1919 Ontario general election

Last updated

1919 Ontario general election
Flag of Ontario.svg
  1914 October 20, 1919 1923  

111 seats in the 15th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
56 seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  EC Drury Photo B (HS85-10-36997).jpg HH Dewart 1912.jpg
Leader Ernest C. Drury Hartley Dewart
Party United Farmers Liberal
Leader sinceOctober 1919 [lower-alpha 1] June 26, 1919
Leader's seat- Toronto Southwest
Last electionpre-creation24
Seats won4427
Seat changeIncrease2.svg44Increase2.svg3
Percentage21.0%25.5%
SwingIncrease2.svg21.0pp Decrease2.svg12.4pp

 Third partyFourth party
  William Hearst.jpg Walter Rollo 1919.png
Leader William Hearst Walter Rollo
Party Conservative Labour
Leader since1914-
Leader's seat Sault Ste. Marie (lost re-election) Hamilton West
Last election841
Seats won2511
Seat changeDecrease2.svg59Increase2.svg10
Percentage34.1%9.1%
SwingDecrease2.svg19.8pp Increase2.svg7.8pp

Premier before election

William Hearst
Conservative

Premier after election

Ernest C. Drury
United Farmers

The 1919 Ontario general election, held on October 20, 1919, elected 111 Members of the 15th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs"). The United Farmers of Ontario captured the most seats but only a minority of the legislature. They joined with 11 Labour MPPs and three others to form a coalition government, ending the 14-year rule of Ontario's Conservatives. [1] This is one of the few examples of coalition government in Canadian history.

Contents

Premier William Howard Hearst had aimed to win a fifth consecutive term for the Conservatives, but instead the party became the first in Ontario history to fall from first to third place. [2] As newspaperman John Willison later remarked, "There could not have been a worse time for a general election." [2]

Campaign

The parties tended to have a targeted approach in fielding their candidates:

Candidate contests in the ridings
Candidates nominatedRidingsParty
ConLibUFOLabIndFarm-LabInd-LibInd-ConSocFarm-LibSoldierSold-LabTotals
Acclamation444
248441531221196
35045443113842111150
488534312221132
5
611111116
Total111102656620135533222288

It was the first in which women could vote and run for office. [lower-alpha 2] Election day was also held on the same day as the scheduled referendum on prohibition. [2]

Conservatives

Hearst alienated the business community with his progressive policies; he had a rift with Adam Beck (London) over the direction of the Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission; and his promotion of prohibition alienated the urban "wets". [2]

Only the Conservatives attempted to field a full slateand were helped by having four candidates being declared elected by acclamation [5] but about two dozen incumbents decided to step aside in favour of the local farmer candidates. [6]

Seventeen Conservative MLAs either retired from the Legislature, or had failed to be renominated. [7] Arthur Pratt (Norfolk South) opted to campaign as an Independent-Conservative, claiming earlier in the year that at least 27 MLAs privately opposed Hearst's prohibition policy. [6]

Beck also decided to stand as an Independent, saying, "I do not object to the Government having a control of the Hydro enterprise, but I object to its becoming a Government department; only as an Independent can I look after the interests of Hydro-Electric Power for the people of the Province in the most efficient manner." [6]

Liberals

The Liberals split between those still loyal to former leader Newton Rowell and his successor William Proudfoot (Huron Centre), and those who supported the new leader, Hartley Dewart. [2] John Campbell Elliott (Middlesex West) (who had come in 3rd in the 1919 leadership contest), joined by five others, decided to drop out of the race. [8]

They tried to avoid direct contests with UFO candidates, [2] fielding candidates in only 66 ridings as opposed to the 90 named in the 1914 election. In many respects, however, they underestimated the discontent that was simmering among rural Ontarians, and Dewart focused his attention unnecessarily against the Conservative campaign manager George Howard Ferguson. [9]

Proudfoot opted to campaign as an Independent. [10]

United Farmers

The UFO focused on rural areas. Its leader, R.H. Halbert, did not campaign, as he had been elected to the House of Commons of Canada in an earlier by-election. [8] It had only two incumbent MPPs, Beniah Bowman and John Wesley Widdifield, who had entered the legislature by winning by-elections in Manitoulin and Ontario North.

