1945 British Columbia general election

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1945 British Columbia general election
Flag of British Columbia.svg
←  1941 October 25, 1945 1949  →
48 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
25 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Canadian politician John Hart.png
CCF
Leader John Hart (Liberal leader) Harold Winch
Party Liberal-Conservative Coalition Co-operative Commonwealth
Leader since19411938
Leader's seat Victoria City Vancouver East
Last election33 [lower-alpha 1] 14
Seats won3710
Seat changeIncrease2.svg4Decrease2.svg4
Popular vote261,147175,960
Percentage55.83%37.62%
SwingDecrease2.svg8.02pp Increase2.svg4.26pp
Premier before election

John Hart
Coalition

Premier after election

John Hart
Coalition

The 1945 British Columbia general election was the 21st 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 August 31, 1945, and held on October 25, 1945. The new legislature met for the first time on February 21, 1946.

Contents

A centre-right coalition was formed by the Liberal and Conservative (now called the Progressive Conservative) parties in order to defeat the social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

Although the Coalition won fewer votes than the Liberal and Conservative parties won in total in the previous election, the Coalition still won over half of the votes, and was able to form a majority government.

Results

Elections to the 21st Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1945) [1]
Political partyParty leaderMLAsVotes
Candidates 1941 1945±#±%± (pp)
Coalition
   John Hart
   Royal Maitland
4732375Increase2.svg261,14726,979Decrease2.svg55.837.65Decrease2.svg
Co-operative Commonwealth Harold Winch 4814104Decrease2.svg175,96024,520Increase2.svg37.624.26Increase2.svg
Labour (all factions)211Steady2.svg1,3955,746Decrease2.svg0.301.27Decrease2.svg
Liberal [lower-alpha 2] –1–1Decrease2.svg–1,681Decrease2.svg–Changed
allegiance
Labor-Progressive 21–––16,47916,479Increase2.svg3.52New
Social Credit (alliance)16–––6,6276,627Increase2.svg1.42New
People's CCF 2–––2,7862,786Increase2.svg0.60New
Independent 2–––1,532106Decrease2.svg0.330.03Decrease2.svg
Independent PC2–––748748Increase2.svg0.16New
Democratic 1–––423423Increase2.svg0.09New
Socialist Labour 3–––285398Decrease2.svg0.060.09Decrease2.svg
Independent Liberal1–––199199Increase2.svg0.04New
Socialist 1–––105105Increase2.svg0.02New
Progressive Liberal1–––6161Increase2.svg0.01New
Total1474848467,747100.00%
Rejected ballots [2] 3,899898Decrease2.svg
Actual voters who voted [2] 298,3875,514Decrease2.svg62.66%10.07Decrease2.svg
Registered voters [2] 476,22258,383Increase2.svg
    Seats and popular vote by party [1]
    PartySeatsVotesChange (pp)
    █  Coalition
    37 / 48
    55.83%
    		-7.65
     
    █  Co-operative Commonwealth
    10 / 48
    37.62%
    		4.264.26
     
    █  Labor-Progressive
    0 / 48
    3.52%
    		3.523.52
     
    █  Social Credit
    0 / 48
    1.42%
    		1.421.42
     
    █ Other
    1 / 48
    1.61%
    		-1.55
     

    MLAs elected

    Synopsis of results

    Results by riding - 1945 British Columbia general election (single-member districts) [3]
    RidingWinning partyVotes
    Name 1941 PartyVotesShareMargin
    #    		Margin
    %    		CoalCCFLPPSCIndOthTotal
     
