25th Parliament of British Columbia explained

The 25th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia sat from 1957 to 1960. The members were elected in the British Columbia general election held in September 1956.^[1] The Social Credit Party led by W. A. C. Bennett formed the government.^[2] The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) led by Robert Strachan formed the official opposition.^[3]

Thomas James Irwin served as speaker for the assembly until April 1957; he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons later that year. Lorne Shantz replaced Irwin as speaker in 1958.^[4]

Members of the 25th General Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1956:^[1]

	Member	Electoral district	Party	Stanley John Squire	Alberni	CCF	William James Asselstine	Atlin	Social Credit	Gordon Dowding	Burnaby	CCF	Ernest Edward Winch	William Ralph Talbot Chetwynd	Cariboo	Social Credit	William Kenneth Kiernan	Chilliwack	Social Credit	Richard Orr Newton	Columbia	Social Credit	Daniel Robert John Campbell	Comox	Social Credit	Robert Martin Strachan	Cowichan-Newcastle	CCF	Leo Thomas Nimsick	Cranbrook	CCF	Thomas Irwin	Delta	Social Credit	Nehemiah George Massey	Lyle Wicks	Dewdney	Social Credit	Herbert Joseph Bruch	Esquimalt	Social Credit	Thomas Aubert Uphill	Fernie	Labour	Ray Gillis Williston	Fort George	Social Credit	Lois Mabel Haggen	Grand Forks-Greenwood	CCF	Philip Arthur Gaglardi	Kamloops	Social Credit	Randolph Harding	Kaslo-Slocan	CCF	Donald Frederick Robinson	Lillooet	Social Credit	Anthony John Gargrave	Mackenzie	CCF	Earle Cathers Westwood	Nanaimo and the Islands	Social Credit	Wesley Drewett Black	Nelson-Creston	Social Credit	John McRae (Rae) Eddie	New Westminster	CCF	Lorne Shantz	North Okanagan	Social Credit	Harold Earl Roche	North Peace River	Social Credit	John Melvin Bryan, Jr.	North Vancouver	Social Credit	Newton Phillips Steacy	Philip Archibald Gibbs	Oak Bay	Liberal	Cyril Morley Shelford	Omineca	Social Credit	William Harvey Murray	Prince Rupert	Social Credit	Arvid Lundell	Revelstoke	Social Credit	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	Hugh Addison Shirreff	Skeena	Social Credit	William Andrew Cecil Bennett	South Okanagan	Social Credit	Stanley Carnell	South Peace River	Social Credit	Eric Charles Fitzgerald Martin	Vancouver-Burrard	Social Credit	Bert Price	Alexander Small Matthew	Vancouver Centre	Social Credit	Leslie Raymond Peterson	Frederick Morton Sharp	Vancouver East	Social Credit	Arthur James Turner	CCF	Thomas Audley Bate	Vancouver-Point Grey	Social Credit	Robert William Bonner	Buda Hosmer Brown	William Neelands Chant	Victoria City	Social Credit	George Frederick Thompson Gregory	Liberal	John Donald Smith	Social Credit	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	39	10	2	1
Total		52
Government Majority		26

By-elections

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

Electoral district	Member elected	Party	Election date	Reason
Burnaby	Cedric Cox	CCF	September 9, 1957	death of E.E. Winch January 11, 1957
Cariboo	William Collins Speare	Social Credit	September 9, 1957	death of W.R.T. Chetwynd April 3, 1957
Delta	Gordon Lionel Gibson	Social Credit	September 9, 1957	T.J. Irwin resigned to contest federal election April 26, 1957
Rossland-Trail	Donald Leslie Brothers	Social Credit	December 15, 1958	R.E. Sommers resigned November 7, 1958; convicted of bribery and conspiracy

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

• John Melvin Bryan, Jr. becomes an Independent on February 3, 1958. He joins the Liberals on February 25, 1959.^[5]
• Oak Bay (dec. Philip Archibald Gibbs March 1960)^[6]