1923 Ontario general election

1923 Ontario general election

←  1919 June 25, 1923 1926  →
111 seats in the 16th Legislative Assembly of Ontario 56 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   LIB Leader Howard Ferguson Ernest C. Drury Wellington Hay Party Conservative United Farmers Liberal Leader since December 2, 1920 1920 1921 Leader's seat Grenville Halton (lost re-election) Perth North (lostre-election) Last election 25 44 27 Seats won 75 17 14 Seat change 50 27 13 Percentage 49.8% 21.1% 21.8% Swing 14.9pp 0.1pp 5.1pp   Fourth party   Leader Walter Rollo Party Labour Leader since 1919 Leader's seat Hamilton West (lostre-election) Last election 11 Seats won 4 Seat change 7 Percentage 4.8% Swing 4.3pp
Premier before election Ernest Charles Drury United Farmers Premier after election Howard Ferguson Conservative

The 1923 Ontario general election was the 16th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 25, 1923, to elect the 111 Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs"). ^[1]

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by George Howard Ferguson, was elected to power with a majority in the Legislature (although taking less than half the votes cast).

This election ended the rule of the United Farmers of Ontario-Labour coalition government of Ernest C. Drury.

Campaign

Candidate contests in the ridings

Candidates nominated	Ridings	Party
		Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Pro	Ind-Lib	Totals
Acclamation	2	1			1				2
2	50	43	34	19	2	1	1		100
3	49	48	34	48	13	1	2	1	147
4	8	8	2	9	6	6		1	32
5	1	1	1	1		2			5
6	1	2		1	1	2			6
Total	111	103	71	78	23	12	3	2	292

Voter turnout

The election saw a voter turnout of just 54.7%, the lowest voter turnout in Ontario history until the 2007 election. ^[2]

The low election turn-out was in part caused by the worst wind, rain and lightning storm in years inundating the western part of the province. ^[3] The electrical storm and hurricane began shortly after the polls closed, resulting in massive disruption of telegraph and telephone communications, which hampered the reporting of results. ^[4]

Results

The 1923 election was plagued by low turn-out, and all the parties took fewer voters than they had in 1919.

The UFO actually took a larger proportion of the vote than it had in 1919 but took just a fraction of the seats it had taken in 1919 due to much of the anti-UFO vote concentrating behind Conservative Party candidates. The UFO had held power by virtue of a coalition with Labour and three other MLAs. Together they had received 34 percent of the votes cast in 1919. The Conservatives after the 1923 election took majority government based on taking 34 percent of the vote by that one party alone.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Wellington Hay, lost close to half its caucus in the Conservative landslide. Labour (the Independent Labour Party) too lost most of its MLAs in this turn-around election.

The Conservative party was the most popular, taking 34 percent of the vote. Its candidate was the leading one in a large proportion of the districts, giving it a large majority of seats in the legislature (more than its due proportionally) under the First past the post system in use at the time.

In the election, the UFO again did not run candidates where a Labour candidate was running - and also not in 20 other districts as well. The UFO received the third-most number of votes overall but only ran in about two-thirds of the districts so its vote count likely does not measure its actual support. Together Labour and the UFO ran in 93 seats so the two did not cover all the districts in the province.

The UFO did not receive as many votes as it had in 1919 but still got fairly good numbers considering it did not run candidates in a third of the districts. As the 1923 election was plagued by low turn-out, the UFO received a higher percentage of votes cast than it had received in 1919.

Prior to the election, the UFO government had introduced bills to re-distribute the ridings, ^[5] and to introduce proportional representation ^[6] and the single transferable vote, ^[7] but withdrew them after vehement opposition from the Conservative MLAs, ^[8] and it was found that even some government members were ambivalent. ^[9]

Under First past the post, the UFO received about a third of the seats that it was due proportionally overall. Looking at the 71 districts where the UFO ran candidates, it received about half the votes there so was due 35 of those seats but received only eight. In many districts, Conservative candidates took rural seats away from incumbent UFO MLAs by taking just a few hundred more votes than them in each district. In Prince Edward, Conservative candidate Horace Stanley Colliver took just 17 more votes than his closest contender to win the seat. ^{[10] [11]}

Ferguson was the only party leader to hold his seat in the election. Drury, Hay and Rollo all lost their seats to their Conservative opponents.

