BC – Global Civic Policy Society

James Douglas and the Colony of British Columbia

James Douglas was part black, married to an aboriginal woman, he spoke the Chinook Jargon trade language and had already successfully opposed the legislature in Victoria which had wanted to remove the local Songhees reserve. He was appointed first Governor of British Columbia and he and Colonial Secretary Lytton established the Colony on two key principles:

First Nations communities would remain permanently in place permanently. This was in opposition to what had happened just south of the 49th parallel where people were moved to distant reservations.
Native people could preempt land privately off of the reserves but this land would also be available to new immigrants.

Brexit, Canada and the American Revolution

The United States originated in the English Colonies that were established in the 1600s. But in 1707, four nations of England, Wales, Scotland and later Ireland came together in one political union under the symbol of the Constitutional Monarchy. They called this British. It was at its core multicultural and inclusive.

History of British Columbia Cities: Three Waves of Urban Reform

The story of urban reform in Canada can be understood in terms of waves. Vancouver history can be better understood through this analysis.

History of British Columbia Cities: First Wave Urban Reform

The Municipal Reform Act of 1835 initiated by Earl Grey brought cities in the UK into the modern world. This reform wave hit Canada in the form of the Baldwin Act of 1849 which set the standard for all Canadian cities.

History of British Columbia Cities: Second Wave Urban Reform

The Progressive Movement arose in the late 1800s in the US. It was a reaction against the corruption and incompetence that came out of earlier democratic reforms. Science, technology and professionals were revolutionizing life; people were hopeful about applying these to civic government.

History of British Columbia Cities: Third Wave Urban Reform

The emphasis on technology and professionals arising out of the Second Wave of urban reform was not the panacea we had hoped for. Citizen groups pushed back against experts in Canada’s Third Wave of urban reform.

Early British Columbia and the Hudson’s Bay Company: An Aboriginal Perspective

Many languages lent words to Chinook Wawa: Nootka Jargon, French Canadien, Salishan Chehalis, English, and, of course, Chinook. | Kumtuks videos

Proportional Representation

Do you want to choose your own MLA or do you want a political party to choose for you?

Political Factions in Early British Columbia

In British Columbia, formal political parties didn't emerge until the 1900s. But before that, loosely affiliated political factions provided some coherence to political decisions.

James Douglas was part black, married to an aboriginal woman and headed the honourable Hudson Bay Company which was the legal government in British Columbia. He was opposed by Amor De Cosmos who introduced the Chinese Head Tax to Parliament and was linked to labour organizations.

Political factions developed, called the Douglas Conservatives and the De Cosmos Reformers.

Roots of Government

British Columbia has two systems of government - parliamentary and municipal. Parliamentary government is rooted in law making (legislative): Municipal in law keeping (judicial).

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