British Columbia Social Constructive Party.

About British Columbia Social Constructive Party

The British Columbia Social Constructive Party was formed in 1936 by a breakaway from the British Columbia Co-operative Commonwealth Federation after Robert Connell was expelled from the party over doctrinal differences. Connell had been leader of the CCF until his expulsion. Three other MLAs of the seven-person CCF caucus, Jack Price, R. B. Swailes, and Ernest Bakewell, left the party and joined Connell to form the Social Constructives. The four member caucus, having one more MLA than the CCF, was large enough to allow Connell to remain Leader of the Opposition in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. Other defectors included Victor Midgely, former leader of the One Big Union, and Bill Pritchard, editor and owner of the BC CCF's newspaper, The Commonwealth. The party worked closely with Rolf Wallgren Bruhn an independent MLA who had formerly been a Conservative. Bruhn helped write the new party's platform and conducted a speaking tour with Connell during the 1937 general election but declined to join the party and stood for re-election as an independent though with the Constructives' endorsement.