The Progressive Democratic Alliance ( PDA ) was a centrist political party in British Columbia , Canada founded by Gordon Wilson , Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Powell River—Sunshine Coast.
98-483: Wilson, previously the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party , led that party through a breakthrough in the provincial election of 1991 , in which they rose from no parliamentary representation to official opposition status. He was unable to hold his caucus together, however, and was forced to call a leadership convention following revelations about his personal relationship with another member of
196-552: A TEAM city councilor who later became the 32nd mayor of Vancouver. After graduating from College that year, Campbell and Nancy Chipperfield were married in New Westminster on July 4, 1970. Under the Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) program, they went to Nigeria to teach. There he coached basketball and track and field and launched literacy initiatives. Stanford accepted Campbell to pursue
294-570: A fundraising scandal in the New Democratic Party (NDP). His party gained 16 seats and won a slight plurality of the popular vote, but the NDP retained enough seats to continue as the majority government. He stayed on as leader of the Opposition , opposing NDP premiers Glen Clark , Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh . In May 2000, Campbell, along with Michael de Jong and Geoffrey Plant , brought
392-559: 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. Until
490-401: A 23.5 percent raise while doctors received a 20.6 percent raise after arbitration. Doctors had threatened to go on strike because of the original Campbell plan to slash their fees, which was seen as a breach of contract, with the dispute being sent to arbitration. In January 2003, after visiting broadcaster Fred Latremouille , Campbell was arrested and pleaded no contest for driving under
588-592: A Liberal– Conservative coalition government , known in BC history as "the Coalition ". From 1941 to 1945, Hart governed at a time of wartime scarcity, when all major government projects were postponed. The coalition government was re-elected in the 1945 election . In that contest, Liberals and Conservatives ran under the same banner. After 1945, Hart undertook an ambitious program of rural electrification, hydroelectric and highway construction. Hart's most significant projects were
686-424: A balanced one for the 2013–14 fiscal year, which included a tax hike on high-income British Columbians. She also sought to take advantage of BC's liquified natural gas (LNG) reserves, positioning the budding LNG industry as a major economic development opportunity over the next decade. While the final years of Gordon Campbell's administration had seen far-reaching and progressive environmental legislation enacted, Clark
784-567: A candidate. Delta South MLA Fred Gingell became the leader of the Opposition while the Liberal leadership race took place. Soon, former party leader Gordon Gibson and Vancouver mayor Gordon Campbell entered the leadership race. Campbell won decisively on the first ballot, with former party leader Gordon Gibson placing second and Wilson third. The leadership election was decided on a one-member, one vote system through which Liberals voted for their choices by telephone. Wilson and Tyabji then left
882-535: A close second after Social Credit. In the 1956 election , with the Sommers scandal still not resolved, the Liberals fared worse than in 1953. Arthur Laing lost his seat, and the party was reduced to two MLAs and 20.9% of the vote. In the 1960 election , the party won four seats with the same 20.9% of the popular vote as in 1956. In the 1963 election , the party's caucus increased by one more MLA to five, but their share of
980-720: A court case against the Nisga'a Nation , the Attorney General of Canada and the Attorney General of British Columbia, parties to the first modern day Aboriginal Treaty in British Columbia, known as the Nisga'a Final Agreement . He and the other plaintiffs claimed the treaty signed with the Nisga'a Nation was "in part inconsistent with the Constitution of Canada and therefore in part of no force and effect". However, Justice Williamson dismissed
1078-480: A difficult time to build a disciplined organization that could mount an effective opposition against the New Democratic Party provincial government. In 1993, Wilson's leadership was further damaged by revelations of his affair with fellow Liberal MLA Judi Tyabji . By this time, most of the caucus was in open revolt against his leadership. Wilson agreed to call for a leadership convention, at which he would be
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#17328383392071176-496: A drug investigation known as Operation Everwhichway led to raids on government offices in the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in relation to suspect dealings concerning the sale of BC Rail to CN in a scandal which became known as "Railgate" and the trial of four former ministerial aides for influence peddling, breach of trust and accepting bribes. The Liberals were re-elected in the 2005 election with
1274-555: A fraction of their price). Campbell also initiated the privatization of BC Rail , which the Liberals had promised not to sell in order to win northern ridings which had rejected the party in 1996 but reversed this promise after election, with criminal investigations connected with the bidding process resulting in the 2003 British Columbia Legislature raids and the ensuing and still-pending court case. There were several significant labour disputes, some of which were settled through government legislation but which included confrontations with