Labour

The labour political movement was fragmented between the Independent Labour Party, the Ontario section of the Canadian Labour Party, and the Ontario Labour Educational Association and its newspaper The Industrial Banner . [11] The ILP was the effective organization on the campaign trail that year, and it promoted joint action with the UFO. [12]

Media in the campaign

Media support in the campaign was mixed. The Globe and The Toronto Star , at that time both Liberal in outlook, were hostile against Dewart because of his stand on temperance issues. [13] The Toronto World , generally a Conservative backer, pursued a simmering scandal from 1916 [14] [15] concerning International Nickel and alleged provincial support of wartime shipments of the metal to Germany via the cargo submarine Deutschland . [16] [8] The Farmer's Sun , recently acquired by the UFO, was an enthusiastic promoter of farmer policies. [11]

Electoral system

Of the 111 seats, 103 were from single-member constituencies elected through first-past-the-post voting. The remaining eight came from four dual-member ridings in Toronto, each of which had parallel contests voting separately for seat A and seat B under the same FPTP rules.

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1919 Ontario general election [a 1]
RidingWinning partyTurnout
[a 2]
Votes
1914 1st placeVotesShareMargin
#
Margin
%
2nd place UFO Lab F-LabF-Lib Soldier Lib Con IndI-ConI-LibS-Lab Soc Total
 
