Editing British Columbia New Democratic Party

{{Short description|Provincial political party in Canada}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = British Columbia New Democratic Party
| abbreviation     = BC NDP
| native_name      = 
| logo             = British Columbia New Democratic Party logo 2017.svg
| logo_size        = 200
| leader           = [[David Eby]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Registered Political Parties – Information – Elections BC |url=https://elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/Registered-Political-Parties-Information.pdf |publisher=Elections BC |access-date=November 17, 2022}}</ref>
| president        = Aaron Sumexheltza
| chairman         = 
| chairperson      = 
| spokesperson     = 
| leader1_title    = 
| leader1_name     = 
| foundation       = {{Start date and age|1933}} (as BC CCF){{Start date and age|1961}} (as BC NDP)
| dissolution      = 
| merger           = 
| split            = 
| predecessor      = 
| merged           = 
| successor        = 
| headquarters     = 34 West 7th Avenue<br />Unit 320<br />[[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]]<br />V5Y 1L6
| ideology         = [[Social democracy]]
| position         = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]
| national         = [[New Democratic Party]]
| student_wing     = 
| youth_wing       = British Columbia Young New Democrats
| membership       = ~11,000<ref>https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/does-the-b-c-ndp-fear-a-hostile-takeover-of-the-party-during-leadership-race</ref>
| membership_year  = 2022
| colours          = {{hlist|Orange}}
| colors           = 
| colorcode        = {{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}
| blank1_title     = Fiscal policy
| blank1           = 
| seats3_title     = Seats in the [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|Legislative Assembly]]
| seats3           = {{Composition bar|47|93|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}}}
| website          = {{URL|https://www.bcndp.ca}}
| country          = Canada
| state            = British Columbia
| parties_dab1     = List of political parties in British Columbia
| elections_dab1   = List of British Columbia general elections
| footnotes        = 
}}
The '''New Democratic Party of British Columbia'''{{efn|The party's constitution defines the full name to be the "New Democratic Party of British Columbia";<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bcndp.ca/files/uploads/20080610092341_Constitution2007.pdf |title=Constitution of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia |access-date=December 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706165827/http://www.bcndp.ca/files/uploads/20080610092341_Constitution2007.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref> however, it is registered with [[Elections BC]] simply as the "BC NDP" and is usually referred to as such. The expanded form "British Columbia New Democratic Party" can also be found in use both internally and externally.}} ('''BC NDP''') is a [[social democracy|social democratic]]<ref>{{cite book |author=R. Kenneth Carty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8zRDD1C64AC&pg=PA315 |title=Politics, Policy and Government in British Columbia |publisher=UBC Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7748-0583-4 |page=315 |access-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref> [[List of political parties in British Columbia|political party in British Columbia]], Canada. The party sits on the [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]]<ref>{{cite book |first1=Warren |last1=Magnusson |first2=Karena |last2=Shaw |title=A Political Space: Reading the Global Through Clayoquot Sound |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2_bd0lR97YC&pg=PA18 |year=2003 |publisher=U of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-0-8166-4039-3 |page=18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Susan Lee |last=Kang |title=Contestation and Collectivies: Protecting Labor Organizing Rights in the Global Economy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qE7ymADnUsIC&pg=PA315 |access-date=May 7, 2013 |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-549-63283-2 |page=315}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> of the [[political spectrum]] and is one of the two major parties in British Columbia; since the 1990s, its rival was the [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]] [[BC United]] (formerly known as the BC Liberals) until the [[Conservative Party of British Columbia]] reconstituted itself for the [[2024 British Columbia general election]], with BC United withdrawing its candidates and endorsing the Conservatives. The party is formally affiliated with the federal [[New Democratic Party]] and serves as its provincial branch.

The party was established in 1933 as the provincial wing of the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]]; the party adopted the NDP name in 1961 as part of the national party's re-foundation. The CCF quickly established itself as a major party in BC: for all but five years between 1933 and 1972, the CCF/NDP was the [[Official Opposition]] to the [[British Columbia Liberal Party|Liberal]], [[British Columbia Conservative Party|Conservative]] and [[British Columbia Social Credit Party|Social Credit]] governments. The NDP won its first [[1972 British Columbia general election|election in 1972]] under leader [[Dave Barrett]], who governed until being defeated in the [[1975 British Columbia general election|1975 election]]. The party returned to office in 1991 and governed until 2001 under a succession of leaders. The NDP lost the [[2001 British Columbia general election|2001 election]] in a landslide and remained in opposition until the [[2017 British Columbia general election|2017 election]], when it formed a [[minority government]] under [[John Horgan]]. In [[2020 British Columbia general election|2020 election]], the party was re-elected with a [[majority government]]. In 2022, following health concerns, Horgan stepped down as party leader and premier and was succeeded by [[David Eby]], who led the party to a slim majority victory in the [[2024 British Columbia general election|2024 election]].

Seven leaders of the NDP have served as [[premier of British Columbia]]: [[Dave Barrett]], [[Mike Harcourt]], [[Glen Clark]], [[Dan Miller (Canadian politician)|Dan Miller]], [[Ujjal Dosanjh]], [[John Horgan]] and [[David Eby]]. Since 2022, the party leader is David Eby, who is also [[premier of British Columbia]].<ref name="Williams 20223">{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Nia |date=October 20, 2022 |title=David Eby to Become Premier of Canada's British Columbia Province |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/david-eby-become-premier-canadas-british-columbia-province-2022-10-20/ |access-date=October 21, 2022 |website=Reuters}}</ref>

==History==

===Foundation and early history: 1933–1951===
The party was formed in 1933, during the Great Depression, as the '''Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (British Columbia Section)''' — allied to the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation|national CCF]] — by a coalition of the [[Socialist Party of Canada]] (SPC), the [[League for Social Reconstruction]], and affiliated organizations. In August 1933, the latter two organizations merged to become the Associated CCF Clubs. The new party won seven seats in the [[1933 British Columbia general election|1933 provincial election]], enough to form the [[official opposition]]. A further merger with the British Columbia SPC took place in 1935.

