Alberta prohibition plebiscite, 1923

Last updated

The 1923 Alberta prohibition plebiscite, held on November 5, 1923, was a province-wide plebiscite held in Alberta, Canada, to allow alcoholic beverages, triggered by an affirmative vote in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, based on the presentation of a 56,000-name petition in accordance with the requirements of the Citizens Referendum Law, initiative law, in force at the time. Prohibition was defeated by nearly 58 percent (58%) of the vote.

Alberta Province of Canada

Alberta is a western province of Canada. With an estimated population of 4,067,175 as of 2016 census, it is Canada's fourth most populous province and the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces. Its area is about 660,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi). Alberta and its neighbour Saskatchewan were districts of the Northwest Territories until they were established as provinces on September 1, 1905. The premier has been Rachel Notley since May 2015.

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Single house of Legislature of Alberta

The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly consists of 87 members, elected first past the post from single-member electoral districts.

Initiative means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote

In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote in parliament called an indirect initiative or via a direct initiative, the latter then being dubbed a Popular initiated Referendum.

Contents

The previous policy of Prohibition was replaced by one of Moderation. Liquor would be sold in government stores, thus, the government took out the profit motive for "pushing" alcohol and would engage in little advertising to encourage sales. Consumers of liquor had to buy permits, which if mis-used could be "interdicted." As well, after the end of Prohibition, the government brought in the local option vote, whereby communities could hold votes to prohibit sales of liquor in their communities. Cardston for example has been dry since what for most others was the end of Prohibition. And to this day liquor cannot be purchased in Alberta grocery stores.

In economics, the profit motive is the motivation of firms that operate so as to maximize their profits. Mainstream microeconomic theory posits that the ultimate goal of a business is to make money. Stated differently, the reason for a business’s existence is to turn a profit. The profit motive is a key tenet of rational choice theory, or the theory that economic agents tend to pursue what is in their own best interests. Accordingly, businesses seek to benefit themselves and/or their shareholders by maximizing profits.

Campaign

The writs were issued to Alberta's 52 electoral districts (under the 1921 boundaries) on October 9, 1923. [1] The voting method used was a single transferable vote (as favored by the United Farmers government), and the ballot question was a preference of four options given. [2]

The single transferable vote (STV) is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat organizations or constituencies. Under STV, an elector (voter) has a single vote that is initially allocated to their most preferred candidate. Votes are totalled and a quota derived. If their candidate achieves quota, he/she is elected and in some STV systems any surplus vote is transferred to other candidates in proportion to the voters' stated preferences. If more candidates than seats remain, the bottom candidate is eliminated with his/her votes being transferred to other candidates as determined by the voters' stated preferences. These elections and eliminations, and vote transfers if applicable, continue until there are only as many candidates as there are unfilled seats. The specific method of transferring votes varies in different systems.

United Farmers of Alberta association of Alberta farmers

The United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) is an association of Alberta farmers that has served different roles in its 100-year history – as a lobby group, a successful political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. As a political party, it formed the government of Alberta from 1921 to 1935.

Prohibition Committee Executive [3]
PresidentW.S. Galbraith
Vice PresidentsJ.D. Higgenbottom
Gladstone Virtue
SecretaryH.B. Brown
Assistant SecretaryJohn Wood
TreasureF.H. Wilkins
PublicityD.H. Ellen
TransportationRalph Thrall
OrganizerRev. Wealaway

The Prohibition Committee was a campaign committee set up for the plebiscite to campaign for Option A, the option to continue the Liquor Act as it was before the plebiscite. [4] The Prohibitionists had a seven-point platform. Point one encouraged voters to respect the laws already on the books. Point two stated that every constitutional method should be used to enact a change in law when the majority of voters desire a change. Points three, four and five focused on highlighting harm done by alcohol to the fabric of the community, contending that society is incumbent upon itself to ban such harm. [4] Point six encouraged the crackdown and banning of liquor distilling in Alberta and its exportation outside the province. Point seven spoke in favor of the Committee's satisfaction with the Liquor Act in force to that point. The committee believed the current legislation was the means to the end and allowed for efforts to be sustained until total prohibition was achieved. [4]

The Moderation League of Alberta was the committee campaigning for Option D, government control.

