1920 British Columbia general election

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1920 British Columbia general election
← 1916 December 1, 1920 1924 →
47 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
24 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader John Oliver William John Bowser
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader's seat Victoria City[a] Vancouver City
Last election 36 9
Seats won 26 14
Seat change Decrease10 Increase5
Popular vote 134,167 110,475
Percentage 37.89% 31.20%
Swing Decrease12.11pp Decrease9.32pp
  Third party Fourth party
 
FLP
PP
Party Federated Labour People's
Last election Did not contest Did not contest
Seats won 3 1
Seat change Increase3 Increase1
Popular vote 32,230 1,354
Percentage 9.10% 0.38%
Swing new new
Premier before election

John Oliver
Liberal

Premier after election

John Oliver
Liberal

The legislature of British Columbia in session, 1921

The 1920 British Columbia general election was the fifteenth 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 23, 1920, and held on December 1, 1920. The new legislature met for the first time on February 8, 1921.

Although it lost eleven seats in the legislature, and fell from 50% of the popular vote to under 38%, the governing Liberal Party was able to hold on to a slim majority in the legislature for its second consecutive term in government.

The Conservative Party also lost a significant share of its popular vote, but won six additional seats for a total of fifteen, and formed the Official Opposition.

Almost a third of the vote and seven seats were won by independents and by a wide variety of fringe parties.

This was the first general election in which women could vote and run for office.[1]

Results[edit]

Elections to the 15th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1920)[2]
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1916 1920 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Liberal John Oliver[a 1] 45 36 26 10Decrease 134,167 44,275Increase 37.89 12.11Decrease
Conservative William Bowser 42 9 14 5Increase 110,475 37,633Increase 31.20 9.32Decrease
Independent[a 2]   18 1 3 2Increase 36,736 31,810Increase 10.37 7.63Increase
Federated Labour[a 3]   14 – 3 3Increase 32,230 32,230Increase 9.10 New
  People's Party   1 – 1 1Increase 1,354 1,354 0.38 New
Independent Socialist   1 1 – 1Decrease 419 902Decrease 0.12 0.62Decrease
Socialist[a 4]   7 – – Steady 12,386 10,280Increase 3.50 2.33Increase
Soldier[a 5]   11 – – – 10,780 10,780Increase 3.04 New
  Grand Army of United Veterans[a 6]   2 – – – 5,441 5,441Increase 1,54 New
Independent Liberal   3 – – Steady 3,433 1,915Increase 0.97 0.13Increase
United Farmers   2 – – – 3,178 3,178Increase 0.90 New
Independent Conservative   2 – – Steady 1,602 1,412Decrease 0.45 1.23Decrease
Independent Soldier   2 – – – 907 907Increase 0.26 New
Independent Farmer   3 – – – 526 526Increase 0.15 New
Liberal–Conservative   1 – – – 424 424Increase 0.12 New
Independent Labour   1 – – Steady 30 2,955Decrease 0.01 1.65Decrease
Total 155 47 47 354,088 100.00%
  1. ^ nominated and won in both Delta and Victoria City. He would opt to resign from the Delta seat.
  2. ^ Includes candidates from the Liberty League of B.C. (2,466 votes), Vancouver Ratepayers Association (3,291 votes), and Women's Freedom League (4,166 votes).
  3. ^ Includes candidates not directly nominated, but supported by, the Federated Labour Party.
  4. ^ Includes John Henry Burrough, a Labour candidate in Prince Rupert running on a Socialist Party platform.
  5. ^ Soldier-Farmer candidates ran in rural Districts (five candidates, 3361 votes) and Soldier-Labour candidates ran in urban ones (six candidates, 7419 votes).
  6. ^ Some GAUV candidates ran on a joint Soldier-Labour ticket.
Seats and popular vote by party[2]
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
█ Liberal
26 / 47
37.89%
 -12.11
 
█ Conservative
14 / 47
31.20%
 -9.32
 
█ Federated Labour
3 / 47
9.10%
 9.10 9.1
 
█ Independent
3 / 47
10.37%
 7.63 7.63
 
█ Soldier/GUAV
0 / 47
4.58%
 4.58 4.58
 
█ Socialist
0 / 47
3.50%
 2.33 2.33
 
█ Other
2 / 47
3.36%
 -2.21
 

MLAs elected[edit]

Synopsis of results[edit]

Results by riding - 1920 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[3]
Riding Winning party Votes
Name 1916 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		Lib Con FLP PP Soc Sol[a 1] UF I-Lib I-Con Ind Oth Total
 
