1912 British Columbia general election

The 1912 British Columbia general election was the thirteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on February 27, 1912, and held on March 28, 1912. The new legislature met for the first time on January 16, 1913.

1912 British Columbia general election

← 1909 March 28, 1912 1916 →
← outgoing members elected members →
42 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 22 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   SPC Leader Sir Richard McBride none Party Conservative Socialist Leader's seat Victoria City Last election 38 2 Seats won 39 1 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 50,423 9,366 Percentage 59.65% 11.08% Swing 7.32pp 0.42pp   Third party Fourth party   SDP Leader none Harlan Carey Brewster Party Social Democratic Liberal Last election Did not contest 2 Seats won 1 0 Seat change 1 2 Popular vote 621 21,443 Percentage 0.74% 25.37% Swing new 7.84pp
Premier before election Richard McBride Conservative Premier after election Richard McBride Conservative

The governing Conservative Party increased its share of the popular vote to almost 60%, and swept all but 3 of the 42 seats in the legislature. Of the remaining three, one (Harold Ernest Forster in Columbia) was formally listed as an Independent but was a Conservative who had missed the filing date. He campaigned and sat in full support of the McBride government.

The Liberal Party's share of the vote fell from one-third to one-quarter, and it lost both of its seats in the legislature.

The remaining two seats were won by the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party in the coal-mining ridings of Nanaimo City and Newcastle.

Results

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1912)

Political party		Party leader	MLAs				Votes
			Candidates	1909	1912	±	#	±	%	± (pp)
	Conservative	Richard McBride	42	38	39	1	50,423	2,651	59.65%	7.32
	Socialist		17	2	1	1	9,366	2,299	11.08%	0.42
	Independent Conservative		7	–	1	1	1,163	1,009	1.37%	1.22
	Social Democratic		1	–	1	1	621	621	0.74%	New
	Liberal	Harlan Carey Brewster	19	2	–	2	21,433	12,242	25.37%	7.84
	Independent		2	–	–	–	1,513	1,112	1.79%	0.80
Total			88	42	42		84,529		100.00%

Seats and popular vote by party

Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█ Conservative	39 / 42	59.65%	7.32
█ Liberal	0 / 42	25.37%	-7.34
█ Socialist	1 / 42	11.08%	-0.42
█ Other	2 / 42	3.90%	0.44

Results by riding

The following MLAs were elected:

Alberni: John George Corry Wood   Atlin: Henry Esson Young   Cariboo: Michael Callanan   Cariboo: John Anderson Fraser   Chilliwhack: Samuel Arthur Cawley   Columbia: Harold Ernest Forster (I-Con)   Comox: Michael Manson   Cowichan: William Henry Hayward   Cranbrook: Thomas Donald Caven   Delta: Francis James Anderson MacKenzie   Dewdney: William J. Manson   Esquimalt: Robert Henry Pooley   Fernie: William Roderick Ross   Grand Forks: Ernest Miller

Greenwood: John Robert Jackson   The Islands: Albert Edward McPhillips   Kamloops: James Pearson Shaw   Kaslo: Neil Franklin MacKay   Lillooet: Archibald McDonald   Nanaimo City: John Thomas Wilmot Place   Nelson City: William Ross MacLean   Newcastle: Parker Williams   New Westminster City: Thomas Gifford   Okanagan: Price Ellison   Revelstoke: Thomas Taylor   Richmond: Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton   Rossland City: Lorne Argyle Campbell   Saanich: David McEwen Eberts

Similkameen: Lytton Wilmot Shatford   Skeena: William Manson   Slocan: William Hunter   Vancouver City: Charles William John Bowser   Vancouver City: Alexander Henry Boswell MacGowan   Vancouver City: George Albert McGuire   Vancouver City: Charles Edward Tisdall   Vancouver City: Henry Holgate Watson   Victoria City: Henry Frederick William Behnsen   Victoria City: Frederick Davey   Victoria City: Richard McBride   Victoria City: Henry Broughton Thomson   Yale: Alexander Lucas   Ymir: James Hargrave Schofield

