1912 British Columbia general election

1912 British Columbia general election

←  1909 March 28, 1912 1916  →
42 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 22 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   SPC Leader Sir Richard McBride none Party Conservative Socialist Leader's seat Victoria City Last election 38 2 Seats won 39 1 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 50,423 9,366 Percentage 59.65% 11.08% Swing 7.32pp 0.42pp   Third party Fourth party   SDP Leader none Harlan Carey Brewster Party Social Democratic Liberal Last election Did not contest 2 Seats won 1 0 Seat change 1 2 Popular vote 621 21,443 Percentage 0.74% 25.37% Swing new 7.84pp
Premier before election Richard McBride Conservative Premier after election Richard McBride Conservative

The 1912 British Columbia general election was the thirteenth 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 February 27, 1912, and held on March 28, 1912. The new legislature met for the first time on January 16, 1913.

The governing Conservative Party increased its share of the popular vote to almost 60%, and swept all but 3 of the 42 seats in the legislature. Of the remaining three, one (Harold Ernest Forster in Columbia) was formally listed as an Independent but was a Conservative who had missed the filing date. He campaigned and sat in full support of the McBride government.

The Liberal Party's share of the vote fell from one-third to one-quarter, and it lost both of its seats in the legislature.

The remaining two seats were won by the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party in the coal-mining ridings of Nanaimo City and Newcastle.

Results

^[1]

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1912)

Political party		Party leader	MLAs				Votes
			Candidates	1909	1912	±	#	±	%	± (pp)
	Conservative	Richard McBride	42	38	39	1	50,423	2,651	59.65%	7.32
	Socialist		17	2	1	1	9,366	2,299	11.08%	0.42
	Independent Conservative		7	–	1	1	1,163	1,009	1.37%	1.22
	Social Democratic		1	–	1	1	621	621	0.74%	New
	Liberal	Harlan Carey Brewster	19	2	–	2	21,433	12,242	25.37%	7.84
	Independent		2	–	–	–	1,513	1,112	1.79%	0.80
Total			88	42	42		84,529		100.00%

Seats and popular vote by party ^[1]

Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█  Conservative	39 / 42	59.65%	7.32		7.32
█  Liberal	0 / 42	25.37%	-7.34
█  Socialist	1 / 42	11.08%	-0.42
█ Other	2 / 42	3.90%	0.44		0.44

Results by riding

The following MLAs were elected: ^[2]

Alberni: John George Corry Wood    Atlin: Henry Esson Young    Cariboo: Michael Callanan    Cariboo: John Anderson Fraser    Chilliwhack: Samuel Arthur Cawley    Columbia: Harold Ernest Forster (I-Con)    Comox: Michael Manson    Cowichan: William Henry Hayward    Cranbrook: Thomas Donald Caven    Delta: Francis James Anderson MacKenzie    Dewdney: William J. Manson    Esquimalt: Robert Henry Pooley    Fernie: William Roderick Ross    Grand Forks: Ernest Miller

Greenwood: John Robert Jackson    The Islands: Albert Edward McPhillips    Kamloops: James Pearson Shaw    Kaslo: Neil Franklin MacKay    Lillooet: Archibald McDonald    Nanaimo City: John Thomas Wilmot Place    Nelson City: William Ross MacLean    Newcastle: Parker Williams    New Westminster City: Thomas Gifford    Okanagan: Price Ellison    Revelstoke: Thomas Taylor    Richmond: Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton    Rossland City: Lorne Argyle Campbell    Saanich: David McEwen Eberts

Similkameen: Lytton Wilmot Shatford    Skeena: William Manson    Slocan: William Hunter    Vancouver City: Charles William John Bowser    Vancouver City: Alexander Henry Boswell MacGowan    Vancouver City: George Albert McGuire    Vancouver City: Charles Edward Tisdall    Vancouver City: Henry Holgate Watson    Victoria City: Henry Frederick William Behnsen    Victoria City: Frederick Davey    Victoria City: Richard McBride    Victoria City: Henry Broughton Thomson    Yale: Alexander Lucas    Ymir: James Hargrave Schofield