Addington  Con Conacclaimed
Algoma Con Lib2,27035.49%440.69% Con68.60%1,9002,2702,2266,396
Brant North  Lib UFO3,59744.21%1,02412.59% Con76.65%3,5971,9662,5738,136
Brant South  Lib Lab6,40846.55%2,37717.27% Lib81.02%6,4084,0313,32613,765
Brockville  Con Lib4,86656.47%1,11512.94% Con78.38%4,8663,7518,617
Bruce North  Lib UFO3,68954.08%5578.17% Lib76.91%3,6893,1326,821
Bruce South  Con Lib2,72741.88%79712.24% UFO79.97%1,9302,7271,8556,512
Bruce West  Lib Lib3,09439.75%1011.30% UFO80.65%2,9933,0941,6967,783
Carleton  Con UFO4,87756.24%1,08212.48% Con67.89%4,8773,7958,672
Cochrane  Lib Lib2,95149.24%1,12018.69% Con57.62%2,9511,8311,2115,993
Dufferin  Con UFO4,11753.50%5386.99% Con77.71%4,1173,5797,696
Dundas  Con UFO4,79259.45%1,52418.91% Con76.17%4,7923,2688,060
Durham East  Con UFO1,11157.89%30315.79% Con24.10%1,1118081,919
Durham West  Con Lib3,34656.20%73812.40% Con77.42%3,3462,6085,954
Elgin East  Con UFO4,93759.47%1,57218.94% Con77.31%4,9373,3658,302
Elgin West  Con UFO7,54257.11%1,87914.23% Con73.01%7,5425,66313,205
Essex North  Lib UFO6,48671.09%3,84842.17% Con72.73%6,4862,6389,124
Essex South  Lib UFO3,55841.30%1301.51% Lib78.29%3,5583,4281,6298,615
Fort William  Con Lab3,74551.48%1,51320.80% Lib63.70%3,7452,2321,2987,275
Frontenac  Con Con3,01647.32%5097.99% UFO74.35%2,5073,0168506,373
Glengarry  Lib UFO4,55466.65%2,27533.29% Lib60.12%4,5542,2796,833
Grenville* Con Con4,12550.50%810.99% UFO78.65%4,0444,1258,169
Grey Centre  Con UFO4,36352.87%4745.74% Con80.57%4,3633,8898,252
Grey North* Con F-Lib5,65955.92%1,19811.84% Con77.18%5,6594,46110,120
Grey South  Con UFO5,25254.99%9539.98% Con75.87%5,2524,2999,551
Haldimand  Con UFO6,05659.83%1,99019.66% Con82.63%6,0564,06610,122
Halton  Con UFO4,45640.33%1,0549.54% Con76.89%4,4563,1903,40211,048
Hamilton East  Lab Lab16,01260.24%7,58828.55% S-Lab71.16%16,0122,1468,42426,582
Hamilton West  Con Lab8,72260.25%4,64332.07% Con71.54%8,7221,6754,07914,476
Hastings East  Con UFO3,64151.22%1742.45% Con77.36%3,6413,4677,108
Hastings North  Con Conacclaimed
Hastings West  Con Con5,07252.19%4254.37% Lib74.80%4,6475,0729,719
Huron Centre  Lib Lab3,19338.65%1631.97% Ind78.39%2,0393,1933,0308,262
Huron North  Con Con2,89737.61%3414.43% Lib81.66%2,2492,5562,8977,702
Huron South  Con UFO3,29841.91%7749.84% Con80.89%3,2982,0472,5247,869
Kenora  Con Lab1,87049.47%97525.79% Ind68.70%1,870405610895 [a 3] 3,780
Kent East  Lib UFO5,37455.28%1,02610.55% Con81.83%5,3744,3489,722
Kent West  Con Lib8,09848.03%2,91917.31% UFO81.19%5,1798,0983,58316,860
Kingston  Con Conacclaimed
Lambton East  Con UFO4,57553.09%2,41428.01% Con79.94%4,5751,8822,1618,618
Lambton West  Con UFO6,08140.42%1,2998.64% Lab78.92%6,0814,7824,18015,043
Lanark North  Con UFO2,88140.85%831.18% Con77.84%2,8811,3732,7987,052
Lanark South  Con UFO3,87248.18%8039.99% Con73.33%3,8721,0963,0698,037
Leeds  Con Con4,35154.59%7319.17% Lib75.20%3,6204,3517,971
Lennox  Con Con2,32939.98%3145.39% Lib77.50%1,4822,0152,3295,826
Lincoln  Lib Lib3,24239.39%5076.16% UFO77.33%2,7353,2422,2538,230
London  Con Lab13,00853.94%1,9017.88% Ind77.34%13,00811,10724,115
Manitoulin  Con UFO2,42860.20%82320.41% Con69.06%2,4281,6054,033
Middlesex East  Con UFO5,46352.61%2,96328.53% Lib78.19%5,4632,5002,42110,384
Middlesex North  Lib UFO3,85750.45%1,69622.18% Con80.98%3,8571,6272,1617,645
Middlesex West  Lib UFO4,39475.59%2,97551.18% Con75.34%4,3941,4195,813
Muskoka  Con Con3,05446.22%2904.39% Lib64.48%2,7643,0547896,607
Niagara Falls  Con Lab4,05738.37%3683.48% Lib74.20%4,0573,6892,82610,572
Nipissing  Con Lib3,12242.44%93412.70% Lab68.88%2,1883,1222,0467,356
Norfolk North  Lib UFO4,52263.09%1,87726.19% Con76.63%4,5222,6457,167
Norfolk South  Con UFO3,28062.67%1,32625.33% I-Con75.15%3,2801,9545,234
Northumberland East  Con UFO4,52150.49%870.97% Con78.31%4,5214,4348,955
