What B.C.'s last minority government can tell us about what happens next

The last time British Columbia had a minority government was in 1952.

Sixty-five years and 17 elections later, the province is once again facing a split government at least until the final count by Elections BC comes in between May 22 and 24.

David Mitchell is a political historian and former B.C. Liberal MLA who has written several books on the history of B.C. politics. He joined CBC host Gloria Macarenko on On The Coast to discuss how this latest development fits into the province's political history and what lessons can be drawn from minority governments of the past.

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"In 1952, something really special was going on, andwhile the circumstances were different, there are a few parallels," Mitchell said.

Just before the 1952 election, the coalition between the Liberals and Conservatives broke down due to squabbling and infighting.

Out of the kerfuffle of fighting and a new ballot system came a surprising victory for a party that had never previously won a riding in the province. before: the B.C. Social Credit Party.

Minority politics

Social Credit was a popular second-choice party that was not expected to gain as many votes as itdid, Mitchell said, and the minority government that ensued took weeks to figure out,

"All the ballots had to be counted manually and then recounted manually," he said. "It took almost two months, believe it or not."

The Social Credit Party ended up very narrowly winning the election with a minority government. Similarly, opposition parties considered forming a coalition to maintain power.

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"There was talk at the time of keeping the Social Creditors out of office by maybe the CCF and the Liberals forming a coalition to prevent these unknown mavericks from forming a government but that never got off the ground," Mitchell said.

Instead, Social Credit Leader W.A.C. Bennett led his party to a majority government within a year and stayed in power for two decades.

"Bennett cleverly engineered his government's defeat in the legislature on a popular issue because he believed that the goodwill towards this new group of legislators was such that he could win a majority," Mitchell said. "A year later, an election was called and indeed Social Credit won itsmajority."

Lessons to be learned

Mitchell said today's politicians should take note of how the last minority government unfolded.

"It shows that if there is goodwill towards a government that is willing to work for the province and it represents a bit of change with the past, anything can happen," Mitchell said. "I think that's a lesson for politicians today in British Columbia."

Mitchell described last night's results as "the most extraordinary in any living memory" because of the uncertainty it produced. And, judging from B.C.'s political precedents, the final outcome may come as a surprise.

"It's not necessarily the party with the largest number of seats or the most votes, it's the party that can command the confidence of the legislature," Mitchell said. "That is where the Greens will play a decisive role regardless of what happens with the various recounts."

To hear the full interview with David Mitchell, click on the audio link below.

With files from On The Coast.