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48 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1937 British Columbia general election was the nineteenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 14, 1937, and held on June 1, 1937. The new legislature met for the first time on October 26, 1937.
The governing Liberal Party, despite winning only 37% of the popular vote, benefited from the split in the vote between the Conservative Party and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, and won a solid majority of the seats in the legislature.
The rift in the Conservative Party that led to its decision not to nominate candidates in the 1933 election had been resolved, and the party was able to form the official opposition.
The Conservatives and CCF each won about 29% of the vote, and only 8 seats and 7 seats, respectively. The remaining two seats were won by Labour and Independent candidates.
In 1936, the Legislature passed an Act providing for the creation of a health insurance plan for the Province. [1] This was 26 years ahead of its introduction in Saskatchewan in 1962. The medical profession resisted its implementation to such a degree that a plebiscite was held on the same day as the election.
The question asked was, "Are you in favour of a comprehensive Health Insurance plan progressively applied?" The results were as follows:
Type of vote | Yes | No | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Ordinary and absentee votes | 143,218 | 98,946 | 242,164 |
Yes or No written on the ballot | 4,613 | 4,687 | 9,300 |
Total | 147,831 | 103,633 | 251,464 |
Percentage | 58.79% | 41.21% | 100.00% |
Electoral districts carried | 42 | 6 | 48 |
Despite the majority in favour, the legislation was never brought into force, [2] but it would not be repealed until 1973. [3] Medicare was finally introduced after the 1967 passage of the Medical Services Act. [4]
Political party | Party leader | MLAs | Votes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Candidates | 1933 [a 1] | 1937 | ± | # | ± | % | ± (pp) | |||
Liberal | Duff Pattullo | 48 | 35 | 31 | 4 | 156,074 | 3,057 | 37.34 | 4.40 | |
Conservative [a 2] | Frank Porter Patterson | 43 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 119,521 | 54,278 | 28.60 | 11.48 | |
CCF split | ||||||||||
█ Co-operative Commonwealth | None [a 3] | 46 | 7 | 7 | 119,400 | 785 | 28.57 | 2.96 | ||
█ Social Constructive | Robert Connell | 14 | – | – | – | 8,086 | 8,086 | 1.93 | New | |
Independent | 11 | 1 | 1 | 7,341 | 18,317 | 1.76 | 4.97 | |||
Labour (all factions) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1,787 | 570 | 0.43 | 0.19 | |||
Social Credit League | Andrew Henry Jukes | 18 | – | – | – | 4,812 | 4,812 | 1.15 | New | |
Communist | 1 | – | – | – | 567 | 567 | 0.14 | New | ||
Socialist | 2 | – | – | – | 287 | 287 | 0.07 | Returned | ||
Financial Justice | 1 | – | – | – | 54 | 54 | 0.01 | New | ||
Total | 186 | 48 | 48 | 417,929 | 100.00% | |||||
Rejected ballots [6] | 4,143 | 763 | ||||||||
Actual voters who voted [6] | 265,446 | 29,031 | 71.20% | 1.87 | ||||||
Registered voters [6] | 372,781 | 49,241 |
Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
█ Liberal | 31 / 48 | -4.40 | |||
█ Conservative (all factions) | 8 / 48 | 11.48 | |||
█ Co-operative Commonwealth | 7 / 48 | -2.96 | |||
█ Social Constructive | 0 / 48 | 1.93 | |||
█ Independent | 1 / 48 | -4.97 | |||
█ Social Credit League | 0 / 48 | 1.15 | |||
█ Other | 1 / 48 | -2.23 |
Riding | Winning party | Votes | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | 1933 | Party | Votes | Share | Margin # | Margin % | Lib | Con | CCF | SCP | SCL | Ind | Oth | Total | ||
Alberni-Nanaimo | Lib | Lib | 3,616 | 44.34% | 487 | 5.98% | 3,616 | 1,014 | 3,129 [a 1] | 397 | – | – | – | 8,156 | ||
Atlin | Lib | Lib | 562 | 54.56% | 299 | 29.03% | 562 | 205 | 263 | – | – | – | – | 1,030 | ||
Burnaby | CCF | CCF | 5,908 | 44.03% | 2,529 | 18.85% | 3,379 | 2,307 | 5,908 | 644 | 136 | 1,073 | – | 13,417 | ||
Cariboo | Lib | Lib | 1,921 | 74.57% | 1,266 | 49.14% | 1,921 | – | – | – | – | 655 | – | 2,576 | ||