1372-551: A heavily contested and divisive referendum but came into effect on April 3, 2009. The Maa-nulth Treaty, which covers a group of Nuu-chah-nulth band governments, is pending ratification by the federal government while the Lheidli-T'enneh Treaty was rejected in the referendum held by that band. The Campbell government launched the Conversation on Health, a province-wide consultation with British Columbians on their health care to lay
1470-721: A job he held until 1976. At 28 years old, he left Mayor Phillips's office and went to work for Marathon Realty as a project manager. In 1976, Geoffrey, the Campbells' first child, was born. In 1978, the Campbells bought a house in Point Grey, which remained their home for the next 26 years. From 1975 to 1978, Campbell pursued a Master of Business Administration degree at Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business . In 1979, Nancy Campbell gave birth to their second child, Nicholas. In 1981, Campbell left Marathon Realty and started his own business, Citycore Development Corporation. Despite
1568-544: A major political error. He was elected in 1953 for the Lillooet riding. In 1955, the Sommers scandal surfaced, and he was the only leader in the legislature to make an issue of it. W. A. C. Bennett and his attorney general tried many tactics to stop the information from coming out. In frustration, Gibson resigned his seat and forced a by-election, hoping to make the Sommers scandal the issue. The voting system had changed, and he came
1666-568: A majority of seats in the legislature, their finance minister Einar Gunderson was defeated in Oak Bay by Philip Archibald Gibbs of the Liberals. Gordon Gibson Sr , a millionaire timber baron, nicknamed the "Bull of the Woods", was elected for Lillooet as a Liberal. During the early period of this time, the Liberals' most prominent member was Gordon Gibson Sr. He was a cigar -smoking and gregarious logging contractor who could have been premier but for
1764-515: A master's degree in education, but the couple returned to Vancouver instead where Campbell entered law school at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Nancy earned her education degree. Campbell's law school education was short-lived; as he soon returned to the City of Vancouver to work for Art Phillips on his mayoral campaign. When Phillips was elected in 1972, Campbell became his executive assistant,
1862-504: A notable decline in polls and defections of MLAs and other party members to the Conservatives. Provincial Provincial The divided Conservatives faced the Liberals in the election of 1916 and lost. The Liberals formed a government under Harlan Carey Brewster . Brewster had become leader of the Opposition, and was elected party leader in March 1912. He lost his seat a few weeks later in
1960-401: A platform promise made in the election campaign. The government embarked upon the largest expansion of BC's post-secondary education system since the foundation of Simon Fraser University in 1965. In 2004, the government announced that 25,000 new post-secondary places would be established between 2004 and 2010. The Campbell government also lifted the six-year-long tuition fee freeze that
2058-514: A reduced majority of 7 seats (46–33). The Liberals were again re-elected in the 2009 election . Shortly after this election the introduction of the HST was announced, contrary to promises made during the election campaign. On November 3, 2010, facing an imminent caucus revolt over his management style and the political backlash against the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and the controversial end to
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#17328383392072156-586: A scholarship and a job offer so he could afford the tuition fees and defray educational expenses. Campbell intended to study medicine but was persuaded by three English professors to shift his focus to English and urban management . He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English . At Dartmouth College, in 1969, Campbell received a $ 1,500 Urban Studies Fellowship that made it possible for him to work in Vancouver's city government where he met Art Phillips ,
2254-399: A three party competition, the government introduced instant-runoff voting , with the expectation that Conservative voters would list the Liberals as their second choice and vice versa. Voters, however, were looking for alternatives. More voters chose British Columbia Social Credit League ahead of any other party as their second choice. Social Credit went on to emerge as the largest party when
2352-600: A three-way race with Gordon Gibson, Jr. and Gordon Wilson , the incumbent party leader, who had lost the confidence of his party. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly the next year in a by-election in Vancouver-Quilchena . In the 1996 campaign , Campbell was elected to the Vancouver-Point Grey riding , which he held until 2010. The Liberals entered the election leading in the polls because of
2450-508: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . British Columbia Liberal Party 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
