by romarco1 | Apr 22, 1989 | Timeline:1980s
What followed was an unprecedented string of six NDP byelection victories. First up, Bill Barlee won the Boundary-Similkameen seat for the NDP in June 1988 by-election. Then Gerard Janssen won in Alberni, in the seat previously held by Bob Skelly. In March 1989, Jan...
by romarco1 | Dec 22, 1987 | Timeline:1980s
You needed a program to keep track of which ministers came and – more importantly – were forced to resign during the Vander Zalm years. Most of them over conflict-of-interest concerns. Stephen Rogers, Jack Kempf, Stan Hagen, Cliff Michael, Brian Smith and...
by romarco1 | Apr 22, 1987 | Timeline:1980s
The NDP needed a new approach. Bob Skelly stepped down as leader and Mike Harcourt, the highly successful former Mayor of Vancouver and newly-elected MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, was the unanimous choice to lead the party. To run the NDP’s next campaign the party...
by romarco1 | Aug 19, 1986 | Timeline:1980s
The NDP wasn’t the only party with a change in leadership. After Social Credit was re-elected in 1983, the government launched an unexpected, drastic new program of “restraint” attacking the union rights of teachers and public sector workers, cutting many social...
by romarco1 | Apr 19, 1986 | Timeline:1980s
Vandermania did its job. In the 1986 election Bob Skelly faced Bill Vander Zalm. After stumbling in a news conference at the opening of the campaign, Skelly fought a good campaign. NDP ads attacking the Social Credit agenda helped regain lost ground, but the swell of...
by romarco1 | Apr 19, 1984 | Timeline:1980s
So, in 1984 an era ended when Dave Barrett stepped down a provincial leader. He went on in 1988 to serve as MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. The BC party hosted a lively 6-way leadership contest for his replacement. Bill King, the former labour minister represented...
