Non-Partisan Association
{{Short description|Municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Non-Partisan Association
| native_name =
| abbreviation = NPA
| logo = Non-Partisan Association (Vancouver) logo.png
| president = David Mawhinney
| chairperson =
| spokesperson =
| foundation = {{Start date|1937|11|13}}
| dissolution =
| merger =
| split =
| predecessor =
| merged =
| successor =
| headquarters =
| ideology = Conservatism
| position = Centre-right to right-wing
| national =
| international =
| student_wing =
| youth_wing =
| membership =
| membership_year =
| colours = Purple
| colors =
| colorcode = {{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}
| blank1_title = Fiscal policy
| blank1 =
| blank2_title = Social policy
| blank2 =
| seats1_title = City council
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}}
| seats2_title = Park board
| seats2 = {{Composition bar|0|7|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}}
| seats3_title = School board
| seats3 = {{Composition bar|0|9|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}}
| website = {{URL|https://npavancouver.ca}}
| country = Canada
| state = Vancouver
| parties_dab1 = Municipal political parties in Vancouver
| elections_dab1 = Municipal elections in Vancouver
| footnotes =
}}
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.{{cite news |last1=MacKie |first1=John |title=THIS DAY IN HISTORY: NOVEMBER 13, 1937 |url=https://vancouversun.com/News/Metro/this-day-in-history-november-13-1937/amp/ |access-date=April 10, 2020 |work=The Vancouver Sun |date=November 13, 2012}} 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.{{sfn|Smith|1982|p=59}} 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. 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. Despite its party connections, the NPA claimed it was not a party, but rather a "free enterprise coalition"{{sfn|Miller|1975|p=4}} which "oppose[d] the introduction of party politics into Vancouver's civic administration".
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. 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. 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.{{cite news |last1=Paulsen |first1=Monte |title='New' NPA to consider name change |url=https://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Municipal-Politics/2010/04/27/New-NPA-to-consider-name-change/ |access-date=April 10, 2020 |work=The Tyee |date=April 27, 2010 |language=en}}
= 21st century =
File:Non-Partisan Association logo (old).png
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.{{cite book |last1=Mutimer |first1=David |title=Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs 2002 |date=2008 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-9819-1 |page=107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1C0JMG78fP8C&pg=PA107 |access-date=April 13, 2020 |language=en}}
Long-time city councillor Sam Sullivan was chosen as the NPA's candidate for the 2005 mayoral race,{{cite news |title=NPA mayoral race heats up |url=https://www.straight.com/article/npa-mayoral-race-heats-up |access-date=April 13, 2020 |work=The Georgia Straight |date=September 15, 2005 |language=en}} which he later won. The NPA also regained its majority on city council, winning a total of six seats.{{cite web |title=Election Summary Report: November 19, 2005 |url=http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/election2005/finalresults.htm |publisher=City of Vancouver |access-date=April 13, 2020}}
Peter Ladner was the NPA's mayoral candidate for the 2008 municipal election but was defeated by Gregor Robertson, the candidate for Vision Vancouver.{{cite web |title=Election summary – Election 2008 – City of Vancouver Elections |url=http://former.vancouver.ca/electionresults2008/ |publisher=City of Vancouver |access-date=July 27, 2014}} 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.[http://www.npavancouver.ca/Portals/0/Newsfiles/NPA_Action%20Plan%20Brochure.pdf NPA Action Plan Brochure]{{dead link|date=April 2014}}
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.{{cite web|title=2011 election results |url=http://vancouver.ca/electionResults2011/index.htm|website=Vancouver.ca|access-date=April 12, 2014}}
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.{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Rob |last2=Sherlock |first2=Tracy |title=B.C. education minister Bernier fires Vancouver school board |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/npa-trustees-call-on-minister-to-take-action-on-vsb/ |access-date=April 10, 2020 |work=Vancouver Sun |date=October 18, 2016}} NPA incumbent Fraser Ballantyne was re-elected in the subsequent 2017 municipal by-election, alongside newcomer Lisa Dominato.{{cite web|title=2017 by-election results |url=http://vancouver.ca/election/2017/results.aspx}}
