Non-Partisan Association
Active municipal party
AbbreviationNPA
PresidentDavid Mawhinney
FoundedNovember 13, 1937 (1937-11-13)
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
ColoursPurple
City council
0 / 11
Park board
0 / 7
School board
0 / 9
Website
npavancouver.ca

The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was established by the city's business leaders in 1937 to challenge the democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in that year's municipal election. The party has historically been described as centre-right and drawn its strongest support from Vancouver's business community.

In the years following the 2018 municipal election, seven of the NPA's ten elected officials resigned from the party, claiming that it had become right-wing and undemocratic. Several other prominent members, such as the NPA's 2018 mayoral candidate Ken Sim, also resigned. Most of those departing later joined ABC Vancouver in the run-up to the 2022 municipal election, which saw Sim elected as mayor and the NPA lose all its remaining seats.

History

Early years

The NPA was established by Vancouver's business leaders on November 13, 1937, to counteract the growing influence of the CCF.[1] Fearful of a CCF victory in the Vancouver municipal election on December 8, 1937, provincial politicians from the then-ruling BC Liberal Party launched an initiative to create a pro-business municipal party to challenge the CCF.[1][2] The NPA's first chairman was Victor Odlum, a prominent member of Vancouver's business and political elite who had served as a Liberal MLA from 1924 to 1928.[1] Other founding members of the NPA include W. C. Woodward of Woodward's department store, Victor Spencer of Spencer's department store, and industrialist Austin Taylor.[1] Despite its party connections, the NPA claimed it was not a party, but rather a "free enterprise coalition"[3] which "oppose[d] the introduction of party politics into Vancouver's civic administration".[1]

The NPA first fielded candidates in the December 9, 1936, municipal election, which saw their mayoral candidate, George Miller, elected to office. Miller later ran in provincial elections for the BC Progressive Conservative Party.[1] Prior to the 1939 election, a member of the NPA's executive, Nelson Spencer, broke away from the party and ran independently after the NPA chose the then-incumbent Miller as its mayoral candidate instead of Spencer. The result was that the right-wing vote was split, and CCF candidate Lyle Telford was elected.[1] Telford would only serve one term before NPA candidate Jack Cornett was elected in the 1940 election, beginning a decades-long period of NPA dominance on Vancouver City Council.[4]

21st century

The NPA's previous logo, in use until 2014

Jennifer Clarke was chosen to be the NPA's mayoral candidate for the 2002 municipal election, as opposed to the then-incumbent mayor Philip Owen. Owen had been in disagreement with the rest of the party leadership due to his support for harm reduction programs in the Downtown Eastside, although Clarke stated she was also in favour of such programs. The NPA ultimately lost the mayoral race, as well as its majority on city council that it had maintained since 1986.[5]

Long-time city councillor Sam Sullivan was chosen as the NPA's candidate for the 2005 mayoral race,[6] which he later won. The NPA also regained its majority on city council, winning a total of six seats.[7]

Peter Ladner was the NPA's mayoral candidate for the 2008 municipal election but was defeated by Gregor Robertson, the candidate for Vision Vancouver.[8] The NPA's electoral platform during the 2008 election focused on reducing crime, improving housing affordability, leveraging the 2010 Winter Olympics, protecting the environment, advancing the city's arts and culture sector, and working collaboratively with senior levels of government, community groups, and the private sector.[9]

The party, led by Suzanne Anton as the NPA's mayoral candidate, once again lost to Robertson and Vision Vancouver in the 2011 municipal election but elected two members to Vancouver City Council. Two members were also elected to the Park Board, and three members to the Vancouver School Board.[10]

On October 16, 2016, provincial education minister Mike Bernier fired the school trustees elected during the 2014 municipal election for failing to pass a balanced budget.[11] NPA incumbent Fraser Ballantyne was re-elected in the subsequent 2017 municipal by-election, alongside newcomer Lisa Dominato.[12]

City councillor Rebecca Bligh announced on December 6, 2019, that she was leaving the NPA but would continue to serve as an independent.[13] She cited concerns over the NPA's newly elected executive team, which included members publicly opposed to the provincial sexual orientation and gender identification (SOGI) curriculum[14] and former staff of the far-right Rebel Media.[15][16] Other high profile NPA members, such as city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung and 2018 mayoral candidate Ken Sim, also voiced concerns over the party's perceived shift to the right.[17]

