New Democratic Party of British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic
political party
in British Columbia
, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party
following the 2009 provincial election
in British Columbia.
The BC NDP is the provincial arm of the New Democratic Party
of Canada. Unlike other parties in Canada, where provincial and federal politics are strictly separated and members of one are not necessarily members of the other, NDP members are members of both the federal party and the provincial party.
section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
(CCF) by a coalition of the Socialist Party of Canada
(BC), the League for Social Reconstruction
, and affiliated organizations. In August 1933, the latter two organizations merged to become the Associated CCF Clubs. The new party won seven seats in the 1933 provincial election
, enough to form the official opposition. A further merger with the SPC (BC) took place in 1935. In 1936 the party split as its moderate leader, Reverend Robert Connell was expelled over doctrinal differences in what was called the "Connell Affair". Three other CCF Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) in what had been a 7 member caucus quit and joined Connell in forming the Social Constructive Party
, leaving only Harold Winch, Ernest Winch
and Dorothy Steeves as CCF MLAs. The Constructivists nominated candidates in the 1937 election
but failed to win a seat. The CCF regained their former contingent of 7 MLAs but lost official opposition status to the reconstituted British Columbia Conservative Party
.
Harold Winch succeeded Connell as CCF leader and guided the party until the 1950s.
The two-party system in Canada was challenged with the rise of the CCF and the Social Credit
movement in western Canada
during the Great Depression
of the 1930s. The CCF first took power in Saskatchewan
under Premier Tommy Douglas
, and made major inroads in British Columbia.
In order to block the rise of the CCF in BC, the provincial Liberal
and Conservative
parties formed a coalition government
after the 1941 provincial election
when neither party had enough seats to form a majority government
on its own. For the ten years that the coalition held together, the CCF was the Official Opposition in the legislature.
, with the expectation that Conservative voters would list the Liberals as their second choice and vice versa. In introducing the measure, the government hoped to prevent the CCF from winning in a three party competition. What they did not contemplate was that there was a new fourth party on the rise: the BC Social Credit League
.
In the election on 12 June 1952
, the Liberals and Conservatives were decimated. Social Credit was the main beneficiary of the new voting system as many non-CCF voters chose Social Credit as either their first or second choices. Social Credit emerged as the largest party, with one more seat than Winch's CCF. Social Credit then chose a new leader, W.A.C. Bennett
.
When Social Credit lost a motion of no confidence
in the legislature in March 1953, Winch argued that the CCF should be allowed to try to form a government instead of the house being dissolved for an early election. The Liberals, however, refused to support the CCF's bid to form a government and new elections were called.
In the 1953 election
, Bennett won a majority government
, and both the Liberal and the Conservative parties were reduced to fringe parties. Throughout the 1950s, Bennett's new electoral movement was able to keep the CCF at bay. As this was during the height of the Cold War
, Bennett was able to effectively use the scare tactic of the "Red Menace
" against the CCF, even referring to them as the "socialist
hordes".
, then in 1961 to the "New Democratic Party" (NDP), reflecting the national party formed from an alliance of the CCF and the Canadian Labour Congress
. Bennett was able to keep the CCF and the NDP out of power throughout the 1960s through four successive general elections. Each time, Bennett was able to effectively use the "Red Menace" tactic against the NDP and its leaders during this time, Robert Strachan
and, in the 1969 general election
, against Thomas Berger
.
under Dave Barrett
, who served as Premier for three years. The NDP passed a great deal of legislation in a very short time - virtually a revolution in BC provincial governance. Among lasting changes were the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
, the Agricultural Land Reserve, and additions such as Question Period
to the legislature. The NDP drove the small BC Liberal caucus to abandon their leader David Anderson for the Social Credit Party, as did one of the two Tories elected in 1972. The NDP introduced capital taxes
, slashed funding to universities, but suffered the most for bringing clarity to the accounting Social Credit had used, and showed that BC was significantly in debt.
In the 1975 election
Social Credit, under W.A.C's son Bill Bennett, won a snap election
called by Barrett. The Barrett government had initiated a number of reforms in the areas of labour relations, the public service and social programs, most of which endured through to the restraint budget of 1983.
The NDP peaked in popular support in the 1979 election
with 46% of the vote. And after a minor decline in the party's vote share in 1983, Barrett retired as leader.
Riding high in the polls, it appeared that the party was poised to win the 1986 election against the unpopular Social Credit government of the day but due to a minor verbal gaffe by its new leader Bob Skelly
during the campaign and the surprising charisma and telegenic performance of the Socreds' new leader William Vander Zalm, the party failed to score its anticipated breakthrough.
(BC Liberals) leader Gordon Wilson
in the televised leader's debate, the old Social Credit vote split between the BC Liberals, which garnered 33% of the vote and BC Social Credit Party
with 25%. This allowed the NDP, under the leadership of former Vancouver mayor Michael Harcourt
, who had succeeded former leader Bob Skelly
in 1987, to win with 41% of the popular vote (one percentage point lower than the share the party had lost with in 1986).
