1894 Ontario general election

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1894 Ontario general election
← 1890 June 26, 1894 1898 →
94 seats in the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
48 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Oliver Mowat William Ralph Meredith
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader since 1872 1879
Leader's seat Oxford North London
Last election 53 34
Seats won 45 23
Seat change Decrease8 Decrease9
Premier before election

Oliver Mowat
Liberal

Premier after election

Oliver Mowat
Liberal

The 1894 Ontario general election was the eighth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 26, 1894, to elect the 94 Members of the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").[1]

The main issues were the Liberals' "Ontario System", as well as French language schools, farmer interests, support for Toronto business, woman suffrage, the temperance movement, and the demands of labour unions.[2]

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Oliver Mowat, formed the government for the seventh consecutive parliament, even though some of its members were elected under joint banners: either with the Patrons of Industry or the Protestant Protective Association.

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by William Ralph Meredith, formed the official opposition.

The Patrons of Industry, a farmers' organization formed in 1890, cooperated with the urban labour movement to address the political frustrations of both groups with big business. Sixteen members of the Legislative Assembly were elected with Patrons of Industry support—12 Liberals, one Conservative, and three who ran only under the "Patrons of Industry" banner.

The Protestant Protective Association (PPA) was an anti-Catholic group, associated with the Orange Order. It campaigned against the rights of Catholics and French-Canadians, and argued that Roman Catholics were attempting to take over Ontario. Nine candidates were elected with PPA support, 6 Conservatives, 1 Liberal and 2 who ran only under the PPA banner. The PPA worked most closely with the Conservative opposition.

Unlike the previous two elections, this election strictly used First past the post to elect the members. The Toronto district was divided into separate single member districts, as part of the expansion of the Assembly.

Expansion of the Legislative Assembly[edit]

An Act passed just prior to the election[3] increased the size of the Assembly from 91 to 94 seats:

Results[edit]

Elections to the 8th Parliament of Ontario (1894)[1]
Political party Party leader MPPs Votes
Candidates 1890 Dissol. 1894 ± # % ± (pp)
Liberal Oliver Mowat 80 53 45 8Decrease 153,826 40.99% 8.64Decrease
Conservative William Ralph Meredith 56 34 23 11Decrease 104,369 27.81% 12.07Decrease
  Liberal-Patrons 26 – – 12 12Increase 44,029 11.73% New
  Conservative–P.P.A. 13 – – 5 5Increase 24,616 6.56% New
Patrons of Industry Joseph Longford Haycock 7 – – 3 3Increase 10,465 2.79% New
  Conservative-Patrons 7 – – 2 2Increase 11,608 3.09% New
  Liberal-P.P.A. 2 – – 2 2Increase 3,649 0.97% New
Protestant Protective Association 8 – – 1 1Increase 11,015 2.94% New
Independent-Conservative-PPA 1 – – 1 1Increase 2,326 0.62% New
Independent 9 – – – 9,374 2.50% New
  Liberal-Equal Rights 2 – – 2Decrease Did not campaign
  Conservative-Equal Rights 2 – – 2Decrease Did not campaign
Vacant
Total 209 91 91 94 375,277 100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots 3,886
Registered voters / turnout 539,358 70.30% 0.70Increase
Seats and popular vote by party of major influence
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
Liberal[a 1]
45 / 94
40.99%
 -8.64
 
Conservative[a 1]
23 / 94
27.81%
 -12.07
 
Patrons of Industry
17 / 94
17.61%
 17.61 17.61
 
Protestant Protective Association[a 2]
9 / 94
11.09%
 11.09 11.09
 
Equal Rights
0 / 94
0.00%
 -10.00
 
Other
0 / 94
3.12%
 2.01 2.01
 
  1. ^ a b Straight party support only. Other MLAs sponsored by Patrons of Industry, PPA or Equal Rights Party are allocated to the latter, to show extent of influence.
  2. ^ Associated with the Orange Order.

