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
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Political party ! rowspan=2 | Party leader ! colspan=4 | MLAs ! colspan=4 | Votes ! Candidates !1953 !1956 !± !# ! ± !% ! ± (pp)


 * style="text-align:left;" |W.A.C. Bennett
 * 52 || 28  || 39  || 11  || 374,711  || 99,940  || 45.84  || 8.09


 * style="text-align:left;" |Bob Strachan
 * 51 || 14  || 10  || 4 || 231,511  || 6,998  || 28.32  || 2.53


 * style="text-align:left;" |Arthur Laing
 * 52 || 4  || 2  || 2 || 177,922  || 6,161  || 21.77  || 1.82


 * style="text-align:left;" |Deane Finlayson
 * 22 || 1  || – || 1 || 25,373  || 15,407 || 3.11  || 2.49


 * style="text-align:left;" |Tom Uphill
 * 1 || 1  || 1  ||   || 1,321  || 280 || 0.16  || 0.06


 * style="text-align:left;" |
 * 14 || – || – || – || 3,381  || 4,115 || 0.41  || 0.62

! colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Total ! colspan="2"| 52 ! colspan="2"|817,397 ! colspan="2"| 100.00%
 * || 7 || – || – || – || 3,178  || 1,207  || 0.39  || 0.12
 * 199
 * 48
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Rejected ballots
 * 6,642 ||37,124
 * colspan="2"|
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Actual voters who voted
 * 509,409 ||12,643
 * 65.43% || 5.12
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Registered voters
 * 778,587 ||38,581
 * colspan="2"|
 * }
 * 778,587 ||38,581
 * colspan="2"|
 * }

MLAs elected
{{legend|#EEDDAA|Alberni: Stanley John Squire}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Atlin: William James Asselstine}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Cariboo: Ralph Chetwynd}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Chilliwack: William Kenneth Kiernan}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Columbia: Richard Orr Newton}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Comox: Daniel Campbell}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|Cowichan-Newcastle: Robert Strachan}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|Cranbrook: Leo Nimsick}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Dewdney: Lyle Wicks}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Esquimalt: Herbert Joseph Bruch}} {{legend|#EEBBBB|Fernie: Thomas Aubert Uphill}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Fort George: Ray Gillis Williston}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|Grand Forks-Greenwood: Lois Haggen}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Kamloops: Phil Gaglardi}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|Kaslo-Slocan: Randolph Harding}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Lillooet: Don Robinson}}
 * Single-member districts

{{legend|#EEDDAA|Mackenzie: Anthony Gargrave}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Nanaimo and the Islands: Earle Cathers Westwood}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Nelson-Creston: Wesley Drewett Black}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|New Westminster: Rae Eddie}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|North Okanagan: Lorne Shantz}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|North Peace River: Harold Earl Roche}} {{legend|#A51B12|Oak Bay: Philip Archibald Gibbs}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Omineca: Cyril Morley Shelford}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Prince Rupert: William Harvey Murray}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Revelstoke: Arvid Lundell}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Rossland-Trail: Robert Sommers}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Saanich: John Douglas Tisdalle}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Salmon Arm: James Allan Reid}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Similkameen: Frank Richter, Jr.}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Skeena: Hugh Shirreff}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|South Okanagan: W. A. C. Bennett}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|South Peace River: Stanley Carnell}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Yale: Irvine Finlay Corbett}}

{{legend|#EEDDAA|Burnaby: Gordon Dowding}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|Burnaby: Ernest Winch }} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Delta: Thomas Irwin}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Delta: Nehemiah George Massey}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|North Vancouver: John Melvin Bryan Sr.}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|North Vancouver: Newton Phillips Steacy}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver-Burrard: Eric Charles Fitzgerald Martin}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver-Burrard: Bert Price}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver Centre: Alexander Small Matthew}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver Centre: Leslie Peterson}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver East: Frederick Morton Sharp}} {{legend|#EEDDAA|Vancouver East: Arthur James Turner}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver-Point Grey: Thomas Audley Bate}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver-Point Grey: Buda Brown}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Vancouver-Point Grey: Arthur Laing}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Victoria City: William Chant}} {{legend|#ADD8E6|Victoria City: John Donald Smith}} {{legend|#A51B12|Victoria City: George Frederick Thompson Gregory}}
 * Multi-member districts

Synopsis of results

 * = 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

Bold indicates incumbent in last Legislature.


 * = winning candidate