Whereas Harcourt's first two years in government were characterized by a notably social-democratic policy agenda, the government took a dramatic turn to the right
in 1993 with Harcourt's famous province-wide televised address in which he lashed out against "welfare cheats, deadbeats and varmints". This speech inaugurated a set of draconian welfare
reforms enacted between 1993 and 1995 similar to those adopted by new Progressive Conservative
provincial governments elected in Alberta and Ontario in the same time period. These cutbacks were, in part, a reaction to a dramatic reduction in federal transfer payments by the federal Liberal
government of Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
and concommitant repeal of the Canada Assistance Plan bill of rights which included a right to food and a right to shelter. Unlike the reforms of the Harris
and Klein governments, the BC Benefits package of cutbacks and restrictions in social assistance eligibility was bundled with a childcare bonus paid to low- and medium-income families, similar to that recently enacted by the Harper government
. While unpopular with the province's anti-poverty movement and the then-marginal BC Green Party
, Harcourt's reforms were well-received by the vast majority of British Columbians.
Three months before BC Benefits was introduced by the Harcourt government, a protracted conflict began with the elements of the province's environmental movement. Harcourt's Peace in the Woods pact which brought together traditionally warring environmental groups and forest workers' unions began to collapse when Harcourt's cabinet exempted an environmentally-sensitive area of Vancouver Island, Clayoquot Sound
, from its province-wide mediation process for land-use conflicts, CORE (the Commission on Resources and the Environment). This touched off logging road blockades in which over 800 people were arrested and alienated of some key environmental leaders such as David Suzuki
and Colleen McCrory
who shifted their support to the Green Party in the 1996 provincial election.
Although low in the polls for much of his term in office, Harcourt and his newly-appointed Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh
succeeded in regaining substantial public support by taking a hard line against a fringe aboriginal group's occupation of a farmer's field in the Cariboo region of the province. The Gustafsen Lake
siege, led by Dosanjh became the largest-scale police operation in BC history, in which armoured vehicles and anti-vehicle mines were deployed and thousands of rounds of ammunition were shot at protesters.
However, less than 72 hours before a planned election call, with the NDP riding high in the polls for its hard line against welfare recipients and aboriginal and environmental radicals, the party's provincial office was raided by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) officers as part of an ongoing investigation of illegal use of charity bingo money, coined "Bingogate" by the media, by former provincial cabinet minister and member of parliament Dave Stupich. Although Harcourt was not implicated in either the raid or the probe and was later fully exonerated, he resigned nevertheless and the party was led into the 1996 provincial general election by Glen Clark
.
mayor Gordon Campbell, as a pawn of big business and a dangerous right-wing extremist. Clark was aided in delivering this message by Jack Weisgerber
, leader of the BC Reform Party (the name under which the majority of the Social Credit caucus had rebranded itself), and Wilson, now leader of the Progressive Democratic Alliance
(PDA) after being deposed by Campbell as leader of the BC Liberals. Although the NDP won only 39% of the vote to Campbell's 42%, it managed to secure 39 seats to Campbell's 33.
Although largely continuing Harcourt's policy agenda, Clark's government appeared rudderless with the campaign behind it and the Premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the NDP coalition outside of the core group of labour activists who had masterminded Clark's campaign. It was also discovered, shortly after the election, that the balanced budgets for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 fiscal years on which Clark had campaigned were not, in fact, balanced but actually small deficits of approximately $100 million. This was termed the "fudge-it" budget fiasco. Further, large debt was shifted onto Crown Corporations so as to create a perception of "surpluses".
During these years, the NDP began to bleed support and activists to the Greens who reached 5% in the polls in the fall of 1997 and 11% by the fall of 1998; however, by far the majority of the NDP's former voters deserted the party for the centre-right
BC Liberals. New scandals also surfaced, this time appearing to implicate Clark in using his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour who had helped him with some home renovations. Another blunder was the botched construction of the PacifiCat BC Ferries, which would later become part of the FastCat Fiasco; the project, designed to speed transportation between Vancouver and Nanaimo, was plagued by cost over-runs and poor technical decisions. By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney-General Dosanjh and Finance Minister Joy MacPhail
challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles, following a police raid on Clark's home before the premier stepped aside.
Dan Miller
, the longest-serving member of the legislature stepped-in as interim premier and party leader during an acrimonious leadership race between Dosanjh, maverick West Kootenay
MLA Corky Evans
and Wilson, who had been persuaded to fold his stalled PDA in 1998 and join Clark's cabinet. Despite clear favouritism from Clark, Wilson finished last with Dosanjh winning a majority of votes at the convention, despite Evans winning the support of over two thirds of the party's constituency associations.
Having bottomed out at 15 percent in the polls, the Dosanjh government attempted to capitalize on the new Premier's high personal approval rating with their remaining year in power. The government made a number of concessions to the party's anti-poverty and environmental wings in an attempt to reforge the coalition but the party would not budge in the polls. Halfway through his mandate, Dosanjh seemed to lose interest in governing and left for a lengthy tour of his native Punjab
.