Results

Ballot optionsVotes [5] %
(a) Prohibition - Meaning thereby a continuance and development of present Liquor Legislation; that is, meaning the Abolition of the Sale of all Liquors excepting for strictly Medicinal Sacramental, Manufacturing and Scientific Purposes.61,64738.0%
(b) Licensed Sale of Beer - Meaning thereby, the Sale of Beer in Licensed Hotels and other Premises, as provided in the proposed Temperance Act.3,9362.4%
(c) Government Sale of Beer - Meaning thereby, the Sale of Beer by or through Government Vendors for consumption in Private Residences under Government Control and Regulations - other Liquors to be sold through Doctor's Prescription for Medicinal Purposes.3,0781.9%
(d) Government Sale of All Liquors - Meaning thereby, the Sale of all Liquors by or through Government Vendors. Beer to be consumed on Licensed Premises and in Private Residences. Wines and Spirits to be purchased in limited quantities under permit issued by the government, under Government Control and Regulations.93,68057.7%
Total162,341100%
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined7,272

(d) won a clear majority on the first ballot; no extra count was required.

Related Research Articles

Calgary (provincial electoral district) provincial electoral district of Alberta, Canada

Calgary was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada that existed from 1905 to 1913 and was recreated from 1921 to 1959. The district returned from one to six members to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The district largely encompassed the boundaries of the City of Calgary, and was revised accordingly as the city grew.

Lethbridge was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada.

The 1957 Alberta Liquor Plebiscite was a province-wide plebiscite conducted in Alberta, Canada and it was held on October 30, 1957. Unlike the other three plebiscites held in Alberta, the 1957 vote was not held in conjunction with a provincial election. At the time, the Alberta Liquor Control Board operated only a few stores from which liquor could be legally purchased. The plebiscite asked voters in every district if they were in favour of adding extra ALCB outlets.

Macleod is a former provincial electoral district that existed from 1905 to 2004 in the province of Alberta.

Lacombe is a former provincial electoral district that existed from 1905 to 1993.

Stettler was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1993.

Leduc is a former provincial electoral district that existed from 1905 to 2004.

St. Paul was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 1993.

Wetaskiwin is a former provincial electoral district in Alberta that existed from 1905 to 1971.

Edson was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of Alberta represented in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 1986.

Didsbury is a former provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The electoral district returned a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1963.

Clover Bar is a former Alberta provincial electoral district.

Cypress is a former Alberta provincial electoral district.

Vermilion is a former provincial electoral district in Alberta which existed from 1905 to 1921.

Sedgewick was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada from 1909 until 1963

Warner was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Hand Hills was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 1963. It was abolished prior to the 1963 Alberta general election due to redistribution, in favour of the new electoral district of Hand Hills-Acadia.

Lac La Biche was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1952 to 1971. It replaced the riding of Beaver River and received the north-east parts of Athabasca, including the town of McMurray. It was replaced in 1971 by Lac La Biche-McMurray with minor boundary changes.

Lac Ste. Anne was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1971.

Pincher Creek-Crowsnest was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. It was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 1993.

References

  1. ↑ "Writs for Liquor Plebiscite to be Issued". Lethbridge Daily Herald. September 18, 1923. p. 1.
  2. ↑ "Mark by Preference". Lethbridge Daily Herald. October 26, 1923. p. 4.
  3. ↑ "Prohibition Committee Executive". Lethbridge Daily Herald. October 26, 1923. p. 4. November 3, 1923.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Prohibition Platform". Lethbridge Daily Herald. October 26, 1923. p. 12.
  5. ↑ The Alberta Gazette (Vol 20 No. 2 ed.). Government of Alberta. 1940. p. 25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.