1963 British Columbia general election

1963 British Columbia general election
← 1960 September 30, 1963 1966 →
52 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
27 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader W. A. C. Bennett Robert Strachan
Party Social Credit New Democratic
Leader since 1952 1956
Leader's seat South Okanagan Cowichan-Newcastle
Last election 32 seats, 38.83% 16 seats, 32.73%
Seats won 33 14
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 2
Popular vote 395,079 269,004
Percentage 40.83% 27.80%
Swing Increase 2.00pp Decrease 4.93pp
  Third party Fourth party
 
BCLP
Leader Ray Perrault Davie Fulton
Party Liberal Progressive Conservative
Leader since 1959 1960
Leader's seat North Vancouver Ran in Kamloops (lost)
Last election 4 seats, 20.90% 0 seats, 6.72%
Seats won 5 0
Seat change Increase 1 Steady 0
Popular vote 193,363 109,090
Percentage 19.98% 11.27%
Swing Decrease 0.92pp Increase 4.55pp
Premier before election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

Premier after election

W. A. C. Bennett
Social Credit

The 1963 British Columbia general election was the 27th 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 22, 1963, and held on September 30, 1963. The new legislature met for the first time on January 23, 1964.

The conservative Social Credit Party of Premier W.A.C. Bennett was re-elected with a majority in the legislature to a fifth term in government. The party increased its share of the popular vote and number of seats in the legislature marginally.

The opposition New Democratic Party (formerly the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) had small losses both in popular vote and number of seats.

The Liberals won about 20% of the popular vote, and one additional seat, for a total of five.

The Progressive Conservative Party won no seats in the legislature increasing its share of the popular vote by four-and-half percentage points to over 11%.

Results

Elections to the 27th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1963)[1]
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1960 1963 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Social Credit W.A.C. Bennett 52 32 33 1Increase 395,079 8,193Increase 40.83 2.00Increase
New Democratic[a 1] Bob Strachan 52 16 14 2Decrease 269,004 57,090Decrease 27.80 4.93Decrease
Liberal Ray Perrault 51 4 5 1Increase 193,363 14,886Decrease 19.98 0.92Decrease
Progressive Conservative Davie Fulton 44 – – – 109,090 42,147Increase 11.27 4.55Increase
Communist 4 – – – 849 4,826Decrease 0.09 0.48Decrease
Independent[a 2] 2 – – – 290 2,267Decrease 0.03 0.22Decrease
Total 205 52 52 967,675 100.00%
Rejected ballots[2] 6,132 3,730Decrease
Actual voters who voted[2] 608,672 23,359Decrease 69.71% 2.13Decrease
Registered voters[2] 873,140 1,127Decrease
  1. ^ successor to the CCF
  2. ^ Including one Socialist candidate in Saanich.
Seats and popular vote by party[1]
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
█ Social Credit
33 / 52
40.83%
 2.00 2
 
█ New Democratic
14 / 52
27.80%
 -4.93
 
█ Liberal
5 / 52
19.98%
 -0.92
 
█ Progressive Conservative
0 / 52
11.27%
 4.55 4.55
 
█ Other
0 / 52
0.12%
 -0.70
 

MLAs elected

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1963 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[3]
Riding Winning party Votes
Name 1960 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		SC NDP Lib PC Comm Ind Total
 