Elections to the 16th Parliament of Ontario (1923)

Political party		Party leader	MPPs					Votes
			Candidates	1919	Dissol.	1923	±	#	%	± (pp)
	Conservative	Howard Ferguson	103	25	24	75	50	473,819	49.77%	15.68
	United Farmers	E.C. Drury	71	44	44	17	27	199,393	20.94%	0.03
	Liberal	Wellington Hay	78	27	27	14	13	203,079	21.33%	4.18
	Labour	Walter Rollo	23	11	11	4	7	45,213	4.75%	4.34
	Independent		12	–	–	1	1	15,426	1.62%	2.45
	Independent Liberal		2	1	1	–	1	5,041	0.53%	0.08
	Progressive		3	–	–	–	–	10,122	1.06%	New
	Farmer–Labour		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Farmer-Liberal		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Soldier		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Vacant				1
Total			292	111	111	111		952,093	100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots								13,600
Registered voters / turnout								1,655,312	58.34%	27.19

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1923 Ontario general election ^{[a 1]}

Riding	Region	Winning party						Turnout [a 2]	Votes
		1919 → 1923		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %		Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	I-Lib	Prog	Total
Addington	EAS		Con	3,110	70.83%	1,829	41.65%	61.33%	3,110	–	1,281	–	–	–	–	4,391
Algoma	NOR		Lib	2,365	36.06%	14	0.21%	67.57%	2,351	1,842	2,365	–	–	–	–	6,558
Brant North	MWO		UFO	3,617	50.36%	52	0.72%	61.19%	3,565	3,617	–	–	–	–	–	7,182
Brant South	MWO		Lab	5,678	53.26%	695	6.52%	59.09%	–	–	4,983	5,678	–	–	–	10,661
Brockville	EAS	→	Con	4,182	59.12%	1,290	18.24%	62.26%	4,182	–	2,892	–	–	–	–	7,074
Bruce North	MWO		UFO	2,557	39.97%	311	4.86%	75.68%	2,246	2,557	1,595	–	–	–	–	6,398
Bruce South	MWO	→	UFO	1,942	35.83%	49	0.90%	67.10%	1,893	1,942	1,585	–	–	–	–	5,420
Bruce West	MWO		Lib	2,582	38.73%	38	0.57%	68.07%	1,541	2,544	2,582	–	–	–	–	6,667
Carleton	EAS	→	Con	4,813	61.22%	1,764	22.44%	64.13%	4,813	3,049	–	–	–	–	–	7,862
Cochrane	NOR		Lib	3,138	39.54%	627	7.90%	42.39%	2,172	–	3,138	2,511	116	–	–	7,937
Dufferin	MWO	→	Con	3,898	51.47%	223	2.94%	72.03%	3,898	3,675	–	–	–	–	–	7,573
Dundas	EAS	→	Con	3,773	54.07%	568	8.14%	65.52%	3,773	3,205	–	–	–	–	–	6,978
Durham East	CEN	→	Con	3,040	60.25%	1,034	20.49%	63.35%	3,040	2,006	–	–	–	–	–	5,046
Durham West	CEN		Lib	2,295	42.31%	181	3.34%	67.51%	2,114	1,015	2,295	–	–	–	–	5,424
Elgin East	SWO	→	Con	2,968	44.34%	1,050	15.69%	61.37%	2,968	1,807	1,918	–	–	–	–	6,693
Elgin West	SWO	→	Con	5,289	50.07%	1,709	14.68%	58.24%	5,289	2,773	3,580	–	–	–	–	11,642
Essex North	SWO	→	Lib	4,282	62.15%	1,674	24.30%	49.08%	–	2,608	4,282	–	–	–	–	6,890
