Though obstensively the British Columbia wing of the Canadian social credit movement, the party with W. A. C. Bennett at the helm shed its Social Credit ideology in favour of a mixture of populism and conservaitsm and became a political vehicle for opponents of the socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation to unite and keep the CCF and its successor, the New Democratic Party out of power.

Under the leadership of "Wacky" Bennett's son, William R. Bennett the party put populism behind and became an uneasy coalition of Christian conservatives from the province's Bible Belt and fiscal conservatives from the corporate sector with the latter firmly in control. As a result, the party built up a small political engine that managed to win the 1983 election, in spite of Bennett's controversial "Restraint" program. This was nicknamed the "Baby Blue Machine", and consisted of political advisors primarily imported from the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. It never did become a major politial apparatus like the Big Blue Machine in Ontario did, as Bennett decided to retire in 1986.

Under Bennett's successor, Bill Vander Zalm, control of the party shifted from urban fiscal conservatives to social conservatives causing the coalition to unravel. This process was exacerbated by Vander Zalm's eccentricity and the constant scandals which plagued his government.

The 1991 election saw Social Credit's defeat and the formation of an NDP government while moderate former Socred voters switched their support to the BC Liberal Party relegating the Socreds to third place.

Following its election defeat the party sank into obscurity as most of its remaining members joined the socially conservative British Columbia Reform Party or British Columbia Unity Party. In the 1996 Provincial election the Socreds lost all their remaining seats in the legislature.

Party leaders

* = also served as Premier of British Columbia

External link

• BC Social Credit Party