Dosanjh waited as long as possible to call the next election, finally doing so in May 2001
. By this time, the party had risen to 21 percent in opinion polling--a slight improvement from the nadir of a year earlier. Nonetheless, it was obvious that the NDP would not be reelected. Midway through the campaign, Dosanjh conceded defeat in a pre-recorded message and asked the electorate to give the NDP a chance as a strong opposition party. De facto leadership passed to MacPhail, who managed to reinvigorate the campaign. The NDP's popular vote dropped to 22 percent, while its seat count dropped to only two — MacPhail and neighbouring Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Jenny Kwan
. They were also the only surviving members of the previous Cabinet; even Dosanjh lost his seat. All 77 other seats were captured by the BC Liberals who won 58 percent of the vote. It was the second-worst defeat of a sitting provincial government in Canada. Despite the severe defeat, MacPhail was credited for saving the party from being completely wiped off the map.
Shortly after the election, Dosanjh resigned as leader and Joy MacPhail was appointed interim leader.
, as Leader of the Official Opposition, MacPhail's caucus was not granted party status by Campbell on the grounds that the legislature's rules stipulated a party must hold four seats. Ultimately, Richmond's position gradually won-out as more and more of the resources and funds appropriate for an opposition party found their way to the NDP's tiny caucus.
Given the high level of support within the party for her leadership, MacPhail surprised many by choosing not to seek the party leadership in 2003. The low-key leadership campaign was contested by establishment favourite and former Victoria School Board chair Carole James
, Oak Bay City Councillor Nils Jensen, and former MLAs Leonard Krog
and Steve Orcherton
and a few minor candidates. First ballot results had James first followed by Jensen, Krog and the Orcherton. A second ballot was held with James winning.
In late 2004, the party won an upset election victory in the constituency of Surrey-Panorama Ridge. The region had not voted NDP in 1996 but had in 1991. Jagrup Brar
became the third member of the party's caucus. Brar beat a locally popular BC Liberal candidate and Adriane Carr
, the BC Green Party's leader, winning an absolute majority of the vote.
In 2005, James came closer to forming a government than even the NDP had predicted, winning 33 seats to Campbell's 45 and receiving a vote share 5% higher in suburban Vancouver than any pollster had predicted. The NDP also exceeded 40% of the vote for the first time since 1991.
In 2008, the NDP won two key by-elections in Vancouver-Fairview and Vancouver-Burrard.
In 2009, the NDP came a close second to the BC Liberals, with a 45%-42% popular vote, with 35 New Democrats elected to the BC Liberals 49. Despite the popular vote, only 3,500 votes separated the party from forming government.
1 In 1936, Connell was expelled and three other MLAs resigned from the CCF. They formed the Social Constructive Party
.
For further information, see British Columbia New Democratic Party Leadership Conventions
.
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
political party
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. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party
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...
following 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 British Columbia.
The BC NDP is the provincial arm of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
of Canada. Unlike other parties in Canada, where provincial and federal politics are strictly separated and members of one are not necessarily members of the other, NDP members are members of both the federal party and the provincial party.
Founding
The party was formed in 1933 as the British ColumbiaBritish 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...
section of 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) by a coalition of the Socialist Party of Canada
Socialist Party of Canada
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
(BC), the League for Social Reconstruction
League for Social Reconstruction
The League for Social Reconstruction was a circle of Canadian socialist intellectuals officially formed in 1932, though it had its beginnings during a camping retreat in 1931. These academics were advocating radical social and economic reforms and political education. Industrialization,...
, and affiliated organizations. In August 1933, the latter two organizations merged to become the Associated CCF Clubs. The new party won seven seats in the 1933 provincial 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...
, enough to form the official opposition. A further merger with the SPC (BC) took place in 1935. In 1936 the party split as its moderate leader, Reverend Robert Connell was expelled over doctrinal differences in what was called the "Connell Affair". Three other CCF Members 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....
(MLAs) in what had been a 7 member caucus quit and joined Connell in forming the Social Constructive Party
British Columbia Social Constructive Party
The British Columbia Social Constructive Party was formed in 1936 by a breakaway from the British Columbia Co-operative Commonwealth Federation after Reverend Robert Connell was expelled from the party over doctrinal differences. Connell had been leader of the CCF until his expulsion...
, leaving only Harold Winch, Ernest Winch
Ernest Winch
Ernest Edward Winch was a British Columbia politician, trade unionist and socialist. He was a BC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLA in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly from 1933 until his death in 1957....
and Dorothy Steeves as CCF MLAs. The Constructivists nominated candidates in the 1937 election
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...
but failed to win a seat. The CCF regained their former contingent of 7 MLAs but lost official opposition status to the reconstituted British Columbia Conservative Party
British Columbia Conservative Party
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...
.
Harold Winch succeeded Connell as CCF leader and guided the party until the 1950s.