2548-574: Is interred in the Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, British Columbia . John Oliver succeeded Brewster as premier when Brewster died in 1918. Oliver's government developed the produce industry in the Nanook Valley , and tried to persuade the federal government to lower the freight rate for rail transport. The party managed a bare majority win in the 1920 election and only managed to govern after
2646-462: The 1924 election with the support of the two Independent Liberals. The Liberals managed to increase their vote in the 1928 election but lost close to half their seats. With the onset of the Great Depression and the implosion of the government of Simon Fraser Tolmie , the Liberals won the 1933 election . The 1933 election brought into power Duff Pattullo and introduced into the legislature
2744-501: The 1949 election – at 61% the greatest percentage of the popular vote in BC history. Tensions had grown between the coalition partners and within both parties. The Liberal Party executive voted to terminate the coalition and Johnson dropped his Conservative ministers in January 1952, resulting in a short-lived minority government which soon collapsed. In order to prevent the CCF from winning in
2842-482: The 2001 provincial election , Wilson and Tyabji left the party to establish the Progressive Democratic Alliance on December 5, 1993. In the subsequent June 26, 1996 general election , Wilson retained his seat, while all 65 other PDA candidates, including Tyabji, were defeated. The party won a total of 90,797 votes, or 5.74% of the popular vote. The PDA was disbanded by Wilson in 1999 when he joined
2940-549: The 2010 Winter Olympics on July 2, 2003. This was a joint Winter Olympics bid by Vancouver and the ski resort of Whistler. Campbell attended the final presentations in Prague , the Czech Republic . On February 12, 2010, Campbell was in attendance at the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and attended events during the games and was present at the closing ceremony . On April 23, 2010, Campbell received
3038-563: The 2022 leadership election , the party has been led by Kevin Falcon . On August 28, 2024, BC United announced the party was suspending its campaign for the October 2024 election . The party formally endorsed the BC Conservatives and merged their campaigns, with some BCU candidates running for the Conservatives and many others withdrawing their candidacies. This was after the party had suffered
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3136-680: The Alcan Agreement, which facilitated construction of the Kenny Dam. The government also coped with the 1948 flooding of the Fraser River, declaring a state of emergency and beginning a program of diking the river's banks through the Fraser Valley. Johnson is also noted for appointing Nancy Hodges as the first female Speaker in the Commonwealth . The Liberal-Conservative coalition government won
3234-503: The BC Rail corruption trial and with his approval rating as low as 9% in polls, Gordon Campbell announced his resignation. The party's 2011 leadership convention was prompted by Gordon Campbell 's request to the party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date". The convention elected Christy Clark as its new leader of the party on February 26, 2011. Clark and her new Cabinet were sworn in on March 14. Under Clark,
3332-547: The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), a new social-democratic and democratic socialist opposition party. Pattullo wanted an activist government to try to deal with the depression through social programs and support of the unemployed. Canada has been recognized as the hardest hit by the Great Depression , and western Canada the hardest hit within Canada. Pattullo's attempts were often at odds with
3430-768: The Olympic Order from the Canadian Olympic Committee for being a dedicated proponent of the Olympic Movement . In the May 17, 2005, election , Campbell and the BC Liberals won a second majority government with a reduced majority. 430,000 new jobs had been created in B.C. since December 2001, the best job creation record in Canada at the time. In 2007, the economy created 70,800 more jobs, almost all full-time positions. By Spring 2007, unemployment had fallen to 4.0%,
3528-476: The carbon tax in British Columbia after reading his book The Weather Makers (2005). The Campbell government attempted to negotiate treaties with a number of First Nations in its second term. Final agreements in principle were signed with the Tsawwassen First Nation , Maa-nulth Treaty Society , and Lheidli T’enneh First Nations. The Tsawwassen Treaty was passed by the band's membership in
3626-571: The 1912 election, which returned no Liberals at all. In 1916, he won election to the legislature again through a by-election, and led his party to victory in a general election later that year by campaigning on a reform platform. Brewster promised to end patronage in the civil service , end political machines , improve workman's compensation and labor laws, bring in votes for women, and other progressive reforms. The government brought in women's suffrage , instituted prohibition , and combated political corruption before his unexpected death in 1918. He
3724-420: The 1940s, British Columbia politics were dominated by the Liberal Party and rival Conservative Party . The Liberals formed government from 1916 to 1928 and again from 1933 to 1941. From 1941 to 1952, the two parties governed in a coalition (led by a Liberal leader) to counter the ascendant Co-operative Commonwealth Federation . The coalition was defeated in the 1952 election by the new Social Credit Party , and
