British Columbia New Democratic Party
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Active provincial party | |
Leader | John Horgan |
President | Craig Keating |
Founded | 1933 |
Headquarters | 301, 4180 Lougheed Hwy Burnaby, BC V5C 6A7 |
Ideology | Social democracy |
Political position | Centre-left |
National affiliation | New Democratic Party |
Colours | Orange, blue |
Seats in Legislature |
41 / 87
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Website | |
www |
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The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, which governed the province from 1972 to 1975, and then again from 1991 to 2001, losing power that year to the BC Liberals. Following the 2013 provincial election in British Columbia, the party remains the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party (BC Liberals).
The BC NDP is the provincial arm of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). Unlike most other parties in Canada, where provincial and federal politics and parties are separated and members of one are not necessarily members of the other, NDP members are automatically members of both the federal and provincial party.
The party won the largest number of seats in three provincial elections, 1972, 1991 and 1996, but was reduced to two seats in the 2001 provincial election.
The party was formed in 1933 as the British Columbia section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) by a coalition of the Socialist Party of Canada (BC), the League for Social Reconstruction, and affiliated organizations. In August 1933, the latter two organizations merged to become the Associated CCF Clubs. The new party won seven seats in the 1933 provincial election, enough to form the official opposition. A further merger with the SPC (BC) took place in 1935. In 1936 the party split as its moderate leader, Reverend Robert Connell was expelled over doctrinal differences in what was called the "Connell Affair". Three other CCF Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in what had been a 7-member caucus quit and joined Connell in forming the Social Constructive Party, leaving only Harold Winch, Ernest Winch and Dorothy Steeves as CCF MLAs. The Constructivists nominated candidates in the 1937 election but failed to win a seat. The CCF regained their former contingent of 7 MLAs but lost official opposition status to the reconstituted British Columbia Conservative Party.