Essex South	SWO	→	Con	2,652	35.43%	60	0.80%	57.08%	2,652	2,592	2,241	–	–	–	–	7,485
Fort William	NOR	→	Con	2,866	39.94%	208	2.90%	57.97%	2,866	–	1,152	2,658	–	500	–	7,176
Frontenac	EAS		Con	3,529	57.56%	927	15.12%	70.59%	3,529	2,602	–	–	–	–	–	6,131
Glengarry	EAS	→	Lib	3,313	54.53%	550	9.05%	54.27%	–	2,763	3,313	–	–	–	–	6,076
Grenville	EAS		Con	4,374	66.56%	2,176	33.11%	60.17%	4,374	2,198	–	–	–	–	–	6,572
Grey Centre	MWO		UFO	3,636	50.52%	75	1.04%	65.32%	3,561	3,636	–	–	–	–	–	7,197
Grey North [a 3]	MWO	→	UFO	3,873	40.50%	60	0.63%	68.46%	3,813	3,873	1,877	–	–	–	–	9,563
Grey South	MWO	→	Con	4,553	51.77%	312	3.55%	65.93%	4,553	4,241	–	–	–	–	–	8,794
Haldimand	MWO	→	Con	4,297	47.56%	644	7.13%	65.96%	4,297	3,653	1,085	–	–	–	–	9,035
Halton	HAM	→	Con	5,186	45.43%	716	6.27%	68.60%	5,186	4,470	1,760	–	–	–	–	11,416
Hamilton East	HAM	→	Con	11,064	55.07%	5,932	29.53%	41.12%	11,064	–	5,132	3,894	–	–	–	20,090
Hamilton West	HAM	→	Con	5,784	52.42%	2,731	24.75%	46.80%	5,784	–	3,053	2,198	–	–	–	11,035
Hastings East	EAS	→	Con	3,741	62.40%	1,487	24.80%	64.10%	3,741	2,254	–	–	–	–	–	5,995
Hastings North	EAS		Con	4,356	71.77%	2,643	43.55%	58.15%	4,356	1,713	–	–	–	–	–	6,069
Hastings West	EAS		Con	4,846	60.05%	1,622	20.10%	51.08%	4,846	–	3,224	–	–	–	–	8,070
Huron Centre	MWO	→	Con	3,133	41.58%	724	9.61%	66.47%	3,133	1,992	–	2,409	–	–	–	7,534
Huron North	MWO		Con	2,896	44.44%	398	6.11%	68.11%	2,896	2,498	1,122	–	–	–	–	6,516
Huron South	MWO	→	Con	2,800	40.11%	437	6.26%	69.29%	2,800	2,363	1,818	–	–	–	–	6,981
Kenora [a 4]	NOR		Con	acclaimed
Kent East	SWO		UFO	4,024	54.75%	698	9.50%	57.65%	3,326	4,024	–	–	–	–	–	7,350
Kent West	SWO		Lib	6,153	59.80%	2,017	19.60%	47.73%	–	4,136	6,153	–	–	–	–	10,289
Kingston [a 4]	EAS		Con	acclaimed
Lambton East	SWO		UFO	3,224	44.28%	458	6.29%	66.68%	2,766	3,224	1,291	–	–	–	–	7,281
Lambton West	SWO	→	Con	6,022	45.96%	2,119	16.17%	60.18%	6,022	3,903	3,179	–	–	–	–	13,104
Lanark North	EAS	→	Con	3,339	54.32%	531	8.64%	65.14%	3,339	2,808	–	–	–	–	–	6,147
Lanark South	EAS	→	Con	3,874	57.27%	983	14.53%	59.71%	3,874	2,891	–	–	–	–	–	6,765
Leeds	EAS		Con	3,779	57.34%	968	14.69%	60.65%	3,779	2,811	–	–	–	–	–	6,590
Lennox	EAS	→	Lib	2,767	51.22%	132	2.44%	69.44%	2,635	–	2,767	–	–	–	–	5,402
Lincoln	HAM	→	UFO	2,360	35.05%	43	0.64%	58.34%	2,057	2,360	2,317	–	–	–	–	6,734
London	SWO	→	Con	9,865	64.85%	7,611	50.03%	46.16%	9,865	–	1,851	2,254	1,243	–	–	15,213
Manitoulin	NOR		UFO	2,407	57.64%	638	15.28%	66.69%	1,769	2,407	–	–	–	–	–	4,176
Middlesex East	SWO		UFO	3,568	47.76%	377	5.05%	34.24%	3,191	3,568	711	–	–	–	–	7,470
Middlesex North	SWO	→	Con	3,319	52.52%	318	5.03%	67.10%	3,319	3,001	–	–	–	–	–	6,320