Alberni CCF NDP 4,249 48.14% 743 8.42% 3,506 4,249 – 1,071 – – 8,826
Atlin CCF NDP 549 54.46% 241 23.90% 308 549 151 – – – 1,008
Cariboo SC SC 3,015 41.98% 1,464 20.38% 3,015 1,482 1,134 1,551 – – 7,182
Chilliwack SC SC 10,031 58.44% 6,906 40.23% 10,031 3,125 2,252 1,757 – – 17,165
Columbia SC SC 1,305 40.08% 213 6.54% 1,305 467 392 1,092 – – 3,256
Comox SC SC 6,598 42.38% 360 2.32% 6,598 6,238 1,259 1,475 – – 15,570
Cowichan-Newcastle CCF NDP 5,422 50.47% 1,846 17.18% 3,576 5,422 904 840 – – 10,742
Cranbrook CCF NDP 2,563 39.09% 930 14.19% 1,633 2,563 835 1,526 – – 6,557
Dewdney CCF NDP 11,625 41.95% 1,119 4.04% 10,506 11,625 4,051 1,532 – – 27,714
Esquimalt SC SC 4,951 48.28% 2,145 20.92% 4,951 2,806 1,398 1,099 – – 10,254
Fernie Lib Lib 1,226 41.67% 189 6.42% 679 1,037 1,226 – – – 2,942
Fort George SC SC 5,308 60.78% 3,583 41.03% 5,308 1,725 961 739 – – 8,733
Grand Forks-Greenwood CCF NDP 919 38.45% 153 6.40% 705 919 766 – – – 2,390
Kamloops SC SC 5,669 47.17% 1,196 9.95% 5,669 1,297 580 4,473 – – 12,019
Kaslo-Slocan CCF NDP 1,242 45.07% 149 5.41% 1,093 1,242 301 120 – – 2,756
Lillooet SC SC 1,425 33.77% 309 7.32% 1,425 1,116 977 702 – – 4,220
Mackenzie CCF NDP 4,323 41.61% 403 3.88% 3,920 4,323 2,147 – – – 10,390
Nanaimo and the Islands SC NDP 4,278 42.44% 19 0.18% 4,259 4,278 960 582 – – 10,079
Nelson-Creston SC SC 4,047 44.65% 2,104 23.21% 4,047 1,943 1,600 1,474 – – 9,064
New Westminster CCF NDP 5,035 37.57% 318 2.38% 4,717 5,035 2,335 1,316 – – 13,403
North Okanagan SC SC 4,157 41.55% 2,081 20.80% 4,157 2,008 2,076 1,765 – – 10,006
North Peace River SC SC 2,310 69.43% 1,707 51.31% 2,310 414 603 – – – 3,327
Oak Bay Lib Lib 4,457 42.77% 687 6.60% 3,770 469 4,457 1,726 – – 10,422
Omineca SC SC 1,936 55.09% 1,157 32.92% 1,936 779 528 271 – – 3,514
Prince Rupert SC SC 2,357 42.07% 439 7.84% 2,357 1,918 1,328 – – – 5,603
Revelstoke CCF SC 1,176 41.36% 105 3.69% 1,176 1,071 385 211 – – 2,843
Rossland-Trail SC SC 5,474 51.02% 2,828 26.36% 5,474 2,646 1,139 1,470 – – 10,729
Saanich SC SC 10,657 49.02% 5,879 27.04% 10,657 4,778 3,049 3,180 – 75 21,739
Salmon Arm SC SC 2,058 41.55% 413 8.34% 2,058 1,645 245 1,005 – – 4,953
Similkameen SC SC 5,093 48.71% 2,457 23.50% 5,093 2,636 1,423 1,303 – – 10,455
Skeena SC SC 2,963 50.23% 988 16.75% 2,963 1,975 961 – – – 5,899
South Okanagan SC SC 8,485 63.69% 5,997 45.01% 8,485 1,707 642 2,488 – – 13,322
South Peace River SC SC 3,365 68.81% 2,540 51.94% 3,365 825 700 – – – 4,890
Yale SC NDP 1,697 37.13% 6 0.14% 1,691 1,697 599 584 – – 4,571
  = 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 - 1963 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[3]
Riding Winning party Votes Voters
who voted[4]
Name MLAs 1960 1963 SC NDP Lib PC Comm Ind Total
Burnaby 2
  2
  1
  1
 14,650 14,750 5,472 2,343 – – 73,598 41,669
14,070 14,409 5,641 2,263 – –
Delta 2
  2
  2
 22,504 18,690 5,553 4,461 – – 100,327 55,073
22,067 17,661 5,342 4,049 – –
North Vancouver 2
  2
  2
 13,215 5,764 16,153 3,567 190 – 73,337 37,901
11,883 5,409 14,068 3,088 – –
Vancouver-Burrard 2
  2
  2
 11,181 10,345 5,798 – – 58,657 29,534
10,612 8,998 5,291 – –
Vancouver Centre 2
  2
  2
 8,060 5,806 3,477 2,741 266 – 39,777 21,312
7,594 5,538 3,467 2,588 240 –
Vancouver East 2
  2
  2
 17,031 20,424 3,996 2,308 – 215 87,294 51,781
16,867 20,292 3,901 2,260 – –
Vancouver-Point Grey 3
  3
  2
  1
 23,172 8,663 25,592[a 1] 15,719 – – 179,472 59,871
20,962 8,072 17,641 7,643 – –
20,267 8,018 16,510 7,213 – –
Victoria City 3
  3
  3
 9,736 3,557 4,440 2,528 153 – 58,670 22,387
9,347 3,324 4,355 2,282 – –
9,118 3,275 4,302 2,253 – –
  1. ^ Pat McGeer was elected in a 1962 byelection.
  = winning candidate


See also

Further reading

  • Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.
  • Saywell, John T., ed. (1964). Canadian Annual Review for 1963. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  1. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 275, 285.
  2. ^ a b c Elections BC 1988, pp. 2–3.
  3. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 277–282, 287–292.
  4. ^ Elections BC 1988, p. 537.