3822-516: The B.C. government's manager in charge of information services, suggested that copies of the e-mails may have existed as recently as May 2009, but it was ordered that they be destroyed at that time. On July 20, 2009, the Supreme Court of British Columbia judge conducting the Basi-Virk trial, Madam Justice Elizabeth Bennett, ordered Campbell and other top officials to turn over their e-mail records to
3920-613: The BC Liberals had formed HST-related plans prior to the 2009 election—contrary to their statements on the subject. On November 3, 2010, Campbell made a televised address to the public announcing his intention to resign as Premier of British Columbia. The announcement was made after months of strong political opposition to the implementation of the HST , which saw Campbell's approval rating fall to only 9%, according to an Angus Reid poll, and led to rumours that he has lost support of some members of his cabinet. Another factor in his resignation
4018-474: The BC NDP won the election, the Liberals came in second with 17 seats. Wilson became leader of the Opposition . Wilson's policies did not coincide with many other Liberals both in the legislature and in the party who wanted to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of Social Credit. The Liberals also proved themselves to be inexperienced, both in the legislature and in building a broad-based political movement. They had
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4116-448: The Fraser Valley region, solidifying their claim to be the clear alternative to the existing BC NDP government. The Liberal party also filled the vacuum created on the centre-right of the BC political spectrum by Social Credit's collapse. In the 1996 election , the BC Liberals won the popular vote. However, much of the Liberal margin was wasted on large margins in the outer regions of the province; they only won eight seats in Vancouver and
4214-491: The Liberals and formed their own party, the Progressive Democratic Alliance . Once Campbell became leader, the Liberals adopted the moniker "BC Liberals" for the first time, and soon introduced a new logo and new party colours (red and blue, instead of the usual "Liberal red" and accompanying maple leaf ). The revised name and logo was an attempt to distinguish itself more clearly in the minds of voters from
4312-522: The Liberals outnumbered the Tories in the coalition caucus and Hart was followed by another Liberal, Byron Johnson, known as "Boss" Johnson , with Anscomb as deputy premier and minister of Finance . Johnson's government introduced universal hospital insurance and a 3% provincial sales tax to pay for it. It expanded the highway system, extended the Pacific Great Eastern Railway , and negotiated
4410-542: The Lower Mainland. In rural British Columbia, particularly in the Interior where the railway was the lifeblood of the local economy – the BC Liberals lost several contests because of discomfort that the electorate had with some of Campbell's policies, principally his promise to sell BC Rail . The net result was to consign the Liberals to opposition again, though they managed to slash the NDP's majority from 13 to three. After
4508-605: The application, judging that the enacting legislation did "establish a treaty as contemplated by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 . The legislation and the Treaty are constitutionally valid." Premier Glen Clark's government was beset by controversy, difficult economic and fiscal conditions, attacks on the NDP's building of the Fast Ferries and charges against Clark in relation to casino licensing, known as Casinogate. (Clark
4606-428: The ballots that were returned, over 80 per cent of participating voters agreed to all eight proposed principles. Treaty negotiations resumed. In the lead-up to the 2005 election, Campbell discussed opening up a New Relationship with Aboriginal People. This position was directly opposite to his view of aboriginal treaties pursued in the 2000 Nisga'a Final Treaty court case, discussed above. The "New Relationship" became
4704-465: The ballots were counted in the 1952 general election . Social Credit's de facto leader during the election, W. A. C. Bennett , formerly a Conservative, was formally named party leader after the election. At the 1953 general election , the Liberals were reduced to four seats, taking 23.36% of the vote. Arthur Laing defeated Tilly Rolston in Vancouver Point Grey. Although Social Credit won
4802-415: The biggest landslide in BC history, taking 77 of 79 seats. They even managed to unseat Premier Ujjal Dosanjh in his own riding. Gordon Campbell became the seventh premier in ten years, and the first Liberal premier in almost 50 years. Campbell introduced a 25% cut in all provincial income taxes on the first day he was installed to office. The BC Liberals also reduced the corporate income tax and abolished
4900-733: The construction of Highway 97 to northern British Columbia (of which the Prince George – Dawson Creek segment is now named in his honour) and the Bridge River Power Project , which was the first major hydroelectric development in British Columbia. He established the BC Power Commission, a forerunner of BC Hydro , to provide power to smaller communities that were not serviced by private utilities. In December 1947, Hart retired as premier. The Conservative Party agitated for its leader, Herbert Anscomb , to succeed Hart as premier, but
