British Columbia New Democratic Party

The British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP; French Nouveau Parti de la Colombie - Britannique démocratique ) is a social democratic political party in Burnaby, Canadian province of British Columbia. In contrast to most other Canadian parties, the British Columbia New Democratic Party is an integral part of the parent party at the federal level, the New Democratic Party. This means that members of the provincial party automatically becomes a member also of the federal party, which usually is not the case in the political system of Canada. Since the elections on May 12, 2009, the NDP 36 of 85 deputies in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

History

The party was founded in 1933 as a section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF ). The CCF won in the elections in the same year seven seats and was thus at once the second largest party. 1935 came the merger of the Socialist Party of Canada. 1936, the Christian Social Party leader Robert Connell was excluded because of political differences. Together with three other MPs, he founded the Social Constructive Party, however, soon disappeared from the scene.

In order to prevent the CCF could win with their increasing share of the vote the majority of seats, formed the British Columbia Liberal Party and the British Columbia Conservative Party from 1941 a coalition government. This coalition had stock for ten years and kept the CCF successfully by the government away.

After the breakup of the coalition government in 1951, the instant runoff voting resulted as an electoral system, in the expectation that Conservative voters would give the Liberals as a second preference, and vice versa. So a victory for the CCF should be prevented. But neither the government nor the parties CCF won the elections, but the British Columbia Social Credit Party, which was to dominate the provincial politics during the next 40 years. The long-serving Prime Minister WAC Bennett described the CCF as the " red menace " and their members even as a "socialist hordes ".

1960 changed its name to the CCF first New Party, New Democratic Party in 1961, finally, after the Federal Party had formed an alliance with the Canadian Labour Congress. In the elections of 1972, the NDP won a majority of seats and David Barrett was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of British Columbia. 1975 Barrett lost early elections against Bill Bennett, the son of WAC Bennett. In 1979, the NDP with 45.99 %, the highest share of the vote of the party's history, but this just was not enough for the majority of the seats.

Michael Harcourt moved the party from 1987 closer to the center of the political spectrum. 1991 could form the government again in the opposition, the NDP after twelve years. In 1996, Prime Minister Harcourt responsibility for the "Bingo gate " affair and resigned, although he was not involved in this scandal, in which a member of the party had let flow the income of a charity bingo in the party coffers. Glen Clark led the party to victory again in 1996. But Clark was involved in a scandal and resigned in 1999.

Clark's successor, Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh could not halt the decline of the NDP. The party suffered in the 2001 elections a heavy defeat against the Liberals and lost 37 of their 39 seats. 2003 Carole James was elected as the new party chairman. Under her leadership, the NDP could make up for the losses in the 2005 elections almost regained the desired victory succeeded four years later not.

Election results

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

British Columbia New Democratic Party

Party chairman

P = Prime Minister

  • Robert Connell (1933 - 1936)
  • Harold Winch (1938 - 1953)
  • Arnold Webster (1953 - 1956)
  • Robert Strachan ( 1956 - April 12, 1969 )
  • Thomas Berger (12 April 1969 - September 1969 )
  • David Barrett ( September 1969 - May 20 1984) P
  • Bob Skelly (May 20, 1984 - April 12, 1987 )
  • Michael Harcourt (April 12, 1987 - February 18, 1996 ) P
  • Glen Clark (18 February 1996 - August 1999), P
  • Dan Miller ( August 1999 - February 20, 2000 ) P
  • Ujjal Dosanjh ( February 20, 2000 - June 16, 2001 ) P
  • Joy MacPhail (June 16, 2001 - November 23, 2003, on an interim basis )
  • Carole James ( since 23 November 2003)
New Democratic Party (Canada) Mike Harcourt Dan Miller (Canadian politician) List of political parties in Canada
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