Three of the NPA's four remaining councillors – Lisa Dominato, Colleen Hardwick, and Sarah Kirby-Yung – announced on April 21, 2021, that they would be leaving the NPA to sit as independents, following the decision of the board to appoint Park Board commissioner John Coupar as the 2022 NPA mayoral candidate, the board's refusal to hold an annual general meeting despite a request to do so from all its elected politicians, and broad accusations of a lack of transparency on the board's behalf.[18] Two days later, all three of the NPA's school trustees resigned from the party as well,[19] leaving an elected caucus of one councillor (Melissa De Genova) and two Park Board commissioners (John Coupar and Tricia Barker). On August 5, 2022, Coupar resigned as the NPA's mayoral candidate, with the party indicating it would nominate a new candidate before the ballot deadline.[20] Fred Harding, a retired police officer who ran for mayor with the Vancouver 1st party in the 2018 election, was subsequently announced as the NPA's new mayoral candidate.[21]

Most of the elected officials who resigned from the NPA later joined ABC Vancouver in the run-up to the 2022 municipal election, which saw Ken Sim elected as mayor and the defeat of all NPA incumbents.[22][23]

Electoral results

The NPA held a majority on Vancouver City Council from 1941 to 1967, 1970 to 1972, 1978 to 1980, 1986 to 2002, and from 2005 to 2008. It held the mayor's office from 1941 to 1958, from 1963 to 1966, from 1986 to 2002, and from 2005 to 2008.[24] However, it has elected only three of the last eight mayors since 1972. Over the years, its opposition has been The Electors' Action Movement (TEAM) in the 1970s, the left-wing Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) in the 1980s and 1990s, and centre-left Vision Vancouver in the 2000s and 2010s.

There have been eleven NPA mayors of Vancouver:

Results since 1970

NPA election results for mayor of Vancouver, 1970 to present
Election year Candidate Votes  % Position Result
1970 Tom Campbell 54,253 45.1 1st Elected
1972 None – – – Did not contest
1974 George Puil 27,686 35.1 2nd Not elected
1976 Edward Sweeney 21,924 24.4 Steady 2nd Not elected
1978 Supported Jack Volrich (independent) 45,742 49.2 Increase 1st Elected
1980 Jack Volrich 47,107 44.1 Decrease 2nd Not elected
1982 Jonathan Baker 36,073 31.2 Steady 2nd Not elected
1984 Bill Vander Zalm 49,957 35.7 Steady 2nd Not elected
1986 Gordon Campbell 77,562 55.7 Increase 1st Elected
1988 Gordon Campbell 75,545 62.6 Steady 1st Elected
1990 Gordon Campbell 67,950 53.7 Steady 1st Elected
1993 Philip Owen 46,687 50.0 Steady 1st Elected
1996 Philip Owen 50,969 53.15 Steady 1st Elected
1999 Philip Owen 51,085 54.19 Steady 1st Elected
2002 Jennifer Clarke 41,936 30.01 Decrease 2nd Not elected
2005 Sam Sullivan 61,543 47.34 Increase 1st Elected
2008 Peter Ladner 48,794 39.26 Decrease 2nd Not elected
2011 Suzanne Anton 58,152 40.15 Steady 2nd Not elected
2014 Kirk LaPointe 73,443 40.42 Steady 2nd Not elected
2018 Ken Sim 48,748 28.16 Steady 2nd Not elected
2022 Fred Harding 3,905 2.32 Decrease 5th Not elected
NPA election results for Vancouver City Council, 1970 to present
Election Seats +/– Votes  % Change (pp) Position
1970
7 / 11
 Decrease 1 435,906 41.9 Decrease 5.5 Majority government
1972
1 / 11
 Decrease 6 141,762 19.3 Decrease 22.6 Opposition
1974
4 / 11
 Increase 3 237,764 34.4 Increase 15.1 Opposition
1976
3 / 11
 Decrease 1 228,164 29.4 Decrease 5.0 Opposition
1978
5 / 11
 Increase 2 216,176 28.8 Decrease 0.6 Minority government
1980
5 / 11
 Steady 351,802 38.2 Increase 9.4 Opposition
1982
3 / 11
 Decrease 2 367,305 37.0 Decrease 1.2 Opposition
1984
3 / 11
 Steady 428,884 36.0 Decrease 1.0 Opposition
1985[lower-alpha 2]
3 / 11
 Steady 44,096 47.2 Increase 11.2
1986
8 / 11
 Increase 5 503,683 42.2 Decrease 5.0 Majority government
1988
7 / 11
 Decrease 1 485,295 43.0 Increase 0.8 Majority government
1990
6 / 11
 Decrease 1 446,624 41.4 Decrease 1.6 Majority government
1992[lower-alpha 2]
7 / 11
 Increase 1 11,573 42.5 Increase 1.1
1993
10 / 11
 Increase 3 378,505 47.7 Increase 5.2 Majority government
1996
11 / 11
 Increase 1 422,118 50.54 Increase 2.84 Majority government
1999
9 / 11
 Decrease 2 361,315 45.29 Decrease 5.25 Majority government
2002
2 / 11
 Decrease 7 368,068 32.13 Decrease 13.16 Opposition
2005
6 / 11
 Increase 4 498,082 45.96 Increase 13.83 Majority government
2008
1 / 11
 Decrease 5 394,839 38.00 Decrease 7.96 Opposition
2011
2 / 11
 Increase 1 456,256 37.88 Decrease 0.12 Opposition
2014
3 / 11
 Increase 1 474,841 32.68 Decrease 5.20 Opposition
2017[lower-alpha 2]
4 / 11
 Increase 1 13,372 27.83 Decrease 4.85
2018
5 / 11
 Increase 1 347,752 24.83 Decrease 3.00 Crossbench
2022
0 / 11
 Decrease 5 82,608 6.14 Decrease 18.69 No seats

