1909 British Columbia general election

The 1909 British Columbia general election was the twelfth 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 October 20, 1909, and held on November 25, 1909'. The new legislature met for the first time on January 20, 1910.

1909 British Columbia general election

November 25, 1909

48 seats to the 12th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
25 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
BCLP
SPC
Leader Sir Richard McBride James Alexander MacDonald No leader
Party Conservative Liberal Socialist
Leader's seat Victoria City[lower-alpha 1]
Last election 26 seats, 48.70% 13 seats, 37.15% 3 seats, 8.87%
Seats won 38 2 2
Seat change 12 11 1
Popular vote 53,074 33,675 11,665
Percentage 52.33% 33.21% 11.50%
Swing 3.63pp 3.94pp 2.63pp

Premier before election

Richard McBride
Conservative

Elected Premier

Richard McBride
Conservative

The governing Conservative Party won its third consecutive term in government with over half of the popular vote and all but four of the 42 seats in the legislature, effectively a rout for the popular incumbent Premier, Sir Richard McBride.

Despite winning almost one-third of the popular vote, the Liberal Party won only two seats, the same number won by the Socialist Party with only 11.5% of the vote.

The first-past-the-post allocation of seats, combined with the multi-member constituencies in effect at the time, ensured that the Conservatives won with a lead of 34 seats, instead of only a lead of two seats that its proportion of the popular vote should have granted it.[1]

Results

Party Party leader # of
candidates
Seats Popular vote
1907 Elected % Change # % % Change
  Conservative 1 Richard McBride 42 26 38 +46.2% 53,074 52.33% +3.63%
LiberalJames Alexander MacDonald36132-84.6% 33,675 33.21% -3.94%
Socialist   20 3 2 -33.3% 11,665 11.50% +2.63%
  Independent 3 - - - 2,625 2.59% +2.36%
  Canadian Labour 2   1 - - - 165 0.16% -3.79%
  Independent Conservative 1 * - * 154 0.15% *
  Independent Labour 1 - - - 57 0.06% -0.71%
Total 104 42 42 - 101,415 100%  
Sources: Elections BC

Notes:

* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

1 Two candidates are counted twice: R. McBride (Conservative), who contested and was elected in both Victoria City and Yale, and J. Oliver (Liberal) who contested but was defeated in both Delta and Victoria City.

2 Organized in 1906. Not the same as the CLP that contested the 1924 election.

Popular vote
Conservative
52.33%
Liberal
33.21%
Socialist
11.50%
Others
2.96%
Seats summary
Conservative
90.48%
Liberal
4.76%
Socialist
4.76%

Results by riding

Results of British Columbia general election, 1909
Government Opposition
Member Riding
& party
Riding
& party
Member
     Henry Esson Young Atlin
Conservative
          Alberni
Liberal
Harlan Carey Brewster     
     Michael Callanan Cariboo
Conservative
          Esquimalt
Liberal
John Jardine     
     John Anderson Fraser           Nanaimo City
Socialist
James Hurst Hawthornthwaite     
     Samuel Arthur Cawley Chilliwhack
Conservative
          Newcastle
Socialist
Parker Williams     
     Henry George Parson Columbia
Conservative
    
     Michael Manson Comox
Conservative
    
     William Henry Hayward Cowichan
Conservative
    
     Thomas Donald Caven Cranbrook
Conservative
    
     Francis James Anderson MacKenzie Delta
Conservative
    
     William J. Manson Dewdney
Conservative
    
     William Roderick Ross Fernie
Conservative
    
     Ernest Miller Grand Forks
Conservative
    
     John Robert Jackson Greenwood
Conservative
    
     Albert Edward McPhillips The Islands
Conservative
    
     James Pearson Shaw Kamloops
Conservative
    
     Neil Franklin MacKay Kaslo
Conservative
    
     Archibald McDonald Lillooet
Conservative
    
     Harry Wright Nelson City
Conservative
    
     Thomas Gifford New Westminster City
Conservative
    
     Price Ellison Okanagan
Conservative
    
     Thomas Taylor Revelstoke
Conservative
    
     Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton Richmond
Conservative
    
     William Robert Braden Rossland City
Conservative
    
     David McEwen Eberts Saanich
Conservative
    
     Lytton Wilmot Shatford Similkameen
Conservative
    
     William Manson Skeena
Conservative
    
     William Hunter Slocan
Conservative
    
     William John Bowser Vancouver City
Conservative
    
     Alexander Henry Boswell MacGowan     
     George Albert McGuire     
     Charles Edward Tisdall     
     Henry Holgate Watson     
     Henry Frederick William Behnsen Victoria City
Conservative
    
     Frederick Davey     
     Richard McBride 1
Premier
    
     Henry Broughton Thomson     
     Richard McBride
Premier1
Yale
Conservative
    
     James Hargrave Schofield Ymir
Conservative
    
1 Elected simultaneously in Yale and Victoria City.
Source: Elections BC

Notes

  1. Not the incumbent, but stood in this seat and won

See also

Further reading & references

References

  1. Grain Growers Guide, September 29, 1915, p. 7
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