# British Columbia New Democratic Party
The British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP) is the [British Columbia](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-columbia) wing of Canada's social democratic [New Democratic Party](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-democratic-party), formed in October 1961 at a Vancouver convention where the [Co-operative Commonwealth Federation](https://www.edgepedia.org/co-operative-commonwealth-federation) joined forces with organized labor and adopted a new name.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) It has governed the province under six premiers and is currently the governing party under Premier David Eby.[2](https://www.bcndp.ca/latest/taking-action-you-meet-premier-david-ebys-new-cabinet)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | Founding convention of the BC Section of the NDP, Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver, October 27 and 28, 1961; the national party was founded in August 1961[3](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/) |
| Predecessor | The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), founded in British Columbia in 1932; first contested a provincial election in 1933[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/) |
| First government | Dave Barrett led the party to its first election victory on August 30, 1972, winning 38 of 55 seats[5](https://bcndphistory.ca/through-the-elections-ccf-and-ndp-mlas/) |
| Current leader | David Eby, acclaimed BC NDP leader after John Horgan's resignation; BC's 37th premier since November 18, 2022[6](https://bcndphistory.ca/bc-ndp-leaders/) |
| 2020 result | 57 of 87 seats (majority) with 47.7% of the vote[7](https://bc.locallink.ca/election-2026/past-results/) |
| 2024 result | 47 of 93 seats (the minimum for a majority) with 44.9% of the vote, against 43.3% for the Conservatives[7](https://bc.locallink.ca/election-2026/past-results/) |
| Ideological basis | The party constitution commits to improving life through "the application of democratic socialist principles to government and the administration of public affairs"[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/) |
| Next election | Snap election called for October 24, 2026, two years before one was required[8](https://apnews.com/article/631ff2622c5c30f8a3988db89f4bdcae) |
## Origins in the CCF
The party's lineage begins with the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a federation of democratic socialist, social democratic, and labor groups founded at Calgary in 1932. A British Columbia provincial section was founded the same year and faced its first electoral test in 1933, when the BC CCF elected 7 of the 47 seats and became the Official Opposition.[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/) Disagreements over strategy split the party almost immediately, costing it opposition status in 1937 before it regained the role in 1941.[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/)
In 1952 the CCF won the most votes of any party, 34 percent and 18 seats, but Social Credit won one seat more in the final count and formed a minority government under W.A.C. Bennett. Social Credit then abolished the transferable-ballot voting system and returned to first past the post, holding power in every election until 1972.[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/) In 1958 the [Canadian Labour Congress](https://www.edgepedia.org/canadian-labour-congress) invited the CCF to join in founding a new, more broadly based party, and in July 1961 delegates from the unions, the CCF, and New Party clubs met in Ottawa to found the New Democratic Party.[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/)
## Founding and the Strachan years
On October 27 and 28, 1961, the NDP's British Columbia Section held its founding convention at Vancouver's Bayshore Hotel.[3](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/) Bob Strachan, a carpenters' union leader and MLA for Cowichan-Newcastle, was the unanimous choice as the party's first leader. Early leaders campaigned proudly as socialists, and the BC NDP constitution still carries a commitment to democratic socialist principles, though that terminology has mostly fallen from common use.[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/) Campaigns of the 1960s were low-budget affairs focused on Medicare for all, better funding for universities and schools, a larger return from BC resources, and low-cost publicly owned car insurance.[4](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/) The party won 14 seats in 1963, 16 in 1966, and 12 in 1969, its worst showing since it was founded, under Strachan and then Tom Berger.[9](https://www.canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/parties/645-new-democratic-party/)
