BC United (BCU), known 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. Since the 1990s, BC United has been 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 Green Party of British Columbia, or simply the BC Greens, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1983 and is based in Victoria. The party won its first seat in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election.
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 is the centre-right BC United. The party is formally affiliated with the federal New Democratic Party and serves as its provincial branch.
William Nicholas Vander Zalm is a Dutch-born Canadian businessman and politician. He served as the 28th premier of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991.
Rita Margaret Johnston is a Canadian politician in British Columbia. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded Bill Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th premier of British Columbia, serving for seven months.
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 member were known as Socreds.
Grace Mary McCarthy, OC, OBC, LLD, DTech, FRAIC (Hon.) was a Canadian politician and florist in British Columbia. A high-ranking member of the Social Credit Party of British Columbia, she was largely responsible for rebuilding that party after its defeat in the 1972 provincial election.
The Conservative Party of British Columbia, commonly the BC Conservatives and colloquially known as the Tories, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Conservatives competed with the BC Liberal Party for power in the province. The party's influence diminished in the second half of the century, with the Tories having only a minor presence in the legislature after the 1950s. The current party leader is Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, who was originally elected as a BC Liberal in 2005 before being expelled from that party in 2022. The party has seen a resurgence of support in the leadup to the 2024 British Columbia general election.
The Reform Party of British Columbia is an unregistered right-wing populist political party in British Columbia, Canada. Although its name is similar to the defunct Reform Party of Canada, the provincial party was founded before the federal party was and it did not have any formal association with it. Their peak of support came in 1996 when they elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
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.
This article covers the results of leadership elections in the Reform Party of British Columbia, a political party in British Columbia, Canada. The 1995 election occurred by mail-in balloting, using a preferential voting method. The 1997 election occurred at a delegated convention.
Richard Neufeld is a former Canadian Senator for British Columbia from his being appointed by the Right Hon. Prime Minister Stephen Harper in December 2008 until his aging out of the Canadian Senate upon his 75th birthday on November 6, 2019. Before his appointment to the Senate, he was a British Columbia Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1991 to 2008, serving as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in the cabinet of Gordon Campbell.
John Sylvester Weisgerber was a Canadian politician and businessman. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia. During his political career he was briefly the leader of the British Columbia Social Credit Party and the Reform Party of British Columbia. After leaving politics, he was appointed to the board of BC Hydro in 2001 and served as a member of the British Columbia Treaty Commission.
Charles Stephen Rogers is a former British Columbia politician who served as the member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) for the riding of Vancouver South from 1975 to 1991. Rogers ran for the leadership of the British Columbia Social Credit Party in the 1986 leadership race, but lost to Bill Vander Zalm.
Norm Macdonald is a Canadian politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 38th, 39th and 40th Parliament of British Columbia, from 2005 to 2017. As a member of the BC New Democratic Party, he was elected to represent the riding of Columbia River-Revelstoke in the 2005 provincial election and re-elected in the 2009 election and 2013 election. Macdonald introduced one private member bill, the British Columbia Open Mining Act, 2014, that would have amended the Mines Act to create a Public Electronic Registry to make all mine-related applications, licences, permits, and inspection reports to be publicly visible. In all those parliaments his NDP formed the official opposition and Macdonald acted as their critic on various issues, including municipal affairs, then critic for tourism, sport and arts, and then education during the 38th Parliament of British Columbia, then forests and natural resource operations in the 39th and 40th Parliaments. During the 2011 and the 2014 NDP leadership elections, Macdonald endorsed Mike Farnworth, though Adrian Dix and John Horgan became the leaders of the BC NDP.
Claude Harry Richmond is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, representing the riding of Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 as part of the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred), and from 2001 to 2009 as part of the British Columbia Liberal Party. He held various cabinet positions under premiers Bill Bennett, Bill Vander Zalm, Rita Johnston and Gordon Campbell, and served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2005.
Graham Preston Bruce is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, representing the electoral district of Cowichan-Malahat from 1986 to 1991 as part of the Social Credit Party (Socred), and the district of Cowichan-Ladysmith from 2001 to 2005 as a BC Liberal. He was a cabinet minister under premiers Rita Johnston and Gordon Campbell.
The Christian Heritage Party of British Columbia is a minor provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada and a provincial wing of the federal Christian Heritage Party of Canada. The party advocates in favour of establishing a constitution to govern the province of British Columbia.
David Maurice Mercier was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991, as a Social Credit member for the constituency of Burnaby-Edmonds. In 1991, he served several months as British Columbia's Minister of Environment. He was a chartered accountant. Mercier was mayor of Burnaby, British Columbia from 1979 to 1981. He previously ran unsuccessfully in Burnaby-Edmonds in the 1966 provincial election as a Liberal candidate and in Burnaby-Willingdon in the 1972 provincial election as a Social Credit candidate.