Middlesex West	SWO		UFO	2,642	52.03%	206	4.06%	66.37%	–	2,642	2,436	–	–	–	–	5,078
Muskoka	CEN		Con	4,186	64.45%	1,877	28.90%	—	4,186	–	2,309	–	–	–	–	6,495
Niagara Falls	HAM	→	Con	4,922	51.97%	2,518	26.59%	47.04%	4,922	–	2,145	2,404	–	–	–	9,471
Nipissing	NOR	→	Con	3,238	48.83%	268	4.04%	52.46%	3,238	–	2,970	423	–	–	–	6,631
Norfolk North	MWO		UFO	3,068	51.87%	221	3.74%	61.16%	2,847	3,068	–	–	–	–	–	5,915
Norfolk South	MWO	→	Con	3,070	55.84%	642	11.68%	73.34%	3,070	2,428	–	–	–	–	–	5,498
Northumberland East	CEN	→	Con	4,434	52.09%	356	4.18%	71.02%	4,434	4,078	–	–	–	–	–	8,512
Northumberland West	CEN		Lib	2,810	51.44%	157	2.87%	69.94%	2,653	–	2,810	–	–	–	–	5,463
Ontario North	CEN		UFO	3,330	50.61%	80	1.22%	68.75%	3,250	3,330	–	–	–	–	–	6,580
Ontario South	CEN		Lib	4,212	39.72%	197	1.86%	58.35%	4,015	2,376	4,212	–	–	–	–	10,603
Ottawa East	OTT		Lib	4,635	59.35%	1,460	18.69%	36.23%	–	–	7,810	–	–	–	–	7,810
Ottawa West	OTT	→	Lib	7,362	40.15%	892	4.87%	41.55%	7,624	–	7,362	2,086	1,263	–	–	18,335
Oxford North	MWO	→	UFO	4,019	40.29%	826	8.28%	64.65%	3,193	4,019	2,762	–	–	–	–	9,974
Oxford South	MWO	→	Con	3,889	39.20%	755	7.61%	69.74%	3,889	3,134	2,898	–	–	–	–	9,921
Parkdale	TOR		Con	6,050	79.76%	4,515	59.53%	30.68%	6,050	–	1,535	–	–	–	–	7,585
Parry Sound	NOR	→	Con	4,876	56.10%	2,579	29.67%	61.07%	4,876	1,519	2,297	–	–	–	–	8,692
Peel	CEN		Con	6,087	56.34%	1,369	12.67%	—	6,087	4,718	–	–	–	–	–	10,805
Perth North	MWO	→	Con	6,289	51.68%	410	3.37%	59.60%	6,289	–	5,879	–	–	–	–	12,168
Perth South	MWO	→	Con	3,454	50.34%	46	0.67%	63.51%	3,454	3,408	–	–	–	–	–	6,862
Peterborough East	CEN	→	Con	2,550	52.35%	229	4.70%	—	2,550	2,321	–	–	–	–	–	4,871
Peterborough West	CEN	→	Con	4,278	44.37%	904	9.38%	57.87%	4,278	–	3,374	1,990	–	–	–	9,642
Port Arthur	NOR		Con	2,331	40.27%	727	12.56%	58.19%	2,331	1,346	1,604	–	508	–	–	5,789
Prescott	EAS	→	Ind	3,608	52.87%	740	10.84%	58.92%	–	–	2,868	348	3,608	–	–	6,824
Prince Edward	EAS	→	Con	4,039	50.12%	19	0.24%	71.12%	4,039	–	4,020	–	–	–	–	8,059
Rainy River	NOR	→	Lab	1,738	42.72%	148	3.64%	65.94%	1,590	–	740	1,738	–	–	–	4,068
Renfrew North	EAS	→	Con	4,235	50.65%	108	1.29%	63.48%	4,235	4,127	–	–	–	–	–	8,362
Renfrew South	EAS		UFO	3,653	37.41%	585	5.99%	67.45%	3,044	3,653	3,068	–	–	–	–	9,765
Riverdale	TOR	→	Con	11,074	79.05%	9,309	66.45%	35.56%	11,074	–	1,765	1,169	–	–	–	14,008
Russell	EAS		Lib	4,648	72.94%	2,924	45.89%	35.35%	–	1,724	4,648	–	–	–	–	6,372
St. Catharines	HAM	→	Con	5,364	55.81%	2,490	25.91%	49.90%	5,364	–	2,874	1,374	–	–	–	9,612
Sault Ste. Marie	NOR	→	Con	2,839	43.27%	444	6.77%	43.28%	2,839	–	2,395	1,327	–	–	–	6,561
