24th Parliament of British Columbia explained

The 24th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia sat from September 1953 to 1956. The members were elected in the British Columbia general election held in June 1953.^[1] The Social Credit Party led by W. A. C. Bennett formed the government.^[2] The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation led by Arnold Webster formed the official opposition.^[3]

Thomas James Irwin served as speaker for the assembly.^[4]

Members of the 24th General Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1953:^[1]

	Member	Electoral district	Party	Stanley John Squire	Alberni	CCF	Frank Arthur Calder	Atlin	CCF	Ernest Edward Winch	Burnaby	CCF	William Ralph Talbot Chetwynd	Cariboo	Social Credit	William Kenneth Kiernan	Chilliwack	Social Credit	Richard Orr Newton	Columbia	Social Credit	William Campbell Moore	Comox	CCF	Robert Martin Strachan	Cowichan-Newcastle	CCF	Leo Thomas Nimsick	Cranbrook	CCF	Thomas Irwin	Delta	Social Credit	Lyle Wicks	Dewdney	Social Credit	Herbert Joseph Bruch	Esquimalt	Social Credit	Thomas Aubert Uphill	Fernie	Labour	Ray Gillis Williston	Fort George	Social Credit	Rupert Williams Haggen	Grand Forks-Greenwood	CCF	Philip Arthur Gaglardi	Kamloops	Social Credit	Randolph Harding	Kaslo-Slocan	CCF	James Gordon Gibson	Lillooet	Liberal	Anthony John Gargrave	Mackenzie	CCF	Lorenzo (Larry) Giovando	Nanaimo and the Islands	Progressive Conservative	Wesley Drewett Black	Nelson-Creston	Social Credit	John McRae (Rae) Eddie	New Westminster	CCF	Lorne Shantz	North Okanagan	Social Credit	George Henry Tomlinson, Jr.	North Vancouver	Social Credit	Philip Archibald Gibbs	Oak Bay	Liberal	Cyril Morley Shelford	Omineca	Social Credit	Charles William Parker	Peace River	Social Credit	Arthur Bruce Brown	Prince Rupert	Liberal	Vincent Segur	Revelstoke	CCF	Robert Edward Sommers	Rossland-Trail	Social Credit	John Douglas Tidball Tisdalle	Saanich	Social Credit	James Allan Reid	Salmon Arm	Social Credit	Francis Xavier Richter	Similkameen	Social Credit	Frank Howard	Skeena	CCF	William Andrew Cecil Bennett	South Okanagan	Social Credit	Eric Charles Fitzgerald Martin	Vancouver-Burrard	Social Credit	Bert Price	Alexander Small Matthew	Vancouver Centre	Social Credit	George Churchill Moxham	Arthur James Turner	Vancouver East	CCF	Arnold Alexander Webster	Thomas Audley Bate	Vancouver-Point Grey	Social Credit	Robert William Bonner	Arthur Laing	Liberal	Lydia Augusta Arsens	Victoria City	Social Credit	William Neelands Chant	Walter Percival Wright	Irvine Finlay Corbett	Yale	Social Credit

Notes:

1. Web site: Electoral History of British Columbia 1871-1986. Elections BC . 2020-08-31.
2. Web site: Premiers of British Columbia 1871- . BC Legislature . 2011-09-23.
3. Web site: Leaders of the Opposition in British Columbia 1903- . https://web.archive.org/web/20110220035338/http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/leaders_of_the_opposition.pdf . dead . 2011-02-20 . BC Legislature . 2011-07-20 .
4. Web site: Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 1872- . BC Legislature . 2011-09-23.

Party standings

Affiliation		Members	28	14	4	1	1
Total		48
Government Majority		8

By-elections

By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:^[1]

Electoral district	Member elected	Party	Election date	Reason
Victoria City	George Frederick Thompson Gregory	Liberal	November 24, 1953	W.P. Wright resigned to provide seat for E.M. Gunderson
Lillooet	Donald Frederick Robinson	Social Credit	September 12, 1955	J.G. Gibson resigned to seek electoral vindication for allegations of fraud and patronage that he made in the legislature
Vancouver Centre	Leslie Raymond Peterson	Social Credit	September 12, 1955	death of G.C. Moxham November 10, 1955

Notes:

1. Web site: Electoral History of British Columbia 1871-1986. Elections BC . 2020-08-31.
2. Web site: Premiers of British Columbia 1871- . BC Legislature . 2011-09-23.
3. Web site: Leaders of the Opposition in British Columbia 1903- . https://web.archive.org/web/20110220035338/http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/leaders_of_the_opposition.pdf . dead . 2011-02-20 . BC Legislature . 2011-07-20 .
4. Web site: Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 1872- . BC Legislature . 2011-09-23.

Other changes

• Lorenzo Giovando leaves the Progressive Conservatives to become an Independent in July 1954.^[5]