In 1936, the party split as its moderate leader, Reverend [[Robert Connell (politician)|Robert Connell]], was expelled over doctrinal differences in what was called the "Connell Affair". Three other CCF [[members of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLAs) in what had been a seven-member caucus quit and joined Connell in forming the [[Social Constructive Party]], leaving only [[Harold Winch]], [[Ernest Winch]] and [[Dorothy Steeves]] as CCF MLAs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Irene |title=The Struggle for Social Justice in British Columbia: Helena Gutteridge, The Unknown Reformer |date=1992 |publisher=UBC Press |isbn=978-0-7748-0425-7 |location=Vancouver |pages=183–184}}</ref> The Constructivists nominated candidates in the [[1937 British Columbia general election|1937 election]] but failed to win a seat. The CCF regained their former contingent of seven MLAs but lost official opposition status to the reconstituted [[British Columbia Conservative Party]].

[[Harold Winch]] succeeded Connell as CCF leader and guided the party until the 1950s.

The two-party system in Canada was challenged by the rise of the CCF and the [[Social Credit]] movement in [[western Canada]] during the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s. The CCF first took power in 1944 in [[Saskatchewan]] under Premier [[Tommy Douglas]]. It also began to gain wider political support in British Columbia.

In order to block the rise of the CCF in BC, the provincial [[British Columbia Liberal Party|Liberal]] and Conservative parties formed a [[coalition government]] after the [[1941 British Columbia general election|1941 provincial election]]. That year neither party had enough seats to form a [[majority government]] on its own. For the ten years that the coalition held together, the CCF was the [[Official Opposition]] in the legislature.

===Solidification as opposition party: 1951–1972===
After the coalition fell apart in 1951, the government introduced the [[Instant-runoff voting|alternative vote]] electoral system, allowing voters to make two choices. They expected that Conservative voters would list the Liberals as their second choice and vice versa. The government hoped to prevent the CCF from winning in a three-party competition, but they did not realize that a new fourth party was on the rise: the [[British Columbia Social Credit Party|BC Social Credit League]].

In the [[1952 British Columbia general election|1952 election]], the Liberals and Conservatives were decimated. The Social Credit League was the main beneficiary of the new voting system: many non-CCF voters chose Social Credit as either their first or second choices. Social Credit emerged as the largest party, with one seat more than Winch's CCF. The Social Credit party chose a new leader, [[W. A. C. Bennett]].

When Social Credit lost a [[motion of no confidence]] in the legislature in March 1953, Winch argued that the CCF should be allowed to try to form a government rather than the house being dissolved for an early election. The Liberals, however, refused to support the CCF's bid to form a government, and new elections were called.

In the [[1953 British Columbia general election|1953 election]], Bennett won a majority government, and both the Liberal and the Conservative parties were reduced to fringe parties. Throughout the 1950s, Bennett's new electoral movement was able to keep the CCF at bay. This period coincided with the height of the [[Cold War]], and Bennett effectively used the scare tactic of the "[[Red Scare|Red Menace]]" against the CCF, referring to them as the "[[socialism|socialist]] hordes".

In 1960, the CCF joined with the Canadian Labour Congress nationally to create the [[New Party (Canada)|New Party]], which then in 1961 became the "[[New Democratic Party]]" (NDP). This reflected the formation of the national party from an alliance of the CCF and unions in the [[Canadian Labour Congress]]. Bennett managed to keep the CCF and the NDP out of power throughout the 1960s through four successive general elections. Each time, Bennett used the "Red Menace" tactic as a wedge issue against the NDP and its leaders: [[Robert Strachan (politician)|Robert Strachan]] and, in the [[1969 British Columbia general election|1969 general election]], [[Thomas R. Berger|Thomas Berger]].

===Barrett government: 1972–1975===
The NDP first won [[1972 British Columbia general election|election in 1972]] under [[Dave Barrett]], who served as premier for three years. The NDP passed a considerable amount of legislation in a short time, including establishing the [[Insurance Corporation of British Columbia]] and the [[Agricultural Land Reserve (British Columbia)|Agricultural Land Reserve]]. A [[Question Period]] was added to the legislative process.

The NDP drove the small BC Liberal caucus to abandon their leader [[David Anderson (British Columbia politician)|David Anderson]] for the Social Credit Party, as did one of the two Tories elected in 1972. The NDP introduced [[Capital gains tax|capital taxes]] and slashed funding to universities. It suffered for bringing clarity to the accounting by Social Credit, and revealing that BC was significantly in debt.

In the [[1975 British Columbia general election|1975 election]], the Social Credit party, under W. A. C. Bennett's son [[William R. Bennett|Bill Bennett]], won a [[snap election]] called by Barrett. The Barrett government had initiated a number of reforms in the areas of [[labor relations|labour relations]], the public service, and social programs. Most of these endured until the restraint budget of 1983.

=== Return to opposition: 1975–1991 ===
The NDP hit a then-high in popular support in the [[1979 British Columbia general election|1979 election]] with 46 percent of the vote. And after a minor decline in the party's vote share in 1983, Barrett retired as leader.

Riding high in the polls, the NDP appeared poised to win the 1986 election against the unpopular Social Credit government, but its new leader [[Bob Skelly]] stumbled in a verbal gaffe during the campaign, and the Socreds' new leader [[William Vander Zalm]] attracted votes with his charisma and telegenic performance. The party failed to score its anticipated breakthrough.

