Progressive Democratic Alliance

{{Short description|Political party in British Columbia (1993–1999)}} {{For|the party in Equatorial Guinea|Progressive Democratic Alliance (Equatorial Guinea)}} {{Infobox political party | name = Progressive Democratic Alliance | logo = | colorcode = {{Canadian party colour|BC|PDA}} | leader = Gordon Wilson | founder = Gordon Wilson | founded = {{start date|1993}} | dissolved = {{end date|1999}} | successor = British Columbia Democratic Alliance | ideology = Centrism | position = | headquarters = | country = Canada | state = British Columbia | parties_dab1 = List of political parties in British Columbia | elections_dab1 = List of British Columbia general elections }}

The '''Progressive Democratic Alliance''' ('''PDA''') was a centrist political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded by Gordon Wilson, who at the time of the party's founding in 1993 represented Powell River–Sunshine Coast in the Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=canadian content- Gordon Wilson: The Next Leader of British Columbia's NDP? |url=https://www.canadiancontent.ca/issues/0399wilson.html |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=www.canadiancontent.ca}}</ref>

Wilson, previously the leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party, led that party through a breakthrough in the provincial election of 1991, in which they rose from no parliamentary representation to official opposition status.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gordon Wilson urges British Columbians to ‘come home’ and support the BC Liberals {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/537215/gordon-wilson-urges-british-columbians-to-come-home-and-support-the-bc-liberals/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref> He was unable to hold his caucus together, however, and was forced to call a leadership convention following revelations about his personal relationship with another member of the small Liberal caucus, Judi Tyabji, MLA for Okanagan East. Tyabji and Wilson were both married to others at the time; they subsequently divorced and married each other. Many in the Liberal Party believed that their relationship created at least the potential for a serious conflict of interest.

After losing the leadership challenge to Gordon Campbell, who in turn would lead the party to victory in the 2001 provincial election, Wilson and Tyabji left the party to establish the Progressive Democratic Alliance on December 5, 1993.

In the subsequent June 26, 1996 general election, Wilson retained his seat, while all 65 other PDA candidates, including Tyabji, were defeated. The party won a total of 90,797 votes, or 5.74% of the popular vote.

The PDA was disbanded by Wilson in 1999 when he joined the ruling New Democratic Party of British Columbia to become a member of Cabinet. He later ran for the provincial NDP leadership, but lost to Ujjal Dosanjh. He lost his legislative seat in the 2001 provincial election.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-24 |title=How the North Island voted in former elections from 1991 to 2020 |url=https://www.northislandgazette.com/home/how-the-north-island-voted-in-former-elections-from-1991-to-2020-7605919 |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=North Island Gazette |language=en}}</ref>

In 2004, former party activists attempted to resuscitate the PDA. Finding financial obstacles, they instead formed the British Columbia Democratic Alliance, billing it as a successor organization.

== Electoral results == {| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2" |Election ! rowspan="2" |Leader ! rowspan="2" |Candidates ! colspan="2" |Seats ! colspan="4" |Votes |- !Seats won !+/− !Place !Votes ! % !Change |- !1996 |Gordon Wilson |{{Composition bar|66|75|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|PDA}}}} |{{Composition bar|1|75|hex={{Canadian party colour|BC|PDA}}}} |{{increase}} 1 |{{increase}} 4th |90,797 |5.74% |{{increase}} 5.74% |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite book|title=Politics, Policy, and Government in British Columbia|author=R. Kenneth Carty|pages=355|publisher=UBC Press|date=1996|isbn=9780774805834}} * {{Cite book|title=Challenging the Public/private Divide|author=Susan B. Boyd|pages=253|publisher=University of Toronto Press|date=1997|isbn=9780802076526}} * {{Cite encyclopedia|article=Progressive Democratic Alliance|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of British Columbia|author=Daniel Francis|publisher=Harbour Publishing|date=2000|isbn=9781550172003|pages=579}}

==See also== * List of Canadian political parties

Category:Defunct political parties in Canada Category:Political parties disestablished in 1997 Category:Political parties established in 1993 Category:Provincial political parties in British Columbia Category:1993 establishments in British Columbia Category:1997 disestablishments in British Columbia