City councillor Rebecca Bligh announced on December 6, 2019, that she was leaving the NPA but would continue to serve as an independent.{{cite news |last1=Boynton |first1=Sean |title=Vancouver councillor Rebecca Bligh resigns from NPA over alleged anti-SOGI board members |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6267038/vancouver-rebecca-bligh-city-council-npa/ |access-date=April 11, 2020 |work=Global News |date=December 6, 2019}} 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{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Wanyee |title=Vancouver political party's 'veer to the right' not a winning strategy, say NPA party insiders |url=https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2019/12/07/vancouver-political-partys-veer-to-the-right-not-a-winning-strategy-say-npa-party-insiders.html |access-date=April 11, 2020 |work=The Star |date=December 7, 2019 |language=en}} and former staff of the far-right Rebel Media.{{cite news |last1=Fumano |first1=Dan |title=Vancouver councillor quits NPA, citing concerns over party's shift to 'far right' |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-councillor-quits-npa-citing-concerns-over-partys-shift-to-far-right/ |access-date=April 11, 2020 |work=Vancouver Sun |date=December 7, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Charlie |title=NPA members elect a former Rebel Media bureau chief and the B.C. Conservatives president to party board |url=https://www.straight.com/news/1330551/npa-members-elect-former-rebel-media-bureau-chief-and-bc-conservative-party-president |access-date=April 11, 2020 |work=The Georgia Straight |date=November 27, 2019 |language=en}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Bula |first1=Frances |title=Former Vancouver mayoral candidate Ken Sim alarmed at NPA swing to the right |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-former-vancouver-mayoral-candidate-ken-sim-alarmed-at-npa-swing-to-the/ |access-date=April 11, 2020 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=April 10, 2020}}
Three of the NPA's four remaining councillors{{snd}}Lisa Dominato, Colleen Hardwick, and Sarah Kirby-Yung{{snd}}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.{{cite web |last1=Fumano |first1=Dan |title=3 of 4 NPA councillors quit party citing 'backroom deal' |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/dan-fumano-3-of-4-npa-councillors-quit-party-citing-backroom-deal |website=The Vancouver Sun |access-date=April 21, 2021}} Two days later, all three of the NPA's school trustees resigned from the party as well,{{cite web |last1=Crawford |first1=Tiffany |title=Three Vancouver school trustees resign membership with NPA to sit as independents |url=https://o.canada.com/news/three-vancouver-school-trustees-resign-membership-with-npa-to-sit-as-independents |website=Canada.com |access-date=April 23, 2021}} 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.{{Cite web |title=John Coupar resigns from being NPA's Vancouver mayoral candidate |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/john-coupar-resigns-npa-vancouver-mayoral-candidate |access-date=August 5, 2022 |website=dailyhive.com |language=en}} 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.{{cite news |last1=McElroy |first1=Justin |title=NPA names Fred Harding as its new Vancouver mayoral candidate |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/npa-fred-harding-candidate-1.6567022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |work=CBC News |date=August 30, 2022}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Howell |first=Mike |date=April 22, 2021 |title=So now what happens to Vancouver's NPA party? |url=https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/so-now-what-happens-to-vancouvers-npa-party-3657793 |access-date=July 18, 2022 |website=Vancouver Is Awesome |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Azpiri |first=Jon |date=October 13, 2021 |title=Ken Sim to lead new party as mayoral candidate in 2022 Vancouver election |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8263787/ken-sim-vancouver-mayor-candidate-a-better-city/ |access-date=July 18, 2022 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}