===Harcourt government: 1991–1996===
The New Democratic Party governed BC for nine and a half years, winning two back-to-back general elections in 1991 and 1996 before being defeated in 2001. Although the party's majority was reduced in 1996, it triumphed over the divided remnants of the Social Credit Party. In 1991, due in part to Social Credit's scandals under Premier [[William Vander Zalm]] and in part to the stellar performance of British Columbia Liberal Party (BC Liberals) leader [[Gordon Wilson (British Columbia politician)|Gordon Wilson]] in debate, the old Social Credit vote split between the BC Liberals, which garnered 33 percent of the vote, and the Social Credit Party with 25 percent. The NDP, under the leadership of former Vancouver mayor [[Mike Harcourt]], won with 41 percent of the popular vote, which was one percentage point lower than the share the party had lost with in 1986.

Harcourt's first two years in government were characterized by a notably social democratic policy agenda, which included increases in welfare spending and rates. The [[voting age]] was lowered from 19 to 18 in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1992 - The Voting Age is Lowered to 18 Years {{!}} Legislative Assembly of BC |url=https://www.leg.bc.ca/learn/discover-your-legislature/1992-voting-age-lowered-to-18-years |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=www.leg.bc.ca}}</ref> In 1993, his government took a dramatic turn to the [[right-wing politics|right]] with his televised address in which he lashed out against "welfare cheats, deadbeats and varmints".<ref name="A Socialist in Canada-2011">{{Cite news |url=http://rogerannis.com/vancouver-sun-recalls-bc-ndp-record-on-welfare-rate-cuts/ |title=Vancouver Sun Recalls BC NDP Record on Welfare Rate Cuts – A Socialist in Canada |date=December 6, 2011 |work=A Socialist in Canada |access-date=June 16, 2017 |archive-date=November 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105214824/http://rogerannis.com/vancouver-sun-recalls-bc-ndp-record-on-welfare-rate-cuts/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HBALEwrAT2YC&q=mike+harcourt+welfare&pg=PA83 |title=Poverty: Rights, Social Citizenship, And Legal Activism |last1=Young |first1=Margot |last2=Boyd |first2=Susan |last3=Brodsky |first3=Gwen |last4=Day |first4=Shelagh |date=November 1, 2011 |publisher=UBC Press |isbn=9780774840835 |pages=83}}</ref> Broadcast province-wide, his speech inaugurated a set of [[welfare spending|welfare]] reforms enacted between 1993 and 1995; these were similar to those adopted by new [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] provincial governments elected in Alberta and Ontario in the same time period.

The cutbacks were, in part, a reaction to a dramatic reduction in federal transfer payments by the [[Liberal Party of Canada|federal Liberal]] government of [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]]. Parliament had repealed the [[Canada Assistance Plan]] bill of rights, which had included a right to food and a right to shelter. Unlike the reforms of the [[Mike Harris|Harris]] and [[Ralph Klein|Klein]] governments in the other two provinces noted, the BC Benefits package of cutbacks and restrictions in social assistance eligibility was bundled with a childcare bonus paid to low- and medium-income families.<ref name="A Socialist in Canada-2011" /> The changes were unpopular with the province's anti-poverty movement and the [[Green Party of British Columbia|BC Green Party]]; they were condemned by a motion at the NDP's <!-- which? -->1997 convention.<ref name="A Socialist in Canada-2011" />

Three months before BC Benefits was introduced by the Harcourt government, his government came into a protracted conflict with elements of the province's environmental movement. Harcourt's "Peace in the Woods" pact, which brought together traditionally warring environmental groups and forest workers' unions, began to collapse when Harcourt's cabinet exempted an environmentally sensitive area of Vancouver Island, [[Clayoquot Sound]], from its province-wide mediation process for land-use conflicts, the Commission on Resources and the Environment (CORE). First Nations peoples led protests, including logging road blockades, which resulted in the arrests of more than 800 people. Some key environmental leaders, such as [[David Suzuki]] and [[Colleen McCrory]], became alienated from the NDP and shifted their support to the Green Party in the 1996 provincial election.

Although low in the polls for much of his term in office, Harcourt and his newly appointed [[Attorney General of British Columbia|attorney general]], [[Ujjal Dosanjh]], succeeded in regaining substantial public support by taking a hard line against an [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|aboriginal]] group's occupation of a farmer's field in the [[Cariboo]] region of the province. In what became known as the [[Gustafsen Lake standoff]], Dosanjh led the largest-scale police operation in British Columbia history as the government tried to regain control. The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) used armoured vehicles provided by the Canadian military for protection. The military strongly rejected attempts by the RCMP to have them take over control of the situation, and ultimately it remained a police operation. The RCMP used anti-vehicle mines and shot thousands of rounds of ammunition at protesters.

With less than 72 hours before a planned election call, and with the NDP high in the polls for its hard line against welfare recipients and aboriginal and environmental radicals, the party's provincial office was raided by RCMP officers as part of an ongoing investigation of illegal use of charity bingo money by former provincial cabinet minister and MP [[Dave Stupich]] (for which Stupich was later convicted on two counts).<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 26, 1999 |title=Man Behind 'Bingogate' Pleads Guilty |work=CBC news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/man-behind-bingogate-pleads-guilty-1.188366}}</ref> Media called the scandal "[[Bingogate]]". Although Harcourt was not implicated in either the raid or the probe, he resigned; he was later fully exonerated. The NDP was led into the 1996 provincial general election by [[Glen Clark]].