Before the Legislature's first session opened, four by-elections were called. William Ralph Meredith (London) resigned to accept appointment as a judge, while the elections of James M. Savage (Algoma West), John Senn (Haldimand) and Edward H. Smythe (Kingston) were overturned on appeal. The Liberals won all four Conservative seats, thus securing a majority in the Assembly. That, together with the inability of the Patrons of Industry and the Conservatives to combine on any issue, ensured the Liberals' hold on power.[4]


Synopsis of results[edit]

Results by riding - 1890 Ontario general election[1]
Riding[a 1] Winning party Turnout Votes
Name[a 2] 1890 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		Lib Con POI PPA Ind Total
 
Addington Con Con 1,849 52.89% 202 5.78% 75.79% 1,647 1,849 – – – 3,496
Algoma East Con Lib 1,982 50.85% 66 1.69% 50.48% 1,982 1,916 – – – 3,898
Algoma West Lib Con 1,137 50.13% 6 0.26% 52.42% 1,131 1,137 – – – 2,268
Brant North Lib Lib 1,192 61.44% 444 22.89% 77.41% 1,192 – 748 – – 1,940
Brant South Lib Lib 2,597 56.74% 617 13.48% 79.56% 2,597 – – 1,980 – 4,577
Brockville Lib Lib 2,045 53.49% 267 6.98% 71.43% 2,045 1,778 – – – 3,823
Bruce Centre Lib L-PI 1,932 57.97% 531 15.93% 69.91% 1,401 – 1,932 – – 3,333
Bruce North Con L-PP 1,369 39.35% 246 7.07% 63.61% 1,123 987 – 1,369[a 3] – 3,479
Bruce South Lib Lib 1,913 52.05% 151 4.11% 68.91% 1,913 – 1,762 – – 3,675
Cardwell Con C-PI 1,888 54.93% 345 10.04% 65.18% 6 – 3,431[a 4] – – 3,437
Carleton Con C-PI 1,986 63.61% 850 27.23% 68.07% – 1,136 1,986 – – 3,122
Dufferin C-ER PI 2,465 57.05% 609 14.09% 71.28% – 1,856 2,465 – – 4,321
Dundas Con Con 2,010 52.44% 187 4.88% 77.22% – 2,010 1,823 – – 3,833
Durham East C-ER Con 1,746 56.49% 401 12.97% 66.84% – 1,746 – 1,345 – 3,091
Durham West Lib C-PP 1,646 50.94% 61 1.89% 84.42% 1,585 – – 1,646 – 3,231
Elgin East Con Con 1,700 43.72% 366 9.41% 74.35% 1,334 1,700 854 – – 3,888
Elgin West Con L-PI 2,851 51.55% 171 3.09% 80.82% – 2,680 2,851 – – 5,531
Essex North Con Lib 1,843 42.46% 246 5.67% 54.60% 1,843 901 1,597 – – 4,341
Essex South Lib Lib 2,521 52.82% 789 16.53% 79.15% 2,521 – 520 1,732 – 4,773
Frontenac Con L-PI 1,517 52.26% 131 4.51% 61.94% – 1,386 1,517 – – 2,903
Glengarry Lib L-PI 2,030 55.22% 384 10.45% 70.96% – – 2,030 – 1,646 3,676
Grenville Con Con 1,826 47.88% 492 12.90% 64.99% 1,334 1,826 – 654 – 3,814
Grey Centre Con PPA 1,735 42.67% 542 13.33% 67.33% 1,138 – – 2,928[a 5] – 4,066
Grey North Lib Lib 1,646 38.09% 213 4.93% 66.04% 1,646 1,242 – 1,433 – 4,321