The two-party system in Canada was challenged with the rise of the CCF and the 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"...
movement in western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
during the Great Depression
Great 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...
of the 1930s. The CCF first took power in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
under Premier Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
, and made major inroads in British Columbia.
In order to block the rise of the CCF in BC, the provincial Liberal
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...
and Conservative
British Columbia Conservative Party
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...
parties 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...
after the 1941 provincial election
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...
when neither party had enough seats to form 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...
on its own. For the ten years that the coalition held together, the CCF was the Official Opposition in the legislature.
Solidification as opposition party
After the coalition fell apart in 1951, the government introduced the Alternative VoteInstant-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...
, with the expectation that Conservative voters would list the Liberals as their second choice and vice versa. In introducing the measure, the government hoped to prevent the CCF from winning in a three party competition. What they did not contemplate was that there was a new fourth party on the rise: the BC 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...
.
In the election on 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...
, the Liberals and Conservatives were decimated. Social Credit was the main beneficiary of the new voting system as many non-CCF voters chose Social Credit as either their first or second choices. Social Credit emerged as the largest party, with one more seat than Winch's CCF. Social Credit then chose a new leader, 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...
.
When Social Credit lost a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the legislature in March 1953, Winch argued that the CCF should be allowed to try to form a government instead of the house being dissolved for an early election. The Liberals, however, refused to support the CCF's bid to form a government and new elections were called.
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...
, Bennett won 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...
, and both the Liberal and the Conservative parties were reduced to fringe parties. Throughout the 1950s, Bennett's new electoral movement was able to keep the CCF at bay. As this was during the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Bennett was able to effectively use the scare tactic of the "Red Menace
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
" against the CCF, even referring to them as 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,...
hordes".
Creation of the New Democratic Party
In 1960, the CCF's name was changed nationally to the New PartyNew Party (Canada)
New Party was the interim name used by the new political party being established in Canada from 1958 to 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress , which eventually defined itself as a social democratic party...
, then in 1961 to the "New Democratic Party" (NDP), reflecting the national party formed from an alliance of the CCF and the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
. Bennett was able to keep the CCF and the NDP out of power throughout the 1960s through four successive general elections. Each time, Bennett was able to effectively use the "Red Menace" tactic against the NDP and its leaders during this time, Robert Strachan
Robert Strachan
Robert Martin Strachan was a trade unionist and politician. He was the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia history....
and, in the 1969 general election
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...
, against Thomas Berger
Thomas Berger
Thomas Berger may refer to:* Thomas Berger , American author* Thomas R. Berger , Canadian politician...
.
Barrett government
The NDP first won election in 1972British 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...
under Dave Barrett
Dave Barrett
David Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada...
, who served as Premier for three years. The NDP passed a great deal of legislation in a very short time - virtually a revolution in BC provincial governance. Among lasting changes were the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia is a provincial crown corporation in British Columbia created in 1973 by the NDP government of British Columbia. The original purpose of ICBC was to provide universal public auto insurance in British Columbia...
, the Agricultural Land Reserve, and additions such as Question Period
Question Period
Question Period, known officially as Oral Questions occurs each sitting day in the Canadian House of Commons. According to the House of Commons Compendium, “The primary purpose of Question Period is to seek information from the Government and to call it to account for its actions.”-History:The...
to the legislature. The NDP drove the small BC Liberal caucus to abandon their leader David Anderson for the Social Credit Party, as did one of the two Tories elected in 1972. The NDP introduced capital taxes
Capital gains tax
A capital gains tax is a tax charged on capital gains, the profit realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset that was purchased at a lower price. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals and property...
, slashed funding to universities, but suffered the most for bringing clarity to the accounting Social Credit had used, and showed that BC was significantly in debt.
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...
Social Credit, under W.A.C's son Bill Bennett, won a snap election
Snap election
A snap election is an election called earlier than expected. Generally it refers to an election in a parliamentary system called when not required , usually to capitalize on a unique electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue...
called by Barrett. The Barrett government had initiated a number of reforms in the areas of labour relations, the public service and social programs, most of which endured through to the restraint budget of 1983.
The NDP peaked in popular support in the 1979 election
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...
with 46% of the vote. And after a minor decline in the party's vote share in 1983, Barrett retired as leader.
Riding high in the polls, it appeared that the party was poised to win the 1986 election against the unpopular Social Credit government of the day but due to a minor verbal gaffe by its new leader Bob Skelly
Bob Skelly
Robert Skelly is a former Canadian politician from British Columbia. He was born April 14, 1943 at New Westminster, British Columbia and worked as a teacher....
during the campaign and the surprising charisma and telegenic performance of the Socreds' new leader William Vander Zalm, the party failed to score its anticipated breakthrough.
The 1990s
The New Democratic Party governed BC for nine and a half years, winning two back-to-back general elections in 1991 and 1996 before being defeated in 2001. Although the party's majority was reduced in 1996, it was nevertheless able to triumph over the divided remnants of the Social Credit Coalition. In 1991, due in part to Social Credit's scandal-plagued final term in office under Premier William Vander Zalm and in part to the stellar performance of then- British Columbia Liberal PartyBritish 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...