===Clark government: 1996–1999===
Clark entered the 1996 election far back in the polls<ref>"Two polls put B.C. Liberals on top". ''Times Colonist''. June 4, 1994. p. 1.</ref> but proved an excellent campaigner. For the duration of the election, he re-unified the party's traditional coalition, using the slogan "On Your Side". He effectively portrayed the Liberals' new leader, former Vancouver mayor [[Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician)|Gordon Campbell]], as a pawn of big business and a dangerous right-wing extremist. Clark, for example, pointed to Campbell's promise to privatize [[BC Rail]] as an example of Campbell's pro big business policies.<ref name=":1" /> Clark was aided by [[Jack Weisgerber]], leader of the [[British Columbia Reform Party|BC Reform Party]] (the name taken by the majority of the Social Credit caucus), and Wilson, by then leader of the [[Progressive Democratic Alliance]] (PDA). Although the [[1996 British Columbia general election|NDP won]] only 39 percent of the vote to Campbell's 42 percent, it secured 39 seats to Campbell's 33.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 28, 1996 |title=Statement of Votes – 36th Provincial General Election |url=https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1996-SOVGeneralElection.pdf |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=elections.bc.ca}}</ref> This was partially explained by the [[vote splitting]] of the centre-right electorate following the collapse of the Social Credit party, with 9.29% and 5.74% of the popular vote going to the right wing Reform party and centrist Progressive Democrat parties respectively.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=April 29, 2017 |title=How the B.C. Election of '96 Changed Provincial Politics |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/how-the-b-c-election-of-96-changed-provincial-politics-1.4089562 |url-status=live |access-date=November 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829012241/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/how-the-b-c-election-of-96-changed-provincial-politics-1.4089562 |archive-date=August 29, 2023}}</ref> This is possible because BC uses a [[first past the post electoral system]].

Following the campaign, Clark's government struggled to exert leadership; the premier's scrappy style began to further alienate parts of the NDP coalition outside the core group of labour activists who helped to run Clark's campaign. Shortly after the election, it was discovered that the 1995–96 and 1996–97 fiscal years did not have the balanced budgets on which Clark had campaigned but small deficits of approximately $100{{nbsp}}million. This became a political scandal following a report by the BC Auditor General, which stated that the [[Ministry of finance|finance minister]] acted in a way "inconsistent with the principle of responsible and prudent fiscal planning" when drawing up the projected revenue numbers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 17, 1999 |title=Clark Blames Budget Error on Optimism, Not Deceit |work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/clark-blames-budget-error-on-optimism-not-deceit-1.193256 |access-date=November 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112001735/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/clark-blames-budget-error-on-optimism-not-deceit-1.193256 |archive-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> 

During these years, the NDP began to lose support and activists to the BC Greens, who reached 5 percent in the polls in the fourth quarter of 1997 and 11 percent by the fall of 1998. But most voters who left the NDP ultimately shifted to the Liberals, which was evident from the polling leading up to the 2001 BC election.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 17, 1997 |title=BC Angus Reid Poll – December 17, 1997 |url=https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/bc-angus-reid-poll-december-17-1997 |website=Ipsos}}</ref> 

New scandals surfaced. Clark allegedly used his influence to win a casino licence for a neighbour, Dimitrios Pilarinos, who had helped him with some home renovations.<ref name=":0" /> Construction of the PacifiCat [[BC Ferries]] suffered cost over-runs and poor technical decisions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BC's Failed Fast Ferries Spotted Mothballing in Egypt (PHOTOS) |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-fast-ferries-pacificats |access-date=November 11, 2023 |website=dailyhive.com}}</ref> The new ferries were intended to speed transportation between Vancouver and [[Nanaimo]] but became part of the [[fast ferry scandal]], ultimately costing the province $454{{nbsp}}million when the government sold them for scrap.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 14, 2000 |title=B.C. Admits Failure, Puts Fast Ferries up for Sale |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bc-admits-failure-puts-fast-ferries-up-for-sale/article4161516/ |access-date=November 11, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=March 25, 2003 |title=B.C. Sells Fast Ferries for Below Scrap Value |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bc-sells-fast-ferries-for-below-scrap-value/article1011974/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314084253/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bc-sells-fast-ferries-for-below-scrap-value/article1011974/ |archive-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref> Technical issues with the ferries included their inability to operate at all if wave heights exceeded {{convert|2.5|m}} and their reduced motor vehicle carrying capacity compared to traditional ferries.<ref name=":2" />

By mid-1999, an obvious rift had appeared in the administration as Attorney General Dosanjh and Finance Minister [[Joy MacPhail]] challenged Clark's legitimacy. The party and province endured a few chaotic months of government with frequent cabinet shuffles following a police raid<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Police and the Premier: Remembering the RCMP Raid on Glen Clark's Home – BC |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2551548/the-police-and-the-premier-remembering-the-rcmp-raid-on-glen-clarks-home/ |access-date=November 11, 2023 |work=Global News}}</ref> on Clark's home before he stepped down as premier.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 28, 1999 |title=Glen Clark Steps Down Under Pressure |work=CBC news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/glen-clark-steps-down-under-pressure-1.181192 |url-status=live |access-date=November 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114011700/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/glen-clark-steps-down-under-pressure-1.181192 |archive-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref> In 2002, Clark was acquitted of all charges in the Pilarinos case.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 30, 2002 |title=B.C. Court Clears Clark |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bc-court-clears-clark/article25304507/ |access-date=November 11, 2023}}</ref> Pilarinos himself was convicted on six charges and acquitted on three charges.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 18, 2002 |title=No Jail Time in B.C. Casino Licence Scandal |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/no-jail-time-in-b-c-casino-licence-scandal-1.344260 |access-date=November 11, 2023}}</ref> 

[[Dan Miller (Canadian politician)|Dan Miller]], the longest-serving member of the legislature, stepped in as premier and interim party leader during an acrimonious leadership race between Dosanjh, maverick [[West Kootenay]] MLA [[Corky Evans]], and Wilson (who had been persuaded to fold his Progressive Democratic Alliance party into the NDP and join Glen Clark's cabinet in 1999).<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 29, 1999 |title=B.C.'s Gordon Wilson Does the NDP Shuffle |work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/b-c-s-gordon-wilson-does-the-ndp-shuffle-1.169736 |url-status=live |access-date=November 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112001333/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/b-c-s-gordon-wilson-does-the-ndp-shuffle-1.169736 |archive-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> Despite clear favouritism from Clark,<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 18, 2000 |title=Doom Predicted for Wilson as Ominous Signs Lingering |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/doom-predicted-for-wilson-as-ominous-signs-lingering/article22402373/ |access-date=November 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112004759/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/doom-predicted-for-wilson-as-ominous-signs-lingering/article22402373/ |archive-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> Wilson dropped out of the race less than one hour before the delegates voted due to a lack of support, throwing his support behind Evans. The final vote tally was 769 votes for Dosanjh and 549 votes for Evans, hence Dosanjh became party leader and the next premier.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 20, 2000 |title=Dosanjh Wins B.C. NDP Leadership |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.237658 |url-status=live |access-date=November 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112003931/https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.237658 |archive-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> 

