1956 British Columbia general election
The 1956 British Columbia general election 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 for the first time on February 7, 1957.
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52 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 27 seats were needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The conservative Social Credit of Premier W.A.C. Bennett was re-elected with a majority in the legislature to a third term in government with over 45% of the popular vote.
The social democratic CCF formed the official opposition.
The British Columbia Liberal Party lost two of its four seats despite winning over 20% of the popular vote.
The Progressive Conservative Party lost its single seat in the legislature, and would not win a seat again until the 1972 election.
One seat was won by a Labour candidate, Tom Uphill of Fernie.
Changes to election laws
In 1953, as part of a revision to the Provincial Elections Act, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 19.[1] As well, the instant runoff voting system that was in effect for the 1952 and 1953 elections was abolished and the previous first past the post rules were revived.
In 1955, a further Act was passed that increased the Legislative from 48 members to 52 through the following changes:[2]
- Peace River was split into North Peace River and South Peace River
- Burnaby, Delta and North Vancouver became multi-member districts, each now returning two members.
Results
| Political party | Party leader | MLAs | Votes[a 1] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | 1953 | 1956 | ± | # | ± | % | ± (pp) | |||
| Social Credit | W.A.C. Bennett | 52 | 28 | 39 | 11 | 374,711 | 99,940 | 45.84 | 8.09 | |
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Bob Strachan | 51 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 231,511 | 6,998 | 28.32 | 2.53 | |
| Liberal | Arthur Laing | 52 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 177,922 | 6,161 | 21.77 | 1.82 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Deane Finlayson | 22 | 1 | – | 1 | 25,373 | 15,407 | 3.11 | 2.49 | |
| Labour | Tom Uphill | 1 | 1 | 1 |  | 1,321 | 280 | 0.16 | 0.06 | |
| Labour Progressive | 14 | – | – | – | 3,381 | 4,115 | 0.41 | 0.62 | ||
| Independent | 7 | – | – | – | 3,178 | 1,207 | 0.39 | 0.12 | ||
| Total | 199 | 48 | 52 | 817,397 | 100.00% | |||||
| Rejected ballots[4] | 6,642 | 37,124 |
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| Actual voters who voted[4] | 509,409 | 12,643 |
65.43% | 5.12 | ||||||
| Registered voters[4] | 778,587 | 38,581 |
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- Measured against 1953 first-preference votes.
| Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| █ Social Credit | 39 / 52 |
45.84% |
8.09 | ||
| █ Co-operative Commonwealth | 10 / 52 |
28.52% |
-2.53 | ||
| █ Liberal | 2 / 52 |
21.77% |
-1.82 | ||
| █ Progressive Conservative | 0 / 52 |
3.11% |
-2.49 | ||
| █ Other | 1 / 52 |
0.76% |
-1.25 | ||
MLAs elected
Alberni: Stanley John Squire
Atlin: William James Asselstine
Cariboo: Ralph Chetwynd
Chilliwack: William Kenneth Kiernan
Columbia: Richard Orr Newton
Comox: Daniel Campbell
Cowichan-Newcastle: Robert Strachan
Cranbrook: Leo Nimsick
Dewdney: Lyle Wicks
Esquimalt: Herbert Joseph Bruch
Fernie: Thomas Aubert Uphill
Fort George: Ray Gillis Williston
Grand Forks-Greenwood: Lois Haggen
Kaslo-Slocan: Randolph Harding
Lillooet: Don Robinson |
Mackenzie: Anthony Gargrave
Nelson-Creston: Wesley Drewett Black
North Okanagan: Lorne Shantz
North Peace River: Harold Earl Roche
Oak Bay: Philip Archibald Gibbs
Omineca: Cyril Morley Shelford
Prince Rupert: William Harvey Murray
Revelstoke: Arvid Lundell
Rossland-Trail: Robert Sommers
Saanich: John Douglas Tisdalle
Salmon Arm: James Allan Reid
Similkameen: Frank Richter, Jr.
Skeena: Hugh Shirreff
South Peace River: Stanley Carnell
Yale: Irvine Finlay Corbett |
Burnaby: Gordon Dowding
Delta: Thomas Irwin
Delta: Nehemiah George Massey
North Vancouver: John Melvin Bryan Sr.
North Vancouver: Newton Phillips Steacy
Vancouver-Burrard: Eric Charles Fitzgerald Martin
Vancouver-Burrard: Bert Price
Vancouver Centre: Alexander Small Matthew
Vancouver Centre: Leslie Peterson
Victoria City: William Chant
Victoria City: John Donald Smith
Victoria City: George Frederick Thompson Gregory
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- Died before the opening of the new Legislative Assembly. His son-in-law Cedric Cox won the subsequent byelection.