## The Barrett government, 1972 to 1975
Dave Barrett, acclaimed leader in 1970 after Berger lost his seat, led the NDP to its first victory on August 30, 1972, winning a majority of 38 of the 55 seats.[5](https://bcndphistory.ca/through-the-elections-ccf-and-ndp-mlas/) Barrett became the province's first NDP premier and Canada's first Jewish premier.[5](https://bcndphistory.ca/through-the-elections-ccf-and-ndp-mlas/) In three years his government passed 367 pieces of legislation, including the creation of the public automobile insurer ICBC, the Agricultural Land Reserve, and a Labour Relations Board.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) The government alienated business through a mining tax and lost labor support by introducing back-to-work legislation, and in 1975 it lost the election to a revitalized Social Credit.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party)
## Opposition and the 1990s governments
Barrett stayed on through two more losing elections and was replaced by Bob Skelly in 1984; the party then chose former Vancouver mayor Mike Harcourt as leader in 1987.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) In 1991 Harcourt led the party back to power with 51 of 75 seats, an election in which Social Credit was reduced to a rump and replaced in opposition by the Liberal Party.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) Harcourt resigned in 1996 over a charity bingo revenue scandal, and Glen Clark took over as leader and premier, winning the 1996 election; it was the first time the NDP had won back-to-back elections in British Columbia.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) Clark resigned in 1999 while under police investigation, Dan Miller served briefly as interim leader, and Ujjal Dosanjh, the first Indo-Canadian to lead a government in Canada, became premier in 2000.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party)
The 2001 election was a collapse: the NDP won only two of 80 seats.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) Under Carole James from 2003 the party recovered to 33 seats in 2005 and 35 in 2009, but dissidents forced her resignation, and Adrian Dix led it to a surprising 2013 loss after leading in the polls.[1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) [The Canadian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-canadian) elections database records the party's seat counts through this period as 22 in 1983 and 1986, 39 in 1996, 33 in 2005, 34 in 2013, and 40 in 2017.[9](https://www.canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/parties/645-new-democratic-party/)
## Government since 2017
Under [John Horgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-horgan), who became leader after 2013, the 2017 election produced 43 BC Liberal, 41 NDP, and 3 Green seats, the first minority government in the province since 1952.[10](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2979521) The NDP formed government with Green support under a [Confidence](https://www.edgepedia.org/confidence) and Supply Agreement.[10](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2979521) Riding pandemic-era popularity, Horgan called a snap election in the fall of 2020 and won 57 of 87 seats with 47.7% of the vote, making him the first NDP premier to win re-election.[7](https://bc.locallink.ca/election-2026/past-results/) • [1](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party) He resigned in June 2022 following cancer treatment, and [David Eby](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-eby) was acclaimed as leader, becoming premier on November 18, 2022.[6](https://bcndphistory.ca/bc-ndp-leaders/) • [2](https://www.bcndp.ca/latest/taking-action-you-meet-premier-david-ebys-new-cabinet)
**The 2024 election.** The October 19, 2024 general election, the first on the 93-district map set by the Electoral Districts Act (2023), produced the tightest result in modern BC history: the BC NDP won 47 of 93 seats with 944,579 votes (44.9%), the Conservative Party 44 seats with 911,153 votes (43.3%), and the BC Greens 2 seats.[7](https://bc.locallink.ca/election-2026/past-results/) On election night Eby acknowledged the party had not secured a majority, with recounts pending; after automatic and judicial recounts in Kelowna Centre, Surrey-[Guildford](https://www.edgepedia.org/guildford), and one ballot box in Prince George-Mackenzie, no seat changed hands, and 47 proved to be a majority of 93.[7](https://bc.locallink.ca/election-2026/past-results/) • [11](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/Report_of_the_CEO_PGE2024.pdf) With the Speaker drawn from the governing caucus, 46 NDP members faced 46 opposition members, so the Speaker's casting vote decided questions on which the sides divided evenly; the composition later shifted through caucus departures and a Conservative member joining the NDP.