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.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} It held the mayor's office from 1941 to 1958, from 1963 to 1966, from 1986 to 2002, and from 2005 to 2008.{{cite web |title=History of Vancouver – Mayors of Vancouver |url=http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/whoswho_mayors.htm |website=www.vancouverhistory.ca |publisher=The History of Metropolitan Vancouver |access-date=April 10, 2020}} 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.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
There have been eleven NPA mayors of Vancouver:
- Jack (Jonathan Webster) Cornett (1941–1946)
- Gerry McGeer (1947)
- Charles E. Jones (1947–1948)
- George Clark Miller (acting) (1948)
- Charles Edwin Thompson (1949–1950)
- Frederick Hume (1951–1958)
- William Rathie (1963–1966)
- Tom Campbell (1967–1972){{efn|During his mayoral tenure, Tom Campbell sat as an independent from 1967 to 1970 and as an NPA member from 1970 to 1972.}}
- Gordon Campbell (1986–1993)
- Philip Owen (1993–2002)
- Sam Sullivan (2005–2008)
= Results since 1970 =
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+NPA election results for mayor of Vancouver, 1970 to present ! Election year ! Candidate ! Votes ! % ! Position ! Result |
| 1970
| data-sort-value="Campbell, Tom" | Tom Campbell | 54,253 | 45.1 | 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
|---|
| 1972
| data-sort-value="–" | None | – | – | – | {{eliminated|Did not contest}} |
| 1974
| data-sort-value="Puil, George" | George Puil | 27,686 | 35.1 | 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 1976
| data-sort-value="Sweeney, Edward" | Edward Sweeney | 21,924 | 24.4 | {{same}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 1978
| data-sort-value="Volrich, Jack" | Supported Jack Volrich (independent) | 45,742 | 49.2 | {{increase}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 1980
| data-sort-value="Volrich, Jack" | Jack Volrich | 47,107 | 44.1 | {{decrease}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 1982
| data-sort-value="Baker, Jonathan" | Jonathan Baker | 36,073 | 31.2 | {{same}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 1984
| data-sort-value="Vander Zalm, Bill" | Bill Vander Zalm | 49,957 | 35.7 | {{same}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 1986
| data-sort-value="Campbell, Gordon" | Gordon Campbell | 77,562 | 55.7 | {{increase}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 1988
| data-sort-value="Campbell, Gordon" | Gordon Campbell | 75,545 | 62.6 | {{same}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 1990
| data-sort-value="Campbell, Gordon" | Gordon Campbell | 67,950 | 53.7 | {{same}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 1993
| data-sort-value="Owen, Philip" | Philip Owen | 46,687 | 50.0 | {{same}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 1996
| data-sort-value="Owen, Philip" | Philip Owen | 50,969 | 53.15 | {{same}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 1999
| data-sort-value="Owen, Philip" | Philip Owen | 51,085 | 54.19 | {{steady}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 2002
| data-sort-value="Clarke, Jennifer" | Jennifer Clarke | 41,936 | 30.01 | {{decrease}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 2005
| data-sort-value="Sullivan, Sam" | Sam Sullivan | 61,543 | 47.34 | {{increase}} 1st | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| 2008
| data-sort-value="Ladner, Peter" | Peter Ladner | 48,794 | 39.26 | {{decrease}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 2011
| data-sort-value="Anton, Suzanne" | Suzanne Anton | 58,152 | 40.15 | {{steady}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 2014
| data-sort-value="LaPointe, Kirk" | Kirk LaPointe | 73,443 | 40.42 | {{steady}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 2018
| data-sort-value="Sim, Ken" | Ken Sim | 48,748 | 28.16 | {{steady}} 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| 2022
| data-sort-value="Harding, Fred" | Fred Harding | 3,905 | 2.32 | {{decrease}} 5th | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ NPA election results for Vancouver City Council, 1970 to present ! Election ! Seats ! +/– ! Votes ! % ! Change (Percentage point) ! Position |
| 1970
| {{Composition bar|7|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | 435,906 | 41.9 | {{decrease}} 5.5 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
|---|
| 1972
| {{Composition bar|1|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 6 | 141,762 | 19.3 | {{decrease}} 22.6 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 1974
| {{Composition bar|4|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 3 | 237,764 | 34.4 | {{increase}} 15.1 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 1976
| {{Composition bar|3|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | 228,164 | 29.4 | {{decrease}} 5.0 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 1978