(BC Liberals) leader Gordon Wilson
Gordon Wilson (Canadian politician)
Gordon Wilson is a former provincial politician in British Columbia. He served as leader of the Liberal Party of BC from 1987–1993, leader and founder of the Progressive Democratic Alliance from 1993–1997, and in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Finance and Minister of Employment, Investment...
in the televised leader's debate, the old Social Credit vote split between the BC Liberals, which garnered 33% of the vote and BC 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...
with 25%. This allowed the NDP, under the leadership of former Vancouver mayor Michael Harcourt
Michael Harcourt
Michael Franklin Harcourt served as the 30th Premier of the province of British Columbia in Canada from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of BC's major city, Vancouver from 1980 to 1986....
, who had succeeded former leader Bob Skelly
Bob Skelly
Robert Skelly is a former Canadian politician from British Columbia. He was born April 14, 1943 at New Westminster, British Columbia and worked as a teacher....
in 1987, to win with 41% of the popular vote (one percentage point lower than the share the party had lost with in 1986).
Whereas Harcourt's first two years in government were characterized by a notably social-democratic policy agenda, the government took a dramatic turn to the right
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
in 1993 with Harcourt's famous province-wide televised address in which he lashed out against "welfare cheats, deadbeats and varmints". This speech inaugurated a set of draconian welfare
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
reforms enacted between 1993 and 1995 similar to those adopted by new Progressive Conservative
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....
provincial governments elected in Alberta and Ontario in the same time period. These cutbacks were, in part, a reaction to a dramatic reduction in federal transfer payments by the federal Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
and concommitant repeal of the Canada Assistance Plan bill of rights which included a right to food and a right to shelter. Unlike the reforms of the Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
and Klein governments, the BC Benefits package of cutbacks and restrictions in social assistance eligibility was bundled with a childcare bonus paid to low- and medium-income families, similar to that recently enacted by the Harper government
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
. While unpopular with the province's anti-poverty movement and the then-marginal BC 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...
, Harcourt's reforms were well-received by the vast majority of British Columbians.
Three months before BC Benefits was introduced by the Harcourt government, a protracted conflict began with the elements of the province's environmental movement. Harcourt's Peace in the Woods pact which brought together traditionally warring environmental groups and forest workers' unions began to collapse when Harcourt's cabinet exempted an environmentally-sensitive area of Vancouver Island, Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is bordered by the Esowista Peninsula to the south, and the Hesquiaht Peninsula to the North. It is a body of water with many inlets and islands. Major inlets include Sydney Inlet,...
, from its province-wide mediation process for land-use conflicts, CORE (the Commission on Resources and the Environment). This touched off logging road blockades in which over 800 people were arrested and alienated of some key environmental leaders such as David Suzuki
David Suzuki
David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...
and Colleen McCrory
Colleen McCrory
Colleen McCrory was a Canadian environmental activist.She was born in New Denver, British Columbia. McCrory founded the Valhalla Wilderness Society, a British Columbia environmental group, in 1975....
who shifted their support to the Green Party in the 1996 provincial election.
Although low in the polls for much of his term in office, Harcourt and his newly-appointed Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost...
succeeded in regaining substantial public support by taking a hard line against a fringe aboriginal group's occupation of a farmer's field in the Cariboo region of the province. The Gustafsen Lake
Gustafsen Lake Standoff
The Gustafsen Lake Standoff was an indigenous land dispute involving members of the Secwepemc nation and members of other indigenous groups in British Columbia, Canada which began on June 15, 1995, and lasted until September 17, 1995.-The Standoff begins:...
siege, led by Dosanjh became the largest-scale police operation in BC history, in which armoured vehicles and anti-vehicle mines were deployed and thousands of rounds of ammunition were shot at protesters.
However, less than 72 hours before a planned election call, with the NDP riding high in the polls for its hard line against welfare recipients and aboriginal and environmental radicals, the party's provincial office was raided by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) officers as part of an ongoing investigation of illegal use of charity bingo money, coined "Bingogate" by the media, by former provincial cabinet minister and member of parliament Dave Stupich. Although Harcourt was not implicated in either the raid or the probe and was later fully exonerated, he resigned nevertheless and the party was led into the 1996 provincial general election by Glen Clark
Glen Clark
Glen David Clark is a politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.-Early life and education:...
.
The Clark years
Glen Clark, who entered the 1996 election far back in the polls, proved an excellent campaigner who succeeded, at least for the duration of the election, in re-unifying the party's traditional coalition with the slogan "On Your Side". He effectively portrayed the BC Liberals' new leader, former VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
mayor Gordon Campbell, as a pawn of big business and a dangerous right-wing extremist. Clark was aided in delivering this message by Jack Weisgerber
Jack Weisgerber
John Sylvester Weisgerber is a Canadian politician and businessman. He is a former member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia. During his political career he was briefly the leader of both the British Columbia Social Credit Party and the Reform Party of British Columbia...
