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28-550: The party was founded in 1982 as the Referendum Party and then registered as Reform BC with the B.C. Corporations Branch in 1983. The party's first candidates ran in the 1991 provincial election , when four candidates stood in the 75 ridings, receiving 2,673 votes, or 0.18% of the popular vote. That election saw the collapse of the British Columbia Social Credit Party , which was reduced to seven Members of

56-604: A city councillor in Surrey . In 1983 , she was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as part of the Social Credit Party , representing the provincial riding of Surrey . She was reelected in 1986 in the newly created riding of Surrey-Newton and became a cabinet minister under Premier Bill Vander Zalm , serving in various portfolios. She had previously served under Vander Zalm when she

84-501: A classic example of why nothing ever gets done in the province of British Columbia." The Socreds were swept from power in a massive NDP landslide. This was not due to the NDP winning a higher percentage of the vote as much as it was due to Socred support collapsing in favour of the BC Liberals, splitting the vote. The defeat was magnified by moderate Socred supporters voting Liberal, continuing

112-538: A mistake, as Johnston was close to the Vander Zalm legacy; even NDP leader Mike Harcourt admitted later that he preferred Johnston over McCarthy, as the latter would be a much tougher opponent in an election. Johnston had little time to make up ground in the polls or distance herself from the now-detested Vander Zalm. Additionally, the Socreds were still bitterly divided over the bruising leadership contest. The NDP went into

140-505: A shift that dated to early in Vander Zalm's tenure. The combined effect was to decimate the Socred caucus, which was reduced from 47 members to only seven—only three over the minimum for official party status . Johnston herself lost her own seat in Surrey-Newton to NDP challenger Penny Priddy , and all but five members of her cabinet were defeated. The Liberals returned to the legislature as

168-454: A substantial amount of power, despite being unelected. Vander Zalm resigned in April 1991 amid a conflict of interest scandal surrounding the sale of a theme park that he owned. Socred members elected the lesser-known Deputy Premier Rita Johnston , a close ally of Vander Zalm, to be their new leader, over Grace McCarthy , a longtime associate of former Premier Bill Bennett . Many viewed this as

196-475: The 1986 provincial election , held just a month after he was sworn in. In truth, however, a number of more moderate Socreds were not at home with the party's rightward turn on social issues, and began defecting to the Liberals. This process was exacerbated by Vander Zalm's eccentricity, and the constant scandals that plagued his government. As well, Vander Zalm allowed his principal secretary, David Poole , to amass

224-497: The 2005 election : Ron Gamble won 344 votes (1.76% of the total) in North Vancouver-Lonsdale. Under the leadership of David Charles Hawkins, BC Reform nominated four candidates in the 2009 election . None was elected. They won a total of 1,106 votes. British Columbia general election, 1991 Rita Johnston Social Credit Mike Harcourt New Democratic The 1991 British Columbia general election

252-667: The British Columbia Party , and the Family Coalition Party of British Columbia ) to while other members re-registered "Reform BC" and swung back to the political centre. In the 2001 provincial election , the Reform Party nominated eight candidates, receiving a total of 3,008 votes (0.22% of the total vote). In five ridings, Reform received over 2% of the vote, its best result being in Surrey-Green Timbers, where

280-536: The Legislative Assembly , four of these seven defected to Reform BC. This was done in part to capitalize on the popularity of the Reform Party of Canada. Despite attempts to take over Social Credit, Reform BC was unable to absorb it and lay claim to the right of the political spectrum. In the May 28, 1996 election , the party nominated candidates in all of the province’s 75 ridings, and collected 146,734 votes (9.27% of

308-490: The Legislative Assembly behind the NDP and Liberals. Johnston herself lost her own seat to the NDP's Penny Priddy by over 10 points, and all but seven members of her cabinet were defeated. Harcourt later said that he preferred facing Johnston rather than McCarthy, believing McCarthy would have been a tougher opponent in a general election. Johnston resigned as leader of the Social Credit Party on January 11, 1992, and

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336-566: The MLAs and drove them out of the party. Richard Neufeld crossed to the BC Liberals , and became a provincial cabinet minister before being appointed to the Canadian Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2008. Jack Weisgerber would later become a director for BC Hydro , the power utility owned by the provincial government. The loss of the two MLAs was the effective end of

364-475: The debate Johnston and Harcourt exchanged many bitter attacks, while Wilson, still not considered a serious contender, was able to successfully portray himself as an "outsider" who was above the partisan bickering of the other two parties. Liberal support surged dramatically as a result of Wilson's performance. One of the memorable moments of the debate came as Harcourt and Johnston argued loudly amongst each other, when Wilson pointed towards them and declared, "Here's