Chilliwack | Lib | Con | 2,524 | 40.08% | 304 | 4.83% | 2,220 | 2,524 | 1,554 | – | – | – | – | 6,298 | ||
Columbia | Lib | Lib | 921 | 57.06% | 550 | 34.07% | 921 | 371 | 322 | – | – | – | – | 1,614 | ||
Comox | Lib | CCF | 2,336 | 44.83% | 460 | 8.83% | 1,876 | 999 | 2,336 | – | – | – | – | 5,211 | ||
Cowichan-Newcastle | OG | CCF | 1,560 | 33.58% | 336 | 7.23% | 1,224 | 639 | 1,560 | – | – | 1,222 | – | 4,645 | ||
Cranbrook | Lib | Lib | 3,110 | 76.73% | 2,167 | 53.46% | 3,110 | – | 943 | – | – | – | – | 4,053 | ||
Delta | CCF | CCF | 3,192 | 32.93% | 90 | 0.92% | 3,102 | 2,815 | 3,192 | 583 | – | – | – | 9,692 | ||
Dewdney | Lib | Con | 1,870 | 39.27% | 252 | 5.29% | 1,618 | 1,870 | 1,274 | – | – | – | – | 4,762 | ||
Esquimalt | Un | Con | 1,642 | 41.60% | 226 | 5.72% | 1,416 | 1,642 | 765 | – | 57 | 67 | – | 3,947 | ||
Fernie | ILP | ILP | 1,701 | 53.64% | 231 | 7.28% | 1,470 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,701 | 3,171 | ||
Fort George | Lib | Lib | 1,493 | 51.54% | 323 | 11.15% | 1,493 | 234 | 1,170 | – | – | – | – | 2,897 | ||
Grand Forks-Greenwood | Lib | Lib | 722 | 41.93% | 19 | 1.11% | 722 | 703 | 164 | 133 | – | – | – | 1,722 | ||
The Islands | Lib | Con | 953 | 45.12% | 259 | 12.26% | 694 | 953 | 414 | – | 51 | – | – | 2,112 | ||
Kamloops | Lib | Lib | 1,786 | 38.89% | 325 | 7.07% | 1,786 | 1,461 | 1,345 | – | – | – | – | 4,592 | ||
Kaslo-Slocan | Lib | Lib | 1,064 | 38.86% | 135 | 4.93% | 1,064 | 715 | 929 | – | 30 | – | – | 2,738 | ||
Lillooet | Lib | Lib | 1,176 | 39.78% | 251 | 8.49% | 1,176 | 925 | 855 | – | – | – | – | 2,956 | ||
Mackenzie | CCF | Lib | 1,828 | 33.93% | 167 | 3.10% | 1,828 | 1,661 | 1,625 | 152 | 122 | – | – | 5,388 | ||
Nelson-Creston | Lib | Lib | 2,149 | 39.17% | 248 | 4.52% | 2,149 | 1,901 | 1,121 | – | 177 | 139 | – | 5,487 | ||
New Westminster | Lib | Lib | 4,055 | 52.02% | 2,289 | 29.36% | 4,055 | 1,766 | 1,321 | – | – | – | 653 | 7,795 | ||
North Okanagan | Lib | Lib | 2,689 | 52.64% | 970 | 18.99% | 2,689 | 1,719 | 700 | – | – | – | – | 5,108 | ||
North Vancouver | CCF | CCF | 2,749 | 32.23% | 363 | 4.25% | 1,847 | 1,522 | 2,749 | – | – | 2,411 [lower-alpha 4] | – | 8,529 | ||
Omineca | Lib | Lib | 1,013 | 50.90% | 230 | 11.55% | 1,013 | 194 | 783 | – | – | – | – | 1,990 | ||
Peace River | NP | Lib | 1,168 | 42.61% | 263 | 9.59% | 1,168 | 434 | 905 | – | – | 234 | – | 2,741 | ||
Prince Rupert | Lib | Lib | 1,446 | 49.55% | 650 | 22.27% | 1,446 | 662 | 796 | – | 14 | – | – | 2,918 | ||
Revelstoke | Lib | Lib | 1,162 | 61.16% | 629 | 33.11% | 1,162 | 533 | 205 | – | – | – | – | 1,900 | ||
Rossland-Trail | Lib | Lib | 1,877 | 46.70% | 626 | 15.57% | 1,877 | 1,251 | 891 | – | – | – | – | 4,019 | ||
Saanich | Lib | Lib | 2,106 | 36.14% | 447 | 7.67% | 2,106 | 1,659 | 1,531 | 224 | 271 | 37 | – | 5,828 | ||
Salmon Arm | NP | Ind | 1,533 | 48.33% | 649 | 20.46% | 884 | – | 755 | – | – | 1,533 [a 2] | – | 3,172 | ||
Similkameen | Lib | Lib | 2,266 | 43.55% | 136 | 2.61% | 2,266 | 2,130 | 807 | – | – | – | – | 5,203 | ||
Skeena | Lib | Lib | 1,006 | 59.74% | 328 | 19.48% | 1,006 | – | 678 | – | – | – | – | 1,684 | ||
South Okanagan | Lib | Lib | 2,388 | 45.02% | 287 | 5.41% | 2,388 | 2,101 | 815 | – | – | – | – | 5,304 | ||
Yale | Lib | Lib | 968 | 59.94% | 546 | 33.81% | 968 | 225 | 422 | – | – | – | – | 1,615 |
Riding | Winning party | Votes | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | MLAs | 1933 | 1937 | Lib | Con | CCF | SCP | SCL | Ind | Oth | Total |
Vancouver-Burrard | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16,903 | 13,503 | 14,423 | 765 | 581 | – | 54 | 46,229 |
Vancouver Centre | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12,821 | 8,261 | 11,461 | 891 | 922 | – | 234 | 34,590 |
Vancouver East | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10,314 | 5,914 | 23,102 | 1,146 | 389 | – | 53 | 40,918 |
Vancouver-Point Grey | 3 | 3 | 2 1 | 27,243 | 29,134 | 18,589 | – | 1,001 | – | – | 75,967 |
Victoria City | 4 | 2 1 1 | 2 2 | 26,571 | 25,574 | 9,598 | 3,151 | 1,061 | – | – | 65,955 |
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