, leader of the BC Reform Party (the name under which the majority of the Social Credit caucus had rebranded itself), and Wilson, now leader of the Progressive Democratic Alliance
Progressive Democratic Alliance
The Progressive Democratic Alliance was a centrist political party in British Columbia, Canada founded by Gordon Wilson, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Powell River—Sunshine Coast....
(PDA) after being deposed by Campbell as leader of the BC Liberals. Although the NDP won only 39% of the vote to Campbell's 42%, it managed to secure 39 seats to Campbell's 33.
Although largely continuing Harcourt's policy agenda, Clark's government appeared rudderless with the campaign behind it and the Premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the NDP coalition outside of the core group of labour activists who had masterminded Clark's campaign. It was also discovered, shortly after the election, that the balanced budgets for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 fiscal years on which Clark had campaigned were not, in fact, balanced but actually small deficits of approximately $100 million. This was termed the "fudge-it" budget fiasco. Further, large debt was shifted onto Crown Corporations so as to create a perception of "surpluses".
During these years, the NDP began to bleed support and activists to the Greens who reached 5% in the polls in the fall of 1997 and 11% by the fall of 1998; however, by far the majority of the NDP's former voters deserted the party for the centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
BC Liberals. New scandals also surfaced, this time appearing to implicate Clark in using his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour who had helped him with some home renovations. Another blunder was the botched construction of the PacifiCat BC Ferries, which would later become part of the FastCat Fiasco; the project, designed to speed transportation between Vancouver and Nanaimo, was plagued by cost over-runs and poor technical decisions. By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney-General Dosanjh and Finance Minister Joy MacPhail
Joy MacPhail
Joy MacPhail is a former Canadian politician in British Columbia. A longtime member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, she served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 2005 and as a Minister of the Crown from 1993-1999, and 2000-2001.MacPhail was born in Hamilton,...
challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles, following a police raid on Clark's home before the premier stepped aside.
Dan Miller
Dan Miller
Dan Miller may refer to:* Dan Miller , Middleweight fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship* Dan Miller , former Premier of British Columbia* Dan Miller , former member of the U.S...
, the longest-serving member of the legislature stepped-in as interim premier and party leader during an acrimonious leadership race between Dosanjh, maverick West Kootenay
West Kootenay
West Kootenay was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was formed along with East Kootenay from a redistribution of the old Kootenay riding, which was one of the province's original twelve.- Demographics :...
MLA Corky Evans
Corky Evans
Corky Evans was a prominent provincial politician in British Columbia, Canada. He twice ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia, placing second both times. In both cases, the party formed the government of BC and its leader became Premier of British Columbia...
and Wilson, who had been persuaded to fold his stalled PDA in 1998 and join Clark's cabinet. Despite clear favouritism from Clark, Wilson finished last with Dosanjh winning a majority of votes at the convention, despite Evans winning the support of over two thirds of the party's constituency associations.
Having bottomed out at 15 percent in the polls, the Dosanjh government attempted to capitalize on the new Premier's high personal approval rating with their remaining year in power. The government made a number of concessions to the party's anti-poverty and environmental wings in an attempt to reforge the coalition but the party would not budge in the polls. Halfway through his mandate, Dosanjh seemed to lose interest in governing and left for a lengthy tour of his native Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
.
Dosanjh waited as long as possible to call the next election, finally doing so in 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...
. By this time, the party had risen to 21 percent in opinion polling--a slight improvement from the nadir of a year earlier. Nonetheless, it was obvious that the NDP would not be reelected. Midway through the campaign, Dosanjh conceded defeat in a pre-recorded message and asked the electorate to give the NDP a chance as a strong opposition party. De facto leadership passed to MacPhail, who managed to reinvigorate the campaign. The NDP's popular vote dropped to 22 percent, while its seat count dropped to only two — MacPhail and neighbouring Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Jenny Kwan
Jenny Kwan
Jenny Wai Ching Kwan is a Hong Kong-born Canadian politician. She is currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and a senior member of the provincial caucus of the New Democratic Party.-Personal life:...
. They were also the only surviving members of the previous Cabinet; even Dosanjh lost his seat. All 77 other seats were captured by the BC Liberals who won 58 percent of the vote. It was the second-worst defeat of a sitting provincial government in Canada. Despite the severe defeat, MacPhail was credited for saving the party from being completely wiped off the map.
Shortly after the election, Dosanjh resigned as leader and Joy MacPhail was appointed interim leader.
Recovery
Although recognized by the BC legislature's speaker, former Social Credit cabinet minister-turned BC Liberal Claude RichmondClaude Richmond
Claude Richmond is a former BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. He represented the riding of Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 and from 2001 to 2009....
, as Leader of the Official Opposition, MacPhail's caucus was not granted party status by Campbell on the grounds that the legislature's rules stipulated a party must hold four seats. Ultimately, Richmond's position gradually won-out as more and more of the resources and funds appropriate for an opposition party found their way to the NDP's tiny caucus.
