Coalition of Progressive Electors

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The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) is a municipal political party in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Contents

[edit] Origins

Originally formed as the "Committee of Progressive Electors", COPE was formed in 1968, when a number of left-wing community groups and social justice organizations joined with the city's Labour Council to organize more effectively against the Non-Partisan Association -- a centre-right political party that had dominated civic politics in Vancouver. Frank Kennedy of the Vancouver & District Labour Council and Harry Rankin, an outspoken lawyer and city councillor, were key figures in shaping the coalition, along with activists from the British Columbia New Democratic Party and the Communist Party of British Columbia. COPE is generally guided by social-democratic principles, and has a long history of championing issues like improving public transit and investing in affordable housing.

[edit] 1970s and 1980s

For most of its history, COPE existed in an uneasy relationship with centre-left parties at the municipal level. From 1972 to 1986, the centrist party with which COPE competed was (The Electors' Action Movement) which governed the city under prominent federal Liberal Mayor Art Philips in the mid 1970s. By the late 70s, a breakaway faction of TEAM, comprising provincial NDP supporters and led by future premier Michael Harcourt formed an uneasy electoral alliance with COPE, from which both parties benefited. The Harcourt regime governed from the centre and, although it ran a unified slate with COPE, with the cooperation and support of the VDLC, Harcourt's small party of Civic Independents would sometimes vote with the NDP and the remaining TEAM councilors against COPE's more radical policies.

When Harcourt stepped down to become a provincial candidate and a renewed NPA led by future premier Gordon Campbell absorbed TEAM's two remaining councilors, COPE became the senior partner in its coalition with the Civic Independents. Nominating Rankin as its mayoral candidate, COPE fielded a virtually full slate of candidates (leaving three open spaces for the incumbent Civic Independents) but was badly beaten, the NPA returning to power for the first time in 14 years, and deprived for the next two years of Rankin's leadership in the council chamber.

[edit] More Alliances

In 1988, COPE entered the election an equal partner with the newly-formed Civic New Democrats, a party directly affiliated with the BC NDP; led by anti-poverty activist Jean Swanson, the coalition made few gains but under the leadership of Jim Green in 1990, it came close to winning the election. But while all COPE council candidates were elected, no Civic NDP candidates were (since a 1983 byelection, COPE had consistently out-performed all other leftist candidates on the concurrently elected School and Parks boards). At this point, Vancouver's civic left conceded that the COPE brand was now more popular than any more centrist group. Thus, following the 1990 election, COPE officially merged with the Civic NDP, changing its name from the Committee of Progressive Electors to the Coalition of Progressive Electors. At this time, COPE made an official overture to the Vancouver Green Party, the local affiliate of the Green Party of British Columbia, offering the group some minor policy concessions, joint billing in the party's ballot name ("COPE-Green '93") and assurances that important party members would ensure some Greens were nominated. The Greens turned the deal down.

Since 1993, COPE has nominated candidates for all civic offices (Mayor, City Councillor, School Board Trustee, and Parks Commissioner) but its closer affiliation with an incumbent provincial NDP government and inability to negotiate a deal with the Greens, who began siphoning votes in increasing numbers, resulted in flagging performance. Rankin's retirement from council also damaged the party. In 1993, COPE's representation fell to only one councilor, future MLA Jenny Kwan. COPE did not win any seats in 1996, thanks to a strong showing for the Greens and a left-right coalition called VOICE, led by Rankin's wife Connie Fogal and 1984 mayoral candidate Jonathan Baker. With this fragmentation of the civic left, the NPA won all 27 contested seats in that election with only 43% of the vote.

Following COPE's 1996 defeat, the provincial Greens, reversed their policy of opposing coalitions with COPE and, over the strong objections of many longterm Vancouver Greens, pushed through a controversial plan to negotiate with COPE. COPE ultimately accepted the Greens' proposal. (A factor in this acceptance may have been premier Glen Clark's backing of this deal and a similar one in Victoria.)

In 1999, COPE regained its footholds on School Board and City Council and the Greens gained a seat on Parks Board under the leadership of mayoral candidate David Cadman. The two independent candidates who had also joined the coalition were defeated, although former NPA councilor Nancy Chiavario came close to keeping her council seat after being pushed out by supporters of Jennifer Clarke at the NPA nominating meeting.

[edit] First COPE Government

Due to Clarke's increasing hostility to moderates in the NPA, more and more centrist supporters of Mayor Philip Owen's moderate and innovative policies on crime, many mainstream Vancouverites shifted their support to COPE between 1999 and 2002. One of these was former Chief Coroner and RCMP officer Larry Campbell, who COPE nominated as its mayoral candidate. Although Campbell attempted to keep the Greens in the fold, a new provincial leadership had taken control and pulled the party out of its municipal coalitions.

But Clarke's takeover of the NPA and purge of its centrists was highly unpopular with Vancouver voters, especially her movement's deposition of the incumbent mayor, an ally of Campbell. Now led by a centrist for the first time, COPE defeated the NPA in every seat it contested.

[edit] COPE's only city government

In 2002, an unprecedented surge in voter turnout elected the first COPE mayor and board majorities in Vancouver's history. Every candidate running under COPE's banner was elected

City Council (2002 to 2005) (COPE candidates elected to 8 of 10 positions in all):

Note: The mayor and three other councillors left the party's caucus in 2004 to form Vision Vancouver.

Vancouver School Board (2002 to 2005) (COPE candidates elected to 7 of 9 positions)

  • Allen Blakey
  • Jane Bouey
  • Noel Herron
  • Angela Kenyon
  • Adrienne Montani
  • Kevin Millsip
  • Allan Wong.

Board of Parks and Recreation (2002 to 2005) (COPE candidates elected to 5 of 7 positions)

  • Heather Deal
  • Lyndsay Poaps
  • Eva Riccius
  • Anita Romaniuk
  • Loretta Woodcock

Mayor Larry Campbell (now a Liberal senator), delivered on a campaign promise in 2003 to open North America's first safe-injection site for intravenous drug users in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. However, by late 2004, there were growing signs of disunity between the COPE mayor and some COPE councillors. Campbell formed an independent caucus along with three of his COPE colleagues (although they all remained as members of the party). The other COPE councillors remained in the original COPE caucus.

The maverick COPE councillors (dubbed "COPE Lite" or "Diet COPE" by the media) eventually separated and formed a new party, Vision Vancouver, to run in the 2005 municipal election. COPE did not run a mayoral candidate to challenge Vision nominee, former COPE concillor Jim Green.

In the election for Vancouver City Council held in November 2005, only one COPE councillor (David Cadman) was elected. The party was reduced to three seats on the city school board and two on the parks board, new comer Spencer Herbert, and Loretta Woodcock.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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