1956 British Columbia general election

Canadian provincial election

1956 British Columbia general election

* * *

| ← 1953 | September 19, 1956 | 1960 →

|
|

← outgoing members

elected members →

* * *

52 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
27 seats were needed for a majority
|   | First party  | Second party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |  |
Leader  | W. A. C. Bennett | Robert Strachan | Arthur Laing
Party  | Social Credit | CCF | Liberal
Leader since  | 1952  | 1956  | 1953
Leader's seat  | South Okanagan | Cowichan-Newcastle | Vancouver-Point Grey (lost re-election)
Last election  | 28  | 14  | 4
Seats won  | 39 | 10  | 2
Seat change  |  11  |  4  |  2
Popular vote  | 374,711 | 231,511  | 177,922
Percentage  | 45.84% | 28.32%  | 21.77%
Swing  |  8.09  |  2.53  |  1.82

* * *

| Premier before election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

| Premier after election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

|

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 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

[edit]

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 system -- mixture of block voting in multi-member districts and single-winner first past the post \-- was 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

[edit]

Elections to the 25th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia  (1956)[3] 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
| Labor–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 |
Actual voters who voted[4] | 509,409 | 12,643 | 65.43% | 5.12
Registered voters[4] | 778,587 | 38,581 |

1. ^ Measured against 1953 first-preference votes.

Seats and popular vote by party[3] Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp)

|
|
|

█ Social Credit |

39 / 52

45.84%

| 8.09 |  | 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

[edit]

Single-member districts

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

Kamloops: Phil Gaglardi

Kaslo-Slocan: Randolph Harding

Lillooet: Don Robinson

Mackenzie: Anthony Gargrave

Nanaimo and the Islands: Earle Cathers Westwood

Nelson-Creston: Wesley Drewett Black

New Westminster: Rae Eddie

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 Okanagan: W. A. C. Bennett

South Peace River: Stanley Carnell

Yale: Irvine Finlay Corbett

Multi-member districts

Burnaby: Gordon Dowding

Burnaby: Ernest Winch[a 1]

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

Vancouver East: Frederick Morton Sharp

Vancouver East: Arthur James Turner

Vancouver-Point Grey: Thomas Audley Bate

Vancouver-Point Grey: Buda Brown

Vancouver-Point Grey: Arthur Laing

Victoria City: William Chant

Victoria City: John Donald Smith

Victoria City: George Frederick Thompson Gregory

|
|

1. ^ Died before the opening of the new Legislative Assembly. His son-in-law Cedric Cox won the subsequent byelection.

### Synopsis of results

[edit]

Results by riding - 1956 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[5] 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

1. ^ Lois Haggen accepted the nomination after her husband Rupert Haggen chose to retire because of health problems.
2. ^ 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
Results by riding - 1956 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[5] Riding  | Winning party  | Votes  | Voters
who voted[6]

|
|
|

Name  | MLAs  | 1953 | 1956  | SC | CCF  | Lib  | PC  | LPP | Ind | Total
|  |  |  |  |
Burnaby | 2 |

| 12,103 | 15,304 | 3,972 | 513 | – | – | 60,540 | 31,243
11,583 | 12,692 | 3,895 | 478 | – | –
Delta | 2 |

| 18,848 | 11,202 | 5,149 | – | 355 | – | 69,066 | 35,578
17,762 | 10,798 | 4,680 | – | 272 | –
North Vancouver | 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 |

| 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 |

| 9,112 | 4,561 | 3,996 | 969 | 485 | – | 36,302 | 19,128
8,614 | 4,393 | 3,727 | – | 445 | –
Vancouver East | 2 |

| 18,640 | 19,774 | 4,229 | 720 | – | – | 84,422 | 44,795
17,821 | 18,541 | 4,156 | 541 | – | –
Vancouver-Point Grey | 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 |

| 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 | –

1. ^ George Henry Tomlinson Jr., a Socred MLA in the previous Legislature.
2. ^ 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

## See also

[edit]

* List of British Columbia political parties

## Further reading

[edit]

* Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Provincial Elections Act, 1953, S.B.C. 1953 (2nd session), c. 5, s. 3
2. ^ Constitution Act Amendment Act, 1955, S.B.C. 1955, c. 11
3. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 243, 265.
4. ^ a b c Elections BC 1988, pp. 2–3.
5. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 267–271.
6. ^ Elections BC 1988, p. 536.

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