Conservative Party rebounded under Frank Porter Patterson to run a near-full slate in the election of 1937
British Columbia general election, 1937
The British Columbia general election of 1937 was the nineteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 14, 1937, and held on June 1, 1937...
.
In the election of 1941
British Columbia general election, 1941
The British Columbia general election, 1941 was the twentieth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 9, 1941, and held on October 21, 1941.After the election, a...
, the Conservatives managed to win 12 seats, compared to 21 for the Liberals and 14 for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
(CCF, which became the New Democratic Party in 1961). The Liberals and Conservatives formed a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
. The business community feared the growing strength of the socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
CCF, and supporters of both the Liberals and the Conservatives argued that a united free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
party was needed to keep the CCF from taking power.
Following the death of Conservative leader Royal Lethington Maitland in 1946 Herbert Anscomb
Herbert Anscomb
Herbert Bertie Anscomb was a Conservative politician and British Columbia cabinet minister.He was born in England and moved to Canada in 1911...
became Conservative leader and Deputy Premier as well as Finance Minister.
When Premier Hart retired in 1947 the Conservatives wanted Anscomb to succeed him as Premier of British Columbia
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
but the Liberals had more seats in the legislature and insisted that the Premier should remain a Liberal resulting in the appointment of Byron Johnson as premier. The conflict strained relations between Johnson and Anscomb and their parties in the subsequent coalition. The Conservatives were riven into three factions, one led by W.A.C. Bennett
W.A.C. Bennett
William Andrew Cecil Bennett, PC, OC was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C...
called for the Tories and Liberals to fuse into a single party, a second faction supported the status quo and a third wanted the Conservatives to leave the coalition. The Liberals, meanwhile, began to doubt the need to continue the coalition rather than govern on their own. The coalition was re-elected in the 1949 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1949
The British Columbia general election of 1949 was the 22nd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 16, 1949, and held on June 15, 1949...
winning 39 seats against nine for the CCF opposition. Growing divisions within the Conservative Party resulted in Anscomb's leadership and the party's continuation in the coalition being unsuccessfully challenged at the 1950 party convention. W.A.C. Bennett, who was now in the anti-coalition faction, quit the party and crossed the floor to join and eventually lead the British Columbia Social Credit Party
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
.
The BC Progressive Conservative Party
In October 1951, the Liberal Party decided to dissolve the coalition and Premier Johnson dismissed his Conservative ministers including Anscomb and continued as a minority governmentMinority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. The Conservatives refounded their party calling themselves the "Progressive Conservatives" as the federal party had adopted the "Progressive" prefix in 1942. In the ensuing 1952 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1952
The British Columbia general election, 1952 was the 23rd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 10, 1952, and held on June 12, 1952. The new legislature met for the...
the Liberals were reduced to six seats, the Conservatives to four and Johnson and Anscomb both lost their seats while the Social Credit Party was able to form a government under Bennett that would rule the province for the next two decades.
W. A. C. Bennett, a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA), ran for the leadership of the Tories and lost. Bennett had been elected and re-elected as a BC Conservative MLA in the 1941, 1945, and 1949 provincial elections. After losing the BC Conservative leadership, Bennett left the party and joined the small Social Credit League
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
, becoming its leader. Bennett dropped the party's social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
monetary reform
Monetary reform
Monetary reform describes any movement or theory that proposes a different system of supplying money and financing the economy from the current system.Monetary reformers may advocate any of the following, among other proposals:...
policy, and adopted a populist conservative platform.
The coalition government, whose raison d'être had been to keep the CCF out of power, had introduced an instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
system for the 1952 election
British Columbia general election, 1952
The British Columbia general election, 1952 was the 23rd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 10, 1952, and held on June 12, 1952. The new legislature met for the...
in the hope that Conservatives and Liberal supporters would list the other party as their second choice and keep the CCF out of power.
This worked to the benefit of Social Credit, who were able to take advantage of divisions between the Liberals and Conservatives, as well as the desire for change. Bennett's party was able to win a slim minority government with 19 Social Credit MLAs compared to 18 CCFers, one Labour, six Liberals, and four Tories.
It was clear to those who wanted to keep the CCF out of power that only the Social Credit Party would be able to accomplish that task. In the 1953 election
British Columbia general election, 1953
The British Columbia general election of 1953 was the 24th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 10, 1953, and held on June 9, 1953...
