1916 British Columbia general election

1916 British Columbia general election
September 14, 1916
47 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
24 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Harlan Carey Brewster William John Bowser
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader since 1912 1915
Leader's seat Alberni[a] Vancouver City
Last election 0 39
Seats won 36[a] 9
Seat change Increase36 Decrease30
Popular vote 89,892 72,842[b]
Percentage 50.00% 40.52%
Swing Increase24.63pp Decrease19.13pp
Premier before election

William John Bowser
Conservative

Premier after election

Harlan Carey Brewster
Liberal

The 1916 British Columbia general election was the fourteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 5, 1916, and held on September 14, 1916. The new legislature met for the first time on March 1, 1917.

A 1916 Act of the Legislature[1] provided for the life of the Assembly to be extended to five years,[2] and members of the clergy were no longer disqualified from being elected as MLAs.[3]

The Liberal Party defeated the governing Conservative Party, winning 50% of the vote, almost double its share from the previous election. The Liberals won 36 of the 47 seats in the legislature.

The Conservatives' popular vote fell from almost 60% to just over 40%, and took nine seats, forming the Official Opposition.

Two other seats were won by independents, including one Independent Socialist.

Soldiers serving overseas in the First World War were able to vote in the election,[4] and their votes were cast between August 5 and Election Day.[5]

Two referendums were also held on Election Day (concerning Prohibition and women's suffrage), but their results were not announced until later in the year.[6]

1915 redistribution of ridings

An Act was passed in 1915, providing for an increase in the seats in the Assembly from 42 to 47 upon the next election. [7] The following changes were made:

Abolished ridings New ridings
Abolition of multi-member district
  • Cariboo
  • Cariboo
  • Fort George
  • Omineca
Merger of districts
  • Nelson City
  • Ymir
  • Nelson
Division of districts
  • Okanagan
  • North Okanagan
  • South Okanagan
  • Rossland City
  • Rossland
  • Trail
  • Vancouver City (5 members)
  • Vancouver City (6 members)
  • North Vancouver
  • South Vancouver
Renaming of districts
  • Nanaimo City
  • New Westminster City
  • New Westminster
  • Skeena
  • Prince Rupert

Results

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1916)[8]
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1912 1916 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Liberal Harlan Brewster 45 – 36 36Increase 89,892 68,459Increase 50.00 24.63Increase
Conservative William Bowser 46 39 9 30Decrease 72,842 22,419Increase 40.52 19.13Decrease
Independent   7 – 1 1Increase 4,926 3,413Increase 2.74 0.95Increase
Independent Socialist   3 – 1 1Increase 1,321 1,321Increase 0.74 New
Independent Conservative   4 1 – 1Decrease 3,014 1,851Increase 1.68 0.31Increase
Socialist   4 1 – 1Decrease 2,106 7,260Decrease 1.17 9.91Decrease
Social Democratic   3 1 – 1Decrease 1,012 391Increase 0.56 0.18Decrease
Independent Labour   2 – – – 2,985 2,985Increase 1.66 New
Independent Liberal   1 – – – 1,518 1,518Increase 0.84 New
Independent Progressive   1 – – – 158 158Increase 0.09 New
Total 116 42 47 179,774 100.00%
Seats and popular vote by party[8]
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
█ Liberal
36 / 47
50.00%
 24.63
 
█ Conservative
9 / 47
40.52%
 -19.13
 
█ Socialist
0 / 47
1.17%
 -9.91
 
█ Other
2 / 47
8.31%
 4.41
 

Results by riding

The following MLAs were elected:[9]


Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[10]
Riding Winning party Votes
Name 1912 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		Lib Con Soc I-Con I-Soc SD Ind Oth Total
 