Synopsis of results
| Riding | Winning party | Votes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | 1953 | Party | Votes | Share | Margin # |
Margin % |
SC | CCF | Lib | PC | LPP | Ind | Total | ||
| Alberni | CCF | CCF | 3,362 | 50.60% | 1,468 | 22.09% | 1,894 | 3,362 | 1,388 | – | – | – | 6,644 | ||
| Atlin | CCF | SC | 454 | 48.04% | 94 | 9.94% | 454 | 360 | 131 | – | – | – | 945 | ||
| Cariboo | SC | SC | 3,014 | 60.86% | 1,873 | 37.82% | 3,014 | 797 | 1,141 | – | – | – | 4,952 | ||
| Chilliwack | SC | SC | 9,008 | 57.10% | 5,890 | 37.34% | 9,008 | 2,992 | 3,118 | 658 | – | – | 15,776 | ||
| Columbia | SC | SC | 1,074 | 54.41% | 422 | 21.38% | 1,074 | 248 | 652 | – | – | – | 1,974 | ||
| Comox | CCF | SC | 4,916 | 41.63% | 361 | 3.06% | 4,916 | 4,555 | 2,339 | – | – | – | 11,810 | ||
| Cowichan-Newcastle | CCF | CCF | 5,015 | 51.18% | 1,842 | 18.80% | 3,173 | 5,015 | 1,611 | – | – | – | 9,799 | ||
| Cranbrook | CCF | CCF | 3,321 | 53.26% | 1,309 | 20.99% | 2,012 | 3,321 | 902 | – | – | – | 6,235 | ||
| Dewdney | SC | SC | 10,267 | 47.49% | 3,056 | 14.14% | 10,267 | 7,211 | 4,141 | – | – | – | 21,619 | ||
| Esquimalt | SC | SC | 3,530 | 43.70% | 1,517 | 18.78% | 3,530 | 2,013 | 1,714 | 821 | – | – | 8,078 | ||
| Fernie | Lab | Lab | 1,321 | 42.43% | 140 | 4.49% | 1,181 | – | 611 | – | – | 1,321 | 3,113 | ||
| Fort George | SC | SC | 3,774 | 58.48% | 2,398 | 37.16% | 3,774 | 1,304 | 1,376 | – | – | – | 6,454 | ||
| Grand Forks-Greenwood | CCF | CCF | 877 | 42.57% | 11 | 0.53% | 866 | 877[a 1] | 317 | – | – | – | 2,060 | ||
| Kamloops | SC | SC | 4,948 | 61.02% | 2,931 | 36.15% | 4,948 | 1,144 | 2,017 | – | – | – | 8,109 | ||
| Kaslo-Slocan | CCF | CCF | 1,512 | 54.31% | 537 | 19.29% | 975 | 1,512 | 297 | – | – | – | 2,784 | ||
| Lillooet | Lib | SC | 2,055 | 52.41% | 1,096 | 27.95% | 2,055 | 907 | 959 | – | – | – | 3,921 | ||
| Mackenzie | CCF | CCF | 4,502 | 48.41% | 1,256 | 13.50% | 3,246 | 4,502 | 1,362 | 189 | – | – | 9,299 | ||
| Nanaimo and the Islands | PC | SC | 3,827 | 45.52% | 864 | 12.60% | 3,827 | 2,963 | 2,142 | – | – | 69 | 9,001 | ||
| Nelson-Creston | SC | SC | 4,190 | 51.02% | 1,859 | 22.64% | 4,190 | 2,331 | 1,622 | – | 70 | – | 8,213 | ||
| New Westminster | CCF | CCF | 4,469 | 38.83% | 293 | 2.55% | 4,176 | 4,469 | 2,220 | – | – | 645 | 11,510 | ||
| North Okanagan | SC | SC | 4,583 | 54.74% | 2,311 | 27.60% | 4,583 | 1,429 | 2,272 | – | 88 | – | 8,372 | ||
| North Peace River | New | SC | 1,087 | 53.23% | 664 | 32.52% | 1,087 | 359 | 423 | – | – | 173[a 2] | 2,042 | ||
| Oak Bay | Lib | Lib | 3,940 | 49.38% | 1,249 | 15.65% | 2,691 | 429 | 3,940 | 919 | – | – | 7,979 | ||
| Omineca | SC | SC | 1,685 | 54.06% | 838 | 26.89% | 1,685 | 585 | 847 | – | – | – | 3,117 | ||
| Prince Rupert | Lib | SC | 2,151 | 42.39% | 487 | 9.60% | 2,151 | 1,259 | 1,664 | – | – | – | 5,074 | ||
| Revelstoke | CCF | SC | 1,339 | 49.81% | 354 | 13.17% | 1,339 | 985 | 364 | – | – | – | 2,688 | ||
| Rossland-Trail | SC | SC | 5,097 | 50.23% | 2,258 | 22.25% | 5,097 | 2,839 | 1,960 | 252 | – | – | 10,148 | ||
| Saanich | SC | SC | 6,542 | 39.45% | 1,103 | 6.65% | 6,542 | 5,439 | 3,344 | 1,257 | – | – | 16,582 | ||