, Liberal and Tory supporters transferred their support to Bennett's party, sweeping it to power with 28 out of 48 seats. Having a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
the Social Credit government changed the electoral system back to first past the post in order to cement their base. Social Credit became, in effect, the new centre-right coalition party, and both the Liberals and the Tories became marginalised.
The Progressive Conservatives won only four seats in 1952, one in 1953, and were completely shut out of the legislature between 1956
British Columbia general election, 1956
The British Columbia general election of 1956 was the 25th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 13, 1956, and held on September 19, 1956. The new legislature met...
and 1972
British Columbia general election, 1972
The 30th general election for the Canadian province of British Columbia was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 24, 1972, and held on August 30, 1972...
as conservative-minded voters moved to Social Credit. The Tories managed to win two seats in the 1972 election (Oak Bay
Oak Bay (electoral district)
Oak Bay was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It first appeared in the general election of 1941 and last appeared in the 1975 election. Its successor is the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding. For other ridings in the area of Victoria, B.C...
and Saanich and the Islands
Saanich and the Islands
Saanich and the Islands was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1966 to 1986. Most of the riding is now part of Saanich North and the Islands, while the southern part of the riding is now Saanich South....
), and one in the 1975 election
British Columbia general election, 1975
The British Columbia general election of 1975 was the 31st general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on November 3, 1975, and held on December 11, 1975...
(Oak Bay
Oak Bay (electoral district)
Oak Bay was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It first appeared in the general election of 1941 and last appeared in the 1975 election. Its successor is the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding. For other ridings in the area of Victoria, B.C...
).
George Scott Wallace
George Scott Wallace
George Scott Wallace was a British Columbia physician and politician. Born in Scotland he attended the Edinburgh University Medical School from 1947 to 1952. Wallace came to Canada in 1957 and opened a general practice in Victoria in 1961...
was elected in the 1969 general election as a Social Credit Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Oak Bay]. Wallace crossed the floor to join the British Columbia Progressive Conservative Party in 1971 and was reelected as a Tory in the 1972 general election. He was elected leader of the party in 1973, after the previous party leader lost his seat, and led it through the 1975 general election in which he was the only Tory MLA to win a seat. He stepped down as party leader in July 1977 and retired from the Legislature on December 31, 1977 in order to return to his medical practice.
With most Conservatives in the province supporting Social Credit, the federal Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
kept its distance in order to avoid alienating Social Credit Party supporters:
"When the federal and provincial general election campaigns overlapped in 1979, the federal Conservative leader [ Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
] was clearly at some pains to avoid any contact with Vic Stephens, the leader of the provincial party."
Wallace's successor was the last BC Progressive Conservative MLA to be elected: Victor Albert Stephens in the 1978 Oak Bay by-election. The last MLA to represent the BC Progressive Conservative Party was Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert (electoral district)
Prince Rupert was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1916 and its last in the 1986 election...
MLA Graham Lea, who had been elected as a New Democrat in 1983 but crossed the floor after losing the 1984 NDP leadership convention to become the sole member of the United Party. He then became a Progressive Conservative on March 26, 1986 before quitting politics altogether in October 1986 when the legislature was dissolved for the 1986 general election
British Columbia general election, 1986
The British Columbia general election of 1986 was the 34th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 24, 1986...
.
Reemergence 1991-present
In 1991, the party changed its name back to the BC Conservative Party but was unable to take advantage of the collapse of Social Credit that year. In 2000 and 2001, it discussed with four other conservative parties to form the British Columbia Unity Party
British Columbia Unity Party
The British Columbia Unity Party was a political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party was founded as an attempted union of five conservative parties: the Reform Party of British Columbia, the British Columbia Social Credit Party, the British Columbia Conservative Party, the British Columbia...
, but that coalition soon fell apart, and the BC Conservative Party remained as a separate entity.
On September 1, 2004, BC Unity and the BC Conservatives announced an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) for the two parties to merge under the Conservative Party name.
On September 18, 2004, the delegates in attendance at the BC Conservative Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Burnaby voted 24-13 to ratify the Agreement-in-Principle signed by party leader Barry Chilton, but this did not attain the 2/3 vote required to pass. A new board of directors was elected at the AGM. A new president, Bill Smith, was elected on a promise to support the merger provided it was voted on by the membership, not just the board. The merger deal, therefore, fell through.