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (single-member districts) ^[3]

Riding	Winning party								Votes
Name	1909		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %	Con	Lib	Soc	I-Con	SD	Total
Alberni		Lib		Con	acclaimed
Atlin		Con		Con	acclaimed
Chilliwhack		Con		Con	acclaimed
Columbia		Con		I-Con	282	51.74%	19	3.48%	263	–	–	282	–	545
Comox		Con		Con	694	66.16%	339	32.32%	694	–	355	–	–	1,049
Cowichan		Con		Con	441	80.04%	331	60.08%	441	110	–	–	–	551
Cranbrook		Con		Con	acclaimed
Delta		Con		Con	748	70.83%	440	41.66%	748	308	–	–	–	1,056
Dewdney		Con		Con	803	80.54%	609	61.08%	803	–	–	194	–	997
Esquimalt		Lib		Con	398	46.50%	212	24.77%	398	151	25	282 [a 1]	–	856
Fernie		Con		Con	1,067	58.31%	304	16.62%	1,067	–	763	–	–	1,830
Grand Forks		Con		Con	acclaimed
Greenwood		Con		Con	364	78.11%	262	56.22%	364	–	102	–	–	466
The Islands		Con		Con	345	75.66%	234	51.32%	345	–	–	111	–	456
Kamloops		Con		Con	931	70.11%	534	40.22%	931	397	–	–	–	1,328
Kaslo		Con		Con	acclaimed
Lillooet		Con		Con	200	71.17%	119	42.34%	200	81	–	–	–	281
Nanaimo City		Soc		SD	621	39.45%	43	2.73%	578	375	–	–	621	1,574
Nelson City		Con		Con	527	59.08%	339	38.00%	527	–	177	188	–	892
Newcastle		Soc		Soc	386	50.86%	13	1.72%	373	–	386	–	–	759
New Westminster City		Con		Con	1,004	72.28%	619	44.56%	1,004	385	–	–	–	1,389
Okanagan		Con		Con	1,388	82.37%	1,091	64.74%	1,388	–	297	–	–	1,685
Revelstoke		Con		Con	acclaimed
Richmond		Con		Con	acclaimed
Rossland City		Con		Con	336	56.09%	168	28.04%	336	168	95	–	–	599
Saanich		Con		Con	392	69.01%	216	38.02%	392	176	–	–	–	568
Similkameen		Con		Con	acclaimed
Skeena		Con		Con	940	51.00%	420	22.79%	940	520	277	106	–	1,843
Slocan		Con		Con	373	65.32%	175	30.64%	373	–	198	–	–	571
Yale		Con		Con	524	65.26%	245	30.52%	524	279	–	–	–	803
Ymir		Con		Con	1,024	79.69%	763	59.38%	1,024	–	261	–	–	1,285

1. The incumbent John Jardine received 96 votes

  = 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

  = multiple candidates

Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts) ^[3]

Party		Cariboo			Vancouver City			Victoria City
		Votes	Share	Change	Votes	Share	Change	Votes	Share	Change
	Conservative	645	77.99%	14.98%	25,338	54.74%	4.64%	10,727	66.90%	13.48%
	Liberal	182	22.01%	-14.98%	14,283	30.86%	-5.42%	4,028	25.12%	-6.57%
	Socialist	–	–	–	5,767	12.46%	-1.16%	663	4.13%	0.72%
	Independent	–	–	–	897	1.94%	1.94%	616	3.84%	-7.64%
Total		827	100.00%		46,285	100.00%		16,034	100.00%
Seats won		2			5			4
Incumbents returned		2			5			4
Seat change		–			–			–

See also

• List of British Columbia political parties

Notes

1. Elections BC 1988, pp. 109, 115.
2. Elections BC 1988, pp. 117–119.
3. Elections BC 1988, pp. 111–113, 117–119.

Further reading & references

• 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 (1913). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1912. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.
• Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN   0-7718-8677-2.