Northumberland West  Lib Lib3,40155.32%65410.64% Con74.01%3,4012,7476,148
Ontario North  Con UFO4,16254.12%6338.23% Con80.69%4,1623,5297,691
Ontario South  Con Lib7,84363.97%3,42527.93% Con74.11%7,8434,41812,261
Ottawa East  Lib Lib7,30963.57%4,43138.54% Lab61.09%2,8787,3091,31111,498
Ottawa West  Lib Con8,95334.76%1,0974.26% Lab68.11%7,8566,5268,9532,42325,758
Oxford North  Lib Lib5,36947.61%2,31320.51% Con78.63%2,8525,3693,05611,277
Oxford South  Con UFO4,45239.84%6175.52% Con81.37%4,4522,8883,83511,175
Parkdale  Con Con11,09168.95%6,09637.90% Ind66.67%11,0914,995 [a 4] 16,086
Parry Sound  Con Lib4,61854.49%7618.98% Con72.58%4,6183,8578,475
Peel  Con Con4,56240.14%1050.92% Lib87.72%2,345 [a 5] 4,4574,56211,364
Perth North  Con Lib6,09541.63%1,64111.21% F-Lab78.39%4,4546,0954,09214,641
Perth South  Con UFO5,84764.20%2,58628.39% Con5,8473,2619,108
Peterborough East  Con UFO3,62358.18%1,01916.36% Con67.85%3,6232,6046,227
Peterborough West  Lib Lab4,73241.49%6856.01% Lib74.25%4,7324,0472,62511,404
Port Arthur  Con Con2,57841.33%4837.74% Lib67.91%2,0952,5781,5646,237
Prescott  I-Lib Lib3,92947.43%1,29815.67% UFO68.70%2,6313,9291,7248,284
Prince Edward  Lib Lib4,55755.78%94511.57% Con79.45%4,5573,6128,169
Rainy River  Con Con1,42040.00%3529.92% Lib63.53%1,0621,0681,4203,550
Renfrew North  Con UFO3,97941.10%2302.38% Con79.80%3,9791,9543,7499,682
Renfrew South  Con UFO5,42651.53%3223.06% Con70.52%5,4265,10410,530
Riverdale  Con Sol7,47238.84%1,5998.31% Lab5,8737,4725,70618919,240
Russell  Lib Lib6,12149.98%1,1749.59% UFO67.89%4,9476,1211,18012,248
St. Catharines  Con Lab6,31348.67%1,89114.58% Con80.42%6,3132,2354,42212,970
Sault Ste. Marie  Con Lab4,44459.11%1,37018.22% Con72.59%4,4443,0747,518
Simcoe Centre  Con UFO5,23457.89%1,42615.77% Con74.54%5,2343,8089,042
Simcoe East  Con UFO5,06340.78%4833.89% Con71.41%5,0634,5802,77312,416
Simcoe South  Con UFO2,92753.68%4017.35% Con75.69%2,9272,5265,453
Simcoe West  Con Con4,49155.46%88510.93% UFO71.98%3,6064,4918,097
Stormont  Con Lib4,28443.01%1,33813.43% UFO68.28%2,9464,2842,7319,961
Sturgeon Falls  Lib Lib2,69062.02%1,79841.46% Con67.33%7552,6908924,337
Sudbury  Con Con3,55140.55%1421.62% Lib65.68%1,7983,4093,5518,758
Timiskaming  Con Con3,09235.84%770.89% F-Lab68.70%3,0152,5203,0928,627
Toronto NE - A  Con Conacclaimed
Toronto NE - B  Con Con13,49540.57%4,81014.46% Lib61.10%2,9108,68513,4958,17233,262
Toronto NW - A  Con Con18,79753.93%2,7417.86% Lib16,05618,79734,853
Toronto NW - B  Con Lib18,52251.57%1,1253.13% Con18,52217,39735,919
Toronto SE - A  Con Lib10,03760.64%4,58527.70% Con10,0375,4521,06316,552
Toronto SE - B  Con Lib10,50866.92%5,31333.83% Con10,5085,19515,703
Toronto SW - A  Con Lib16,95163.45%7,18626.90% Con54.34%16,9519,76526,716
Toronto SW - B  Con Lib14,42845.27%4,80015.06% Con55.57%7,81614,4289,62831,872
Victoria North  Con UFO3,34857.94%91815.89% Con64.82%3,3482,4305,778
Victoria South  Con UFO2,45268.97%1,34937.95% Con30.95%2,4521,1033,555
Waterloo North  Con I-Lib5,35434.62%2,14113.85% Lab71.95%2,2113,2132,9741,4875,35422515,464
Waterloo South  Con F-Lab8,07455.49%4,23829.13% Lib76.00%8,0743,8362,64114,551
Welland  Con Lib5,18349.03%1,74316.49% Con91.40%1,9495,1833,44010,572
Wellington East  Lib UFO3,27945.08%90812.48% Con77.54%3,2791,6232,3717,273
Wellington South* L-Tmp Con4,36236.70%1201.01% I-Lib3,0604,3624,242 [a 6] 22311,887
Wellington West  Con UFO3,37954.60%5699.19% Con3,3792,8106,189
Wentworth North  Con UFO4,63472.21%2,85144.43% Con70.92%4,6341,7836,417
Wentworth South  Con UFO2,64234.62%3114.07% Con70.10%2,6421,9952,3316647,632
Windsor  Lib Lib10,87463.59%4,64927.19% Con70.02%10,8746,22517,099
York East  Con Con8,96236.85%1,6726.87% UFO67.30%7,2906,9268,9621,14424,322
York North  Con Con4,13938.11%2862.63% Lib79.36%2,8693,8534,13910,861
York West  Con Con10,43637.57%2,1137.61% F-Lab66.52%8,32310,4364,0874,93527,781

