1949 British Columbia general election

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1949 British Columbia general election
Flag of British Columbia.svg
  1945 June 15, 1949 1952  

48 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
25 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Byron Johnson.jpg
CCF
Leader Boss Johnson (Liberal leader) Harold Winch
Party Liberal-Conservative Coalition Co-operative Commonwealth
Leader since19471938
Leader's seat New Westminster Vancouver East
Last election3710
Seats won397
Seat changeIncrease2.svg2Decrease2.svg3
Popular vote428,773245,284
Percentage61.35%35.10%
SwingIncrease2.svg5.52pp Decrease2.svg2.52pp

Premier before election

Boss Johnson
Coalition

Premier after election

Boss Johnson
Coalition

The 1949 British Columbia general election was the 22nd 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 16, 1949, and held on June 15, 1949. The new legislature met for the first time on February 14, 1950.

Contents

The centre-right coalition formed by the Liberal and Conservative parties in order to defeat the social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in the 1945 election increased its share of the vote and its majority in the legislature.

Three different social credit groupings nominated or endorsed candidates in the election: the Social Credit Party, the Social Credit League, and the Union of Electors.

Results

Elections to the 22nd Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1949) [1]
Political partyParty leaderMLAsVotes
Candidates 1945 1949±#±%± (pp)
Coalition 4837392428,773167,62661.355.52
Co-operative Commonwealth Harold Winch 481073Decrease2.svg245,28469,32435.102.52Decrease2.svg
Labour 111Steady2.svg1,483880.210.09Decrease2.svg
Independent 7115,1633,6310.740.41
 Social Credit alliance split [a 1]
  Social Credit League 97,112 1.02 
  Social Credit 74,4240.63
  Union of Electors 122,7900.40
Social Credit total14,3267,699Increase2.svg2.050.63Increase2.svg
Labour Progressive 21,66014,8190.243.28Decrease2.svg
Independent Conservative11,2411,2410.18New
People's CCF 14702,3160.070.53Decrease2.svg
Socialist Labour 128610.040.02Decrease2.svg
People's Party of BC11371370.02New
Total1384848698,823100.00%
Rejected ballots [2] 9,8915,992Increase2.svg
Actual voters who voted [2] 477,999179,612Increase2.svg73.64%10.98Increase2.svg
Registered voters [2] 649,019172,797Increase2.svg
  1. Elections BC summary table tabulation errors corrected for SCP and SCL
Seats and popular vote by party [1]
PartySeatsVotesChange (pp)
  Coalition
39 / 48
61.35%
5.525.52
 
  Co-operative Commonwealth
7 / 48
35.10%
-2.52
 
  Social Credit
0 / 48
2.05%
0.630.63
 
  Labour Progressive
0 / 48
0.24%
-3.28
 
 Other
2 / 48
1.26%
-0.35
 

MLAs elected

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1949 British Columbia general election (single-member districts) [3]
RidingWinning partyVotes
Name 1945 PartyVotesShareMargin
#
Margin
%
CoalCCFSCPSCLUoEIndOthTotal
 
Alberni CoalInd3,29042.84%1,16115.12%1,6382,1293,2906227,679
Atlin CoalCCF37650.40%60.80%370376746
Burnaby CCFCCF11,02550.90%1,0444.82%9,98111,02565521,661
Cariboo CoalCoal2,65366.88%1,33933.76%2,6531,3143,967
Chilliwack CoalCoal6,84757.17%4,13534.52%6,8472,7122,41711,976
Columbia CoalCoal1,28868.91%70737.82%1,2885811,869
Comox CoalCoal7,59659.19%2,35818.38%7,5965,23812,834
Cowichan-Newcastle CCFCoal5,50556.19%1,31113.38%5,5054,19438609,797
Cranbrook CoalCCF3,02650.53%631.06%2,9633,0265,989
Delta CoalCoal12,20349.59%1,0934.44%12,20311,1101,29324,606
Dewdney CoalCoal8,12749.08%5233.16%8,1277,60482916,560
Esquimalt CoalCoal4,21951.26%1,73121.03%4,2192,488921911,2418,231
Fernie LabLab1,48339.09%90.24%1,4748371,4833,794
Fort George CCFCoal3,23259.86%1,06519.72%3,2322,1675,399
Grand Forks-Greenwood CoalCCF92244.14%492.35%8739222942,089
Kamloops CoalCoal4,99264.47%2,24128.94%4,9922,7517,743
Kaslo-Slocan CCFCCF1,63353.19%1966.38%1,4371,6333,070
Lillooet CoalCoal2,33962.83%1,15931.14%2,3391,1802043,723
Mackenzie CCFCoal5,78755.57%1,16111.14%5,7874,62610,413
Nanaimo and the Islands CoalCoal5,86061.50%2,29624.09%5,8603,5641049,528
Nelson-Creston CoalCoal4,78360.04%2,10826.46%4,7832,6755087,966
New Westminster CoalCoal7,96961.57%3,46026.73%7,9694,50932813712,943
North Okanagan CoalCoal4,96660.95%2,30928.34%4,9662,6575258,148
North Vancouver CoalCoal12,58669.57%7,08239.14%12,5865,50418,090
Oak Bay CoalCoal5,91884.21%5,02871.55%5,9188902207,028
Omineca CCFCoal1,88561.60%71023.20%1,8851,1753,060
Peace River CCFCoal2,34249.69%4419.35%2,3421,9014704,713
Prince Rupert CCFCoal2,97156.41%67512.82%2,9712,2965,267
Revelstoke CoalCoal1,31150.95%491.90%1,3111,2622,573
Rossland-Trail CoalCoal5,91056.30%1,32212.60%5,9104,58810,498
Saanich CoalCoal9,99866.14%5,35235.41%9,9984,64647315,117
Salmon Arm CoalCoal2,52960.07%84820.14%2,5291,6814,210
Similkameen CoalCoal5,74458.78%1,71617.56%5,7444,0289,772
Skeena CoalCoal2,04873.20%1,29846.40%2,0487502,798
South Okanagan CoalCoal6,55558.40%1,88616.80%6,555 [a 1] 4,66911,224
Yale CoalCoal1,40746.90%54218.07%1,4078657283,000
  1. W. A. C. Bennett had resigned in 1948 to contest the federal byelection in Yale, which he lost. In the interim, Bob Browne-Clayton was elected for the Coalition in the provincial byelection, but Bennett returned for the general election.
  = 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
  = part of 1945 Social Credit alliance
  = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1949 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts) [3]
RidingWinning partyVotes
NameMLAs 1945 1949CoalCCFSCPSCLUoEIndOthTotal
Vancouver-Burrard 2
  2
  2
40,15621,7741,2589539663,679
Vancouver Centre 2
  2
  2
29,17117,96981428648,240
Vancouver East 2
  2
  2
34,07739,8151,0201091,03876,059
Vancouver-Point Grey 3
  3
  3
109,78235,1341,889280147,085
Victoria City 3
  3
  3
47,28117,0191,37965,679

See also

Further reading

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References

  1. 1 2 Elections BC 1988, pp. 203, 213.
  2. 1 2 3 Elections BC 1988, p. 2.
  3. 1 2 Elections BC 1988, pp. 205–209, 215–219.