For the October 28, 2004 Surrey-Panorama Ridge
Surrey-Panorama Ridge
Surrey-Panorama Ridge was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 2001 to 2009.- Demographics :-1999 Redistribution:Surrey-Panorama Ridge was created from*the southern half of Surrey-Newton...
by-election, the party nominated David James Evans as its candidate. Evans finished in fourth place with 2.19% of the vote -- behind Green Party
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is led by former Esquimalt municipal councillor, university professor and businessperson Jane Sterk, she was elected by the party in 2007. Penticton realtor and columnist Julius Bloomfield serves as the deputy...
Leader Adriane Carr
Adriane Carr
Adriane Carr is a Canadian academic, activist and politician with the Green Party in British Columbia and Canada. She is also a Councillor-elect on Vancouver City Council. She was a founding member and the Green Party of British Columbia's first leader from 1983 to 1985, whereafter the party...
, and ahead of Reform BC President Shirley Abraham.
The party nominated seven candidates in the 2005 election
British Columbia general election, 2005
The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
, who won a total of 9,623 votes, 0.55% of the provincial total. None were elected. Two candidates, Colin Black in Okanagan-Vernon, and Beryl Ludwig in Shuswap, won over 2,000 votes each. Black won over 11.56% of the vote in his riding, while Ludwig won 9.92%. Both Black and Ludwig finished in third place.
On January 26, 2008 the British Columbia Unity Party
British Columbia Unity Party
The British Columbia Unity Party was a political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party was founded as an attempted union of five conservative parties: the Reform Party of British Columbia, the British Columbia Social Credit Party, the British Columbia Conservative Party, the British Columbia...
Board decided to poll the membership regarding the merger of the Party with the BC Conservatives or its de-registration. A General Meeting was called for Saturday March 29, 2008 in Surrey. The poll returns indicated 4:1 ratio in favour of a merger with the BC Conservative Party, and the General Meeting confirmed this motion. The BC Conservative Party accepted the former BC Unity Party memberships at their April 19, 2008 executive meeting in Abbotsford. However, the memberships were not approved as a merger but as a transfer of memberships from one party to another party. Members transferring would have to pay for their memberships in the usual manner. The BC Unity Party was planning to complete the merger and de-registration process before the BC Conservative Party AGM in Kamloops on Saturday June 7, 2008.
On February 16, 2009, the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that a group claiming to be the Board of Directors after a meeting in August 2008 were not the directors of the party. The court also ruled that group bringing forward the petition to have themselves recognized as the directors and executive were also denied their petition and therefore they were not the executive and directors of the society/party. The presiding judge of the case also made note that; because the "registered" constitution was not being used from 2005 onward; that all SGM's and AGM's and all elections held in these general meetings were null and void.
Under the leadership of Wilf Hanni
Wilf Hanni
Wilf Hanni is a politician and oil industry consultant in British Columbia, Canada. Hanni served as leader of the Reform Party of British Columbia from August 30, 1997 to June 1998, and later as leader of the British Columbia Party...
, the BC Conservatives nominated 24 candidates in the 2009 election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
. The party performed strongly in several ridings: former Liberal Joe Cardoso won 20.16% of the vote in Boundary-Similkameen
Boundary-Similkameen
Boundary-Similkameen is a new riding which was formed in 2008 assembled together with populations of Penticton-Okanagan Valley, West Kootenay-Boundary and Yale-Lillooet...
, the party's best showing, and several other candidates polling over 10% of the vote. Following the election, the party has seen a rise in support in opinion polls.
At the end of 2010, the party had the support of 8% of votes according to opinion polls, had approximately 2,000 members, up from 300 in June of that year, and had constituency associations established in 45 of the province's 85 ridings.
2006 leadership convention
Wilf Hanni
Wilf Hanni is a politician and oil industry consultant in British Columbia, Canada. Hanni served as leader of the Reform Party of British Columbia from August 30, 1997 to June 1998, and later as leader of the British Columbia Party...
as Interim Leader. A BC Conservative Special General Meeting was held in Kamloops on March 18, 2006 – where Hanni was acclaimed as the Leader of the BC Conservatives. After surviving an attempt to remove him as leader and ban him from the party, Hanni led the party's 24 candidates into the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
in which the party won 2% of the popular vote. Hanni resigned as leader in June 2009, along with eight members of the party's board of directors, saying that he "spent much of the last four years fighting a long and protracted battle with a group of dissidents."