Simcoe Centre	CEN	→	Con	3,535	39.84%	529	5.96%	65.77%	3,535	3,006	2,332	–	–	–	–	8,873
Simcoe East	CEN	→	Con	5,692	57.57%	1,498	15.15%	57.55%	5,692	4,194	–	–	–	–	–	9,886
Simcoe South	CEN	→	Con	3,016	55.88%	635	11.77%	72.26%	3,016	2,381	–	–	–	–	–	5,397
Simcoe West	CEN		Con	3,610	56.78%	1,580	24.85%	57.05%	3,610	2,030	634	–	84	–	–	6,358
Stormont	EAS	→	Con	3,661	44.04%	1,050	12.63%	56.13%	3,661	2,041	2,611	–	–	–	–	8,313
Sturgeon Falls	NOR		Lib	2,671	62.32%	1,670	38.96%	—	614	1,001	2,671	–	–	–	–	4,286
Sudbury	NOR		Con	5,816	58.65%	1,816	17.31%	60.80%	5,816	–	4,100	–	–	–	–	9,916
Timiskaming	NOR		Con	3,160	44.12%	1,008	14.07%	58.76%	3,160	2,152	1,850	–	–	–	–	7,162
Toronto NE - A	TOR		Con	13,049	71.46%	10,205	55.88%	34.78%	13,049	–	2,844	–	–	–	2,368	18,261
Toronto NE - B	TOR		Con	13,952	77.58%	9,919	55.15%	34.61%	13,952	–	–	–	–	–	4,033	17,985
Toronto NW - A	TOR		Con	17,255	85.34%	14,291	70.68%	34.17%	17,255	–	2,964	–	–	–	–	20,219
Toronto NW - B	TOR	→	Con	14,703	70.46%	10,982	52.63%	34.34%	14,703	–	–	–	–	2,443	3,721	20,867
Toronto SE - A	TOR	→	Con	7,730	81.56%	7,019	74.06%	31.85%	7,730	–	1,037	711	–	–	–	9,478
Toronto SE - B	TOR	→	Con	7,216	77.13%	5,986	63.98%	31.60%	7,216	–	1,230	910	–	–	–	9,356
Toronto SW - A	TOR	→	Con	8,233	56.71%	4,761	37.39%	50.78%	8,233	–	3,472	2,812	–	–	–	14,517
Toronto SW - B	TOR	→	Con	7,756	52.54%	5,158	37.48%	48.28%	7,756	–	2,198	2,211	–	2,598	–	14,763
Victoria North	CEN	→	Con	2,711	47.00%	358	6.21%	66.72%	2,711	2,353	704	–	–	–	–	5,768
Victoria South	CEN	→	Con	3,880	42.64%	526	5.78%	75.56%	3,880	3,354	1,865	–	–	–	–	9,099
Waterloo North	MWO	→	Con	5,370	50.35%	2,237	20.98%	47.96%	5,370	–	3,133	309	1,853	–	–	10,665
Waterloo South [a 5]	MWO	→	Lab	5,006	50.08%	15	0.15%	47.29%	4,991	–	–	5,006	–	–	–	9,997
Welland	HAM	→	Con	4,941	52.19%	1,239	13.09%	59.17%	4,941	824	3,702	–	–	–	–	9,467
Wellington East	MWO		UFO	3,628	61.64%	1,370	23.28%	61.32%	2,258	3,628	–	–	–	–	–	5,886
Wellington South	MWO		Con	5,444	52.04%	2,424	23.17%	60.12%	5,444	3,020	1,997	–	–	–	–	10,461
Wellington West	MWO	→	Con	2,685	50.41%	576	10.81%	65.13%	2,685	2,109	532	–	–	–	–	5,326
Wentworth North	HAM		UFO	3,397	58.02%	939	16.04%	65.80%	2,458	3,397	–	–	–	–	–	5,855
Wentworth South	HAM	→	Con	3,348	46.38%	889	12.32%	49.57%	3,348	2,459	1,411	–	–	–	–	7,218
Windsor	SWO	→	Con	5,424	53.29%	1,871	18.38%	34.99%	5,424	–	3,553	1,202	–	–	–	10,179
York East	CEN		Con	11,863	71.36%	8,783	52.84%	32.85%	11,863	3,080	976	–	704	–	–	16,623
York North	CEN		Con	4,341	44.65%	811	8.34%	69.77%	4,341	1,852	3,530	–	–	–	–	9,723
York West	CEN		Con	14,338	72.10%	8,791	44.21%	33.00%	14,338	–	–	–	5,547	–	–	19,885