(* - on recount; ‡ - recount requested but subsequently abandoned)

  1. "1919 General Election". elections.on.ca. Elections Ontario . Retrieved August 20, 2024., affiliations adjusted with reference to Hopkins, J. Castell (1920). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1919. Toronto: The Annual Review. pp. 661–665. and "List of Ontario Nominations by Constituencies". Ottawa Citizen . October 14, 1919. pp. 1, 10.
  2. including spoilt ballots
  3. Harold Machin campaigned for the anti-prohibition Liberty League
  4. John Hunter ran on the Prohibition ticket
  5. Manning Doherty would be elected in a 1920 byelection in Kent East.
  6. Affiliation of Samuel Carter as reported in "Sam Carter for South Wellington". The Acton Free Press . October 9, 1919. p. 1.
  = incumbent re-elected under the same party banner
  = returned by acclamation
  = incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = incumbent switched allegiance for 1919 nomination
  = not incumbent; had been previously elected to the Legislature
  = other incumbents renominated

Post-election pendulum

The robustness of the margins of victory for each party can be summarized in electoral pendulums. These are not necessarily a measure of the volatility of the respective riding results. The following tables show the margins over the various 2nd-place contenders, for which one-half of the value represents the swing needed to overturn the result. Actual seat turnovers to the opposition parties in the 1919 election are noted for reference.

  = seats that opposition parties gained in the election
Post-election pendulum - 1919 Ontario general election
Coalition (58 seats)
Margins 5% or less
Northumberland East  Con0.98
Lanark North  Con1.18
Essex South  Lib1.51
Huron Centre  Ind1.97
Renfrew North  Con2.38
Hastings East  Con2.44
Renfrew South  Con3.06
Niagara Falls  Lib3.48
Simcoe East  Con3.89
Wentworth South  Con4.07
Margins 5%–10%
Oxford South  Con5.52
Grey Centre  Con5.74
Peterborough West  Lib6.01
Dufferin  Con7.00
Simcoe South  Con7.36
London  Ind7.88
Bruce North  Lib8.17
Ontario North  Con8.24
Riverdale  Lab8.31
Lambton West  Lab8.64
Wellington West  Con9.20
Halton  Con9.54
Huron South  Con9.84
Grey South  Con9.98
Lanark South  Con9.99
Margins 10%–20%
Kent East  Con10.56
Grey North  Con11.84
Carleton  Con12.48
Wellington East  Con12.48
Brant  Con12.59
Elgin West  Con14.22
St. Catharines  Con14.58
Durham East  Con15.78
Simcoe Centre  Con15.78
Victoria North  Con15.88
Peterborough East  Con16.36
Brant South  Lib17.27
Sault Ste. Marie  Con18.22
Dundas  Con18.90
Elgin East  Con18.94
Haldimand  Con19.66
Margins > 20%
Manitoulin  Con20.40
Fort William  Lib20.80
Middlesex North  Con22.18
Glengarry  Lib24.20
Norfolk South  I-Con25.34
Kenora  Ind25.79
Norfolk North  Con26.18
Lambton East  Con28.01
Perth South  Con28.40
Middlesex East  Lib28.53
Hamilton East  S-Lab28.55
Waterloo South  Lib29.12
Hamilton West  Con32.07
Victoria South  Con37.94
Essex North  Con42.18
Wentworth North  Con44.42
Middlesex West  Con51.18
Liberal (27 seats)
Margins 5% or less
Algoma  Con0.61
Bruce West  UFO1.30
Toronto NW - B Con1.60
Margins 5%–10%
Lincoln  UFO6.16
Parry Sound  Con8.98
Russell  UFO9.59
Margins 10%–20%
Northumberland West  Con10.64
Perth North  UFO11.21
Prince Edward  Con11.56
Bruce South  UFO12.24
Durham West  Con12.40
Nipissing  Lab12.70
Brockville  Con12.94
Stormont  UFO13.43
Prescott  UFO15.67
Welland  Con16.49
Kent West  UFO17.31
Toronto SE - A Con17.55
Toronto SW - B Con18.10
Cochrane  Con18.69
Margins > 20%
Oxford North  Con20.51
Windsor  Con27.18
Toronto SW - A Con27.72
Ontario South  Con27.94
Toronto SE - B Con33.84
Ottawa East  Lab38.54
Sturgeon Falls  Con41.46
Conservative (25 seats)
Acclaimed
Addington
Hastings North
Kingston
Toronto NE - A
Margins 5% or less
Timiskaming  F-Lab0.89
Peel  Lib0.93
Grenville  UFO1.00
Wellington South  Lib1.01
Sudbury  Lib1.62
York North  Lib2.63
Ottawa West  Lab4.21
Hastings West  Lib4.38
Muskoka  Lib4.39
Huron North  Lib4.43
Margins 5%–10%
Lennox  Lib5.39
York East  UFO6.87
York West  F-Lab7.61
Port Arthur  Lib7.74
Toronto NW - A Lib7.86
Frontenac  UFO7.99
Leeds  Lib9.18
Rainy River  Lib9.92
Margins 10%–20%
Simcoe West  UFO10.92
Toronto NE - B I-Con17.59
Margins > 20%
Parkdale  Ind37.90
Independent-Liberal (1 seat)
Waterloo North  Lab13.85

