1952 British Columbia general election

Last updated

1952 British Columbia general election
Flag of British Columbia.svg
  1949 June 12, 1952 1953  

48 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
25 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  WAC Bennett - 1942.jpg
CCF
Leader W. A. C. Bennett [lower-alpha 1] Harold Winch
Party Social Credit Co-operative Commonwealth
Leader since19521938
Leader's seat South Okanagan Vancouver East
Last election07
Seats won1918
Seat changeIncrease2.svg19Increase2.svg11
First count209,049236,562
  Percentage27.20%30.78%
  SwingIncrease2.svg25.99pp Decrease2.svg4.32pp
Final count203,932231,756
  Percentage30.18%34.3%

 Third partyFourth party
  Byron Johnson.jpg
PC
Leader Boss Johnson Herbert Anscomb
Party Liberal Progressive Conservative
Leader since19471946
Leader's seat New Westminster (lost re-election) Oak Bay (lost re-election)
Last election39 [1] 39 [1]
Seats won64
Seat changen/a [1] n/a [1]
First count180,289129,439
  Percentage23.46%16.84%
  Swingn/a [1] n/a [1]
Final count170,67465,285
  Percentage25.26%9.66%

Premier before election

Byron Ingemar Johnson
Coalition

Premier after election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

The 1952 British Columbia general election was the 23rd general election in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, alongside a plebiscite on daylight saving time and liquor. The election was called on April 10, 1952, and held on June 12, 1952. The new legislature met for the first time on February 3, 1953.

Contents

In 1951, the Legislative Assembly passed an act that allowed the use of preferential ballots in the next election. [2] The voting system used was instant-runoff voting (IRV). The presence of multi-member districts, such as Victoria City with 3 MLAs, was handled by an innovation where the district's candidates were split into three "ballots", each with no more than one candidate from each party, with the member in each being elected by IRV. [3]

Due to the preferential ballot, the election resulted in a surprise victory for the new Social Credit Party. Not even the Socreds had expected to win the election; the party had no official leader, and was nominally lead through the election by Ernest George Hansell, an Alberta MP who did not contest a seat himself. The newly elected caucus selected W. A. C. Bennett, a former Conservative MLA, to be their leader and premier-designate.

This began what would be 20 years of uninterrupted Social Credit rule in British Columbia. This would also be the last election to produce a minority government until the 2017 election.

Background

The government until not long before the election had been a LiberalProgressive Conservative coalition (the Conservatives had recently changed their name to match that of the federal party). After the coalition had collapsed, the Liberals felt threatened by the rising popularity of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. To lock out the CCF, the government adopted the alternative voting system instead of leaving the existing system in place or switching to the single transferable vote system. While they ran candidates separately under their own names, Liberal and Conservative party leaders believed that if Liberal voters picked the local Tory candidate as their second preference and vice versa, one of the candidates of the two parties would have enough votes to be elected in many districts, hopefully ensuring the coalition's retention of power.

Campaign

However, the Liberal and PC leaders had not reckoned on being so unpopular with the province's voters. The combined Liberal and PC vote total was 120,000 fewer votes than in the previous election, while the Social Credit party received almost 200,000 more votes than in 1949. The combined Liberal and Conservative vote totals surpassed 50 percent in only eight seat contests, so even if the party voters had adhered to coalition discipline, the coalition did not have enough votes to be elected in most of the districts. They received only a comparative few votes through vote transfers from CCF and SC candidates, whose supporters aided each other where possible. [4]

In districts where CCF candidates were eliminated, back-up preferences were marked overwhelmingly for the British Columbia Social Credit League (BCSCL). Combined with many second-preference votes transferred from eliminated Liberal and Conservative candidates, this gave the Social Credit party five seats in addition to the 14 seats where its candidates had a plurality in the first counts. In the end, the Social Credit party captured 19 seats. The CCF received 18 seats, helped in many cases by transfers from eliminated SC candidates. The coalition was almost wiped out, winning only 10 seats between both parties. Both Premier Byron "Boss" Johnson and Tory leader Herbert Anscomb lost their seats.

Not even the Socreds had expected to win the election. The party had no official leader. Alberta Social Credit Member of Parliament Ernest George Hansell had led the party during the election campaign without contesting a seat himself. The Socreds persuaded Tom Uphill, a Labour member of the Legislature (MLA), to support the party, and so the Socreds were able to form a minority government. (Otherwise, having to provide the Speaker meant that the SC seat total would have been reduced to only the same as the CCF's seat count.)

