# 1956 British Columbia general election

The 1956 British Columbia general election was the 25th 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 13, 1956, and held on September 19, 1956. The new legislature met for the first time on February 7, 1957.
The conservative Social Credit of Premier W.A.C. Bennett was re-elected with a majority in the legislature to a third term in government with over 45% of the popular vote.
The social democratic CCF formed the official opposition.
The British Columbia Liberal Party lost two of its four seats despite winning over 20% of the popular vote.
The Progressive Conservative Party lost its single seat in the legislature, and would not win a seat again until the 1972 election.
One seat was won by a Labour candidate, Tom Uphill of Fernie.

## Changes to election laws

In 1953, as part of a revision to the Provincial Elections Act, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 19. As well, the instant runoff voting system that was in effect for the 1952 and 1953 elections was abolished and the previous first past the post rules were revived.
In 1955, a further Act was passed that increased the Legislative from 48 members to 52 through the following changes:
   * Peace River was split into North Peace River and South Peace River
   * Burnaby, Delta and North Vancouver became multi-member districts, each now returning two members.

## Results

Elections to the 25th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1956) :
| Political party | Political party | Party leader | MLAs | MLAs | MLAs | MLAs | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Political party | Political party | Party leader | Candidates | 1953 | 1956 | ± | # | ± | % | ± (pp) |
| | Social Credit | W.A.C. Bennett | 52 | 28 | 39 | 11 | 374,711 | 99,940 | 45.84 | 8.09 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Bob Strachan | 51 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 231,511 | 6,998 | 28.32 | 2.53 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Laing | 52 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 177,922 | 6,161 | 21.77 | 1.82 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Deane Finlayson | 22 | 1 | – | 1 | 25,373 | 15,407 | 3.11 | 2.49 |
| | Labour | Tom Uphill | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1,321 | 280 | 0.16 | 0.06 |
| | Labor–Progressive | | 14 | – | – | – | 3,381 | 4,115 | 0.41 | 0.62 |
| | Independent | | 7 | – | – | – | 3,178 | 1,207 | 0.39 | 0.12 |
| Total | Total | Total | 199 | 48 | 52 | 52 | 817,397 | 817,397 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 6,642 | 37,124 | | |
| Actual voters who voted | Actual voters who voted | Actual voters who voted | Actual voters who voted | Actual voters who voted | Actual voters who voted | Actual voters who voted | 509,409 | 12,643 | 65.43% | 5.12 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 778,587 | 38,581 | | |
* ↑ Measured against 1953 first-preference votes.
Seats and popular vote by party :
| Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp) | Change (pp) |
| █ Social Credit | 39 / 52 | 45.84% | 8.09 | 8.09 |
| █ Co-operative Commonwealth | 10 / 52 | 28.52% | -2.53 | |
| █ Liberal | 2 / 52 | 21.77% | -1.82 | |
| █ Progressive Conservative | 0 / 52 | 3.11% | -2.49 | |
| █ Other | 1 / 52 | 0.76% | -1.25 | |

## MLAs elected

* ↑ Died before the opening of the new Legislative Assembly. His son-in-law Cedric Cox won the subsequent byelection.

### Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1956 British Columbia general election (single-member districts) :
| Riding | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Name | 1953 | 1953 | Party | Party | Votes | Share | Margin # | Margin % | SC | CCF | Lib | PC | LPP | Ind | Total |
| Alberni | | CCF | | CCF | 3,362 | 50.60% | 1,468 | 22.09% | 1,894 | 3,362 | 1,388 | – | – | – | 6,644 |
| Atlin | | CCF | | SC | 454 | 48.04% | 94 | 9.94% | 454 | 360 | 131 | – | – | – | 945 |
| Cariboo | | SC | | SC | 3,014 | 60.86% | 1,873 | 37.82% | 3,014 | 797 | 1,141 | – | – | – | 4,952 |
| Chilliwack | | SC | | SC | 9,008 | 57.10% | 5,890 | 37.34% | 9,008 | 2,992 | 3,118 | 658 | – | – | 15,776 |
| Columbia | | SC | | SC | 1,074 | 54.41% | 422 | 21.38% | 1,074 | 248 | 652 | – | – | – | 1,974 |
| Comox | | CCF | | SC | 4,916 | 41.63% | 361 | 3.06% | 4,916 | 4,555 | 2,339 | – | – | – | 11,810 |
| Cowichan-Newcastle | | CCF | | CCF | 5,015 | 51.18% | 1,842 | 18.80% | 3,173 | 5,015 | 1,611 | – | – | – | 9,799 |
| Cranbrook | | CCF | | CCF | 3,321 | 53.26% | 1,309 | 20.99% | 2,012 | 3,321 | 902 | – | – | – | 6,235 |
| Dewdney | | SC | | SC | 10,267 | 47.49% | 3,056 | 14.14% | 10,267 | 7,211 | 4,141 | – | – | – | 21,619 |
| Esquimalt | | SC | | SC | 3,530 | 43.70% | 1,517 | 18.78% | 3,530 | 2,013 | 1,714 | 821 | – | – | 8,078 |
| Fernie | | Lab | | Lab | 1,321 | 42.43% | 140 | 4.49% | 1,181 | – | 611 | – | – | 1,321 | 3,113 |
| Fort George | | SC | | SC | 3,774 | 58.48% | 2,398 | 37.16% | 3,774 | 1,304 | 1,376 | – | – | – | 6,454 |
| Grand Forks-Greenwood | | CCF | | CCF | 877 | 42.57% | 11 | 0.53% | 866 | 877 | 317 | – | – | – | 2,060 |
| Kamloops | | SC | | SC | 4,948 | 61.02% | 2,931 | 36.15% | 4,948 | 1,144 | 2,017 | – | – | – | 8,109 |
| Kaslo-Slocan | | CCF | | CCF | 1,512 | 54.31% | 537 | 19.29% | 975 | 1,512 | 297 | – | – | – | 2,784 |
| Lillooet | | Lib | | SC | 2,055 | 52.41% | 1,096 | 27.95% | 2,055 | 907 | 959 | – | – | – | 3,921 |
| Mackenzie | | CCF | | CCF | 4,502 | 48.41% | 1,256 | 13.50% | 3,246 | 4,502 | 1,362 | 189 | – | – | 9,299 |
| Nanaimo and the Islands | | PC | | SC | 3,827 | 45.52% | 864 | 12.60% | 3,827 | 2,963 | 2,142 | – | – | 69 | 9,001 |
| Nelson-Creston | | SC | | SC | 4,190 | 51.02% | 1,859 | 22.64% | 4,190 | 2,331 | 1,622 | – | 70 | – | 8,213 |
| New Westminster | | CCF | | CCF | 4,469 | 38.83% | 293 | 2.55% | 4,176 | 4,469 | 2,220 | – | – | 645 | 11,510 |
| North Okanagan | | SC | | SC | 4,583 | 54.74% | 2,311 | 27.60% | 4,583 | 1,429 | 2,272 | – | 88 | – | 8,372 |
| North Peace River | New | New | | SC | 1,087 | 53.23% | 664 | 32.52% | 1,087 | 359 | 423 | – | – | 173 | 2,042 |
| Oak Bay | | Lib | | Lib | 3,940 | 49.38% | 1,249 | 15.65% | 2,691 | 429 | 3,940 | 919 | – | – | 7,979 |
| Omineca | | SC | | SC | 1,685 | 54.06% | 838 | 26.89% | 1,685 | 585 | 847 | – | – | – | 3,117 |
| Prince Rupert | | Lib | | SC | 2,151 | 42.39% | 487 | 9.60% | 2,151 | 1,259 | 1,664 | – | – | – | 5,074 |
| Revelstoke | | CCF | | SC | 1,339 | 49.81% | 354 | 13.17% | 1,339 | 985 | 364 | – | – | – | 2,688 |
| Rossland-Trail | | SC | | SC | 5,097 | 50.23% | 2,258 | 22.25% | 5,097 | 2,839 | 1,960 | 252 | – | – | 10,148 |
| Saanich | | SC | | SC | 6,542 | 39.45% | 1,103 | 6.65% | 6,542 | 5,439 | 3,344 | 1,257 | – | – | 16,582 |
| Salmon Arm | | SC | | SC | 2,131 | 51.24% | 677 | 16.28% | 2,131 | 1,454 | 339 | 487 | – | – | 4,159 |
