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.
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52 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 27 seats were needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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
editPolitical party | Party leader | MLAs | Votes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Candidates | 1956 | 1960 | ± | # | ± | % | ± (pp) | |||
Social Credit | W.A.C. Bennett | 52 | 39 | 32 | 7 | 386,886 | 12,175 | 38.83 | 7.01 | |
Co-operative Commonwealth | Bob Strachan | 52 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 326,094 | 94,583 | 32.73 | 4.41 | |
Liberal | Ray Perrault | 50 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 208,249 | 30,327 | 20.90 | 0.87 | |
Progressive Conservative | Deane Finlayson | 52 | – | – | – | 66,943 | 41,570 | 6.72 | 3.61 | |
Labour | Tom Uphill | – | 1 | – | 1 | Retired | ||||
Communist[a 1] | 19 | – | – | – | 5,675 | 2,294 | 0.57 | 0.16 | ||
Independent | 5 | – | – | – | 2,557 | 621 | 0.25 | 0.14 | ||
Total | 230 | 52 | 52 | 996,404 | 100.00% | |||||
Rejected ballots[2] | 9,862 | 3,220 | ||||||||
Actual voters who voted[2] | 628,031 | 118,622 | 71.84% | 6.41 | ||||||
Registered voters[2] | 874,267 | 95,680 |
- ^ Previously known as Labor-Progressive
Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
█ Social Credit | 32 / 52
|
-7.01 | |||
█ Co-operative Commonwealth | 16 / 52
|
4.41 | |||
█ Liberal | 4 / 52
|
-0.87 | |||
█ Progressive Conservative | 0 / 52
|
3.61 | |||
█ Other | 0 / 52
|
-0.14 |
MLAs elected
edit
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Synopsis of results
editRiding | 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
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 | – | – |
- ^ Gordon Lionel Gibson was elected as a Socred MLA in a 1957 byelection.
- ^ Deane Finlayson, PC party leader
- ^ Gordon Gibson, Sr. had previously been MLA for Lillooet from 1953 to 1955.
- ^ Robert Bonner was previously an MLA for the district.
- = winning candidate
See also
editFurther 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- ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 265, 275.
- ^ a b c Elections BC 1988, pp. 2–3.
- ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 267–271, 277–282.
- ^ Elections BC 1988, p. 537.