British Columbia general election, 1937

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The British Columbia general election of 1937 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.

British Columbia Province of Canada

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 5.016 million as of 2018, it is Canada's third-most populous province.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia single house of the Parliament of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, while the other is Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, represented by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Contents

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 British Columbia Conservative Party, formerly the British Columbia Progressive Conservative Party, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. From the early 1900s until the 1950s, the Conservatives were, along with the British Columbia Liberal Party, one of the two major parties in the province. Since the 1950s, the party has gradually declined in prominence, last winning a seat in a 1978 by-election. The Conservatives enjoyed a brief resurgence after Liberal MLA John van Dongen joined the party in 2012, and won nearly 5% of the vote in the 2013 provincial election. The party plays a minor role in provincial politics today.

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.

Results

PartyParty leader# of
candidates
SeatsPopular vote
1933 Elected% Change#%% Change
  Liberal Thomas Dufferin Pattullo 483431-8.8%156,07437.34%-4.40%
  Conservative 1 Frank Porter Patterson 4328+300%119,52128.60%+24.55%
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. 4677-119,40028.57%-2.96%
 Independent1121-50.0%7,3411.76%-5.98%
  Labour  211-1,7870.43%-0.19%
Social Constructive Robert Connell 14*-*8,0861.93%*
     Social Credit League Andrew Henry Jukes 18*-*4,8121.15%*
Communist  1*-*5670.14%*
Socialist  2*-*2870.07%*
  Financial Justice  1*-*540.01%*
Total1864748+2.1%417,929100% 
Source: Elections BC

Notes:

* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

1 Results compared to those of Unionist Party of British Columbia in previous election.

Results by riding

Results of British Columbia general election, 1937
GovernmentOpposition
MemberRiding
& party
Riding
& party
Member
     George Sharratt Pearson Alberni-Nanaimo
Liberal
         Chilliwack
Conservative
Leslie Harvey Eyres     
     William James Asselstine Atlin
Liberal
         Dewdney
Conservative
Frank Porter Patterson     
     Louis LeBourdais Cariboo
Liberal
         Esquimalt Conservative Elmer Victor Finland     
     Thomas King Columbia
Liberal
         The Islands
Conservative
Macgregor Fullarton MacIntosh     
     Frank Mitchell MacPherson Cranbrook
Liberal
         Vancouver-Point Grey
Conservative
Royal Lethington Maitland 2    
     Henry George Thomas Perry Fort George
Liberal
         James Alexander Paton     
     Robert Henry Carson Kamloops
Liberal
         Victoria City
Conservative
Herbert Anscomb     
     Ezra Churchill Henniger Grand Forks-Greenwood
Liberal
         Joseph Douglas Hunter     
     Charles Sidney Leary Kaslo-Slocan
Liberal
         Burnaby
Co-operative Commonwealth Fed.
Ernest Edward Winch     
     George Matheson Murray Lillooet
Liberal
         Comox
Co-operative Commonwealth Fed.
Colin Cameron     
     John Melvin Bryan, Sr. Mackenzie
Liberal
         Cowichan-Newcastle
Co-operative Commonwealth Fed.
Samuel Guthrie     
     Frank Putnam Nelson-Creston
Liberal
         Delta
Co-operative Commonwealth Fed.
Leonard Alec Shepherd     
     Arthur Wellesley Gray New Westminster
Liberal
         North Vancouver
Co-operative Commonwealth Fed.
Dorothy Steeves     
     Kenneth Cattanach MacDonald North Okanagan
Liberal
         Vancouver East
Co-operative Commonwealth Fed.
James Lyle Telford     
     Mark Matthew Connelly Omineca
Liberal
         Harold Edward Winch     
     Glen Everton Braden Peace River
Liberal
         Fernie
Labour (Party)
Thomas Aubert Uphill     
     Thomas Dufferin Pattullo 1 Prince Rupert
Liberal
         Salmon Arm
Independent
Rolf Wallgren Bruhn     
    Harry Johnston Revelstoke
Liberal
    
     Richard Ronald Burns Rossland-Trail
Liberal
    
     Norman William Whittaker Saanich
Liberal
    
     Charles Herbert Percy Tupper Similkameen
Liberal
    
     Edward Tourtellotte Kenney Skeena
Liberal
    
     Cecil Robert Bull South Okanagan
Liberal
    
     John Howard Forester Vancouver-Burrard
Liberal
    
     Helen Douglas Smith     
     Fred Crone Vancouver Centre
Liberal
    
     Gordon Sylvester Wismer     
     George Moir Weir Vancouver-Point Grey
Liberal
    
     John Hart Victoria City
Liberal
    
     William Thomas Straith     
     John Joseph Alban Gillis Yale
Liberal
    
1 Premier-Elect and Incumbent
2 Leader of the Opposition
Source: Elections BC

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