===Dosanjh government: 2000–2001 ===
Having bottomed out at 15 percent in the polls,<ref name="Star">{{cite news |title=Just Another Futile Gesture? |work=Toronto Star |page=NR02 |date=December 9, 2000}}</ref> the Dosanjh government attempted to capitalize on the new premier's high personal approval rating with their remaining year in power. The government made a number of concessions to the party's anti-poverty and environmental wings in an attempt to reforge the coalition but the party would not budge in the polls.

Dosanjh waited as long as possible to call [[2001 British Columbia general election|the next election]], finally doing so in April 2001. By this time, the party had risen to 21 percent in opinion polling – a slight improvement from the nadir of a year earlier.<ref name="Star" /> Nonetheless, it became obvious that the NDP would not be re-elected. Midway through the campaign, Dosanjh conceded defeat in a pre-recorded message and asked the electorate to give the NDP a chance as a strong opposition party.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=MacQueen |first=Ken |date=May 21, 2001 |title=Vanishing Act |magazine=Maclean's |volume=114 |issue=21 |pages=55–56}}</ref> De facto leadership passed to MacPhail, who managed to reinvigorate the campaign. The NDP's popular vote dropped to 22 percent, while its seat count dropped to only two – MacPhail and neighbouring Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA [[Jenny Kwan]]. They were also the only surviving members of the previous Cabinet; even Dosanjh lost his seat. All 77 other seats were captured by the Liberals who won 58 percent of the vote. It was the second-worst defeat of a sitting provincial government in Canada. Despite the severe defeat, MacPhail was credited for saving the party from being completely wiped off the electoral map. Shortly after the election, Dosanjh resigned as leader and MacPhail was appointed interim leader.

===Opposition and recovery: 2001–2017===
MacPhail and Kwan were initially not granted [[official party status]] by Campbell on the grounds that the legislature's rules stipulated a party must hold four seats. However, the Speaker of the Assembly, former Social Credit cabinet minister-turned BC Liberal [[Claude Richmond]], recognized MacPhail as [[Leader of the Opposition (British Columbia)|leader of the Opposition]]. Ultimately, Richmond's position gradually won out, and he was able to ensure that the remains of the NDP were provided the resources of an official party.

Given the high level of support within the party for her leadership, MacPhail surprised many by choosing not to seek the full-time leadership [[2003 British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership election|in 2003]]. The low-key leadership campaign was contested by establishment favourite and former Victoria School Board chair [[Carole James]], Oak Bay City Councillor Nils Jensen, former MLAs [[Leonard Krog]] and [[Steve Orcherton]], and a few minor candidates. First ballot results had James first followed by Jensen, Krog, and Orcherton. James won on the second ballot.

In late 2004, the party won an upset election victory in the constituency of [[Surrey-Panorama Ridge]]. [[Jagrup Brar]] became the third member of the party's caucus, winning a riding that had supported the NDP in 1991 before falling to the Liberals in 1996. Brar beat a locally popular BC Liberal candidate and [[Adriane Carr]], the BC Green Party's leader, winning an absolute majority of the vote.

In the [[2005 British Columbia general election|2005 provincial election]], James came closer to forming a government than even the NDP had predicted, winning 33 seats to Campbell's 45 and receiving a vote share 5 percent higher in suburban Vancouver than any pollster had predicted. The NDP also exceeded 40 percent of the vote for the first time since 1991.

In 2008, the NDP won two key by-elections in Vancouver-Fairview and Vancouver-Burrard.

In the [[2009 British Columbia general election|2009 provincial election]], the NDP came a close second to the Liberals, with 42 percent of the popular vote and the Liberals receiving 45 percent. 35 New Democrats and 49 Liberals were elected. Despite the popular vote, only 3,500 votes separated the party from forming government.<ref>{{cite web |title=Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the 39 Th Provincial General Election and Referendum on Electoral Reform |url=https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2009-GE-Ref-Report.pdf |publisher=Elections BC}}</ref>

The NDP under Adrian Dix was widely expected to win the [[2013 British Columbia general election|May 2013 provincial election]] as the NDP enjoyed a 20-point lead in the polls prior to the election campaign. However, the Liberals gained four seats, while the NDP lost two, in an election that returned the Liberal government under Premier [[Christy Clark]]. In September 2013, Dix announced his intention to resign as party leader once a leadership election was held.<ref>{{cite news |title=Adrian Dix Resigns as B.C. NDP Leader |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/adrian-dix-expected-to-clarify-political-future-in-afternoon-announcement/article14396110/ |access-date=November 23, 2013 |newspaper=Globe and Mail |date=September 18, 2013}}</ref>

Following Dix's resignation, [[John Horgan]], MLA for [[Langford-Juan de Fuca]], was acclaimed as party leader in the [[2014 British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership election|2014 party leadership election]] and subsequently became the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 3, 2014 |title=John Horgan Acclaimed New Leader of B.C. NDP |newspaper=CBC News |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-horgan-acclaimed-new-leader-of-b-c-ndp-1.2629097 |access-date=May 3, 2014}}</ref>