| Similkameen | | SC | | SC | 5,189 | 53.94% | 2,989 | 31.07% | 5,189 | 2,200 | 1,744 | 487 | – | – | 9,620 |
| Skeena | | CCF | | SC | 1,886 | 37.01% | 63 | 1.24% | 1,886 | 1,823 | 1,387 | – | – | – | 5,096 |
| South Okanagan | | SC | | SC | 7,694 | 69.70% | 6,031 | 54.63% | 7,694 | 1,663 | 1,230 | 451 | – | – | 11,038 |
| South Peace River | New | New | | SC | 1,787 | 50.80% | 512 | 14.56% | 1,787 | 1,275 | 456 | – | – | – | 3,518 |
| Yale | | SC | | SC | 1,315 | 47.34% | 612 | 22.03% | 1,315 | 599 | 703 | 161 | – | – | 2,778 |
* ↑ Lois Haggen accepted the nomination after her husband Rupert Haggen chose to retire because of health problems.
* ↑ Campaigned as People's Party of BC.
    = 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
    = campaigned as Independent SC
    = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1956 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts) :
| Riding | Riding | Winning party | Winning party | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Voters who voted |
| Name | MLAs | 1953 | 1956 | SC | CCF | Lib | PC | LPP | Ind | Total | Voters who voted |
| Burnaby | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12,103 | 15,304 | 3,972 | 513 | – | – | 60,540 | 31,243 |
| Burnaby | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11,583 | 12,692 | 3,895 | 478 | – | – | 60,540 | 31,243 |
| Delta | 2 | 1 | 2 | 18,848 | 11,202 | 5,149 | – | 355 | – | 69,066 | 35,578 |
| Delta | 2 | 1 | 2 | 17,762 | 10,798 | 4,680 | – | 272 | – | 69,066 | 35,578 |
| North Vancouver | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11,974 | 4,718 | 8,425 | 5,121 | 211 | 902 | 53,719 | 28,602 |
| North Vancouver | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11,298 | 4,266 | 6,386 | – | 191 | 227 | 53,719 | 28,602 |
| Vancouver-Burrard | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12,824 | 7,826 | 4,972 | 1,095 | 260 | 203 | 52,369 | 27,798 |
| Vancouver-Burrard | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12,180 | 7,322 | 4,424 | 1,006 | 257 | – | 52,369 | 27,798 |
| Vancouver Centre | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9,112 | 4,561 | 3,996 | 969 | 485 | – | 36,302 | 19,128 |
| Vancouver Centre | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8,614 | 4,393 | 3,727 | – | 445 | – | 36,302 | 19,128 |
| Vancouver East | 2 | 2 | 1 1 | 18,640 | 19,774 | 4,229 | 720 | – | – | 84,422 | 44,795 |
| Vancouver East | 2 | 2 | 1 1 | 17,821 | 18,541 | 4,156 | 541 | – | – | 84,422 | 44,795 |
| Vancouver-Point Grey | 3 | 2 1 | 3 | 25,615 | 11,365 | 17,801 | 3,324 | 318 | 959 | 155,953 | 53,152 |
| Vancouver-Point Grey | 3 | 2 1 | 3 | 23,696 | 8,435 | 15,599 | 2,878 | – | – | 155,953 | 53,152 |
| Vancouver-Point Grey | 3 | 2 1 | 3 | 23,238 | 7,979 | 12,924 | 1,822 | – | – | 155,953 | 53,152 |
| Victoria City | 3 | 3 | 2 1 | 9,199 | 3,432 | 8,408 | 1,476 | 162 | – | 60,519 | 21,474 |
| Victoria City | 3 | 3 | 2 1 | 8,620 | 3,417 | 7,241 | – | 143 | – | 60,519 | 21,474 |
| Victoria City | 3 | 3 | 2 1 | 7,827 | 3,265 | 7,205 | – | 124 | – | 60,519 | 21,474 |
* ↑ George Henry Tomlinson Jr., a Socred MLA in the previous Legislature.
* ↑ George Frederick Thompson Gregory (Liberal)won the seat in a 1953 byelection, taking it from the Socreds.
Bold indicates incumbent in last Legislature.
    = winning candidate