Political Factions in Early British Columbia

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.

Vancouver’s Three Cities

Vancouver’s Three Cities

Living in Vancouver you might not know it is actually an amalgamation of three cities. Their distinctive cultures survive today.

This video has some highlights of this history. In deciding on future development and density, perhaps we should respect this past.

Political Factions in Early Vancouver

Political Factions in Early Vancouver

Before the evolution of political parties in Vancouver, politicians organized themselves in loose political factions. These were related to earlier political factions that had already developed in Victoria.