392-426: The elections as heavy favourites after leading in opinion polls for almost four years. The Liberals, who had not been represented in the legislature since 1979, gained slightly in the polls due to great resentment against the ruling Socreds and skepticism towards the NDP. A turning point came when Wilson successfully took legal action to be included in the televised leaders' debate, which took place on 8 October. During

420-532: 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 daughter of John Leichert and Annie Chyzzy, she was educated in Vancouver . In 1951, she married George Johnston. Much of her early life was spent running a trailer park in the city of Surrey, British Columbia . Johnston first entered politics as

448-585: The legislature in the 1996 election, never to return. Meanwhile, the Liberals replaced them as the main non-socialist party in British Columbia. The NDP and Liberals would go on to be the two main parties in the province until 2024, when the Liberals, who by then had renamed themselves BC United , withdrew from that year's general election and endorsed the Conservative Party of British Columbia . However, neither Harcourt, Wilson, or Johnston would contest

476-419: The official opposition after a 12-year absence, replacing Social Credit as the main alternative to the NDP in the province. Notes: x - less than 0.005% of the popular vote. * Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election. This was considered a political realignment due to the high turnover in MLAs and the effective end of the Socreds as a political force. The party was completely shut out of

504-578: The party won 3.5% of the vote. In 2004, Reform BC became involved in efforts to create a new centrist coalition. On January 16, 2005, the Democratic Reform British Columbia (DRBC) party was created, taking much of Reform's executive with it. Other members of the party, however, have decided to continue Reform BC. The difference of opinion between the group that left for DRBC and those continuing Reform BC appears to revolve around three issues: The party nominated one candidate to contest

532-456: The party. Following Hanni's resignation, at the November 12–13, 1999 leadership convention, former Social Credit premier Bill Vander Zalm was acclaimed as leader of the party. Vander Zalm attempted to orchestrate a merger of Reform with other right-wing parties, but ran into stiff opposition from a centrist old guard. Following some controversy over paperwork submission deadlines, the Reform Party

560-662: The popular vote). Two party members were elected to office, but they won no further seats in subsequent elections. Many blamed Reform for splitting the right-wing vote and helping the New Democratic Party of British Columbia under Glen Clark get re-elected. The leader, Jack Weisgerber decided to step down as leader. At the August 30, 1997 leadership convention in Surrey , Wilf Hanni was elected leader over John Motiuk and Adrian Wade . Hanni, an oil industry worker, alienated both of

588-405: The subsequent 1996 election as leaders of the major parties, with Johnston and Harcourt having retired from politics by that campaign. Johnston, having lost her seat, resigned the leadership of the Socreds immediately in early 1992. Harcourt resigned as premier in 1996 due to a scandal among the MLAs in his caucus. Wilson proved unable to consolidate the party's leadership due to inexperience and he

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616-518: 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 election was held at the same time as a referendum on recall and initiative. It was also the first British Columbia general election with only single-member districts. Under Vander Zalm's leadership, Socred's control shifted from urban fiscal conservatives to social conservatives. Vander Zalm seemingly cruised to victory in

644-456: Was a councilor and he was the mayor of Surrey. Vander Zalm appointed Johnston deputy premier in 1990. When Vander Zalm resigned, on April 2, 1991, caucus selected her as interim leader over attorney general Russell Fraser by a vote of 21–17. As such, she was appointed premier on April 2, 1991, making her Canada's first female first minister. At a Social Credit party convention in July 1991 , she

672-448: Was also bitterly divided because of the leadership contest, and she had little time to repair the breach before the writs were dropped . The Socreds were heavily defeated by New Democratic Party , led by Mike Harcourt . Moreover, many moderate Socreds switched their support to the previously moribund BC Liberals . The Socreds lost more than half of their popular vote from 1986 and were cut down to seven seats, falling to third place in

700-605: Was de-registered as a BC political party in February 2001. At the time, they were in second place in the polls, with a one percentage point lead over the NDP, and had been in second place for the previous year. The Vander Zalm wing of the party later joined form the BC Unity Party , with members of four other right-wing parties (the British Columbia Social Credit Party , the British Columbia Conservative Party ,

728-590: Was eventually deposed in 1993, and he crossed to the NDP in 1997 after a brief spell as founder, leader and sole MLA of the Progressive Democratic Alliance . He served as an MLA and minister until his defeat in 2001. Wilson was also a candidate for the NDP's leadership in 2000, won by Ujjal Dosanjh . Rita Johnston Rita Margaret Johnston (born April 22, 1935; née Leichert ) is a Canadian politician in British Columbia . Johnston became

756-440: Was formally elected leader of the Socreds in an upset, narrowly defeating the frontrunner Grace McCarthy . However, she had little time to implement any new programs since she faced a statutory general election later that year. Johnston waited as long as she could, finally calling an election for October. However, her long association with the scandal-plagued Vander Zalm hampered her chances of winning in her own right. Her party

784-596: 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

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