1960 British Columbia general election

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1960 British Columbia general election

← 1956 September 12, 1960 1963 →

52 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
27 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
CCF
Leader W. A. C. Bennett Robert Strachan
Party Social Credit Co-operative Commonwealth
Leader since 1952 1956
Leader's seat South Okanagan Cowichan-Newcastle
Last election 39 seats, 45.84% 10 seats, 28.32%
Seats won 32 16
Seat change Decrease 7 Increase 6
Popular vote 386,886 326,094
Percentage 38.83% 32.73%
Swing Decrease 7.01pp Increase 4.41pp

  Third party Fourth party
 
BCLP
PC
Leader Ray Perrault Deane Finlayson
Party Liberal Progressive Conservative
Leader since 1959 1952
Leader's seat North Vancouver Ran in North Vancouver (lost)
Last election 2 seats, 21.77% 0 seats, 3.11%
Seats won 4 0
Seat change Increase 2 Steady 0
Popular vote 208,249 66,943
Percentage 20.90% 6.72%
Swing Decrease 0.87pp Increase 3.61pp

Premier before election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

Premier after election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

The 1960 British Columbia general election was the 26th 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 3, 1960, and held on September 12, 1960. The new legislature met for the first time on January 26, 1961.

The conservative Social Credit of Premier W.A.C. Bennett was re-elected with a majority in the legislature to a fourth term in government despite losing seven percentage points of the popular vote and seven of its seats in the legislature.

The opposition Co-operative Commonwealth Federation increased both its share of the popular vote and its number of seats.

The British Columbia Liberal Party lost a small part of its popular vote, but managed to double its caucus from two to four members.

The Progressive Conservative Party doubled its share of the popular vote to almost 7%, but won no seats in the legislature.

Results[edit]

Elections to the 26th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1960)[1]
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1956 1960 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Social Credit W.A.C. Bennett 52 39 32 7Decrease 386,886 12,175Increase 38.83 7.01Decrease
Co-operative Commonwealth Bob Strachan 52 10 16 6Increase 326,094 94,583Increase 32.73 4.41Increase
Liberal Ray Perrault 50 2 4 2Increase 208,249 30,327Increase 20.90 0.87Decrease
Progressive Conservative Deane Finlayson 52 66,943 41,570Increase 6.72 3.61Increase
Labour Tom Uphill 1 1Decrease Retired
Communist[a 1] 19 5,675 2,294Increase 0.57 0.16Increase
Independent 5 2,557 621Decrease 0.25 0.14Decrease
Total 230 52 52 996,404 100.00%
Rejected ballots[2] 9,862 3,220Increase
Actual voters who voted[2] 628,031 118,622Increase 71.84% 6.41Increase
Registered voters[2] 874,267 95,680Increase
  1. ^ Previously known as Labour-Progressive
Seats and popular vote by party[1]
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
 Social Credit
32 / 52
38.83%
-7.01
 
 Co-operative Commonwealth
16 / 52
32.73%
4.41 4.41
 
 Liberal
4 / 52
20.90%
-0.87
 
 Progressive Conservative
0 / 52
6.72%
3.61 3.61
 
 Other
0 / 52
0.82%
-0.14
 


MLAs elected[edit]

Synopsis of results[edit]

Results by riding - 1960 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[3]
Riding Winning party Votes
Name 1956 Party Votes Share Margin
#
Margin
%
SC CCF Lib PC Comm Ind Total
 