Impact

The result was highly skewed as a result of the way the ridings were drawn up. The Ottawa Journal noted, "The arrangement of electoral districts in Ontario (and throughout Canada) is such that a farmer’s vote has practically twice the effect of the vote of any person resident in cities or large towns. Ottawa, for instance, with 110,000 population elects two members to the Ontario Legislature; Carleton County on one side with 20,000 people elects one member; Russell County on the other side has a population of 40,000 and elects one member." [17]

The UFO emerged from the vote with the largest bloc of seats, joining the eleven Labour MLAs to form a coalition government. Liberal-UFO MLA David James Taylor of Grey North, "Soldier" MLA Joseph McNamara of Riverdale and Labour-UFO MLA Karl Homuth of Waterloo South were also members of the governing caucus giving Drury's coalition 58 seats in total, a slight majority.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Hartley Dewart, increased the size of its caucus by a small number, despite turning over more than half the seats held. The Conservative Party lost ground to all other parties, despite receiving the most votes.

The election had several sweeping results: [7]

  • only about two dozen MPPs from the previous Legislative Assembly were re-elected;
  • notably, Conservative William Hearst was defeated by a Labour candidate;
  • Beck and Proudfoot were also defeated by Labour candidates, despite the decision of the Conservatives and Liberals not to contest the seats;
  • three clergymen were elected;
  • eighteen returned soldiers were elected; and
  • all anti-Prohibition candidates were defeated.

Upon hearing the news of the Conservative defeat, Hearst noted:

I will not make any prophecy as to what will take place. I thought the Government was going to sweep the country, and I was not alone in that, for a great many Liberals who were supporting me thought so, too. The Temperance Act no doubt had a great deal to do with my defeat, but I did what I felt was right, and if I had it to do over again, I would do the same thing. [18]

Three days after the election, James J. Morrison, Secretary of the UFO, reported on the way he had addressed the need to form a working majority in the chamber. He released the following statement:

The members-elect of the United Farmers of Ontario, after due consideration of the matter, have decided that it would be unwise for them to enter into alliance with either of the old Parties as parties. They are prepared to assume the fullest share of responsibility and form a Government in co-operation with such members of other parties as are in sympathy with their platform and principles and are free to give support thereto. In the formation of a Cabinet full consideration will be given to the various interests of the Province. [19]

Ernest C. Drury agreed to lead the new government as Premier of Ontario, [19] [20] and a UFO-Labour coalition cabinet was formed. [21] Although he was Vice-President of the UFO, [8] Drury had not been a candidate in the election [8] and had to run in a by-election to enter the legislature following his appointment to the office of Premier.