| Salmon Arm | SC | SC | 2,131 | 51.24% | 677 | 16.28% | 2,131 | 1,454 | 339 | 487 | – | – | 4,159 | ||
| Similkameen | SC | SC | 5,189 | 53.94% | 2,989 | 31.07% | 5,189 | 2,200 | 1,744 | 487 | – | – | 9,620 | ||
| Skeena | CCF | SC | 1,886 | 37.01% | 63 | 1.24% | 1,886 | 1,823 | 1,387 | – | – | – | 5,096 | ||
| South Okanagan | SC | SC | 7,694 | 69.70% | 6,031 | 54.63% | 7,694 | 1,663 | 1,230 | 451 | – | – | 11,038 | ||
| South Peace River | New | SC | 1,787 | 50.80% | 512 | 14.56% | 1,787 | 1,275 | 456 | – | – | – | 3,518 | ||
| Yale | SC | SC | 1,315 | 47.34% | 612 | 22.03% | 1,315 | 599 | 703 | 161 | – | – | 2,778 | ||
- Lois Haggen accepted the nomination after her husband Rupert Haggen chose to retire because of health problems.
- Campaigned as People's Party of BC.
- = open seat
- = turnout is above provincial average
- = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
- = incumbent had switched allegiance
- = previously incumbent in another riding
- = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
- = incumbency arose from byelection gain
- = other incumbents renominated
- = campaigned as Independent SC
- = multiple candidates
| Riding | Winning party | Votes | Voters who voted[6] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | MLAs | 1953 | 1956 | SC | CCF | Lib | PC | LPP | Ind | Total | |
| Burnaby | 2 | 1 | 2 |
12,103 | 15,304 | 3,972 | 513 | – | – | 60,540 | 31,243 |
| 11,583 | 12,692 | 3,895 | 478 | – | – | ||||||
| Delta | 2 | 1 | 2 |
18,848 | 11,202 | 5,149 | – | 355 | – | 69,066 | 35,578 |
| 17,762 | 10,798 | 4,680 | – | 272 | – | ||||||
| North Vancouver | 2 | 1 | 2 |
11,974 | 4,718 | 8,425 | 5,121 | 211 | 902[a 1] | 53,719 | 28,602 |
| 11,298 | 4,266 | 6,386 | – | 191 | 227 | ||||||
| Vancouver-Burrard | 2 | 2 | 2 |
12,824 | 7,826 | 4,972 | 1,095 | 260 | 203 | 52,369 | 27,798 |
| 12,180 | 7,322 | 4,424 | 1,006 | 257 | – | ||||||
| Vancouver Centre | 2 | 2 | 2 |
9,112 | 4,561 | 3,996 | 969 | 485 | – | 36,302 | 19,128 |
| 8,614 | 4,393 | 3,727 | – | 445 | – | ||||||
| Vancouver East | 2 | 2 | 1 1 |
18,640 | 19,774 | 4,229 | 720 | – | – | 84,422 | 44,795 |
| 17,821 | 18,541 | 4,156 | 541 | – | – | ||||||
| Vancouver-Point Grey | 3 | 2 1 | 3 |
25,615 | 11,365 | 17,801 | 3,324 | 318 | 959 | 155,953 | 53,152 |
| 23,696 | 8,435 | 15,599 | 2,878 | – | – | ||||||
| 23,238 | 7,979 | 12,924 | 1,822 | – | – | ||||||
| Victoria City | 3 | 3 | 2 1 |
9,199 | 3,432 | 8,408[a 2] | 1,476 | 162 | – | 60,519 | 21,474 |
| 8,620 | 3,417 | 7,241 | – | 143 | – | ||||||
| 7,827 | 3,265 | 7,205 | – | 124 | – | ||||||
- George Henry Tomlinson Jr., a Socred MLA in the previous Legislature.
- George Frederick Thompson Gregory (Liberal)won the seat in a 1953 byelection, taking it from the Socreds.
Bold indicates incumbent in last Legislature.
- = winning candidate
Further reading
- Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.
References
- Provincial Elections Act, 1953, S.B.C. 1953 (2nd session), c. 5, s. 3
- Constitution Act Amendment Act, 1955, S.B.C. 1955, c. 11
- Elections BC 1988, pp. 243, 265.
- Elections BC 1988, pp. 2–3.
- Elections BC 1988, pp. 267–271.
- Elections BC 1988, p. 536.
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