===Horgan and Eby governments: since 2017===
[[File:BC_NDP_election_platform_(33206347043).jpg|thumb|upright|right|Horgan campaigning in 2017]]
In the lead-up to the [[2017 British Columbia general election|May 2017 provincial election]], the NDP under Horgan occasionally led the Liberals in polls. The May 9 election returned 43 Liberal MLAs, 41 NDP MLAs and a record 3 Green MLAs. This was one of the closest elections in BC's history, exemplified by the popular vote breakdown: 40.36% for the Liberals, 40.28% for the NDP, and 16.84% for the Greens. The Liberals won the popular vote by a razor-thin margin of just 1,566 votes province-wide. [[2017 British Columbian government formation|Following the election]], which resulted in a [[hung parliament]], the Greens entered into negotiations with both the Liberals and NDP to decide which party they should support in the minority parliament. On May 29, Horgan and Green leader [[Andrew Weaver]] announced that the Greens would support an NDP minority government in a [[confidence and supply]] agreement. This meant the Greens are obliged to vote with the NDP in matters of confidence – keeping the government from falling – but were allowed to vote freely on legislation brought forward by the NDP government. On June 29, the minority Liberal government of Premier Christy Clark was defeated 44–42 by the NDP-Green alliance in a [[confidence vote]], leading Lieutenant Governor [[Judith Guichon]] to ask Horgan to form a government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Keller |first1=James |last2=Hunter |first2=Justine |last3=Hager |first3=Mike |title=B.C. NDP to Take Power Following Confidence Vote, Ending 16 Years of Liberal Rule |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clarks-liberals-lose-confidence-vote/article35500474/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706190952/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clarks-liberals-lose-confidence-vote/article35500474/ |archive-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref> On July 18, Horgan was sworn in as British Columbia's 36th premier, and first NDP premier in 16 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zussman |first=Richard and Justin McElroy |date=July 18, 2017 |title=B.C.'s New NDP Government Sworn into Office |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-s-new-ndp-government-sworn-into-office-1.4211129 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211214610/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-s-new-ndp-government-sworn-into-office-1.4211129 |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref> The NDP formed a [[minority government]], the first time the NDP has had such a government in provincial history.

On September 21, 2020, after only three years in government, Horgan called a [[snap election]]. The election call drew criticism, as it violated the agreement with the Green Party, and came during the first year of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia|COVID-19 pandemic]]; journalists noted that Horgan and the NDP had been doing well in the polls at the time.<ref>{{cite web |last=McElroy |first=Justin |date=September 21, 2020 |title=B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan Gambles Popularity Against Pandemic in Bid for Historic Majority |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-ndp-horgan-gambles-popularity-pandemic-election-analysis-1.5733348 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925061351/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-ndp-horgan-gambles-popularity-pandemic-election-analysis-1.5733348 |archive-date=September 25, 2020 |access-date=September 29, 2020 |work=CBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hunter |first=Justine |date=September 22, 2020 |title=B.C. Heads to the Polls One Year Early for an Election Opposition Doesn't Want |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-horgan-calls-snap-bc-provincial-election-for-oct-24/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925065838/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-horgan-calls-snap-bc-provincial-election-for-oct-24/ |archive-date=September 25, 2020}}</ref> In the [[2020 British Columbia general election|2020 election]], the NDP won a [[majority government]], securing a record 57 seats and receiving 47.7% of the overall popular vote — both record highs for the party.<ref>{{cite web |last=Watsons |first=Andrew |date=November 8, 2020 |title=Final Count Complete |url=https://elections.bc.ca/news/final-count-complete-2/ |access-date=November 8, 2020 |website=Elections BC}}</ref>

After five years of being premier, Horgan announced in June 2022 that he would step down as party leader and as premier once a new leader had been chosen. The [[2022 British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership election|election for his successor]] was scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2022 |title=B.C. Premier Horgan Announces He Will Step Down |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/b-c-premier-horgan-announces-he-will-step-down-1.5966731 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=CTVNews}}</ref> [[David Eby]] was acclaimed as Horgan's successor on October 21, 2022, after the disqualification of the only other candidate, [[Anjali Appadurai]], from the leadership contest.<ref name="Williams 20223" /> The [[2024 British Columbia general election]] on October 19, 2024, had a narrow result.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early B.C. Election Unlikely: Expert |work=CityNews Vancouver |date=September 13, 2023 |url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/09/12/early-bc-election-unlikely-expert/ |access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> All but 3 NDP cabinet ministers were re-elected.<ref>{{Cite web |title=B.C. Election: All but 3 NDP Cabinet Members Projected to Win Re-Election {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10820292/bc-election-ministers-win-lose-ndp/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref>Shortly after the election, a [[Confidence and supply|confidence and supply agreement]] with the [[Green Party of British Columbia|BC Greens]] was announced to ensure stability despite the narrow majority.<ref>https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-ndp-greens-agreement-1.7482232</ref>

==Leaders==
{{Further|British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership elections}}

"{{dagger}}" denotes acting or interim leader.

===CCF===
{| class="wikitable"
! #
! Party leader
! Tenure
! Notes
|-
| 1
| [[Robert Connell (politician)|Robert Connell]]
| 1933–1936
| In 1936, Connell was expelled and three other MLAs resigned from the CCF. They formed the [[British Columbia Social Constructive Party|Social Constructive Party]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/part1-4.html |title=Electoral History of British Columbia 1871–1986 Part One: Parties and Elections 1903–1986 |publisher=Elections BC |access-date=January 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010216024939/http://elections.bc.ca/elections/electoral_history/part1-4.html |archive-date=February 16, 2001}}</ref>
|-
| 2
| [[Harold Edward Winch]]
| 1937–1953
|
|-
| 3
| [[Arnold Webster]]
| 1953–1956
|
|-
| 4
| [[Robert Strachan (politician)|Robert Strachan]]
| 1956–1961
|
|}