    Alberni LibCoal2,13554.02%87722.19%2,1351,258559–––3,952
    Atlin LibCoal29750.42%50.84%297292––––589
    Burnaby CCFCCF5,90550.56%1,17210.04%4,7335,905744298––11,680
    Cariboo LibCoal1,37057.93%37515.86%1,370995––––2,365
    Chilliwack ConCoal3,80462.37%1,50924.74%3,8042,295––––6,099
    Columbia LibCoal67153.30%836.60%671588––––1,259
    Comox CCFCoal3,43245.62%700.93%3,4323,362729–––7,523
    Cowichan-Newcastle CCFCCF3,76855.33%72610.66%3,0423,768––––6,810
    Cranbrook ConCoal2,07749.04%1122.64%2,0771,965193–––4,235
    Delta CCFCoal5,85953.64%7967.28%5,8595,063––––10,922
    Dewdney ConCoal4,58653.71%6337.42%4,5863,953––––8,539
    Esquimalt ConCoal2,56856.35%57912.70%2,5681,989––––4,557
    Fernie LabLab1,28942.28%2718.89%1,018742–––1,2893,049
    Fort George LibCCF1,72655.73%35511.46%1,3711,726––––3,097
    Grand Forks-Greenwood ConCoal70752.06%24618.11%70746184––1061,358
    Kamloops LibCoal2,80457.78%91118.77%2,8041,893156–––4,853
    Kaslo-Slocan LibCCF1,09853.12%1296.24%9691,098––––2,067
    Lillooet ConCoal1,14351.42%32014.40%1,143823–196–612,233
    Mackenzie CCFCCF2,96152.19%64811.42%2,3132,961293106––5,673
    Nanaimo and the Islands LibCoal3,12454.24%57710.02%3,1242,547–89––5,760
    Nelson-Creston LibCoal3,05558.59%1,80634.64%3,0551,249––1847265,214
    New Westminster LibCoal4,90057.91%1,93322.85%4,9002,967595–––8,462
    North Okanagan LibCoal2,99059.78%1,40828.15%2,9901,582–430––5,002
    North Vancouver CCFCoal5,91254.20%1,84216.89%5,9124,070646280––10,908
    Oak Bay ConCoal4,59882.31%3,61064.62%4,598988––––5,586
    Omineca LibCCF93251.58%573.16%875932––––1,807
    Peace River LibCCF1,68247.85%56516.07%1,1171,682–716––3,515
    Prince Rupert LibCCF1,87349.83%52513.97%–1,873538–1,348–3,759
    Revelstoke LibCoal1,08951.17%502.34%1,0891,039––––2,128
    Rossland-Trail CCFCoal3,17149.35%1,11117.29%3,171933–261–2,0606,425
    Saanich LibCoal5,41457.85%1,98321.19%5,4143,431239––2759,359
    Salmon Arm ConCoal1,56060.00%52020.00%1,5601,040––––2,600
    Similkameen CCFCoal3,44757.09%85614.18%3,4472,591––––6,038
    Skeena LibCoal90158.7%26717.40%901634––––1,535
    South Okanagan ConCoal3,70664.25%1,64428.50%3,7062,062––––5,768
    Yale LibCoal1,07766.77%54133.54%1,077536––––1,613
        = 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 - 1945 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts) [3]
      RidingWinning partyVotes
      NameMLAs 1941 1945CoalCCFLPPSCIndOthTotal
      Vancouver-Burrard 2
        2
        2
      		29,64920,2212,0301,219–10753,226
      Vancouver Centre 2
        2
        2
      		21,85415,0003,967959–42642,206
      Vancouver East 2
        2
        2
      		18,98025,7212,798705–5648,260
      Vancouver-Point Grey 3
        3
        3
      		67,27626,8592,472625–42397,655
      Victoria City 3
        3
        3
      		31,55316,866436743–47350,071

      See also

      Further reading

      Notes

      1. ↑ The Liberals and Conservatives ran separately in the 1941 election. In that election, the Liberals won 21 seats and the Conservatives won 12 seats.
      2. ↑ Duff Pattullo was the sole Liberal that chose not to join the Coalition, and Prince Rupert was the only district where the Coalition did not field a candidate in 1945. Pattullo stood as an Independent in this election.
      3. ↑ Died before the opening of the new legislature. Charles William Morrow would win the subsequent byelection for the Coalition.

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      References

      1. 1 2 Elections BC 1988, pp. 193, 203.
      2. 1 2 3 Elections BC 1988, p. 2.
      3. 1 2 Elections BC 1988, pp. 195–199, 205–209.
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