[12](https://bcballot.ca/guides/minority-government-in-bc/) In December 2024 the BC NDP and BC Green caucuses signed an Agreement in [Principle](https://www.edgepedia.org/principle) on cooperation covering areas including healthcare and housing.[13](https://bcndpcaucus.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/05/CARGA-Q1-2025-report.pdf)
## Party structure
Membership in the BC NDP carries automatic membership in the federal party, a link dating to the CCF era.[14](https://bcndphistory.ca/ccf-and-ndp-mps/) Provincial conventions draw delegates from Provincial Electoral District Associations on the basis of one delegate for each 25 members in good standing, with additional credentials for affiliated organizations and youth.[15](https://secure.bcndp.org/sites/default/files/civicrm/persist/contribute/files/BC%20NDP_Constitution_2021.pdf) The party's day-to-day administration is led by the Provincial Secretary, titled Provincial Director since 2015; Heather Stoutenburg held the role from 2020 to 2025 and was succeeded by Tania Jarzebiak.[16](https://bcndphistory.ca/provincial-secretaries/) Since 1975 the party's presidency has reflected substantial diversity, including five female presidents and, in 2021, the first Indigenous party president.[17](https://bcndphistory.ca/party-presidents/)
## The 2026 snap election
On September 22, 2026, Eby called a snap election for October 24, two years before one was required, framing it around resistance to United States trade policy under Donald Trump and saying British Columbia needed a "firebreak" against Trump's economic policies by protecting workers, reducing dependence on the United States, and finding new markets.[8](https://apnews.com/article/631ff2622c5c30f8a3988db89f4bdcae) He reported that BC exports to the United States had fallen 4 percent while exports to other markets had risen 16 percent, and vowed to keep American alcohol off provincial shelves until Canada obtained a fair deal.[8](https://apnews.com/article/631ff2622c5c30f8a3988db89f4bdcae) The call came amid turmoil in the opposition Conservatives, whose leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned following defections and expulsions from her caucus, with Lorne Doerkson named interim leader.[8](https://apnews.com/article/631ff2622c5c30f8a3988db89f4bdcae)
## References
1. [New Democratic Party, KnowBC, Encyclopedia of British Columbia](https://www.knowbc.com/knowbc/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/N/New-Democratic-Party)
2. [Taking Action for You: Meet Premier David Eby's new cabinet, BC NDP](https://www.bcndp.ca/latest/taking-action-you-meet-premier-david-ebys-new-cabinet)
3. [The BC NDP Timeline, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/)
4. [Up to and in the 1960s, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/timeline/the-1960s/)
5. [Through the Elections: CCF and NDP MLAs, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/through-the-elections-ccf-and-ndp-mlas/)
6. [BC NDP Leaders, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/bc-ndp-leaders/)
7. [Past election results, 2020 and 2024, BC LocalLink](https://bc.locallink.ca/election-2026/past-results/)
8. [British Columbia leader calls snap election as premier tells voters to say 'hell no to Trump', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/631ff2622c5c30f8a3988db89f4bdcae)
9. [New Democratic Party, Canadian Elections Database](https://www.canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/parties/645-new-democratic-party/)
10. [The Big BC Shift? Is the 2017 Provincial Election the Start of a New Era of Political Culture and Power in British Columbia? (Nicole Garton, SSRN)](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2979521)
11. [Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, October 19, 2024 Provincial General Election, Elections BC](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/Report_of_the_CEO_PGE2024.pdf)
12. [Minority government in BC, BC Ballot](https://bcballot.ca/guides/minority-government-in-bc/)
13. [Cooperation Agreement Q1 2025 report, BC NDP Caucus](https://bcndpcaucus.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/05/CARGA-Q1-2025-report.pdf)
14. [BC CCF and NDP MPs, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/ccf-and-ndp-mps/)
15. [Constitution of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia (2021 amendments)](https://secure.bcndp.org/sites/default/files/civicrm/persist/contribute/files/BC%20NDP_Constitution_2021.pdf)
16. [Provincial Secretaries & Directors, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/provincial-secretaries/)
17. [Party Presidents, BC NDP History](https://bcndphistory.ca/party-presidents/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Political systems and ideas › Political parties and party families › Social-democratic and labour parties › Social-democratic parties of the Americas › Provincial and territorial NDP parties of Canada*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license