By Greg Scott
W.A.C. Bennett’s reign over British Columbia, which had commenced in 1952, was not merely a political tenure; it was an era, one characterized by grand ambition and relentless drive toward modernization. His Social Credit Party, initially an outlier in Canadian politics, emerged from the fringes under Bennett’s guidance to become a formidable force, ruling the province with an iron grip for two decades. The story of Bennett’s rule is one of monumental infrastructure, boundless energy, and an almost paternalistic vision of progress that, by the early 1970s, was beginning to show the cracks of age and wear, making the province ripe for a political revolution.
Bennett, originally a merchant from Kelowna, had entered politics as a member of the Conservative Party, but it was within the Social Credit Party that he found his true calling. When the Social Credit Party unexpectedly won the 1952 election, Bennett ascended to the role of Premier, a position he would hold for twenty years, longer than any of his predecessors. He governed with a vision that was both sweeping and singular, a vision that sought to transform British Columbia from a backwater on the edge of the Pacific into a modern industrial powerhouse.
Under Bennett’s leadership, British Columbia saw an era of unprecedented development. Highways snaked their way through previously inaccessible terrain, massive hydroelectric projects tamed the wild rivers, and the province’s forests and mines were harnessed to fuel an economy that Bennett proudly claimed as his own creation. The W.A.C. Bennett Dam, towering over the Peace River, stood as a testament to his ambitions—a concrete monolith that symbolized the taming of nature and the forward march of progress. Bennett’s vision was one of relentless expansion, and he governed as a man who believed that the future could be engineered, brick by brick, dam by dam.
But progress came at a cost. As the years wore on, the very achievements that had defined Bennett’s rule began to breed discontent. The labor unions, increasingly restless under Bennett’s anti-union policies, found themselves at odds with a government that prioritized industry over workers’ rights. Environmentalists, a nascent force in the late 1960s, began to question the wisdom of a policy that saw the province’s natural beauty as nothing more than a resource to be exploited. And indigenous communities, pushed aside by the relentless drive for development, found themselves marginalized, their lands and rights trampled under the march of progress. Bennett, once the embodiment of a new British Columbia, now appeared to many as a relic of a bygone era—out of touch with the changing values of a society that was growing more urban, more diverse, and more conscious of social justice.
As the 1972 election approached, the political landscape in British Columbia was primed for change. Enter Dave Barrett, leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), a man who, in stark contrast to Bennett, represented the future—young, energetic, and in tune with the emerging social consciousness of the time. Barrett, a former social worker and articulate speaker, was everything Bennett was not. Where Bennett was brusque and paternalistic, Barrett was warm and empathetic; where Bennett spoke the language of industrial progress, Barrett spoke of social progress. And where Bennett saw the government’s role as the builder of great projects, Barrett saw it as the protector of the people.
The campaign that unfolded in the summer of 1972 was not just a battle for votes; it was a battle for the soul of British Columbia. On one side stood Bennett, the aging lion, roaring about the dangers of change, warning of the chaos that would ensue if the NDP—a party he derisively labeled as socialists—were allowed to take power. He campaigned on his record, a record that was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Bennett pointed to the dams, the highways, the industries that had flourished under his watch, and he asked the people of British Columbia to trust him for yet another term, to continue the work he had started two decades before.
On the other side stood Barrett, the challenger, offering a vision of British Columbia that was radically different from Bennett’s. Barrett’s campaign was built on the promise of a more equitable society, one where the wealth generated by the province’s natural resources would be shared more broadly, where workers’ rights would be respected, and where the environment would be protected from the ravages of unchecked industrial development. He promised to create a public auto insurance system to protect citizens from the rising costs of private insurance, to establish an Agricultural Land Reserve to preserve farmland from urban sprawl, and to introduce new social programs to support the vulnerable. To many British Columbians, especially those in urban areas and younger voters, Barrett’s message was a breath of fresh air.
As the campaign progressed, it became clear that the momentum was with Barrett. Bennett’s attempts to paint Barrett as a radical fell flat, as the NDP leader’s calm and reasoned demeanor reassured voters who might have been wary of his party’s socialist roots. Barrett’s promise of change resonated deeply with a populace that had grown weary of Bennett’s long reign. Even in the traditionally conservative strongholds of rural British Columbia, there was a sense that Bennett’s time had passed, that the province needed new leadership to address the challenges of a new decade.
The election, held on August 30, 1972, was a landslide. The NDP won 38 of the 55 seats in the Legislative Assembly, a stunning victory that ended 20 years of Social Credit rule. Bennett, the once-mighty Premier, was reduced to a figure of pathos, his party holding just 10 seats, his legacy tarnished by a defeat that few had seen coming. For British Columbia, the election marked the beginning of a new era.
In the months that followed, Barrett’s government moved swiftly to implement its agenda. The Agricultural Land Reserve was established, protecting vast tracts of farmland from development. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) was created, providing affordable auto insurance to the province’s drivers. Labor laws were reformed, social programs were expanded, and environmental regulations were tightened. Barrett’s government, though short-lived, left an indelible mark on British Columbia, reshaping the province in ways that are still felt today.
But the election of 1972 did more than change the government; it changed the political landscape of British Columbia. The Social Credit Party, though it would return to power under the leadership of Bennett’s son, Bill, was never the same. The NDP, once a marginal force, became a major player in provincial politics, setting the stage for a more polarized political environment. And the people of British Columbia, having experienced the transformative power of political change, would never again be content with the status quo.
The election of 1972 was a turning point, a moment when the past gave way to the future, when the dreams of one man were overtaken by the hopes of many. It was the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one, in a province that was, as always, on the brink of something extraordinary.