Grey South Con PI 2,401 59.83% 789 19.66% 69.29% 1,612 – 2,401 – – 4,013
Haldimand Lib Con 1,693 50.22% 15 0.44% 76.00% 1,678 1,693 – – – 3,371
Halton Con Con 2,269 51.25% 111 2.51% 77.10% 2,158 2,269 – – – 4,427
Hamilton East New Lib 2,348 51.09% 100 2.18% 78.01% 2,348 – – 2,248 – 4,596
Hamilton West New Lib 2,468 55.10% 457 10.20% 78.80% 2,468 – – 2,011 – 4,479
Hastings East Con L-PI 1,574 52.70% 161 5.39% 63.32% 1,413 – 1,574 – – 2,987
Hastings North Con PI 1,782 50.71% 50 1.42% 61.37% – 1,732 1,782 – – 3,514
Hastings West Lib Lib 1,473 51.41% 81 2.83% 56.05% 1,473 – – – 1,392 2,865
Huron East Lib Lib 2,129 55.95% 453 11.91% 74.44% 2,129 – 1,676 – – 3,805
Huron South Lib Lib 2,335 50.24% 22 0.47% 79.03% 2,335 2,313 – – – 4,648
Huron West Lib Lib 2,263 50.85% 76 1.71% 73.39% 2,263 – 2,187 – – 4,450
Kent East Lib Lib 2,365 55.03% 432 10.05% 61.62% 2,365 – 1,933 – – 4,298
Kent West Con L-PI 3,106 54.52% 515 9.04% 71.59% – 2,591 3,106 – – 5,697
Kingston Con Con 1,710 50.01% 1 0.03% 80.89% 1,709 1,710 – – – 3,419
Lambton East Lib IC-PP 2,326 52.06% 184 4.12% 78.15% 2,142 – – 2,326[a 6] – 4,468
Lambton West Lib C-PP 3,044 50.73% 88 1.47% 63.63% 2,956 – – 3,044 – 6,000
Lanark North L-ER Con 1,499 50.44% 26 0.87% 75.08% 1,473 1,499 – – – 2,972
Lanark South Con Con 1,830 53.03% 623 18.05% 69.08% 1,207 1,830 – 414 – 3,451
Leeds Con Con 1,999 55.14% 373 10.29% 65.02% – 1,999 1,626 – – 3,625
Lennox Con Con 1,089 39.09% 112 4.02% 67.24% 977 1,089 720 – – 2,786
Lincoln Con Con 2,548 51.23% 122 2.45% 76.62% – 2,548 – – 2,426 4,974
London Con Con 3,273 51.07% 137 2.14% 86.29% 3,136 3,273 – – – 6,409
Middlesex East Con L-PP 2,280 54.79% 399 9.59% 69.27% 1,881 – – 2,280 – 4,161
Middlesex North Lib L-PI 2,015 51.64% 128 3.28% 75.79% – – 2,015 1,887 – 3,902
Middlesex West Lib Lib 1,970 51.46% 112 2.93% 79.59% 1,970 1,858 – – – 3,828
Monck Lib Lib 1,519 51.13% 67 2.26% 72.61% 1,519 – – 1,452 – 2,971
Muskoka Con C-PP 1,803 52.44% 168 4.89% 75.02% 1,635 – – 1,803 – 3,438
Nipissing Lib Lib 1,345 65.83% 647 31.67% 56.12% 1,345 – – – 698 2,043
Norfolk North Lib Lib 1,690 54.64% 287 9.28% 76.63% 1,690 – – 1,403 – 3,093
Norfolk South Lib Lib 1,424 50.37% 21 0.74% 73.06% 1,424 – 1,403 – – 2,827
Northumberland East Con Con 1,701 38.76% 179 4.08% 74.35% 1,522 2,867[a 7] – – – 4,389
Northumberland West Lib Lib 1,402 52.27% 146 5.44% 73.18% 1,402 1,256 – – 24 2,682
Ontario North Con Lib 2,114 50.90% 75 1.81% 79.45% 2,114 2,039 – – – 4,153
Ontario South Lib Lib 2,884 52.94% 320 5.87% 82.45% 2,884 2,564 – – – 5,448