Results overview

Elections to the 15th Parliament of Ontario (1919) [1]
Political partyParty leaderMPPsVotes
Candidates 1914 Dissol. 1919±#%± (pp)
 UFO-Labour Coalition
  United Farmers 6624444Increase2.svg248,27420.97%New
  Labour Walter Rollo 21111110Increase2.svg107,5889.09%7.75Increase2.svg
  Farmer–Labour 511Increase2.svg27,8412.35%New
 Farmer-Liberal211Increase2.svg7,4480.63%New
  Soldier 211Increase2.svg9,6180.81%New
Coalition Total58400,67933.85%
Liberal Hartley Dewart 662427273Increase2.svg301,99525.51%12.41Decrease2.svg
Conservative William Hearst 10384792559Decrease2.svg403,65534.09%19.78Decrease2.svg
Independent Liberal1111Steady2.svg5,3540.45%0.01Decrease2.svg
 Liberal-Temperance111Decrease2.svgDid not campaign
Independent 1448,2444.07%3.08Increase2.svg
Independent Conservative314,2131.20%0.81Increase2.svg
Soldier–Labour 29,0880.77%New
Socialist 36370.05%0.87Decrease2.svg
Total2881111111111,183,955100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots50,810
Registered voters / turnout1,443,74685.53%21.10Increase2.svg
Seats and popular vote by party
PartySeatsVotesChange (pp)
Coalition
58 / 111
33.85%
32.5132.51
 
Liberal
27 / 111
25.51%
-12.41
 
Conservative
25 / 111
34.09%
-19.75
 
Temperance factions
0 / 111
0.00%
-3.97
 
Other
1 / 111
6.55%
3.623.62
 

Results by riding

Italicized names indicate members returned by acclamation. Two-tone colour boxes indicate ridings that turned over from the 1914 election, eg,

   (UFO in 1919 and Conservative in 1914)

Analysis

Party rankings (1st to 5th place)
PartyAcc1st2nd3rd4th5th
   United Farmers 4411101
  Labour 11621
  Farmer–Labour 131
 Farmer-Liberal11
  Soldier 11
   Liberal 2721161
  Conservative 42159171
 Independent-Liberal113
  Independent 472
 Independent-Conservative111
  Soldier–Labour 11
  Socialist 2
Totals41071075991
Party candidates in 2nd place
PartyUFOLabF-LabLibConIndInd-LibInd-ConS-Lab
   United Farmers 14381
  Labour 4331
  Farmer–Labour 1
 Farmer-Liberal1
  Soldier 1
   Liberal 72117
  Conservative 4121211
 Independent-Liberal1
Totals116321594111
Principal races, according to 1st and 2nd-place results
PartiesSeats
  United Farmers   Conservative 42
  Liberal   Conservative 29
  Liberal   United Farmers 11
  Labour   Liberal 6
  Labour   Conservative 4
  Labour   Independent 3
  Farmer–Labour   Liberal 2
  Conservative   Farmer–Labour 2
  Conservative   Independent 1
  Conservative  Independent-Liberal1
 Farmer-Liberal  Conservative 1
 Independent-Liberal  Labour 1
  Labour   Soldier–Labour 1
  Soldier   Labour 1
  United Farmers  Independent-Conservative1
  United Farmers   Labour 1
Total107

Seats that changed hands

Elections to the 15th Parliament of Ontario – seats won/lost by party, 1914–1919
Party1914Gain from (loss to)1919
UFOLabF-LabF-LibSolLibConI-LibL-Tmp
   United Farmers 103444
  Labour 13711
  Farmer–Labour 11
 Farmer-Liberal11
  Soldier 11
Liberal 24(10)(3)16(1)127
Conservative 84(34)(7)(1)(1)(1)1(16)(1)125
Independent-Liberal1(1)11
 Liberal-Temperance1(1)
Total111(44)(10)(1)(1)(1)14(17)61(2)1(1)1111

There were 77 seats that changed allegiance in the election:

(* - open seats, # - byelection gains held, ^ - change of affiliation)

(Riding names in italics did not have Liberal candidates. Riding names in bold did not have Conservative candidates.)

Resulting composition of the 15th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
SourceParty
UFOLabF-LabF-LibSoldierLibConInd-LibTotal
Seats retainedIncumbents returned181423
Open seats held145
Byelection loss reversed11
Acclamation44
Seats changing handsIncumbents defeated2391102146
Open seats gained19111527
Byelection gain held224
Change in affiliation11
Total441111127251111