4998-461: The corporate capital tax for most businesses (a tax on investment and employment that had been introduced by the New Democrats). Campbell's first term was also noted for fiscal austerity , including reductions in welfare rolls and some social services , deregulation , the sale of some government assets (in particular the "Fast ferries" built by the previous government , which were sold off for
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#17328383392075096-522: The course of the cuts, hospitals, courthouses and extended care facilities around the province were shut down, particularly in smaller communities, and enforcement staff such as the BC Conservation Service were reduced to marginal levels. Various provincial parks created during the previous NDP regime were also downgraded to protected area status, meaning they could be opened for resource exploitation, and fees for use of parks were raised. In 2003,
5194-484: The court by August 17. These were never located nor surrendered to the Court. On July 23, 2009, Campbell announced British Columbia would move towards a Harmonized Sales Tax , or HST. The new 12% sales tax would combine and replace the previous 5% Goods and Services Tax and 7% Provincial Sales Tax . The announcement was met with strong opposition from political opponents, news media, and opposition from most members of
5292-514: The demand at hand and to increase wages for some health professionals. As well, they increased the number of new nurse training spaces by 2,500, an increase of 62 percent. At the same time, it nearly doubled the doctors in training and opened new medical training facilities in Victoria and Prince George. Wage rates for doctors and nurses increased in the Campbell government's first term. Nurses received
5390-677: The development of the Expo Lands , the re-development of Yaletown , and the foundation of the Coal Harbour residential area. One of the most significant projects of his term was the construction of the new Vancouver Public Library . He also served as chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District and president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Campbell became leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party in 1993 in
5488-468: The economic slowdown that affected Canada that year, his company was successful and constructed several buildings in Vancouver. After a two-year absence from civic political activities, Campbell became involved in the mayoral campaign of May Brown and was an active supporter of the Downtown Stadium for Vancouver Committee. Although Brown was unsuccessful, Campbell and the committee continued promoting
5586-580: The economy. A day after taking office, he reduced personal income tax for all taxpayers by 25 per cent across every tax bracket . The government also introduced reductions in the corporate income tax, and eliminated the Corporation Capital Tax. To finance the tax cuts and to balance the provincial budget, Campbell's first term was also noted for several measures of fiscal austerity such as reductions in welfare rolls and some social services, deregulation , sale of government assets (in particular
5684-539: The election in 2001. This sale was condemned as unfair by the losing bidders, and triggered charges based in information found during police raids on cabinet offices in a drug-related investigation in what is known as the BC Legislature Raids . The Campbell government passed legislation in August 2001 declaring education as an essential service, therefore making it illegal for educators to go on strike. This fulfilled
5782-482: The election, the BC Liberals set about making sure that there would be no repeat of 1996. Campbell jettisoned some of the less popular policy planks in his 1996 platform, most notably a promise to sell BC Rail, as the prospect of the sale's consequences had alienated supporters in the Northern Interior ridings. After a scandal-filled second term for the BC NDP government, the BC Liberals won the 2001 election with
5880-482: The federal Liberal Party of Canada . In early 1994, Campbell was elected to the legislature in a by-election. Under his leadership, the party began moving to the right, gaining support from members of the former Social Credit Party and, later, the provincial Reform Party . Some moderate Socreds had begun voting Liberal as far back as the Vander Zalm era. The Liberals won two former Socred seats in by-elections held in
5978-519: The federal government in Ottawa . Pattullo was also an advocate for British Columbia, and suggested the annexation of Yukon by BC, and the construction of the Alaska Highway to reduce the power of eastern Canada over BC. In the 1937 general election , his government was re-elected running on the slogan of " socialized capitalism". The alternating government with the Conservatives came to an end with
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#17328383392076076-448: The federal party's perspective, this move was equally beneficial to them, as the provincial party was heavily in debt. Wilson set about to rebuild the provincial party as a credible third party in British Columbia politics. During the same period, the ruling Social Credit party was beset by controversy under the leadership of Bill Vander Zalm . As a result, multiple Social Credit scandals caused many voters to look for an alternative. By