1. Data compiled from "Return from the Records of the General Election to the Legislative Assembly in 1923 held on 14th and 25th June". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1923.. Party affiliations per Hopkins 1924 , pp. 577–579. Tables compiled by Elections Ontario have incomplete riding list and multiple transcription errors.
2. including spoilt ballots
3. Incumbent was elected as Farmer-Liberal in 1919
4. Incumbent returned
5. Incumbent was elected as Farmer-Labour in 1919

  = turnout is above provincial average

  = incumbent re-elected under the same party banner

  = returned by acclamation

  = incumbency arose from byelection gain

  = incumbent switched allegiance for 1923 nomination

  = other incumbents renominated

  = multiple candidates

Regional analysis

Distribution of candidates, seats and popular vote %, by party by region (1923)

Region	Candidates							Seats					Vote share (%)
	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	I-Lib	Prog	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	I-Lib	Prog
Central Ontario	19	12	12	1	1	–	–	16	–	3	–	–	53.12	23.84	21.44	1.54	0.07	–	–
Eastern Ontario	14	12	9	2	3	–	–	11	1	4	–	1	39.87	26.89	27.44	1.93	3.87	–	–
Hamilton, Halton and Niagara	9	5	8	4	–	–	–	7	2	–	–	–	49.64	14.86	24.64	10.86	–	–	–
Midwestern Ontario	20	17	12	3	1	–	–	10	8	1	2	–	42.57	31.87	18.06	6.42	1.08	–	–
Northeastern Ontario	9	5	8	3	1	–	–	5	1	3	–	–	43.34	14.41	35.18	6.88	0.19	–	–
Northwest Ontario	3	1	3	3	3	–	–	2	–	–	2	–	39.85	7.90	20.52	25.81	5.92	–	–
Southwestern Ontario	13	14	14	2	1	–	–	10	4	2	–	–	39.44	30.24	26.87	2.54	0.91	–	–
Toronto	10	–	9	5	–	2	3	10	–	–	–	–	72.78	–	11.59	5.31	–	3.43	6.88
York, Peel and Ontario	6	5	3	–	2	–	–	4	1	1	–	–	58.58	20.97	11.91	–	8.54	–	–
Total	103	71	78	23	12	2	3	75	17	14	4	1	49.77	20.94	21.33	4.75	1.62	0.53	1.06

MLAs elected

Italicized names indicate members returned by acclamation. Two-tone colour boxes indicate ridings that turned over from the 1919 election, eg,

   (Conservative in 1923 and UFO in 1919)

Central Ontario    Addington : William David Black    Durham East : Albert James Fallis    Durham West : William John Bragg    Hastings East : James Ferguson Hill    Hastings North : John Robert Cooke    Hastings West : William Henry Ireland    Lennox : John Perry Vrooman    Muskoka : George Walter Ecclestone    Northumberland East : James Franklin Beatty Belford    Northumberland West : Samuel Clarke    Peterborough East : Thomas Dalton Johnston    Peterborough West : William Herbert Bradburn    Prince Edward : Horace Stanley Colliver    Simcoe Centre : Charles Ernest Wright    Simcoe East : William Finlayson    Simcoe South : William Earl Rowe    Simcoe West : James Edgar Jamieson    Victoria North : James Raglan Mark    Victoria South : Robert John Patterson Eastern Ontario    Brockville : Hezekiah Allan Clark    Carleton : Adam Holland Acres    Dundas : Aaron Sweet    Frontenac : Anthony McGuin Rankin    Glengarry : James Alexander Sangster    Grenville : George Howard Ferguson    Kingston : William Folger Nickle    Lanark North : Thomas Alfred Thompson    Lanark South : Egerton Reuben Stedman    Leeds : Andrew Wellington Gray    Ottawa East : Joseph Albert Pinard    Ottawa West : Harold Fisher    Prescott : Edmond Proulx    Renfrew North : Alexander Stuart    Renfrew South : John Carty    Russell : Aurélien Bélanger    Stormont : John Colborne Milligan Hamilton/Halton/Niagara    Halton : George Hillmer    Hamilton East : Leeming Carr    Hamilton West : Arthur Campbell Garden    Lincoln : Robert Henry Kemp    Niagara Falls : William Gore Willson    St. Catharines : Edwin Cyrus Graves    Welland : Marshall Vaughan    Wentworth North : Frank Campbell Biggs    Wentworth South : Thomas Joseph Mahony

Midwestern Ontario    Brant : Harry Corwin Nixon    Brant South : Morrison Mann MacBride    Bruce North : William Henry Fenton    Bruce South : Malcolm Alex McCallum    Bruce West : Alexander Patterson Mewhinney    Dufferin : Charles Robert McKeown    Grey Centre : Dougall Carmichael    Grey North : David James Taylor    Grey South : David Jamieson    Haldimand : Richard Nixon Berry    Norfolk North : George David Sewell    Norfolk South : John Strickler Martin    Oxford North : David Munroe Ross    Oxford South : William Henry Chambers    Perth North : Joseph Dunsmore Monteith    Perth South : McCausland Irvine    Waterloo North : William George Weichel    Waterloo South : Karl Kenneth Homuth    Wellington East : William Raney    Wellington South : Lincoln Goldie    Wellington West : William Clarke Chambers Northeastern Ontario    Algoma : Arthur Gladstone Wallis    Cochrane : Malcolm Lang    Manitoulin : Beniah Bowman    Nipissing : Henri Morel    Parry Sound : George Vernon Harcourt    Sault Ste. Marie : James Lyons    Sturgeon Falls : Zotique Mageau    Sudbury : Charles McCrea    Timiskaming : Angus John Kennedy Northwest Ontario    Fort William : Franklin Harford Spence    Kenora : Peter Heenan    Port Arthur : Francis Henry Keefer    Rainy River : John Fullarton Callan