Advisory Group formed in 2010
- Randy WhiteRandy White (politician)Randy White is an accountant and former Canadian politician.White was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as theReform Party Member of Parliament for...
chairman April 20 - Brian PeckfordBrian PeckfordAlfred Brian Peckford, PC served as the 3rd Premier of Newfoundland. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservatives from 1979 until his retirement in 1989....
September 5 - Rita JohnstonRita JohnstonRita Margaret Johnston was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded William Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th Premier of British Columbia.Much of her early life was spent running a successful trailer park in the...
September 16 - Jim HartJim Hart (politician)-Early years:Hart was born in Edmonton, Alberta, was educated in Calgary and completed his military training at Canadian Forces Fleet School Halifax, CFB Borden and CFB Esquimalt. Jim Hart served in the Canadian Forces twice, first for 5 years in the navy. After training as an Electrical Technician...
September 24 - John Cummins September 30
2011 leadership convention
At its annual general meetingAnnual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
on September 26, 2009 the party elected a new executive and re-elected Wayne McGrath as president. The party held its leadership convention on May 28, 2011, and former Conservative MP John Cummins was acclaimed leader.
Leaders
- Charles WilsonCharles Wilson (British Columbia politician)Charles Wilson was an English-born lawyer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cariboo from 1882 to 1886 as an Independent member and Vancouver City from 1903 to 1906 as a Conservative in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He was born in London and was educated in...
, March 1900-1903 - Richard McBrideRichard McBrideSir Richard McBride, KCMG was a British Columbian politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election, and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901...
, 1903- December 1915 - William John BowserWilliam John BowserWilliam John Bowser was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He served as Premier of British Columbia from 1915 to 1916....
, December 1915 - August 1924 - Robert Henry PooleyRobert Henry PooleyRobert Henry Pooley was a lawyer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Esquimalt from 1912 to 1937 as a Conservative. Pooley was interim leader of the party from August 1924 to November 1926....
, August 1924 - November 1926 interim - Simon Fraser TolmieSimon Fraser TolmieSimon Fraser Tolmie, PC was a veterinarian, farmer, politician, and the 21st Premier of the Province of British Columbia, Canada....
, November 1926 - May 1936 - Frank Porter PattersonFrank Porter PattersonFrank Porter Patterson was a physician and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Dewdney in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1937 to 1938 as a Conservative. Patterson served as leader of the Conservative Party from July 1936 until his death in 1938.He was born in St...
, July 1936 - February 1938 - Royal Lethington Maitland, September 1938 - March 1946
- Herbert AnscombHerbert AnscombHerbert Bertie Anscomb was a Conservative politician and British Columbia cabinet minister.He was born in England and moved to Canada in 1911...
, April 1946 - November 1952 - Deane FinlaysonDeane FinlaysonDouglas Deane Finlayson was a British Columbia politician and land developer.Though he was unable to win a seat in the 1952 provincial election, he became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of British Columbia following the resignation of Herbert Anscomb and led the party through the...
, November 1952 - April 1961 - Davie FultonDavie FultonEdmund Davie Fulton, PC, OC, QC was a Canadian Rhodes Scholar, politician and judge. Popularly known as E. Davie Fulton. He was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, the son of politician/lawyer Frederick John Fulton and Winnifred M. Davie, daughter of A.E.B. Davie...
, January 1963 - April 1965 - John Anthony St. Etienne DeWolf, June 1969 - November 1971
- Derril Thomas Warren, November 1971 - September 1973
- Dr. George Scott WallaceGeorge Scott WallaceGeorge Scott Wallace was a British Columbia physician and politician. Born in Scotland he attended the Edinburgh University Medical School from 1947 to 1952. Wallace came to Canada in 1957 and opened a general practice in Victoria in 1961...