6174-468: The federal party. In the 2001 election , the Liberals won an overwhelming majority, which they held under Campbell and his successor Christy Clark until shortly after the 2017 election . The party remained in Opposition after losing the 2020 election . Eight party leaders have served as premier of British Columbia : Harlan Brewster , John Oliver , John MacLean , Duff Pattullo , John Hart , Boss Johnson , Gordon Campbell , and Christy Clark . Since
6272-747: The ferries built by the previous government during the Fast Ferry Scandal ), reducing the size of the civil service, and closing government offices in certain areas. In 2003, Campbell announced the sale of BC Rail , a publicly owned rail corporation, to the Canadian National Railway . This occurred even though he had made a campaign promise not to sell the company during the 2001 British Columbia election . In 1996, he had lost an election after promising to sell BC Rail, leading some to allege that he had hidden his true plans to get elected in 2001, and "went back to his original plan" after winning
6370-550: The foundation for agreements in principle that were made during the second term, but ultimately rejected by the membership of the First Nations involved. In 2004, Campbell imposed an unprecedented 15% pay cut to health care employees. Early in its first term, without consulting labour unions, his government passed legislation (Bill 29, the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act ) that unilaterally amended labour agreements and required health authorities to contract out positions when savings could be predicted. This led to
6468-547: The groundwork for changes to the principles of the Canada Health Act that were presented in the Fall of 2007. His government were re-elected in the May 12, 2009, election . Their share of total seats remained almost unchanged, as they won 49 seats in a new expanded 85-seat legislature. Some five years after the BC Legislature Raids , controversy arose when it was revealed that e-mails among Campbell, his staff, and other cabinet ministers may not have been deleted years ago as first claimed. An affidavit filed by Rosemarie Hayes,
6566-472: The influence of alcohol while vacationing in Hawaii . According to court records, Campbell's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. In Hawaii, drunk driving is only a misdemeanour, whereas in Canada it is a Criminal Code offence. As is customary in the United States, Campbell's mugshot was provided to the media by Hawaii police. The image has proved to be a lasting personal embarrassment, frequently used by detractors and opponents. Campbell
6664-442: The leader of the provincial Liberal Party when no one else was interested. Wilson severed formal links between the provincial Liberal party and its federal counterpart . Since the mid-1970s, most federal Liberals in BC had chosen to support the British Columbia Social Credit Party at the provincial level. For the provincial party, the intent of this separation was to reduce the influence of Social Credit members of federal party. From
6762-455: The legislature, but with the lowest vote in party history at 16.4%. After the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP) won the 1972 election , many supporters of the Liberal and Conservative parties defected to the Social Credit League. This coalition was able to keep the New Democrats out of power from 1975 until the 1990s. MLAs Garde Gardom , Pat McGeer and Allan Williams left the Liberals for Social Credit along with Hugh Curtis of
6860-492: The lowest rate in 30 years. However, 40,300 jobs were lost in 2008, mostly in December (35,100), and the unemployment rates sat at 7.8% as of July 2009, the same level they were at in July 2001. On October 7, 2005, following the successive imposition of contracts on BC teachers, British Columbia's teachers began an indefinite walk-out. Campbell having made striking illegal for teachers, educators referred to this as an act of civil disobedience . Despite fines and contempt charges,
6958-452: The party charted a more centrist outlook while continuing its recent tradition of being a coalition of federal Liberal and federal Conservative supporters. She immediately raised the minimum wage from $ 8/hour to $ 10.25/hour and introduced a province-wide Family Day similar to Ontario's. Clark became premier during the aftermath of the 2008–09 recession, and continued to hold the line on government spending, introducing two deficit budgets before
7056-486: The party went into decline, eventually losing its presence in the legislature in the 1979 election . It returned to the legislature in the 1991 election , coming in second and forming the Official Opposition , through the efforts of leader Gordon Wilson . Wilson lost a leadership challenge to Gordon Campbell in 1994. Under Campbell's leadership, the BC Liberals began to shift rightwards and distance themselves from
7154-459: The phrasing was flawed or biased toward a predetermined response. While some critics, especially First Nations and religious groups, called for a boycott of the referendum, by the May 15 deadline almost 800,000 British Columbians had cast their ballots. Critics called for a boycott of the referendum and First Nations groups collected as many ballots as possible so that they might be destroyed publicly. Of
7252-519: The popular vote fell to 19.98%. In the 1966 election , the party won another seat, bringing its caucus to six, and had an increase in the vote to 20.24%. In the 1969 vote , the party lost one seat, and its share of the vote fell to 19.03%. In 1972, the party was led into the election by a new leader, David Anderson , who had been elected in the 1968 federal election as an MP for the Liberal Party of Canada . He and four others managed to be elected to