Given the high level of support within the party for her leadership, MacPhail surprised many by choosing not to seek the party leadership in 2003. The low-key leadership campaign was contested by establishment favourite and former Victoria School Board chair Carole James
Carole James
Carole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party...
, Oak Bay City Councillor Nils Jensen, and former MLAs Leonard Krog
Leonard Krog
Leonard Krog is a Canadian politician and lawyer in British Columbia. He was first elected in the 1991 general election representing the riding of Parksville-Qualicum in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and served as a backbencher in the Mike Harcourt NDP government. He ran for...
and Steve Orcherton
Steve Orcherton
Steve Orcherton is a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Victoria-Hillside in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2001. He sat as a member of the New Democratic Party....
and a few minor candidates. First ballot results had James first followed by Jensen, Krog and the Orcherton. A second ballot was held with James winning.
In late 2004, the party won an upset election victory in the constituency of Surrey-Panorama Ridge. The region had not voted NDP in 1996 but had in 1991. Jagrup Brar
Jagrup Brar
Jagrup Brar, is a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia, Canada. He represents the riding of Surrey-Fleetwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia.-Early life:...
became the third member of the party's caucus. Brar beat a locally popular BC Liberal candidate and 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...
, the BC Green Party's leader, winning an absolute majority of the vote.
In 2005, James came closer to forming a government than even the NDP had predicted, winning 33 seats to Campbell's 45 and receiving a vote share 5% higher in suburban Vancouver than any pollster had predicted. The NDP also exceeded 40% of the vote for the first time since 1991.
In 2008, the NDP won two key by-elections in Vancouver-Fairview and Vancouver-Burrard.
In 2009, the NDP came a close second to the BC Liberals, with a 45%-42% popular vote, with 35 New Democrats elected to the BC Liberals 49. Despite the popular vote, only 3,500 votes separated the party from forming government.
Leaders
- Robert Connell (1933–1936)1
- Harold Winch (1939–1953)
- Arnold WebsterArnold WebsterArnold Alexander Webster was a Canadian politician and served as Leader of the Opposition and leader of the BC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation . He returned to politics as a Member of Parliament for the federal New Democratic Party in the 1960s.-Biography:Webster was born in Vancouver and...
(1953–1956) - Robert StrachanRobert StrachanRobert Martin Strachan was a trade unionist and politician. He was the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia history....
(1956 – April 12, 1969) - Thomas BergerThomas Berger (Canadian politician)Thomas Rodney Berger, OC, OBC is a Canadian politician and jurist of Swedish descent. Berger was the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party for most of 1969, prior to Dave Barrett.-Background:...
(April 12, 1969 – September 1969) - Dave BarrettDave BarrettDavid Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada...
(September 1969 – May 20, 1984) - Bob SkellyBob SkellyRobert Skelly is a former Canadian politician from British Columbia. He was born April 14, 1943 at New Westminster, British Columbia and worked as a teacher....
(May 20, 1984 – April 12, 1987) - Michael HarcourtMichael HarcourtMichael Franklin Harcourt served as the 30th Premier of the province of British Columbia in Canada from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of BC's major city, Vancouver from 1980 to 1986....
(April 12, 1987 – February 18, 1996) - Glen ClarkGlen ClarkGlen David Clark is a politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.-Early life and education:...
(February 18, 1996 – August 25, 1999) - Dan MillerDan MillerDan Miller may refer to:* Dan Miller , Middleweight fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship* Dan Miller , former Premier of British Columbia* Dan Miller , former member of the U.S...
(August 25, 1999 – February 20, 2000) acting - Ujjal DosanjhUjjal DosanjhUjjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost...
(February 20, 2000 – June 16, 2001) - Joy MacPhailJoy MacPhailJoy MacPhail is a former Canadian politician in British Columbia. A longtime member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party, she served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 2005 and as a Minister of the Crown from 1993-1999, and 2000-2001.MacPhail was born in Hamilton,...
(June 16, 2001 – November 23, 2003) interim - Carole JamesCarole JamesCarole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party...
(November 23, 2003 – January 20, 2011) - Dawn BlackDawn BlackDawn Black is a politician in British Columbia, Canada.Born Dawn Whitty, Black became involved in politics from a young age, she became an assistant to New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Pauline Jewett.-Member of Parliament:...
(January 20, 2011 – April 17, 2011) interim - Adrian DixAdrian DixAdrian Dix is a Canadian politician, currently serving as MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway in British Columbia and as leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2005 election.-Aide to Glen Clark:...
(April 17, 2011 – present)
1 In 1936, Connell was expelled and three other MLAs resigned from the CCF. They formed the Social Constructive Party
British Columbia Social Constructive Party
The British Columbia Social Constructive Party was formed in 1936 by a breakaway from the British Columbia Co-operative Commonwealth Federation after Reverend Robert Connell was expelled from the party over doctrinal differences. Connell had been leader of the CCF until his expulsion...
.