, December 1973 - July 1977 - Victor Albert Stephens, October 1977 - February 1980
- Brian Westwood, November 1980 - August 1982
- Peter Pollen, March 1985 - August 1986
- Peter B. Macdonald, July 1991 - August 1996
- David Maurice Mercier, March 1997 - January 2001
- Susan Power, January 2001 - 2002
- Kenneth Edgar King, 2003 - 2004
- Barry Edward Chilton, 2004 - September 2005
- Wilfred Hanni, September 2005 - June 2009
- Vacant, June 2009 - May 2011
- John Cummins, May 2011 - present
- Source: Legislative Library of British Columbia, Party Leaders in British Columbia 1900-, 2000
Election results
| 1903-1928 elections | |||||
| Date of election | # of seats available |
# of candidates nominated |
Votes | % of popular vote |
# of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 October 1903 British Columbia general election, 1903 The British Columbia general election of 1903 was the tenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 5, 1903, and held on October 3, 1903... |
42 | 41 | 27,913 | 46.43 | 22 |
| 2 February 1907 British Columbia general election, 1907 The British Columbia general election of 1907 was the eleventh general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election called on December 24, 1906, and held on February 2, 1907... |
42 | 42 | 30,781 | 48.70 | 26 |
| 25 November 1909 British Columbia general election, 1909 The British Columbia general election of 1909 was the twelfth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on October 20, 1909, and held on November 25, 1909'... |
42 | 42 | 53,074 | 52.33 | 38 |
| 28 March 1912 British Columbia general election, 1912 The British Columbia general election of 1912 was the thirteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on February 27, 1912, and held on March 28, 1912... |
42 | 42 | 50,423 | 59.65 | 39 |
| 14 September 1916 British Columbia general election, 1916 The British Columbia general election of 1916 was the fourteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 5, 1916, and held on September 14, 1916... |
47 | 46 | 72,842 | 40.52 | 9 |
| 1 December 1920 British Columbia general election, 1920 The British Columbia general election of 1920 was the fifteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on October 23, 1920, and held on December 1, 1920... |
47 | 42 | 110,475 | 31.20 | 15 |
| 20 June 1924 British Columbia general election, 1924 The British Columbia general election of 1924 was the sixteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on May 10, 1924, and held on June 20, 1924... |
48 | 47 | 101,765 | 29.45 | 17 |
| 18 July 1928 British Columbia general election, 1928 The British Columbia general election of 1928 was the seventeenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on June 7, 1928, and held on July 18, 1928... |
48 | 48 | 192,867 | 53.30 | 35 |
- In the November 2, 1933 electionBritish Columbia general election, 1933The British Columbia general election of 1933 was the eighteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 13, 1933, and held on November 2, 1933...
, because of internal discord, the provincial executive of the Conservative Party decided not to contest the election officially; each local association was to act on its own. Some candidates ran as straight Independents, some as Independent Conservatives; those supporting the premier, Simon Fraser Tolmie, ran as Unionists; and those grouped around William John Bowser, a former premier, ran as Non-Partisans. When Bowser died and the election in Vancouver Centre and Victoria City was postponed, 4 Non-Partisans and 2 UPBC candidates withdrew.
| November 2, 1933 election British Columbia general election, 1933 The British Columbia general election of 1933 was the eighteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 13, 1933, and held on November 2, 1933... (47 seats) |
||||
| # of candidates nominated |
Votes | % of popular vote | # of seats won |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non Partisan Independent Group | 30 | 38,836 | 10.19 | 2 |
| Unionist Party of British Columbia | 12 | 15,445 | 4.05 | 1 |
| Independent Conservative | 6 | 7,114 | 1.87 | - |
| 1937-1949 elections | |||||
| Date of election | # of seats available |
Votes | % of popular vote |
# of seats won |
# of candidates nominated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 1937 British Columbia general election, 1937 The British Columbia general election of 1937 was the nineteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 14, 1937, and held on June 1, 1937... |
48 | 119,521 | 28.60 | 8 | 43 |
| 21 October 1941 British Columbia general election, 1941 The British Columbia general election, 1941 was the twentieth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 9, 1941, and held on October 21, 1941.After the election, a... |
48 | 140,282 | 30.91 | 12 | 43 |
| 25 October 1945 British Columbia general election, 1945 The British Columbia general election of 1945 was the twenty-first general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 31, 1945, and held on October 25, 1945... (Coalition) |
48 | 261,147 | 55.83 | 37 | 47 |
| 15 June 1949 British Columbia general election, 1949 The British Columbia general election of 1949 was the 22nd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 16, 1949, and held on June 15, 1949... (Coalition) |
48 | 428,773 | 61.35 | 39 | 48 |
- Note: In the 1945 and 1949 elections, the Conservatives ran in a coalition with the Liberal PartyBritish Columbia Liberal PartyThe British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
.