Aftermath

The party's next task was to choose the province's new premier. In a vote of the newly elected caucus, W. A. C. Bennett, a former Conservative MLA who joined the Socreds after losing a bid for the Tory leadership, won a caucus vote and became premier-designate on July 15, 1952. This began what would be 20 years of uninterrupted Social Credit rule in British Columbia. The party held power for 36 of the following 39 years. It would also be the last British Columbia election to produce a minority government until the 2017 election.

In hopes of getting a stronger mandate, Bennett deliberately lost a confidence vote in 1953. This forced an election in June 1953 in which Social Credit won a majority of the seats.

Results

Elections to the 23rd Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1952) [5]
PartyLeaderCandidatesFirst-preference votesSeats
Votes± % Fpv± 1949 1952±
Co-operative Commonwealth Harold Winch 48236,5628,722Decrease2.svg30.784.32Decrease2.svg7
18 / 48
18Increase2.svg
Social Credit League W. A. C. Bennett 47209,049194,723Increase2.svg27.2025.15Increase2.svg
19 / 48
19Increase2.svg
Liberal Boss Johnson 48180,289120,045Decrease2.svg23.4621.05Decrease2.svg39
6 / 48
29Decrease2.svg
Progressive Conservative Herbert Anscomb 47129,43916.84
4 / 48
Labour Tom Uphill 11,290193Decrease2.svg0.160.05Decrease2.svg1
1 / 48
Steady2.svg
Independent 61,3123,851Decrease2.svg0.170.57Decrease2.svg1
0 / 48
1Decrease2.svg
Christian Democratic87,1767,176Increase2.svg0.93New
Labor-Progressive 52,514854Increase2.svg0.330.09Increase2.svg
  Labour Representation Committee 1654654Increase2.svg0.09New
Socialist 1276276Increase2.svg0.04Returned
Total212768,561100.00
Rejected ballots [6] 45,64935,758Increase2.svg
Actual voters who voted [6] 543,45665,457Increase2.svg68.53%5.11Decrease2.svg
Registered voters [6] 793,073144,054Increase2.svg

    MLAs elected


    Synopsis of results

    Results by riding 1952 British Columbia general election (all districts) [5]
    RidingFirst-preference votesFinal countsWinning party
    NameCCFSCLibPCLabIndOthTotal#CCFSCLibPCLab 1949 1952
     