Southwestern Ontario    Elgin East : Michael McKnight    Elgin West : Findlay George MacDiarmid    Essex North : Edward Philip Tellier    Essex South : Adolphus T. Armstrong    Huron Centre : Ebon Rinaldo Wigle    Huron North : John Joynt    Huron South : Nelson William Trewartha    Kent East : Manning William Doherty    Kent West : Robert Livingstone Brackin    Lambton East : Leslie Warner Oke    Lambton West : Wilfred Smith Haney    London : Adam Beck    Middlesex East : John Willard Freeborn    Middlesex North : George Adam Elliott    Middlesex West : John Giles Lethbridge    Windsor : Frank Worthington Wilson Toronto    Parkdale : William Herbert Price    Riverdale : George Oakley    Toronto Northeast - A: Alexander Cameron Lewis   Toronto Northeast - B: Joseph Elijah Thompson    Toronto Northwest - A: Thomas Crawford   Toronto Northwest - B: Arthur Russell Nesbitt    Toronto Southeast - A: John Allister Currie   Toronto Southeast - B: Edward William James Owens    Toronto Southwest - A: James Arthur McCausland   Toronto Southwest - B: Frederick George McBrien York/Peel/Ontario    Ontario North : John Wesley Widdifield    Ontario South : William Edmund Newton Sinclair    Peel : Thomas Laird Kennedy    York East : George Stewart Henry    York North : William Keith    York West : Forbes Godfrey

Detailed analysis

Seats and popular vote by party

Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█  Conservative	75 / 111	49.56%	15.47		15.47
█  United Farmers	17 / 111	21.11%	0.14		0.14
█  Liberal	14 / 111	21.36%	-4.15
█  Labour	4 / 111	4.76%	-4.33
█  Independent	1 / 111	1.62%	-2.45
█ Other	0 / 111	1.59%	-4.68

Party rankings (1st to 5th place)

Party	Acc	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
█  Conservative	1	74	22	5	1
█  United Farmers		17	43	11
█  Liberal		14	35	27	2
█  Labour	1	3	5	13	1
█  Independent		1	1	1	6	2
█ Progressive			2	1
█ Independent-Liberal			1	1
Totals	2	109	109	59	10	2

Party candidates in 2nd place

Party in 1st place	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Pro
█  Conservative		37	29	4	2	2
█  United Farmers	14		3
█  Liberal	6	6	1	1
█  Labour	2		1
█  Independent			1
Totals	22	43	35	5	2	2

Principal races, according to 1st and 2nd-place results

Parties		Seats
█  Conservative	█  United Farmers	51
█  Conservative	█  Liberal	35
█  Liberal	█  United Farmers	9
█  Conservative	█  Labour	6
█  Conservative	█ Progressive	2
█  Liberal	█  Labour	2
█  Conservative	█  Independent	1
█  Conservative	█ Independent-Liberal	1
█  Liberal	█  Liberal	1
█  Independent	█  Liberal	1
Total		109

Incumbents not running for reelection

Sixteen MLAs chose not to stand for re-election: ^[12]

Riding	Incumbent at dissolution and subsequent nominee			New MLA
Algoma		Kenneth Spencer Stover	Arthur Gladstone Wallis		Arthur Gladstone Wallis
Elgin East		Malcolm MacVicar	William F. Smith		Michael McKnight
Essex South		Milton C. Fox	John Orville Duke		Adolphus T. Armstrong
Huron South		Andrew Hicks	William George Medd		Nelson William Trewartha
Lennox		Reginald Amherst Fowler	Charles Wesley Hambly		John Perry Vrooman
Middlesex North		James C. Brown	Harold Currie		George Adam Elliott
Ottawa West		Hammett Pinhey Hill	Albert Edwin Honeywell		Harold Fisher
Oxford South		Albert Thomas Walker	John L. Wright		William Henry Chambers
Port Arthur		Donald McDonald Hogarth	Francis Henry Keefer		Francis Henry Keefer
Riverdale		Joseph McNamara	—		George Oakley
Russell		Alfred Goulet	Aurélien Bélanger		Aurélien Bélanger
Simcoe West		William Torrance Allen	James Edgar Jamieson		James Edgar Jamieson
Timiskaming		Thomas Magladery	Angus John Kennedy		Angus John Kennedy
Toronto Southeast - B		James Walter Curry	John Callahan		Edward William James Owens
Wellington South		Caleb Henry Buckland	Lincoln Goldie		Lincoln Goldie
York North		Thomas Herbert Lennox	William Keith		William Keith