| {{Composition bar|5|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 2 | 216,176 | 28.8 | {{decrease}} 0.6 | {{yes2|Minority government}} |
| 1980
| {{Composition bar|5|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{same}} | 351,802 | 38.2 | {{increase}} 9.4 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 1982
| {{Composition bar|3|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 2 | 367,305 | 37.0 | {{decrease}} 1.2 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 1984
| {{Composition bar|3|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{same}} | 428,884 | 36.0 | {{decrease}} 1.0 | rowspan=2 {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 1985{{efn|name=by-election}}
| {{Composition bar|3|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{same}} | 44,096 | 47.2 | {{increase}} 11.2 |
| 1986
| {{Composition bar|8|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 5 | 503,683 | 42.2 | {{decrease}} 5.0 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 1988
| {{Composition bar|7|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | 485,295 | 43.0 | {{increase}} 0.8 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 1990
| {{Composition bar|6|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 1 | 446,624 | 41.4 | {{decrease}} 1.6 | rowspan=2 {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 1992{{efn|name=by-election|By-election: voters were asked to elect one city councillor.}}
| {{Composition bar|7|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | 11,573 | 42.5 | {{increase}} 1.1 |
| 1993
| {{Composition bar|10|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 3 | 378,505 | 47.7 | {{increase}} 5.2 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 1996
| {{Composition bar|11|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | 422,118 | 50.54 | {{increase}} 2.84 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 1999
| {{Composition bar|9|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 2 | 361,315 | 45.29 | {{decrease}} 5.25 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 2002
| {{Composition bar|2|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 7 | 368,068 | 32.13 | {{decrease}} 13.16 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 2005
| {{Composition bar|6|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 4 | 498,082 | 45.96 | {{increase}} 13.83 | {{yes2|Majority government}} |
| 2008
| {{Composition bar|1|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 5 | 394,839 | 38.00 | {{decrease}} 7.96 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 2011
| {{Composition bar|2|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | 456,256 | 37.88 | {{decrease}} 0.12 | {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 2014
| {{Composition bar|3|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | 474,841 | 32.68 | {{decrease}} 5.20 | rowspan=2 {{no2|Opposition}} |
| 2017{{efn|name=by-election}}
| {{Composition bar|4|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | 13,372 | 27.83 | {{decrease}} 4.85 |
| 2018
| {{Composition bar|5|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{increase}} 1 | 347,752 | 24.83 | {{decrease}} 3.00 | {{no2|Crossbench}} |
| 2022
|{{Composition bar|0|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|NPA}}}} | {{decrease}} 5 | 82,608 | 6.14 | {{decrease}} 18.69 | {{eliminated|No seats}} |
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
= Sources =
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Miller|first1=Fern|title=Vancouver Civic Political Parties: Developing a Model of Party-system Change and Stabilization|journal=BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly|date=1975|volume=Spring 1975|issue=25|pages=3–31|url=http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/article/view/826}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Andrea |title=The CCF, NPA and Civic Change: Provincial Forces Behind Vancouver Politics 1930–1940 |url=https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/issue/view/173 |journal=BC Studies |date=1982 |issue=53 |pages=45–65 |doi=10.14288/bcs.v0i53 |access-date=April 10, 2020}}
{{refend}}
Further reading
- {{cite thesis |type=MA |last=Smith |first=Andrea Barbara |date=1981 |title=The Origins of the NPA: A Study in Vancouver Politics 1930–1940 |publisher=University of British Columbia}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://npavancouver.ca/}}
{{Vancouver political parties}}
{{Canadian Conservative Parties}}
Category:Municipal political parties in Vancouver
Category:Political parties established in 1937