Notable groups of candidates

Soldier candidates in the 1919 Ontario general election [1] [22] [23]
PartyRidingCandidateMilitary rankVotesPlaced
 Conservative Kingston Arthur Edward Ross*Brigadier-GeneralAcclaimed
Leeds Andrew Wellington GrayMajor4,3511st
Parkdale William Herbert Price*Colonel11,0911st
Peel Thomas Laird Kennedy Colonel4,5621st
Port Arthur Donald McDonald Hogarth*Brigadier-General2,5781st
Timiskaming Thomas Magladery*Captain3,0921st
Toronto Northeast - B Joseph Thompson Captain13,4951st
Wellington South Caleb Henry Buckland†Captain4,3621st
 Liberal Algoma Kenneth Spencer StoverLieutenant2,2721st
Cochrane Malcolm Lang*Major2,9511st
Hastings West Edward O'FlynnLieutenant-Colonel4,6472nd
Middlesex East Bart RobsonLieutenant-Colonel2,5002nd
Sudbury Robert ArthurLieutenant-Colonel3,4092nd
Toronto Northwest - B Henry Sloane Cooper Lieutenant-Colonel18,5221st
Toronto Southwest - BJohn Carman RamsdenCaptain12,4281st
Windsor James Craig TolmieMajor10,8741st
 Soldier Hamilton East Maurice FitzgeraldCaptain2,1463rd
Riverdale Joseph McNamara Sergeant-Major7,4721st
 Soldier-Labour Hamilton East Samuel LandersLieutenant8,4242nd
Wentworth South Samuel Wilkinson6643rd
 United Farmers Grey Centre Dougall Carmichael Lieutenant-Colonel4,3631st
York East George LittleCaptain7,2902nd
 Independent Kenora Harold Arthur Clement Machin *‡Lieutenant-Colonel8952nd
 Independent Conservative Norfolk South Arthur Clarence Pratt *‡Colonel1,9542nd
Toronto Northeast - BKelly Evans ‡Lieutenant-Colonel8,1722nd

(* - incumbent; † - chaplain; ‡ - Anti-Prohibition)

Women candidates in the 1919 Ontario general election [1] [24]
RidingCandidateVotesPlaced
Ottawa West   Independent Justenia Sears2,7234th
Toronto Northeast - B  Liberal Henrietta Bundy5,6853rd
Candidates returned by acclamation [25]
PartyRidingCandidate
 Conservative Addington William David Black
Hastings North John Robert Cooke
Kingston Arthur Edward Ross
Toronto Northeast - A Henry John Cody

Cooke was the only acclaimed candidate who had not previously been an incumbent. [25]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. named only after election
  2. Under Acts passed in 1917 and 1919 respectively. [3] [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "1919 General Election". Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bradburn, Jamie (May 3, 2018). "The year the UFOs came to power in Ontario". tvo.org.
  3. The Ontario Franchise Act, 1917 , S.O. 1917, c. 5, s. 4
  4. The Women's Assembly Qualification Act, 1919 , S.O. 1919, c. 8
  5. Hopkins 1920, pp. 650–651.
  6. 1 2 3 Hopkins 1920, p. 651.
  7. 1 2 Hopkins 1920, p. 661.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Hopkins 1920, p. 655.
  9. Strange, Carolyn (2005). "Dewart, Herbert Hartley". In Cook, Ramsay; Bélanger, Réal (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography . Vol. XV (1921–1930) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  10. Hopkins 1920, pp. 654–655.
  11. 1 2 Hopkins 1920, p. 657.
  12. Hopkins 1920, p. 658.
  13. Hopkins 1920, p. 652.
  14. Hopkins, J. Castell (1917). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1916. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Co. Ltd. pp. 532–540.
  15. "An Old Bone Gnawed Dry". Toronto World . October 15, 1919. p. 6.
  16. Miller, Scott (2019). "Devil Copper: War and the Canadian Nickel Industry, 1883–1970" (PDF). Canadian Military Journal . 20 (1): 31–39. at 34
  17. Hopkins 1920, p. 665.
  18. Hopkins 1920, pp. 665–666.
  19. 1 2 Hopkins 1920, p. 667.
  20. "Simcoe County Farmer is the Unanimous Choice as Ontario's Next Premier". Toronto World . October 30, 1919. p. 1.
  21. Hopkins 1920, pp. 668–669.
  22. Hopkins 1920, pp. 660–661.
  23. "No Party has Majority in the new Legislature". The Daily British Whig . Kingston. October 21, 1919. p. 1.
  24. Scollie 2012, pp. 2, 9–13.
  25. 1 2 "Many Factions Going to Polls". The Daily British Whig . Kingston. October 14, 1919. p. 1.

Further reading