===NDP===
{| class="wikitable"
! #
! Party leader
! Portrait
! Tenure
! Notes
|-
| 1
| [[Robert Strachan (politician)|Robert Strachan]]
|[[File:MLA Robert Strachan.jpg|80px]]
| 1961–1969
|
|-
| 2
| [[Thomas R. Berger]]
|[[File:Thomas Berger, 1969.jpg|80px]]
| 1969–1970
|
|-
| 3
| [[Dave Barrett]]
|[[File:Dave Barrett, 1975.jpg|80px]]
| 1970–1984
| 26th premier of British Columbia, 1972–1975
|-
| 4
| [[Bob Skelly]]
|[[File:Bob Skelly, 1985.jpg|80px]]
| 1984–1987
|
|-
| 5
| [[Mike Harcourt]]
|[[File:Mike Harcourt.jpg|80px]]
| 1987–1996
| 30th premier of British Columbia, 1991–1996
|-
| 6
| [[Glen Clark]]
|[[File:Glen Clark 2011 NDP convention crop.jpg|80px]]
| 1996–1999
| 31st premier of British Columbia, 1996–1999
|-
| {{dagger}}
| [[Dan Miller (Canadian politician)|Dan Miller]]
|[[File:Dan Miller, 1990.jpg|80px]]
| 1999–2000
| 32nd premier of British Columbia, 1999–2000
|-
| 7
| [[Ujjal Dosanjh]]
|[[File:Ujjal Dosanjh2011.JPG|80px]]
| 2000–2001
| 33rd premier of British Columbia, 2000–2001
|-
| {{dagger}}
| [[Joy MacPhail]]
|[[File:Joy MacPhail, 1994.jpg|80px]]
| 2001–2003
| Interim leader
|-
| 8
| [[Carole James]]
|[[File:Carole James 2011 (cropped).jpg|80px]]
| 2003–2011
|
|-
| {{dagger}}
| [[Dawn Black]]
|[[File:DawnBlack2011.PNG|80px]]
| 2011
| Interim leader
|-
| 9
| [[Adrian Dix]]
|[[File:Adrian Dix 2016.jpg|80px]]
| 2011–2014
|
|-
| 10
| [[John Horgan]]
|[[File:John Horgan 2015.jpg|80px]]
| 2014–2022
| 36th premier of British Columbia, 2017–2022
|-
|11
|[[David Eby]]
|[[File:David Eby - 2022 (52507022370) (cropped).png|80px]]
| Since 2022
|37th premier of British Columbia, since 2022
|}

==Electoral performance==
{{See also|List of BC general elections#Results by party}}
Results shown are for CCF from 1933 to 1960, NDP since 1963.

===Legislative Assembly===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Seats
! +/−
! Place
! Votes
! Vote share (%)
! Change ([[Percentage point|pp]])
! Legislative role
! Notes
|-
! [[1933 British Columbia general election|1933]]
| [[Robert Connell (politician)|Robert Connell]]
| {{Composition bar|7|47|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| ''n/a''
| 2nd
| 120,185
| 31.53
| ''n/a''
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| [[British Columbia Liberal Party|Liberal]] majority
|-
! [[1937 British Columbia general election|1937]]
| ''vacant''
| {{Composition bar|7|48|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{steady}}
| {{decrease}} 3rd
| 119,400
| 28.57
| {{decrease}} 2.96
| {{no|Third party}}
|Liberal majority
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[1941 British Columbia general election|1941]]
| rowspan="5" | [[Harold Winch]]
| rowspan="2" | {{Composition bar|14|48|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| rowspan="2" | {{increase}} 7
| rowspan="2" | {{increase}} 2nd
| rowspan="2" | 151,440
| rowspan="2" | 33.36
| rowspan="2" | {{increase}} 4.79
| rowspan="2" {{no2|Opposition}}
| Liberal minority
|-
| rowspan="3" | Liberal–[[British Columbia Conservative Party|Conservative]] coalition
|-
! [[1945 British Columbia general election|1945]]
| {{Composition bar|10|48|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 175,960
| 37.62
| {{increase}} 4.26
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1949 British Columbia general election|1949]]
| {{Composition bar|7|48|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 3
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 245,284
| 35.10
| {{decrease}} 2.52
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1952 British Columbia general election|1952]]
| {{Composition bar|18|48|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 11
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 236,562
| 30.78
| {{decrease}} 4.32
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| [[British Columbia Social Credit Party|Social Credit]] minority
|-
! [[1953 British Columbia general election|1953]]
| [[Arnold Webster]]
| {{Composition bar|14|48|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 224,513
| 30.85
| {{increase}} 0.07
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| Social Credit majority
|-
! [[1956 British Columbia general election|1956]]
| rowspan="4" | [[Robert Strachan (politician)|Robert Strachan]]
| {{Composition bar|10|52|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{decrease}} 2nd
| 231,511
| 28.32
| {{decrease}} 2.53
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| rowspan="4" |Social Credit majority
|-
! [[1960 British Columbia general election|1960]]
| {{Composition bar|16|52|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|CCF}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 6
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 326,094
| 32.73
| {{increase}} 4.41
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1963 British Columbia general election|1963]]
| {{Composition bar|14|52|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 2
| {{increase}} 2nd
| 269,004
| 27.80
| {{decrease}} 4.93
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1966 British Columbia general election|1966]]
| {{Composition bar|16|55|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 2
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 252,753
| 33.62
| {{increase}} 5.82
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1969 British Columbia general election|1969]]
| [[Thomas Berger (Canadian politician)|Thomas Berger]]
| {{Composition bar|12|55|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 331,813
| 33.92
| {{increase}} 0.30
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|Social Credit majority
|-
! [[1972 British Columbia general election|1972]]
| rowspan="4" | [[Dave Barrett]]
| {{Composition bar|38|55|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 26
| {{increase}} 1st
| 448,260
| 39.59
| {{increase}} 5.67
| {{yes|'''Majority'''}}
|
|-
! [[1975 British Columbia general election|1975]]
| {{Composition bar|18|55|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 20
| {{decrease}} 2nd
| 505,396
| 39.16
| {{decrease}} 0.43
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| rowspan="3" |Social Credit majority
|-
! [[1979 British Columbia general election|1979]]
| {{Composition bar|26|57|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 8
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 646,188
| 45.99
| {{increase}} 6.83
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1983 British Columbia general election|1983]]
| {{Composition bar|22|57|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 741,354
| 44.94
| {{decrease}} 1.05
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1986 British Columbia general election|1986]]
| [[Robert Skelly]]
| {{Composition bar|22|69|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{steady}} 
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 824,544
| 42.60
| {{decrease}} 2.34
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|Social Credit majority
|-
! [[1991 British Columbia general election|1991]]
| [[Mike Harcourt]]
| {{Composition bar|51|75|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 19
| {{increase}} 1st
| 595,391
| 40.71
| {{decrease}} 1.89
| {{yes|'''Majority'''}}
| rowspan="2" |
|-
! [[1996 British Columbia general election|1996]]
| [[Glen Clark]]
| {{Composition bar|39|75|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 12
| {{steady}} 1st
| 624,395
| 39.45
| {{decrease}} 1.26
| {{yes|'''Majority'''}}
|-
! rowspan="2"| [[2001 British Columbia general election|2001]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Ujjal Dosanjh]]
| rowspan="2"| {{Composition bar|2|79|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| rowspan="2"| {{decrease}} 37
| rowspan="2"| {{decrease}} 2nd
| rowspan="2"| 343,156
| rowspan="2"| 21.56
| rowspan="2"| {{decrease}} 17.89
| {{no|No status}}{{efn|name=37thParliamentStatus|The NDP did not win the required 4 seats to receive [[official party status]], and were not recognized as an official party by premier [[Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician)|Gordon Campbell]]. However, speaker [[Claude Richmond]] later decided to recognize the NDP caucus as the official opposition as they were the only other party represented in the Legislative Assembly. As a result, the NDP received the resources and funding of an official party.}}
| rowspan="2" | Liberal majority
|-
| {{no2|Opposition}}{{efn|name=37thParliamentStatus}}
|-
! [[2005 British Columbia general election|2005]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Carole James]]
| {{Composition bar|33|79|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 31
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 694,978
| 41.43
| {{increase}} 19.87
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| rowspan="2" |Liberal majority
|-
! [[2009 British Columbia general election|2009]]
| {{Composition bar|35|85|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 2
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 691,342
| 42.14
| {{increase}} 0.71
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|- 
! [[2013 British Columbia general election|2013]]
| [[Adrian Dix]]
| {{Composition bar|34|85|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| {{steady}} 2nd
| 715,999
| 39.71
| {{decrease}} 2.43
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|Liberal majority
|- 
! rowspan="2" | [[2017 British Columbia general election|2017]]
| rowspan="3" | [[John Horgan]]
| rowspan="2" | {{Composition bar|41|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| rowspan="2" | {{increase}} 7
| rowspan="2" | {{steady}} 2nd
| rowspan="2" | 795,527
| rowspan="2" | 40.28
| rowspan="2" | {{increase}} 0.57
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| Liberal minority
|-
| {{yes2|Minority}}
| [[Green Party of British Columbia|Green Party]] [[confidence and supply]]
|- 
! [[2020 British Columbia general election|2020]]
| {{Composition bar|57|87|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{increase}} 16
| {{increase}} 1st 
| 899,365
| 47.70
| {{increase}} 7.42
| {{yes|'''Majority'''}}
| |
|- 
! [[2024 British Columbia general election|2024]]
| [[David Eby]]
| {{Composition bar|47|93|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|NDP}}|per=1|width=120}}
| {{decrease}} 10
| {{steady}} 1st
| 943,915 
| 44.87
| {{decrease}} 2.82
| {{yes|'''Majority'''}}
| Green Party confidence and supply
|}