Alberni Con Lib 393 39.26% 38 3.80% 393 355 – – – – 253 – 1,001
Atlin Con Lib 329 54.29% 52 8.58% 329 277 – – – – – – 606
Cariboo New Lib 453 68.64% 246 37.28% 453 207 – – – – – – 660
Chilliwhack Con Lib 987 55.64% 200 11.28% 987 787 – – – – – – 1,774
Columbia I-Con Lib 541 66.63% 270 33.26% 541 271 – – – – – – 812
Comox Con Lib 916 43.07% 34 1.60% 916 882 246 – – 83 – – 2,127
Cowichan Con Ind 539 56.92% 131 13.84% 408 – – – – – 539 – 947
Cranbrook Con Lib 727 59.06% 223 18.12% 727 504 – – – – – – 1,231
Delta Con Con 964 51.55% 58 3.10% 906 964 – – – – – – 1,870
Dewdney Con Lib 927 54.08% 140 8.16% 927 787 – – – – – – 1,714
Esquimalt Con Con 655 50.08% 2 0.16% 653 655 – – – – – – 1,308
Fernie Con Lib 903 46.38% 77 3.96% 903 826 218 – – – – – 1,947
Fort George New Con 499 43.43% 7 0.61% – 499 – – 492 – – 158 1,149
Grand Forks Con Lib 584 63.62% 250 27.24% 584 334 – – – – – – 918
Greenwood Con Lib 491 70.55% 286 41.10% 491 205 – – – – – – 696
The Islands Con Lib 358 50.28% 4 0.56% 358 354 – – – – – – 712
Kamloops Con Lib 1,519 61.27% 559 22.54% 1,519 960 – – – – – – 2,479
Kaslo Con Lib 456 54.94% 82 9.88% 456 374 – – – – – – 830
Lillooet Con Con 296 52.39% 27 4.78% 269 296 – – – – – – 565
Nanaimo SD Lib 1,137 57.14% 562 28.25% 1,137 575 – – 278 – – – 1,990
Nelson New Con 607 48.99% 100 8.07% 507 607 – – – – 125 – 1,239
Newcastle Soc I-Soc 551 56.11% 120 12.22% – 431 – – 551 – – – 982
New Westminster Con Lib 1,369 53.58% 183 7.16% 1,369 1,186 – – – – – – 2,555
North Okanagan New Lib 1,261 57.08% 313 14.16% 1,261 948 – – – – – – 2,209
North Vancouver New Lib 980 52.80% 382 20.58% 980 598 – 278 – – – – 1,856
Omineca New Lib 473 62.16% 185 24.32% 473 288 – – – – – – 761
Prince Rupert Con Lib 1,062 52.89% 116 5.78% 1,062 946 – – – – – – 2,008
Revelstoke Con Lib 802 60.62% 281 21.24% 802 521 – – – – – – 1,323
Richmond Con Lib 1,441 54.07% 252 9.45% 1,441 1,189 – 35 – – – – 2,665
Rossland Con Lib 424 55.79% 88 11.58% 424 336 – – – – – – 760
Saanich Con Lib 1,033 58.53% 301 17.06% 1,033 732 – – – – – – 1,765
Similkameen Con Con 650 55.41% 127 10.82% 523 650 – – – – – – 1,173
Slocan Con Lib 448 50.06% 1 0.12% 448 447 – – – – – – 895
South Okanagan New Con 845 54.52% 140 9.04% 705 845 – – – – – – 1,550
South Vancouver New Lib 1,579 45.75% 205 5.94% 1,579 1,374 – – – – – 498 3,451
Trail New Con 626 45.56% 142 10.33% 484 626 262 – – – – – 1,372
Yale Con Lib 809 57.05% 200 14.10% 809 609 – – – – – – 1,418
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = incumbent had switched allegiance
  = previously incumbent in another riding
  = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
  = incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = other incumbents renominated
  = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[10]
Party Vancouver City Victoria City
Votes Share Change Votes Share Change
Liberal 47,263 49.38% 18.53% 15,772 51.29% 26.17%
Conservative 39,050 40.80% -13.94% 11,347 36.90% -30.00%
Independent 2,824 2.95% 1.01% 1,185 3.85% 0.01%
Independent Conservative 2,701 2.82% New – – –
Independent Labour 2,487 2.60% New – – –
Socialist 1,380 1.44% -11.02% – – -4.13%
Independent Liberal – – – 1,518 4.94% New
Social Democratic – – – 929 3.02% New
Total 46,285 100.00% 16,034 100.00%
Seats won
  5
  1
  4
Incumbents returned
  1
 –

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ a b Brewster was elected as member for both Alberni and Victoria City, and is counted twice.
  2. ^ R. McBride (Conservative, Richmond) withdrew before the election but still received 34 overseas votes, which are counted.

References

  1. ^ Constitution Act Amendment Act, 1916, S.B.C. 1916, c. 14
  2. ^ S.B.C. 1916, c. 14, s.6
  3. ^ S.B.C. 1916, c. 14, s.5
  4. ^ Military Forces Voting Act, S.B.C. 1916, c. 41
  5. ^ Elections BC 1988, p. 128.
  6. ^ Hopkins 1917, p. 571.
  7. ^ Constitution Act Amendment Act, 1915, S.B.C. 1915, c. 14
  8. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 115, 123.
  9. ^ Elections BC 1988, pp. 125–128.
  10. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 117–119, 125–128.

Further reading

  • An Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986 (PDF). Victoria: Elections British Columbia. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.
  • In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia, Joseph Morton, J.J. Douglas, Vancouver (1974).
  • Hopkins, J. Castell (1917). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1916. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.
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