    Alberni 3,0671,3662,1761,2041968,0094th4,0543,030IndCCF
    Atlin 5952921641,051Elected on 1st countCCFCCF
    Burnaby 12,9336,7503,8162,80766226,9683rd13,4167,7804,919CCFCCF
    Cariboo 6892,6841,0297755,177Elected on 1st countCoalSC
    Chilliwack 2,2428,5092,5432,09715,391Elected on 1st countCoalSC
    Columbia 3658416493602,2153rd1,174860CoalSC
    Comox 5,3692,9873,5321,86813,7563rd7,0985,210CoalCCF
    Cowichan-Newcastle 4,6361,8862,7111,46310,6963rd5,6974,064CoalCCF
    Cranbrook 2,6882,3281,1116756,8023rd3,2103,044CCFCCF
    Delta 10,85311,7594,2934,68831,5933rd13,29514,805CoalSC
    Dewdney 6,0247,6003,6312,23319,4883rd7,2489,813CoalSC
    Esquimalt 3,6071,606 [lower-alpha 2] 2,2941,5509,0573rd4,7413,597CoalCCF
    Fernie 6127131,1171,2903,7323rd1,3291,758LabLab
    Fort George 1,5932,0092,0223715,9953rd2,7602,468CoalSC
    Grand Forks-Greenwood 8262922527062,0763rd1,043922CCFCCF
    Kamloops 1,3113,1082,7089598,0863rd4,0023,366CoalSC
    Kaslo-Slocan 1,4115976175223,1473rd1,7921,000CCFCCF
    Lillooet 1,0744507251,301963,6464th1,4161,847CoalPC
    Mackenzie 4,2301,7953,7521,28511,0623rd5,3734,669CoalCCF
    Nanaimo and the Islands 3,7159512,2633,34620710,4824th4,5815,144CoalPC
    Nelson-Creston 2,4732,9752,5727748,7943rd4,2653,351CoalSC
    New Westminster 4,2623,6164,3172,16314,3583rd6,4755,768CoalCCF
    North Okanagan 1,7864,3472,1041,2409,4773rd5,4473,063CoalSC
    North Vancouver 6,2684,9476,6954,06121660422,7916th8,98010,292CoalLib
    Oak Bay 7071,0713,6312,8438,2523rd4,3083,282CoalLib
    Omineca 8381,1371,0995743,6483rd1,6071,437CoalSC
    Peace River 1,5712,1781,4252785,4523rd1,8652,942CoalSC
    Prince Rupert 2,2921,1042,0016876,0843rd2,9032,754CoalCCF
    Revelstoke 9425986365552,7313rd1,3201,015CoalCCF
    Rossland-Trail 2,5413,9793,3311,69011,5413rd5,9174,803CoalSC
    Saanich 5,8622,9474,9643,40717,1813rd7,8677,599CoalCCF
    Salmon Arm 1,2361,4626698964,2633rd1,6171,979CoalSC
    Similkameen 3,4333,3442,5451,40110,7233rd4,6684,712CoalSC
    Skeena 1,0485011,5005863,6353rd1,3181,865CoalLib
    South Okanagan 2,6546,0821,7631,37111,870Elected on 1st countCoalSC
    Yale 6591,0241,067338603,1484th1,3901,311CoalSC
    Vancouver-Burrard (A)10,0379,1666,1665,7655771,06432,7755th12,57813,222CoalSC
    Vancouver-Burrard (B)10,3979,0026,3585,6151,04632,4184th12,92013,166CoalSC
    Vancouver Centre (A)6,9124,6945,2344,1201,32122,2815th9,3637,956CoalCCF
    Vancouver Centre (B)7,3504,4975,3943,95196722,1595th9,8938,496CoalCCF
    Vancouver East (A)21,00611,5366,5742,8502,30444,2704th21,96012,4338,263CCFCCF
    Vancouver East (B)23,05111,2025,2863,0452,24944,833Elected on 1st countCCFCCF
    Vancouver-Point Grey (A)11,26713,77113,40614,04252,4953rd20,64522,549CoalPC
    Vancouver-Point Grey (B)11,36612,88212,82814,88651,9623rd18,60324,089CoalPC
    Vancouver-Point Grey (C)10,45119,23612,08710,35652,1303rd25,74918,078CoalSC
    Victoria City (A)6,0084,5188,8054,36213723,8304th8,42112,071CoalLib
    Victoria City (B)6,3294,3657,8424,60822623,3704th8,90211,057CoalLib
    Victoria City (C)5,9754,6378,4574,60123,6703rd8,51111,762CoalLib
      = Open seat
      = 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 by-election gain
      = Multiple candidates

    Analysis

    Parties ranked by preference [7]
    First preferenceFinal count
    Parties1st2nd3rd4th1st2nd3rd
      Co-operative Commonwealth 21121051814
      Social Credit 1411175195
      Liberal 9221436222
      Progressive Conservative 3373442
      Labour 11
    Party candidates in 2nd place (first preference) [7]
    Party in 1st placeParty in 2nd placeTotal
    SocredCCFLiberalPC
    Social Credit 5914
    Co-operative Commonwealth 712221
    Liberal 2619
    Progressive Conservative 213
    Labour 11
    Total111222348
    Party candidates in 2nd place (final count) [7]
    Party in 1st placeParty in 2nd placeTotal
    SocredCCFLiberalPC
    Social Credit 81119
    Co-operative Commonwealth 413118
    Liberal 516
    Progressive Conservative 224
    Labour 11
    Total111025248

    See also

    Notes

    1. The nominal Socred leader, Ernest George Hansell, was an Alberta member of Parliament and was appointed to lead the British Columbia party during the election but did not contest a seat himself. Following the election, Bennett was elected as the leader of the Social Credit party by the newly-elected caucus and became Premier-elect on July 15, 1952.
    2. William Chant was previously a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

    Related Research Articles

    BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right position on the left–right political spectrum. The party commonly describes itself as a "free enterprise coalition" and draws support from members of both the federal Liberal and Conservative parties. From the 1990s to 2024, BC United was the main centre-right opposition to the centre-left New Democratic Party (NDP). Once affiliated with the Liberal Party of Canada, the British Columbia Liberal Party became independent in 1987. The party changed its name to BC United on April 12, 2023.