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ During his mayoral tenure, Tom Campbell sat as an independent from 1967 to 1970 and as an NPA member from 1970 to 1972.
  2. 1 2 3 By-election: voters were asked to elect one city councillor.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 MacKie, John (November 13, 2012). "THIS DAY IN HISTORY: NOVEMBER 13, 1937". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ Smith 1982, p. 59.
  3. ↑ Miller 1975, p. 4.
  4. ↑ Paulsen, Monte (April 27, 2010). "'New' NPA to consider name change". The Tyee. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ Mutimer, David (2008). Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs 2002. University of Toronto Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-8020-9819-1. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ "NPA mayoral race heats up". The Georgia Straight. September 15, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Election Summary Report: November 19, 2005". City of Vancouver. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Election summary - Election 2008 - City of Vancouver Elections". City of Vancouver. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ NPA Action Plan Brochure
  10. ↑ "2011 election results". Vancouver.ca. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ Shaw, Rob; Sherlock, Tracy (October 18, 2016). "B.C. education minister Bernier fires Vancouver school board". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ "2017 by-election results".
  13. ↑ Boynton, Sean (December 6, 2019). "Vancouver councillor Rebecca Bligh resigns from NPA over alleged anti-SOGI board members". Global News. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  14. ↑ Li, Wanyee (December 7, 2019). "Vancouver political party's 'veer to the right' not a winning strategy, say NPA party insiders". The Star. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ Fumano, Dan (December 7, 2019). "Vancouver councillor quits NPA, citing concerns over party's shift to 'far right'". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  16. ↑ Smith, Charlie (November 27, 2019). "NPA members elect a former Rebel Media bureau chief and the B.C. Conservatives president to party board". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  17. ↑ Bula, Frances (April 10, 2020). "Former Vancouver mayoral candidate Ken Sim alarmed at NPA swing to the right". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  18. ↑ Fumano, Dan. "3 of 4 NPA councillors quit party citing 'backroom deal'". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  19. ↑ Crawford, Tiffany. "Three Vancouver school trustees resign membership with NPA to sit as independents". Canada.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  20. ↑ "John Coupar resigns from being NPA's Vancouver mayoral candidate". dailyhive.com. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  21. ↑ McElroy, Justin (August 30, 2022). "NPA names Fred Harding as its new Vancouver mayoral candidate". CBC News. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  22. ↑ Howell, Mike (April 22, 2021). "So now what happens to Vancouver's NPA party?". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  23. ↑ Azpiri, Jon (October 13, 2021). "Ken Sim to lead new party as mayoral candidate in 2022 Vancouver election". Global News. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  24. ↑ "History of Vancouver - Mayors of Vancouver". www.vancouverhistory.ca. The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. Retrieved April 10, 2020.

Sources

Further reading

  • Smith, Andrea Barbara (1981). The Origins of the NPA: A Study in Vancouver Politics 1930–1940 (MA). University of British Columbia.
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