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)

Riding	Winning party								Votes
Name	1909		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %	Con	Lib	Soc	I-Con	SD	Total
Alberni		Lib		Con	acclaimed
Atlin		Con		Con	acclaimed
Chilliwhack		Con		Con	acclaimed
Columbia		Con		I-Con	282	51.74%	19	3.48%	263	–	–	282	–	545
Comox		Con		Con	694	66.16%	339	32.32%	694	–	355	–	–	1,049
Cowichan		Con		Con	441	80.04%	331	60.08%	441	110	–	–	–	551
Cranbrook		Con		Con	acclaimed
Delta		Con		Con	748	70.83%	440	41.66%	748	308	–	–	–	1,056
Dewdney		Con		Con	803	80.54%	609	61.08%	803	–	–	194	–	997
Esquimalt		Lib		Con	398	46.50%	212	24.77%	398	151	25	282	–	856
Fernie		Con		Con	1,067	58.31%	304	16.62%	1,067	–	763	–	–	1,830
Grand Forks		Con		Con	acclaimed
Greenwood		Con		Con	364	78.11%	262	56.22%	364	–	102	–	–	466
The Islands		Con		Con	345	75.66%	234	51.32%	345	–	–	111	–	456
Kamloops		Con		Con	931	70.11%	534	40.22%	931	397	–	–	–	1,328
Kaslo		Con		Con	acclaimed
Lillooet		Con		Con	200	71.17%	119	42.34%	200	81	–	–	–	281
Nanaimo City		Soc		SD	621	39.45%	43	2.73%	578	375	–	–	621	1,574
Nelson City		Con		Con	527	59.08%	339	38.00%	527	–	177	188	–	892
Newcastle		Soc		Soc	386	50.86%	13	1.72%	373	–	386	–	–	759
New Westminster City		Con		Con	1,004	72.28%	619	44.56%	1,004	385	–	–	–	1,389
Okanagan		Con		Con	1,388	82.37%	1,091	64.74%	1,388	–	297	–	–	1,685
Revelstoke		Con		Con	acclaimed
Richmond		Con		Con	acclaimed
Rossland City		Con		Con	336	56.09%	168	28.04%	336	168	95	–	–	599
Saanich		Con		Con	392	69.01%	216	38.02%	392	176	–	–	–	568
Similkameen		Con		Con	acclaimed
Skeena		Con		Con	940	51.00%	420	22.79%	940	520	277	106	–	1,843
Slocan		Con		Con	373	65.32%	175	30.64%	373	–	198	–	–	571
Yale		Con		Con	524	65.26%	245	30.52%	524	279	–	–	–	803
Ymir		Con		Con	1,024	79.69%	763	59.38%	1,024	–	261	–	–	1,285

1. The incumbent John Jardine received 96 votes

  = 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 - 1912 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)

Party		Cariboo			Vancouver City			Victoria City
		Votes	Share	Change	Votes	Share	Change	Votes	Share	Change
	Conservative	645	77.99%	14.98%	25,338	54.74%	4.64%	10,727	66.90%	13.48%
	Liberal	182	22.01%	-14.98%	14,283	30.86%	-5.42%	4,028	25.12%	-6.57%
	Socialist	–	–	–	5,767	12.46%	-1.16%	663	4.13%	0.72%
	Independent	–	–	–	897	1.94%	1.94%	616	3.84%	-7.64%
Total		827	100.00%		46,285	100.00%		16,034	100.00%
Seats won		2			5			4
Incumbents returned		2			5			4
Seat change		–			–			–

See also

• List of British Columbia political parties

Further reading & references

• In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia, Joseph Morton, J.J. Douglas, Vancouver (1974). Despite its title, a fairly thorough account of the politicians and electoral politics in early BC.
• Hopkins, J. Castell (1913). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1912. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.
• Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.