The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) is a civic-level electoral organization in Vancouver, Canada. There are, and have also been in the past, Non-Partisan Association political parties in the nearby municipalities of Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey.
The NPA was established in 1937 to counteract the rise of the democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. The party is generally perceived as centre-right within the Vancouver political spectrum. Encompassing a broad coalition, it draws its strongest support from the business community and Vancouver's established neighbourhoods on the west and south side.
Peter Ladner was the NPA's nominee for mayor in the 2008 Vancouver civic election on November 15, 2008, but lost to Gregor Robertson, the candidate for Vision Vancouver. The NPA's electoral platform suggests that an NPA government would focus on reducing crime, improving housing affordability, leveraging the 2010 Winter Olympics, protecting the environment, advancing the city's arts and culture sector, and working collaboratively with senior levels of government, community groups, and the private sector.1 The campaign has also emphasized the importance of experience and fiscal prudence during an economically tumultuous time.
Philosophy
The NPA's seemingly ironic name stems from the ideological position that civic governance should not be driven by partisan, or party, politics. The tenets of the NPA's original constitution still stand today:
- To strive to improve civic government in Vancouver.
- To support the election of the most suitable candidates for civic office.
- To oppose the introduction of party politics into the elected boards of the city.
Over the years, these basic themes have been expanded to include the following principles:
- Municipal levels of government should act for the benefit of the people and should allow every individual the freedom of worship, assembly, opportunity and initiative.
- Individuals have the right to enjoy the fruits of their labour, and to own private property, and individual enterprise is generally preferable to government intervention.
- Civic progress and stability can only be achieved by upholding the law, accepting social responsibilities, and accomplishing change by intelligent planning.
- Elected civic representatives should make decisions based on the viewpoint of many individuals and organizations, and not be under obligation to policies or platforms of political parties.
Early years
The NPA's first civic election effort was a failure because a member of the executive, Colonel Nelson Spencer, broke away and ran for mayor after the NPA chose George Miller as its candidate instead of Spencer. The result was the right wing vote was split, and socialist Lyle Telford was elected. Telford would only serve one term before Jack Cornett was elected in the 1940 election, beginning the NPAs longstanding dominance of Vancouver's City Hall.
Civic dominance
The NPA has enjoyed electoral success for most of its history. Its long reign over Vancouver City Council has been interrupted only for relatively short periods: 1967-1970, 1972-1978, 1982-1986, and 2002-2005. Over the years, its opposition has been The Electors' Action Movement in the 1970s, and the left-of-centre Coalition of Progressive Electors since the 1980s.
There have been eleven NPA mayors of Vancouver:
Achievements
According to their website, the NPA has been responsible for the following achievements, among others:
- Developed a network of greenways and bikeways throughout the city
- Created one of the first Blue Box recycling programs in Canada
- Developed 136 acres (0.55 km2) of new parks and 166,000 square feet (15,400 m2) of new community centre space
- Developed and promoted the Four Pillars Drug Policy to deal with drug addiction as a health issue
- Approved character zoning to protect neighbourhoods
- Ensured that Vancouverites had one of the lowest residential property tax rates in the Lower Mainland
- Championed Vancouver's Olympic 2010 bid
- Helped secure pilot Vancouver drug court to get treatment for addicts who commit crimes
- Made Vancouver the only city in Canada to achieve a Triple-A credit rating from all three rating agencies
- Championed the creation of the Vancouver Agreement partnership between the federal, provincial and city governments to revitalize the Downtown Eastside
- Initiated zoning to attract high-tech industries to Vancouver
- Introduced an anti-smoking bylaw for public places
- Created Green Yard waste pick-up, separate from regular trash collection
- Worked to create a Transportation Plan for Vancouver as well as a Downtown Transportation Plan
- Championed more buses, bus shelters and the replacement of the city's trolleys to make public transit more efficient and more appealing as a transportation choice
- Approved funding for the new downtown Main Public Library and the Emergency Communications Centre
- Developed a child care policy
- Created the Granville Entertainment Zone and supported the revitalization of Granville Street
- Created an Economic Development Commission for Vancouver
- Promoted the development of city lands on South East False Creek as a model sustainable community and site for the future Olympic Village
- Achieved the best social housing track record in Canada
- Helped to save the annual fireworks festival in English Bay
- Required major developments to contribute more than $250 million worth of parks, school sites, daycares, community centres and seawalls to new communities in the downtown so they were built at no cost to taxpayers
References
- Andrea Barbara Smith (1981). "The Origins of the NPA: A Study in Vancouver Politics 1930-1940". MA thesis. University of British Columbia.
See also
External links