- In the 1952 and 1953 elections, British Columbia employed a preferential ballot.
| 1952-1953 elections | |||||||
| Date of election | # of seats available |
# of candidates nominated |
First votes | % | Final votes | % | # of seats won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 June 1952 British Columbia general election, 1952 The British Columbia general election, 1952 was the 23rd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 10, 1952, and held on June 12, 1952. The new legislature met for the... |
48 | 48 | 129,439 | 16.84 | 65,285 | 9.66 | 4 |
| 9 June 1953 British Columbia general election, 1953 The British Columbia general election of 1953 was the 24th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 10, 1953, and held on June 9, 1953... |
48 | 39 | 40,780 | 5.60 | 7,326 | 1.11 | 1 |
- After 1953, British Columbia returned to the "first past the post" electorial system.
| 1956-2005 elections | |||||
| Date of election | # of seats available |
Votes | % of popular vote |
# of seats won |
# of candidates nominated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 September 1956 British Columbia general election, 1956 The British Columbia general election of 1956 was the 25th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 13, 1956, and held on September 19, 1956. The new legislature met... |
52 | 25,373 | 3.11 | - | 22 |
| 12 September 1960 British Columbia general election, 1960 The British Columbia general election of 1960 was the 26th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 3, 1960, and held on September 12, 1960. The new legislature met... |
52 | 66,943 | 6.72 | - | 52 |
| 30 September 1963 British Columbia general election, 1963 The British Columbia general election of 1963 was the 27th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 22, 1963, and held on September 30, 1963... |
52 | 109,090 | 11.27 | - | 44 |
| 12 September 1966 British Columbia general election, 1966 The British Columbia general election of 1966 was the 28th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 5, 1966 and held on September 12, 1966... |
55 | 1,409 | 0.18 | - | 3 |
| 27 August 1969 British Columbia general election, 1969 The British Columbia general election of 1969 was the 29th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 21, 1969, and held on August 27, 1969... |
55 | 1,087 | 0.11 | - | 1 |
| 30 August 1972 British Columbia general election, 1972 The 30th general election for the Canadian province of British Columbia was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 24, 1972, and held on August 30, 1972... |
55 | 143,450 | 12.67 | 2 | 49 |
| 11 December 1975 British Columbia general election, 1975 The British Columbia general election of 1975 was the 31st general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on November 3, 1975, and held on December 11, 1975... |
55 | 49,796 | 3.86 | 1 | 29 |
| 26 April 1979 British Columbia general election, 1979 The British Columbia general election of 1979 was the 32nd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 3, 1979... |
57 | 71,078 | 5.06 | - | 37 |
| 5 May 1983 British Columbia general election, 1983 The British Columbia general election of 1983 was the 33rd provincial election for the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 7, 1983. The election was held on May 5, 1983... |
57 | 19,131 | 1.16 | - | 12 |
| 22 October 1986 British Columbia general election, 1986 The British Columbia general election of 1986 was the 34th general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 24, 1986... |
69 | 14,074 | 0.73 | - | 12 |
| 17 October 1991 British Columbia general election, 1991 The British Columbia general election of 1991 was the 35th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 19, 1991, and held on October 17, 1991... |
69 | 426 | 0.03 | - | 4 |
| 28 May 1996 British Columbia general election, 1996 The British Columbia general election of 1996 was the thirty sixth provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 30, 1996, and held on May 28, 1996... |
75 | 1,002 | 0.06% | - | 8 |
| 16 May 2001 British Columbia general election, 2001 The British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001... |
79 | 2,417 | 0.15% | - | 6 |
| 17 May 2005 British Columbia general election, 2005 The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell... |
79 | 9,623 | 0.55% | - | 7 |
| 12 May 2009 British Columbia general election, 2009 The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell... |
85 | 34,465 | 2.10% | - | 24 |
See also
- List of British Columbia political parties
- List of British Columbia premiers
- List of British Columbia general elections