7350-623: The privatization of more than 8,000 healthcare jobs. These changes met resistance from many health care workers and resulted in a strike by some of them. A court order and amendments by the government to parts of the legislation ended the strike. The unions took the issue to the Supreme Court of Canada , which ruled in 2007 that the Act violated "good faith" requirements for collective bargaining. The Campbell government increased health funding by $ 3 billion during its first term in office to help meet
7448-461: The province of Alberta, who sought increased market access for its bitumen through BC ports, yet adamantly refuse any arrangement which would see BC receive any royalties. Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician) Gordon Muir Campbell , OC OBC (born January 12, 1948) is a retired Canadian diplomat and politician who was the 35th mayor of Vancouver from 1986 to 1993 and the 34th premier of British Columbia from 2001 to 2011. He
7546-481: The province's doctors. Campbell also downsized the civil service, with staff cutbacks of more than fifty percent in some government departments, and despite promises of smaller government the size of cabinet was nearly doubled and parliamentary salaries raised. Governance was also re-arranged such that Deputy Ministers were now to report to the Chief of Staff in the premier's office, rather than to their respective ministers. In
7644-427: The public. However, the proposed tax received a positive reaction from the business community, strong supporters of the BC Liberals. Much of the opposition stemmed from Campbell's perceived dishonesty about the HST as his government had said it was not on their radar prior to the election despite leaked emails revealing it was, and that it equated to a tax hike for several sectors. On August 24, representatives from
7742-481: The regulations previously introduced by the former New Democrat government. During the 2001 election, the BC Liberals also campaigned on a promise to hold a consultative referendum seeking a mandate from the general public to negotiate treaties with First Nations . In the spring of 2002, the government held the referendum. The referendum, led by attorney general Geoff Plant , proposed eight questions that voters were asked to either support or oppose. Critics claimed
7840-399: The retail, resource , and film industries held a news conference to speak out in favour of harmonizing BC's sales taxes. In addition, sales tax harmonization has been hailed by the C.D. Howe Institute , a think tank, as being "crucial for B.C to maintain its economic competitiveness." David Docherty, a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University , noted that anti-HST sentiment
7938-450: The rise of the CCF, who managed to be Official Opposition from 1933 to 1937 and were one seat less than the Conservatives in the 1937 election . In the 1941 election , the CCF came second. The election did not give the Liberals the majority they hoped for. John Hart became the premier and Liberal leader in 1941 when Pattullo refused to go into coalition with the Conservatives. The Liberal members removed Patullo as leader and Hart formed
8036-598: The ruling New Democratic Party of British Columbia to become a member of Cabinet. He later ran for the provincial NDP leadership, but lost to Ujjal Dosanjh . He lost his legislative seat in the 2001 provincial election. In 2004, former party activists attempted to resuscitate the PDA. Finding financial obstacles, they instead formed the British Columbia Democratic Alliance , billing it as a successor organization. This Canadian politics –related article
8134-401: The same time authority was given so new entrants into the labour force could be paid $ 6 per hour, 25% lower than the minimum wage. In 2010, British Columbia had the lowest minimum wage amongst the 13 provinces and territories. Campbell's successor, Christy Clark , announced that the minimum wage would increase in three stages to begin on May 1, 2011. British Columbia won the right to host
8232-403: The small Liberal caucus, Judi Tyabji , MLA for Okanagan East. Tyabji and Wilson were both married to others at the time; they subsequently divorced and married each other. Many in the Liberal Party believed that their relationship created at least the potential for a serious conflict of interest . After losing the leadership challenge to Gordon Campbell , who in turn led the party to victory in
8330-523: The stadium to revitalize False Creek , which at the time was polluted industrial land. The committee was eventually successful, as Premier Bill Bennett announced the Downtown Stadium project in 1980. Campbell was elected to Vancouver City Council in 1984 as a member of the Non-Partisan Association . He was then elected as mayor of Vancouver for three successive terms from 1986 to 1993. Notable events in civic politics during that period included
8428-473: The suddenly rejuvenated Tories. All of them became members of Social Credit Cabinets after 1975. In the 1975 election , the only Liberal to be elected was Gordon Gibson Jr. as the party scored a dismal 7.24%. David Anderson was badly defeated in his Victoria riding, placing behind the New Democrats and Social Credit. The 1979 election was the party's lowest point. For the second time in party history, it
