Government and politics of Vancouver

Vancouver, unlike other British Columbia municipalities, is incorporated under a unique provincial statute, the "Vancouver Charter". [cite web|url=http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/V/vanch_00.htm|title=Vancouver Charter|publisher=Queen's Printer (British Columbia)|accessdate=2007-06-07] The legislation, passed in 1953, supersedes the "Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1921" and grants the city more and different powers than other communities possess under BC's "Municipalities Act".

The city is governed by the 10-member Vancouver City Council, a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member Park Board, all elected for three-year terms through an at-large system. In addition, residents of Vancouver vote for representatives in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and the Canadian House of Commons.

Historically, in all levels of government, the more affluent west side of Vancouver has voted along conservative or centre-right lines while the working-class eastern side of the city has voted along left-wing lines. This was reaffirmed with the results of the 2005 provincial election.

Municipal Representation

Mayor

Sam Sullivan has been the Mayor of Vancouver since 2005, as a member of the Non-Partisan Association. Following the 2002 electoral losses, the Non-Partisan Association rebuilt its slate for 2005. Several high-profile names were nominated to be the NPA mayoral candidate. One of the most prominent contenders was the former BC Liberal Party deputy-Premier Christy Clark. In what many viewed as a surprise victory, Sullivan defeated Clark to become the NPA mayoral candidate.

Sullivan ran against several candidates, the most prominent of which was Vision Vancouver councillor, Jim Green. Sullivan defeated Green by a narrow margin of 3,747 votes of 130,000 ballots cast in the November 19, 2005 election.

City Council

Park and School Boards

Plebiscites

A proposal to change Vancouver's council elections to run on a ward basis (like most major Canadian cities) rather than its current at-large system was rejected by the populace in a referendum on October 16, 2004. It should be noted that only 22% of city residents cast a ballot in this referendum. Similarly, the plebiscite on whether or not to hold the 2010 Olympic Winter Games only drew 30%.

2002 election

Provincial representation

In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Vancouver has ten constituencies: In the 2005 provincial election, the BC Liberal Party and the BC New Democratic Party each won five seats.

Federal representation

In the Canadian House of Commons, Vancouver has five constituencies: in the 2004 federal elections, the Liberal Party of Canada won four seats, while the New Democratic Party won one. In the
2006 federal elections, all the same MPs were re-elected. However, on February 6, 2006, David Emerson of Vancouver-Kingsway defected to the Conservative Party, giving the Conservatives one seat in the city of Vancouver. As of February 2006, the Liberals hold three seats, and the NDP and the Conservatives hold one each.

References