Alberni Lib Ind 841 43.94% 166 8.67% 398 – – – – 675 – – – 841 – 1,914
Atlin Lib Lib 390 36.69% 90 8.47% 390 229 300 – – – – – – 114 30 1,063
Cariboo Lib Lib 561 61.65% 212 28.30% 561 349 – – – – – – – – – 910
Chilliwhack Lib Lib 1,911 53.16% 227 6.32% 1,911 1,684 – – – – – – – – – 3,595
Columbia Lib Lib 584 60.58% 204 21.16% 584 380 – – – – – – – – – 964
Comox Lib PP 1,354 32.83% 121 2.93% 806 1,233 – 1,354 – – – 731 – – – 4,124
Cowichan Ind Ind 1,145 52.60% 113 5.20% – 1,032 – – – – – – – 1,145 – 2,177
Cranbrook Lib Lib 941 50.98% 36 1.96% 941 – – – – – – – 905 – – 1,846
Delta Con Lib 1,334 37.50% 218 6.13% 1,334 1,116 – – – 1,107 – – – – – 3,557
Dewdney Lib Con 1,535 45.45% 166 4.91% 1,369 1,535 473 – – – – – – – – 3,377
Esquimalt Con Con 1,158 49.87% 473 20.37% 685 1,158 – – – 479 – – – – – 2,322
Fernie Lib FLP 932 38.37% 158 6.51% 723 774 932 – – – – – – – – 2,429
Fort George Con Lib 1,140 55.18% 353 17.09% 1,140 787 – – – – – – – – 139 2,066
Grand Forks Lib Lib 390 50.39% 6 0.78% 390 384 – – – – – – – – – 774
Greenwood Lib Lib 392 49.06% 100 12.51% 392 292 – – – – – – – – 115 799
The Islands Lib Lib 581 40.86% 100 7.03% 581 481 – – – 360 – – – – – 1,422
Kamloops Lib Lib 1,617 37.43% 209 4.84% 1,617 1,295 – – – – 1,408 – – – – 4,320
Kaslo Lib Con 760 50.53% 16 1.06% 744 760 – – – – – – – – – 1,504
Lillooet Con Con 339 47.48% 126 17.65% 213 339 – – – 162 – – – – – 714
Nanaimo Lib Lib 1,370 41.19% 199 5.98% 1,370 785 1,171 – – – – – – – – 3,326
Nelson Con Con 1,232 61.75% 469 23.50% 763 1,232 – – – – – – – – – 1,995
Newcastle I-Soc FLP 704 42.00% 280 16.7% – – 704 – – – – – – – 972[a 2] 1,676
New Westminster Lib Lib 1,980 43.07% 369 8.03% 1,980 1,006 – – – 1,611 – – – – – 4,597
North Okanagan Lib Lib 2,037 53.51% 267 7.02% 2,037 – – – – – 1,770 – – – – 3,807
North Vancouver Lib Ind 2,681 54.68% 1,501 30.61% 913 1,180 – – – – – – – 2,810[a 3] – 4,903
Omineca Lib Lib 630 60.87% 357 34.49% 630 273 – – – – – – – 132 – 1,035
Prince Rupert Lib Lib 1,501 43.70% 804 23.41% 1,501 561 – – 676 – – – 697 – – 3,435
Revelstoke Lib Lib acclaimed
Richmond Lib Con 2,863 37.89% 151 2.00% 2,712 2,863 1,499 – – 272 – – – 210 – 7,556
Rossland Lib Con 257 38.02% 18 2.66% 180 257 239 – – – – – – – – 676
Saanich Lib Lib 1,858 39.78% 102 2.19% 1,858 1,756 – – – 1,057 – – – – – 4,671
Similkameen Con Con 1,354 51.72% 90 3.44% 1,264 1,354 – – – – – – – – – 2,618
Slocan Lib Con 568 41.55% 97 7.09% 471 568 328 – – – – – – – – 1,367
South Okanagan Con Con 1,882 56.77% 449 13.54% 1,433 1,882 – – – – – – – – – 3,315
South Vancouver Lib FLP 3,255 37.75% 811 9.41% 1,969 2,444 3,255 – – – – – – 955 – 8,623
Trail Con Con 1,315 60.80% 467 21.60% 848 1,315 – – – – – – – – – 2,163
Yale Lib Con 913 39.58% 176 7.63% 737 913 – – – – – 657 – – – 2,307
  1. ^ Candidates in Esquimalt, New Westminster and Saanich were Soldier-Labour; others were Soldier-Farmer
  2. ^ The incumbent James Hurst Hawthornthwaite (Ind-Soc), elected in a 1918 byelection, and formerly the Socialist MLA for Nanaimo City, came in third with 419 votes.
  3. ^ The incumbent George Samuel Hanes, formerly elected as a Liberal, was the winning candidate with 2,681 votes. His candidacy was endorsed by the local Liberal association and the Great War Veterans Association.
  = open seat
  = 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
  = candidate repudiated by local association
  = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1920 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[3]
Party Vancouver City Victoria City
Votes Share Change Votes Share Change
Liberal 78,789 38.96% -10.42% 19,933 36.96% -14.33%
Conservative 60,570 29.95% -10.85% 17,688 32.79% -4.11%
Federated Labour 22,117 10.97% New 1,212 2.25% New
Independent 16,121 7.97% 5.02% 4,485 8.32% 4.46%
Socialist 11,710 5.79% 4.35% – – -4.13%
  Grand Army of United Veterans 5,441 2.69% New – – –
Women's Freedom League 4,166 2.06% New – – –
Vancouver Ratepayers Association 3,291 1.63% New – – –
Soldier–Labour – – – 5,329 9.88% New
Liberty League of BC – – – 2,466 4.57% New
Independent Liberal – – – 2,045 3.79% -1.14%
Independent Soldier – – – 778 1.44% New
Independent Conservative – – -2.82% – – –
Independent Labour – – -2.60% – – –
Social Democratic – – – – – -3.02%
Total 202,205 100.00% 53,936 100.00%
Seats won
  5
  1
  3
  1
Incumbents returned
  3
  1
  1

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • 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). Despite its title, a fairly thorough account of the politicians and electoral politics in early BC.
  • Hopkins, J. Castell (1921). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1920. Toronto: The Canadian Review Company.

Notes and references[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Oliver was also elected as member for Delta, but chose to resign from that seat.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Women's Right to Vote in Canada
  2. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 123, 139.
  3. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 125–128, 141–144.
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