8526-571: The teachers' walk-out lasted two weeks, and threatened to culminate in a general strike across the province. In 2008, Premier Campbell's government developed and entrenched in law the Climate Action Plan . The Plan is claimed by the government to be one of the most progressive plans to address greenhouse gas emissions in North America, due in part to the revenue-neutral carbon tax . Gordon Campbell told Tim Flannery that he introduced
8624-459: The time of the 1991 election , Wilson lobbied to be included in the televised Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) debate between Vander Zalm's successor, Premier Rita Johnston and BC NDP leader Michael Harcourt . The CBC agreed, and Wilson impressed many voters with his performance. The Liberal campaign gained momentum, and siphoned off much support from the Social Credit campaign. While
8722-572: Was 13. His mother Peg was a kindergarten assistant at University Hill Elementary School . The couple had four children. Gordon grew up in the West Point Grey neighbourhood of Vancouver and went to Stride Elementary, and University Hill Secondary School where he was student council president. Upon graduation from high school, Campbell was accepted by Dartmouth College , a well-known Ivy League institution in Hanover, New Hampshire ; he had received
8820-458: Was eventually vindicated, though resigned his post because of the investigation.) In the BC election of 2001 , Campbell's Liberals defeated the two-term NDP incumbents, taking 77 of 79 seats in the legislature. This was the largest majority of seats and the second-largest majority of the popular vote in BC history. In 2001, Campbell campaigned on a promise to reduce income taxes significantly to stimulate
8918-475: Was evident in left-wing populist groups who viewed it as "regressive" and those on the right who "hate all taxes". Polls consistently showed ...opposition to the HST in BC at "82 to 85 percent". "Shortly after the HST announcement, Ipsos Reid reported 85 percent opposition in British Columbia, dropping only slightly to 82 percent a few months later." On June 11, 2010, Blair Lekstrom resigned as BC's Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, saying he
9016-503: Was fined $ 913 (US) and the court ordered him to take part in a substance abuse program, and to be assessed for alcoholism . A national anti-drinking and driving group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada called for Campbell to resign. Campbell refused. On November 1, 2001, the Campbell BC Liberals honoured the previous NDP government's legislation to increase the minimum wage to $ 8.00 per hour from $ 7.60, while at
9114-524: Was leaving both the cabinet and the caucus over a fundamental disagreement with the BC Liberals on the harmonized sales tax. He told The Canadian Press: "It was a tough decision but it had to be made. Fundamentally, the HST is it. The people I represent say ... we want you to put the brakes on the HST." His constituency bordered on Alberta, which had no provincial sales tax and businesses were concerned they would lose sales. A freedom of information request came to light on September 1, 2010, revealing that
9212-701: Was more measured in her approach to environmental policy. While continuing with BC's first-in-North-America carbon tax, she promised to freeze the rate during the 2013 election and her LNG development aspirations seemed to contradict greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Campbell government in 2007. She also announced in 2012 that any future pipeline that crosses BC would have to meet five conditions that included environmental requirements and Indigenous consultation. Controversially, she indicated that one of her five conditions would be that BC receives its "fair share" of any revenues that accrue from increased pipeline and tanker traffic. This has put her in direct conflict with
9310-476: Was placed on BC universities and colleges by the previous NDP government. In 2005 a tuition limit policy was put in place, capping increases at the rate of inflation. Campbell made significant changes, including new Environmental Assessment Legislation, as well as controversial new aquaculture policies on salmon farming . In November 2002, His government passed the Forest and Range Practices Act which reversed many of
9408-402: Was shut out of the legislature. Only five candidates ran, none were elected, and the party got 0.5% of the vote. The 1983 election saw a small recovery as the party came close to a full slate of candidates, but won 2.69% of the vote. The 1986 vote was the third and last election in which the party was shut out. Its share of the popular vote improved to 6.74%. In 1987, Gordon Wilson became
9506-626: Was the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party from 1993 to 2011. From 2011 to 2016, he served as Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Canada's representative to the Ismaili Imamat from 2014 to 2016. Campbell was born in Vancouver , British Columbia. His father, Charles Gordon (Chargo) Campbell, was a physician and an assistant dean of medicine at the University of British Columbia , until his suicide in 1961, when Gordon
9604-516: Was the ongoing BC Rail Scandal trial in which the Premier and other members of his cabinet and staff were due to face embarrassing cross-examination in relation to the Basi-Virk trial , which was called to a halt with plea bargain around the same time. On December 5, 2010, while answering questions from reporters, he "hinted strongly" that he will not stay on as an MLA after his successor as Liberal leader
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