The 1960s | BC NDP History

Nanaimo & Newcastle

1890

Two miners’ union-backed Labour MLAs were elected in Nanaimo in 1890 and the first declared socialists were elected in British Columbia in 1903. James Hawthornthwaite won in Nanaimo City, and Parker Williams was elected in nearby Newcastle. They were joined by a Labour MLA from Slocan, William Davidson. Try as they might, from then until 1932 there were never more than three socialists elected at once to the BC Legislature. Similar results across the country led to a decision by the many small democratic socialist, social democratic and labour parties to unite in one national movement. In the depths of the great economic depression that began with the stock market crash in 1929, delegates met in Calgary in 1932 and founded a new movement, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation(CCF). The following year, the subsequent convention in Regina adopted a radical program that came to be known as the Regina Manifesto. It promised that no CCF government would rest until capitalism had been replaced with a co-operative commonwealth where everyone had a share in the good life, and goods and services would be produced on the basis of need, rather than profit.

CCF founded in BC

1932

In British Columbia, a provincial section of the CCF was also founded in 1932, and faced its first electoral test the following year. In 1933 the BC CCF elected 7 MLAs and became the Official Opposition. But disagreements over the best course for achieving progress, led almost immediately to a split in the party. Those who followed a cautious social gospel approach were outnumbered by those who emphasized a more socialist, class approach to politics. The split cost the CCF the role of Opposition in 1937, but in 1941 they once again became the Official Opposition. For the next 20 years the CCF would be a powerful voice for both democratic socialist ideals and practical ideas like Medicare.

1952: Missed it by that much!

1952

In the 1952 provincial election the CCF actually won the most votes of any party – 34% and 18 seats. But in a surprising turn of events, the second choice of many non-CCF voters was a new party, a populist conservative movement, Social Credit. In the final count in 1952, Social Credit won fewer votes, but one more seat than the CCF. W.A.C. Bennett became Premier, leading a minority government. It was a bitter disappointment for the CCF and their leader Harold Winch, the long-serving CCF MLA from Vancouver East. Winch resigned. Social Credit quickly abolished the transferable ballot voting system and returned to the first-past-the-post system we have in BC today. In the 1953 provincial election Social Credit secured a majority and was re-elected in every BC election until 1972.

A new (democratic) party is founded

1961

It was clear the CCF was stalled everywhere except in the province of Saskatchewan. Something had to change for social democrats in BC and across Canada. In 1958, the Canadian Labour Congress representing Canada’s unions, invited the CCF to join with them to found a new party. For three years, across the country, the idea was debated, policy discussions were held, and New Party clubs were formed. In July, 1961, delegates from the unions, the CCF, and New Party clubs met in Ottawa to found a new party: the New Democratic Party. The aim was to build a movement more broadly-based than the CCF, reaching out to ordinary Canadians and electing governments that would put people first, rather than the powerful and privileged. To be clear, this was not a name change for CCF, it was a new partnership and a new party built on 30 years of work by thousands of CCFers.

The foundational roots of the BC NDP

1961

Bob Strachan, a Carpenters’ Union leader and MLA for Cowichan-Newcastle, was the unanimous choice to lead the BC NDP. While some criticized the NDP for abandoning the CCF’s call to replace capitalism with a more humanitarian democratic socialist society, the party leaders didn’t hesitate to campaign proudly and call themselves socialists. And while that terminology has mostly fallen away, even today the constitution of the BC NDP offers a clear commitment to making life better for everyone through “the application of democratic socialist principles to government and the administration of public affairs.”

A decade of big ideas

1962

In British Columbia NDP campaigns in the 1960s were low-budget affairs focused on creating Medicare for all, more funding for universities and schools, a better return to the province from BC’s resources, low-cost publicly-owned car insurance and job creation across the province through a BC Development Corporation that would work with the private sector.

Change in the air

1969

The issues were strong, but the party failed to do better than the CCF had done before it. Bob Strachan served as NDP leader in the 1963 and 1966 elections, but Social Credit was returned with strong majorities. That led to a challenge of his leadership by young labour lawyer and Vancouver-Burrard MLA Tom Berger, in 1967. Strachan was re-elected leader, but decided to step down two years later. In 1969, at the party’s leadership convention, Tom Berger won narrowly on the second ballot over Coquitlam MLA Dave Barrett. It was, frankly, a bitterly fought contest between the supporters of Berger, who favoured a more modern image of a party ready to govern, and the supporters of Barrett, who championed the fire-in-your belly passion of the CCF. Berger won the leadership, but there was no honeymoon.

The 1969 election

1969

Berger was quickly labelled an extreme socialist by WAC Bennett and his Social Credit opponents when he stood by the party’s policy to nationalize the BC Telephone Company. Social Credit was relentless, labelling Berger a pro-union, godless Marxist. Berger declined to respond in kind, believing the public disliked negative politics. He was wrong. The 1969 election was a disaster for the NDP. The party won only 12 seats – its worst showing since it was founded – and Berger lost his own seat.

Up to and in the 1960s