Seats that changed hands

Elections to the 16th Parliament of Ontario – seats won/lost by party, 1919–1923

Party		1919	Gain from (loss to)																		1923
			Con		UFO		Lib		Lab		Ind		I-Lib		F-Lab		F-Lib		Sol
	Conservative	25			29		13	(2)	9	(1)			1						1		75
	United Farmers	44		(29)			3	(2)									1				17
	Liberal	27	2	(13)	2	(3)						(1)									14
	Labour	11	1	(9)											1						4
	Independent	–					1														1
	Independent-Liberal	1		(1)																	–
	Farmer–Labour	1								(1)											–
	Farmer-Liberal	1				(1)															–
	Soldier	1		(1)																	–
Total		111	3	(53)	31	(4)	17	(4)	9	(2)	–	(1)	1	–	1	–	1	–	1	–	111

There were 64 seats that changed allegiance in the election.

UFO to Conservative Carleton Dufferin Dundas Durham East Elgin East Elgin West Essex South Grey South Haldimand Halton Hastings East Huron South Lambton West Lanark North Lanark South Middlesex North Norfolk South Northumberland East Oxford South Perth South Peterborough East Renfrew North Simcoe Centre Simcoe East Simcoe South Victoria North Victoria South Wellington West Wentworth South UFO to Liberal Essex North Glengarry

Liberal to Conservative Brockville Nipissing Parry Sound Perth North Prince Edward Stormont Toronto Northwest - B Toronto Southeast - A Toronto Southeast - B Toronto Southwest - A Toronto Southwest - B Welland Windsor Liberal to UFO Bruce South Lincoln Oxford North Liberal to Independent Prescott Labour to Conservative Fort William Hamilton East Hamilton West Huron Centre London Niagara Falls Peterborough West Sault Ste. Marie St. Catharines Independent-Liberal to Conservative Waterloo North Farmer-Labour to Labour Waterloo South Farmer-Liberal to UFO Grey North Soldier to Conservative Riverdale Conservative to Liberal Lennox Ottawa West Conservative to Labour Rainy River

Resulting composition of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Source		Party
		Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Total
Seats retained	Incumbents returned	16	13	8	1		38
	Open seats held	5		2			7
	Acclamation	1			1		2
Seats changing hands	Incumbents defeated	45	2	2	1	1	51
	Open seats gained	7		2			9
	Byelection gain held	1	1				2
	Change in affiliation		1		1		2
Total		75	17	14	4	1	111

Notable groups of candidates

Women candidates in the 1923 election ^[12]

Riding	Candidate		Votes	Placed
Fort William	█  Liberal	Mrs B.O. Allen	1,152	3rd
Toronto Northeast - B	█  Progressive	Mrs Mary E. Becker	4,033	2nd
Toronto Northwest - B	█  United Farmers	Edith L. Groves	3,721	2nd

Candidates returned by acclamation ^[13]

Riding	Party	Candidate
Kenora	█  Labour	Peter Heenan
Kingston	█  Conservative	William Folger Nickle

Dual nominations in the 1923 election ^[12]

Riding	Candidate		Votes	Placed
Ottawa East	█  Liberal	Joseph Albert Pinard	4,635	1st
		J. Wilfred Gauvreau	3,175	2nd
Ottawa West	█  Conservative	Albert Edwin Honeywell	6,470	2nd
		Arthur Ellis	1,154	4th
Toronto Southeast - A	█  Liberal	Frederick Hogg	656	3rd
		Alfred Burgess	381	4th

See also

• Politics of Ontario
• List of Ontario political parties
• Premier of Ontario
• Leader of the Opposition (Ontario)

References

1. "1923 General Election". Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
2. "Boring campaign behind poor voter turnout: analysts". CTV News. Bell Media. October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
3. Edmonton Bulletin, June 26, 1923
4. "Ferguson is Victor". The Georgetown Herald . June 27, 1923. p. 2.
5. "Bill 177 - An Act respecting the Representation of the People in the Legislative Assembly". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. April 12, 1923.
6. "Bill 178 - An Act to provide for the Election of Members to the Assembly on the System of Proportional Representation". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. April 12, 1923.
7. "Bill 179 - An Act to provide for a System of Transferable Votes at Elections to the Assembly". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. April 12, 1923.
8. Hopkins 1924, pp. 532–534.
9. Edmonton Bulletin, April 20, 1923
10. Edmonton Bulletin, June 26, 1923
11. Canadian Parliamentary Guide 1925
12. Hopkins 1924, pp. 577–579.
13. Hopkins 1924, p. 577.

Further reading

• Hopkins, J. Castell (1924). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1923. Toronto: The Annual Review.