For further information, see British Columbia New Democratic Party Leadership Conventions
British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership conventions
This page covers the results of leadership elections in the British Columbia New Democratic Party .-Early developments:...
.
Election results
| Election | Party leader | # of candidates | Seats | Popular vote | Final round | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous | After | % Change | # | % | Change | (1952-53 only) | |||||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | |||||||||||
| 1933 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... |
Robert Connell | 46 | n.a. | 7 | n.a. | 120,185 | 31.53% | n.a. | |||
| 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... |
46 | 7 | 7 | - | 119,400 | 28.57% | −2.96% | ||||
| 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... |
Harold Winch | 45 | 7 | 14 | +100% | 151,440 | 33.36% | +4.79% | |||
| 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... |
Harold Winch | 48 | 14 | 10 | −28.6% | 175,960 | 37.62% | +4.26% | |||
| 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... |
Harold Winch | 48 | 10 | 7 | -30.0% | 245,284 | 35.10% | −2.52% | Votes | % | |
| 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... |
Harold Winch | 48 | 7 | 18 | +157.1% | 236,562 | 30.78% | −4.32% | 231,756 | 34.3% | |
| 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... |
Arnold Webster Arnold Webster Arnold Alexander Webster was a Canadian politician and served as Leader of the Opposition and leader of the BC Co-operative Commonwealth Federation . He returned to politics as a Member of Parliament for the federal New Democratic Party in the 1960s.-Biography:Webster was born in Vancouver and... |
47 | 18 | 14 | −22.2% | 224,513 | 30.85% | +0.07% | 194,414 | 29.48% | |
| 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... |
Robert Strachan Robert Strachan Robert Martin Strachan was a trade unionist and politician. He was the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia history.... |
51 | 14 | 10 | −28.6% | 231,511 | 28.32% | −2.53% | |||
| 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... |
Robert Strachan Robert Strachan Robert Martin Strachan was a trade unionist and politician. He was the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia history.... |
52 | 10 | 16 | +60.0% | 326,094 | 32.73% | +4.41% | |||
| New Democratic Party | |||||||||||
| 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... |
Robert Strachan Robert Strachan Robert Martin Strachan was a trade unionist and politician. He was the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia history.... |
52 | 16 | 14 | −12.5% | 269,004 | 27.80% | -4.93% | |||
| 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... |
Robert Strachan Robert Strachan Robert Martin Strachan was a trade unionist and politician. He was the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia history.... |
55 | 14 | 16 | +14.3% | 252,753 | 33.62% | +5.82% | |||
| 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... |
Thomas Berger Thomas Berger (Canadian politician) Thomas Rodney Berger, OC, OBC is a Canadian politician and jurist of Swedish descent. Berger was the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party for most of 1969, prior to Dave Barrett.-Background:... |
55 | 16 | 12 | −25.0% | 331,813 | 33.92% | +0.30% | |||
| 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... |
David Barrett Dave Barrett David Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada... |
55 | 12 | 38 | +217% | 448,260 | 39.59% | +5.67% | |||
| 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... |
David Barrett Dave Barrett David Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada... |
55 | 38 | 18 | −52.6% | 505,396 | 39.16% | −0.43% | |||
| 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... |
David Barrett Dave Barrett David Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada... |
57 | 18 | 26 | 44.4% | 646,188 | 45.99% | +6.83% | |||
| 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... |
David Barrett Dave Barrett David Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada... |
57 | 26 | 22 | -15.4% | 741,354 | 44.94% | -1.05% | |||
| 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... |
Robert Skelly | 69 | 22 | 22 | - | 824,544 | 42.60% | −2.34% | |||
| 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... |
Michael Harcourt Michael Harcourt Michael Franklin Harcourt served as the 30th Premier of the province of British Columbia in Canada from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of BC's major city, Vancouver from 1980 to 1986.... |
75 | 22 | 51 | +131.8% | 595,391 | 40.71% | −1.89% | |||
| 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... |
Glen Clark Glen Clark Glen David Clark is a politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.-Early life and education:... |
75 | 51 | 39 | −23.53% | 624,395 | 39.45% | −1.26% | |||
| 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... |
Ujjal Dosanjh Ujjal Dosanjh Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost... |
79 | 39 | 2 | −94.9% | 343,156 | 21.56% | −17.89% | |||
| 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... |
Carole James Carole James Carole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party... |
79 | 2 | 33 | +1,550% | 694,978 | 41.43% | +19.87% | |||
| 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... |
Carole James Carole James Carole Alison James, MLA is a Canadian politician and former public administrator. She is the former Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia and former leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party , a social democratic political party... |
85 | 33 | 35 | +6.06% | 691,342 | 42.14% | +0.71% | |||
See also
- List of articles about British Columbia CCF/NDP members
- British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership conventionsBritish Columbia New Democratic Party leadership conventionsThis page covers the results of leadership elections in the British Columbia New Democratic Party .-Early developments:...
- List of premiers of British Columbia
- List of British Columbia general elections
- List of political parties in British Columbia