    The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since the 1990s, its rival was the business-oriented BC United until the Conservative Party of British Columbia reconstituted itself for the 2024 British Columbia general election, with BC United withdrawing its candidates and endorsing the Conservatives. The party is currently formally affiliated with the federal New Democratic Party and serves as its provincial branch.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">W. A. C. Bennett</span> Canadian businessman and politician

    William Andrew Cecil Bennett was a Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of British Columbia from 1952 to 1972. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was a member of the Social Credit Party (Socreds).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Social Credit Party</span> Political party in British Columbia, Canada

    The British Columbia Social Credit Party was a conservative political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was the governing party of British Columbia for all but three years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election. For four decades, the party dominated the British Columbian political scene, with the only break occurring between the 1972 and 1975 elections when the British Columbia New Democratic Party governed. Party members were known as Socreds.

    The Canadian social credit movement is a political movement originally based on the Social Credit theory of Major C. H. Douglas. Its supporters were colloquially known as Socreds in English and créditistes in French. It gained popularity and its own political party in the 1930s, as a result of the Great Depression.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Credit Party of Canada</span> Political party in Canada

    The Social Credit Party of Canada, colloquially known as the Socreds, was a populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform. It was the federal wing of the Canadian social credit movement.

    There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party, or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s. These were usually local or provincial groups using the Labour Party or Independent Labour Party name, backed by local labour councils made up of many union locals in a particular city, or individual trade unions. There was an attempt to create a national Canadian Labour Party in the late 1910s and in the 1920s, but these were only partly successful.

    The Conservative Party of British Columbia, commonly known as the BC Conservatives and colloquially known as the Tories, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is the main rival to the governing British Columbia New Democratic Party and forms the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. It is led by John Rustad, who was originally elected as a British Columbia Liberal Party MLA in 2005 before being expelled from the Liberal caucus in 2022.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta New Democratic Party</span> Political party in Canada

    The Alberta New Democratic Party, is social democratic political party in Alberta, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left to left-wing of the political spectrum and is a provincial Alberta affiliate of the federal New Democratic Party.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 British Columbia general election</span> Canadian provincial election

    The 1991 British Columbia general election was the 35th provincial 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 September 19, 1991, and held on October 17, 1991. The incumbent Social Credit Party of British Columbia, which had been beset by scandals during Bill Vander Zalm's only term as premier, was defeated by the New Democratic Party of Mike Harcourt. Liberal Party leader Gordon Wilson surprised observers by leading his party to winning one-third of the votes cast, and forming the official opposition in the legislature after having held no seats at all since 1979. The new legislature met for the first time on March 17, 1992.

    The British Columbia Social Credit Party was a conservative political party in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The provincial Social Credit movement was divided in its early years and was largely under the influence of the Alberta Social Credit League; it did not have a functional leadership before 1952.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 Alberta general election</span> 8th general election

    The 1935 Alberta general election was held on August 22, 1935, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The newly founded Social Credit Party of Alberta won a sweeping victory, unseating the 14-year government of the United Farmers of Alberta. It was one of only five times that Alberta has changed governments.

    The 1960 British Columbia general election was the 26th 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 3, 1960, and held on September 12, 1960. The new legislature met for the first time on January 26, 1961.

    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.

    The 1949 Manitoba general election was held on November 10, 1949, to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.

    Thomas Hubert Uphill was a socialist politician in British Columbia. He served a long time as mayor of Fernie and also represented the riding of Fernie in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for forty years, most of them as the legislature's sole Labour Party MLA.

    The Politics of British Columbia involve not only the governance of British Columbia, Canada, and the various political factions that have held or vied for legislative power, but also a number of experiments or attempts at political and electoral reform.

    Lyle Wicks was a British Columbia politician.

    Ernest George Hansell was an ordained minister as well as a Canadian federal and provincial politician.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Liberal and Conservative parties ran as a coalition in the 1949 election.
    2. Provincial Elections Act Amendment Act, 1951 , S.B.C. 1951, c. 25
    3. Elections BC 1988, pp. 231–232.
    4. "1871-1986 Electoral History of BC"
    5. 1 2 Elections BC 1988, pp. 213–219, 221–240.
    6. 1 2 3 Elections BC 1988, p. 2.
    7. 1 2 3 Elections BC 1988, pp. 221–240.

    Further reading