hordes are at the gates of British Columbia!" Although Bennett's campaign had been lacklustre, no commentators anticipated the party's loss. The resulting NDP majority came as a surprise. Historian David J. Mitchell wrote, "The surprise was not just [the Social Credit] defeat, but its magnitude." In his victory speech, Barrett told supporters that ten thousand people had worked for 40 years to get the NDP and its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, elected into office, and vowed, "I will not let their hopes or aspirations down." Results See also List of British Columbia political parties Notes References 1972 1972 elections in Canada 1972 in British Columbia August 1972 events in Canada