===Vote share timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:675 height:250
PlotArea = width:650 height:150 left:25 bottom:60
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:60
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0
Colors=
  id:SB value:rgb(0.9569,0.6431,0.3765)
PlotData=
  bar:% color:SB width:22 mark:(line,white) align:center fontsize:S
  bar:1933 from:start till:31.5 text:31.5
  bar:1937 from:start till:28.6 text:28.6
  bar:1941 from:start till:33.4 text:33.4
  bar:1945 from:start till:37.6 text:37.6
  bar:1949 from:start till:35.1 text:35.1
  bar:1952 from:start till:30.8 text:30.8
  bar:1953 from:start till:30.9 text:30.9
  bar:1956 from:start till:28.3 text:28.3
  bar:1960 from:start till:32.7 text:32.7
  bar:1963 from:start till:27.8 text:27.8
  bar:1966 from:start till:33.6 text:33.6
  bar:1969 from:start till:33.9 text:33.9
  bar:1972 from:start till:39.6 text:39.6
  bar:1975 from:start till:39.2 text:39.2
  bar:1979 from:start till:46.0 text:46.0
  bar:1983 from:start till:44.9 text:44.9
  bar:1986 from:start till:42.6 text:42.6
  bar:1991 from:start till:40.7 text:40.7
  bar:1996 from:start till:39.5 text:39.5
  bar:2001 from:start till:21.6 text:21.6
  bar:2005 from:start till:41.4 text:41.4
  bar:2009 from:start till:42.1 text:42.1
  bar:2013 from:start till:39.7 text:39.7
  bar:2017 from:start till:40.3 text:40.3
  bar:2020 from:start till:47.7 text:47.7
  bar:2024 from:start till:44.9 text:44.9
}}

==See also==
*[[List of articles about British Columbia CCF/NDP members]]
*[[British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership conventions]]
*[[List of premiers of British Columbia]]
*[[List of British Columbia general elections]]
*[[List of political parties in British Columbia]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.bcndp.ca/ BC NDP site]

{{British Columbia New Democratic Party}}
{{NDP}}
{{British Columbia provincial political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:British Columbia New Democratic Party| ]]
[[Category:Provincial political parties in British Columbia|New Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Social democratic parties in Canada]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1933]]
[[Category:1933 establishments in British Columbia|New Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Socialism in British Columbia]]