He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a by-election held in The Pas on August 17, 1943, to replace former premier John Bracken after the latter's move to federal politics.
Their position was identical to that promoted by the Labour Progressive Party, and many in the CCF leadership believed that Richards and Johnson were directly influenced by the LPP.
The CCF leadership, including Stanley Knowles and Donovan Swailes, forcefully opposed Richards and Johnson's position.
The party was especially upset at Richards's decision to meet with the CCF executive in Portage la Prairie, to discuss the possibility of running a "united front" candidate of the left.
Denied the opportunity to promote his position in the CCF newspaper, Richards read a statement in the provincial legislature during the 1945 session, calling for cooperation with other progressive parties and advocating friendly relations with the Soviet Union.
Richards was nominated from the convention floor for the leadership of the Manitoba CCF in 1948, following the resignation of Seymour Farmer the previous year, but declined to run and Edwin Hansford was elected the new party leader without opposition.
In 1948, he successfully passed a motion at the party's general convention calling for opposition to America's foreign policy in Europe.
Shortly thereafter, both Richards and Doneleyko signed a letter calling for the CCF to oppose the emerging North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
After this letter was circulated, Stanley Knowles and Donovan Swailes again accused Richards of adopting Communist tactics to disrupt the CCF.
He was clever, quick in debate, young and handsome, attractive to both men and women; if he had been able to adhere to CCF policy he undoubtedly would have become provincial leader.
Hanson published a work entitled, "Gold and Other Stories as told to Berry Richards : Prospecting and Mining in Northern Saskatchewan".