The BC NDP in the 1980s

By 1983 unemployment had become the most important issue on voters’ minds.  The NDP decided to run on its jobs plan “Let’s Get to Work”.  Social Credit had been following the restraint policies popular with Margaret Thatcher and other conservative parties around the world, holding down wages and cutting services. Barrett rightly said, from an NDP perspective, that if he was elected ‘restraint is gone’.  He meant the program, not all restraint on everything, but Social Credit had a field day and the clip was repeated endlessly on TV news.  Most observers say the statement likely cost the NDP the election.  Tied in the polls going into the campaign, Social Credit once again eked out a win.

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 those closest to Dave Barrett, while a newcomer David Vickers had the backing of those associated with Tom Berger whose legacy was represented by MLA Dennis Cocke and former party secretary and president Yvonne Cocke. However, in a surprising upset, neither of these two front-runners was successful. In a classic come-from-behind success story, Bob Skelly, the MLA from Alberni, overtook David Vickers on the final ballot.

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 programs, and even firing the province’s Human Rights Commission.  The union movement responded with Operation Solidarity, to defend workers’ rights, and launched something new – the Solidarity Coalition – bringing community activists and unionists together to resist the Social Credit social policy cuts.  While some of the unions went on strike, huge protests were held around the province.  The BC Teachers Federation and the BC Government Employees’ Union were largely successful in forcing the government to back off the attack on unions, but the community sector did not have the same success.  Still, the Socred programs proved so unpopular that Premier Bill Bennett decided not to run for re-election.  His successor was the charismatic populist Bill Vander Zalm.

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 support for the new Socred leader proved too much.  The  1986 election brought a change in electoral districting with 12 new seats added. As it happened, the Socreds won 12 additional seats for a total of 47 while the NDP stayed steady with 22 seats. Combined, the two parties took 92% of the vote.