Alberni CCF CCF 4,093 45.05% 1,127 12.40% 2,966 4,093 1,305 514 207 9,085
Atlin SC CCF 444 53.30% 177 21.25% 267 444 122 833
Cariboo SC SC 3,091 40.90% 1,018 13.47% 3,091 1,842 2,073 552 7,558
Chilliwack SC SC 10,051 54.30% 5,928 32.03% 10,051 4,123 3,163 1,173 18,510
Columbia SC SC 1,115 42.35% 340 12.92% 1,115 775 593 150 2,633
Comox SC SC 6,100 38.63% 28 0.18% 6,100 6,072 2,759 653 207 15,791
Cowichan-Newcastle CCF CCF 6,261 58.68% 3,228 30.25% 3,033 6,261 1,206 170 10,670
Cranbrook CCF CCF 2,786 44.18% 1,086 17.22% 1,700 2,786 1,475 345 6,306
Dewdney SC CCF 12,637 43.73% 1,924 6.66% 10,713 12,637 4,512 803 233 28,898
Esquimalt SC SC 4,429 40.38% 1,046 9.54% 4,429 3,383 2,165 991 10,968
Fernie Lab Lib 1,126 36.23% 199 6.40% 927 864 1,126 191 3,108
Fort George SC SC 5,066 55.28% 2,730 29.79% 5,066 2,336 1,416 346 9,164
Grand Forks-Greenwood CCF CCF 1,115 42.35% 363 13.79% 752 1,115 564 202 2,633
Kamloops SC SC 4,777 45.86% 1,949 18.71% 4,777 2,828 1,437 1,374 10,416
Kaslo-Slocan CCF CCF 1,298 50.35% 565 21.92% 733 1,298 303 244 2,578
Lillooet SC SC 1,695 39.56% 364 8.50% 1,695 1,331 923 336 4,285
Mackenzie CCF CCF 4,952 46.44% 1,785 16.74% 3,167 4,952 2,058 487 10,664
Nanaimo and the Islands SC SC 4,599 42.34% 51 0.47% 4,599 4,548 1,036 607 72 10,862
Nelson-Creston SC SC 4,501 49.37% 1,837 20.15% 4,501 2,664 1,222 730 9,117
New Westminster CCF CCF 6,496 41.25% 1,455 9.24% 5,041 6,496 2,519 1,691 15,747
North Okanagan SC SC 4,553 43.01% 1,525 14.41% 4,553 3,028 1,817 1,098 91 10,587
North Peace River SC SC 1,651 46.21% 693 19.40% 1,651 769 958 114 81 3,573
Oak Bay Lib Lib 4,558 44.46% 778 7.59% 3,780 701 4,558 1,212 10,251
Omineca SC SC 1,633 45.88% 514 14.44% 1,633 1,119 529 278 3,559
Prince Rupert SC SC 2,367 40.87% 228 3.94% 2,367 2,139 1,087 199 5,792
Revelstoke SC CCF 1,417 44.12% 472 14.70% 945 1,417 585 265 3,212
Rossland-Trail SC SC 5,562 51.12% 3,026 27.81% 5,562 2,536 2,034 608 141 10,881
Saanich SC SC 10,165 44.23% 3,653 15.90% 10,165 6,512 4,451 1,782 73 22,983
Salmon Arm SC SC 1,979 41.75% 312 6.58% 1,979 1,667 481 613 4,740
Similkameen SC SC 4,797 46.84% 1,646 16.07% 4,797 3,151 1,454 840 10,242
Skeena SC SC 2,379 41.19% 242 4.19% 2,379 2,137 848 411 5,775
South Okanagan SC SC 8,058 59.89% 5,156 38.32% 8,058 2,902 1,238 1,256 13,454
South Peace River SC SC 3,133 59.39% 1,794 34.01% 3,133 1,339 303 500 5,275
Yale SC SC 1,103 31.24% 29 1.82% 1,103 1,074 964 390 3,531
  = 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
  = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
  = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1956 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[3]
Riding Winning party Votes Voters
who voted[4]
Name MLAs 1956 1960 SC CCF Lib PC Comm Ind Total
Burnaby 2
  2
  2
13,469 17,659 7,601 1,075 409 79,309 41,669
13,394 17,522 7,111 1,069
Delta 2
  2
  2
21,011 21,839 8,529 2,280 505 2,010[a 1] 106,328 55,073
17,291 21,559 8,517 2,159 408 220
North Vancouver 2
  2
  2
12,804 6,746 14,408 3,260[a 2] 242 72,331 37,901
12,276 6,720 13,287[a 3] 2,397 191
Vancouver-Burrard 2
  2
  2
10,642 9,505 5,744 2,611 339 87 56,382 29,534
10,231 9,333 5,715 1,904 271
Vancouver Centre 2
  2
  2
8,516 6,530 3,726 1,421 420 40,733 21,312
8,227 6,378 3,724 1,411 380
Vancouver East 2
  1
  1
  2
16,622 25,610 5,906 1,080 718 159 99,479 51,781
16,379 25,580 5,828 999 598
Vancouver-Point Grey 3
  3
  3
24,273[a 4] 12,702 17,438 6,774 172,832 59,871
23,950 12,158 15,107 6,453
23,583 11,538 14,827 4,029
Victoria City 3
  2
  1
  3
9,864 4,598 7,278 2,236 65,329 22,387
8,855 4,516 6,083 1,959
8,671 4,262 5,464 1,543
  1. ^ Gordon Lionel Gibson was elected as a Socred MLA in a 1957 byelection.
  2. ^ Deane Finlayson, PC party leader
  3. ^ Gordon Gibson, Sr. had previously been MLA for Lillooet from 1953 to 1955.
  4. ^ Robert Bonner was previously an MLA for the district.
  = winning candidate

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.
  • Saywell, John T., ed. (1961). Canadian Annual Review for 1960. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 265, 275.
  2. ^ a b c Elections BC 1988, pp. 2–3.
  3. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 267–271, 277–282.
  4. ^ Elections BC 1988, p. 537.