1920 British Columbia general election

1920 British Columbia general election

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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 10 5 Popular vote 134,167 110,475 Percentage 37.89% 31.20% Swing 12.11pp 9.32pp   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 3 1 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

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	10	134,167	44,275	37.89	12.11
	Conservative	William Bowser	42	9	14	5	110,475	37,633	31.20	9.32
	Independent [a 2]		18	1	3	2	36,736	31,810	10.37	7.63
	Federated Labour [a 3]		14	–	3	3	32,230	32,230	9.10	New
	People's Party		1	–	1	1	1,354	1,354	0.38	New
	Independent Socialist		1	1	–	1	419	902	0.12	0.62
	Socialist [a 4]		7	–	–		12,386	10,280	3.50	2.33
	Soldier [a 5]		11	–	–	–	10,780	10,780	3.04	New
	Grand Army of United Veterans [a 6]		2	–	–	–	5,441	5,441	1,54	New
	Independent Liberal		3	–	–		3,433	1,915	0.97	0.13
	United Farmers		2	–	–	–	3,178	3,178	0.90	New
	Independent Conservative		2	–	–		1,602	1,412	0.45	1.23
	Independent Soldier		2	–	–	–	907	907	0.26	New
	Independent Farmer		3	–	–	–	526	526	0.15	New
	Liberal–Conservative		1	–	–	–	424	424	0.12	New
	Independent Labour		1	–	–		30	2,955	0.01	1.65
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
█  Independent	3 / 47	10.37%	7.63
█  Soldier/GUAV	0 / 47	4.58%	4.58
█  Socialist	0 / 47	3.50%	2.33
█ Other	2 / 47	3.36%	-2.21

MLAs elected

Alberni : Richard John Burde (Ind)    Atlin : Herbert Frederick Kergin    Cariboo : John MacKay Yorston    Chilliwhack : Edward Dodsley Barrow    Columbia : John Andrew Buckham    Comox : Thomas Menzies (PP)    Cowichan : Kenneth Forrest Duncan (Ind)    Cranbrook : James Horace King    Delta : John Oliver    Dewdney : John Alexander Catherwood    Esquimalt : Robert Henry Pooley    Fernie : Thomas Aubert Uphill (FLP)    Fort George : Henry George Thomas Perry    Grand Forks : Ezra Churchill Henniger    Greenwood : John Duncan MacLean    The Islands : Malcolm Bruce Jackson

Kamloops : Frederick William Anderson    Kaslo : Fred W. Lister    Lillooet : Archibald McDonald    Nanaimo : William Sloan    Nelson : William Oliver Rose    Newcastle : Samuel Guthrie (FLP)    New Westminster : David Whiteside    North Okanagan : Kenneth Cattanach MacDonald    North Vancouver : George Samuel Hanes (Ind)    Omineca : Alexander Malcolm Manson    Prince Rupert : Thomas Dufferin Pattullo    Revelstoke : William Henry Sutherland    Richmond : Thomas Pearson    Rossland : William Kemble Esling    Saanich : Frederick Arthur Pauline    Similkameen : William Alexander McKenzie

Slocan : William Hunter    South Okanagan : James William Jones    South Vancouver : Robert Henry Neelands (FLP)    Trail : James Hargrave Schofield    Vancouver City : John Wallace deBeque Farris    Vancouver City : Malcolm Archibald Macdonald    Vancouver City : Ian Alistair MacKenzie    Vancouver City : James Ramsay    Vancouver City : Mary Ellen Smith    Vancouver City : William John Bowser    Victoria City : Joseph Badenoch Clearihue    Victoria City : John Hart    Victoria City : John Oliver    Victoria City : Joshua Hinchcliffe    Yale : John McRae

Synopsis of results

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

• List of British Columbia political parties

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). 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

Notes

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

References

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