1963 British Columbia general election

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.

1963 British Columbia general election

← 1960 September 30, 1963 1966 →
← outgoing members elected members →
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 1 2 Popular vote 395,079 269,004 Percentage 40.83% 27.80% Swing 2.00pp 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 1 0 Popular vote 193,363 109,090 Percentage 19.98% 11.27% Swing 0.92pp 4.55pp
Premier before election W. A. C. Bennett Social Credit Premier after election W. A. C. Bennett Social Credit

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)

Political party		Party leader	MLAs				Votes
			Candidates	1960	1963	±	#	±	%	± (pp)
	Social Credit	W.A.C. Bennett	52	32	33	1	395,079	8,193	40.83	2.00
	New Democratic	Bob Strachan	52	16	14	2	269,004	57,090	27.80	4.93
	Liberal	Ray Perrault	51	4	5	1	193,363	14,886	19.98	0.92
	Progressive Conservative	Davie Fulton	44	–	–	–	109,090	42,147	11.27	4.55
	Communist		4	–	–	–	849	4,826	0.09	0.48
	Independent		2	–	–	–	290	2,267	0.03	0.22
Total			205	52	52		967,675		100.00%
Rejected ballots							6,132	3,730
Actual voters who voted							608,672	23,359	69.71%	2.13
Registered voters							873,140	1,127

1. successor to the CCF
2. Including one Socialist candidate in Saanich.

Seats and popular vote by party

Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█ Social Credit	33 / 52	40.83%	2.00
█ New Democratic	14 / 52	27.80%	-4.93
█ Liberal	5 / 52	19.98%	-0.92
█ Progressive Conservative	0 / 52	11.27%	4.55
█ Other	0 / 52	0.12%	-0.70

MLAs elected

Single-member districts   Alberni: Stanley John Squire   Atlin: Frank Calder   Cariboo: William C. Speare   Chilliwack: William Kenneth Kiernan   Columbia: James Roland Chabot   Comox: Daniel Campbell   Cowichan-Newcastle: Robert Strachan   Cranbrook: Leo Nimsick   Dewdney: Dave Barrett   Esquimalt: Herbert Joseph Bruch   Fernie: Harry McKay   Fort George: Ray Williston   Grand Forks-Greenwood: Lois Haggen   Kamloops: Phil Gaglardi   Kaslo-Slocan: Randolph Harding   Lillooet: Don Robinson

Mackenzie: Anthony Gargrave   Nanaimo and the Islands: David Stupich   Nelson-Creston: Wesley Drewett Black   New Westminster: Rae Eddie   North Okanagan: George McLeod   North Peace River: Jacob Francis Huhn   Oak Bay: Alan MacFarlane   Omineca: Cyril Morley Shelford   Prince Rupert: William Harvey Murray   Revelstoke: Arvid Lundell   Rossland-Trail: Donald Leslie Brothers   Saanich: John Douglas Tisdalle   Salmon Arm: Willis Franklin Jefcoat   Similkameen: Frank Richter, Jr.   Skeena: Dudley George Little   South Okanagan: W. A. C. Bennett   South Peace River: Stanley Carnell   Yale: Bill Hartley

Multi-member districts   Burnaby: Charles MacSorley   Burnaby: Gordon Dowding   Delta: Ernest A. LeCours   Delta: Hunter Vogel   North Vancouver: Gordon Gibson, Sr.   North Vancouver: Ray Perrault   Vancouver-Burrard: Eric Charles Fitzgerald Martin   Vancouver-Burrard: Bert Price   Vancouver Centre: Alexander Small Matthew   Vancouver Centre: Leslie Peterson   Vancouver East: Alexander Macdonald   Vancouver East: Arthur James Turner   Vancouver-Point Grey: Robert Bonner   Vancouver-Point Grey: Ralph Raymond Loffmark   Vancouver-Point Grey: Pat McGeer   Victoria City: William Chant   Victoria City: Waldo McTavish Skillings   Victoria City: John Donald Smith

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1963 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)

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)

Riding		Winning party		Votes							Voters who voted
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	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

• List of British Columbia political parties