Oxford North Lib Lib 2,197 58.40% 632 16.80% 64.35% 2,197 – – 1,565 – 3,762
Oxford South Lib Lib 2,454 54.21% 381 8.42% 71.16% 2,454 – 2,073 – – 4,527
Parry Sound Lib L-PI 1,968 56.94% 480 13.89% 42.89% 1,488 – 1,968 – – 3,456
Peel Lib Lib 2,273 54.78% 397 9.57% 75.59% 2,273 – – 1,876 – 4,149
Perth North Lib Con 2,957 50.93% 108 1.86% 81.23% 2,849 2,957 – – – 5,806
Perth South Lib L-PI 2,232 50.26% 23 0.52% 75.32% 2,209 – 2,232 – – 4,441
Peterborough East Lib Lib 1,621 58.37% 465 16.74% 62.43% 1,621 1,156 – – – 2,777
Peterborough West Lib Lib 2,280 60.00% 760 20.00% 75.10% 2,280 1,520 – – – 3,800
Prescott Lib Lib 2,038 71.06% 1,208 42.12% 58.42% 2,038 – 830 – – 2,868
Prince Edward Lib L-PI 2,149 53.35% 667 16.56% 71.00% – 1,482 2,149 – 397 4,028
Renfrew North Con Lib 1,978 54.40% 320 8.80% 75.46% 1,978 1,658 – – – 3,636
Renfrew South Lib Lib 1,802 53.41% 231 6.85% 69.55% 3,373[a 8] 1 – – – 3,374
Russell Lib Lib 1,976 62.47% 789 24.94% 48.17% 1,976 1,187 – – – 3,163
Simcoe Centre Lib Lib 1,170 36.76% 79 2.48% 67.88% 1,170 922 – 1,091 – 3,183
Simcoe East Con Con 2,021 43.21% 124 2.65% 67.07% 1,897 2,021 759 – – 4,677
Simcoe West Con L-PI 1,509 51.48% 87 2.97% 58.38% – – 2,931[a 9] – – 2,931
Stormont Lib L-PI 1,809 47.02% 404 10.50% 62.89% 1,405 633 1,809 – – 3,847
Toronto East New C-PP 3,401 66.12% 1,658 32.23% 62.00% – – 1,743 3,401[a 10] – 5,144
Toronto North New Con 4,007 55.58% 805 11.17% 71.21% 3,202 4,007 – – – 7,209
Toronto South New Con 6,073 60.31% 2,077 20.63% 71.35% 3,996 6,073 – – – 10,069
Toronto West New Con 4,366 60.53% 1,519 21.06% 68.31% 2,847 4,366 – – – 7,213
Victoria East Con Con 1,688 54.40% 273 8.80% 60.24% – 1,688 1,415 – – 3,103
Victoria West L-ER Lib 1,785 48.64% 470 12.81% 70.62% 1,785 1,315 570 – – 3,670
Waterloo North Lib Lib 2,042 51.11% 918 22.98% 64.48% 2,042 – 1,124 – 829 3,995
Waterloo South Lib Lib 2,212 55.63% 448 11.27% 65.85% 3,976[a 11] – – – – 3,976
Welland Con Lib 2,579 50.90% 91 1.80% 78.16% 2,579 2,488 – – – 5,067
Wellington East Lib Lib 1,308 36.90% 55 1.55% 71.66% 1,308 984 1,253 – – 3,545
Wellington South Lib Lib 1,993 60.39% 686 20.79% 59.46% 1,993 – 1,307 – – 3,300
Wellington West Lib C-PP 1,718 54.49% 283 8.98% 65.91% 1,435 – – 1,718 – 3,153
Wentworth North Lib Lib 1,449 51.31% 74 2.62% 78.75% 1,449 1,375 – – – 2,824
Wentworth South Lib Lib 1,551 55.37% 301 10.75% 83.84% 1,551 1,250 – – – 2,801
York East Lib Lib 1,959 56.23% 434 12.46% 67.24% 1,959 1,525 – – – 3,484
York North Lib Lib 2,035 54.28% 321 8.56% 61.07% 2,035 1,714 – – – 3,749
York West Lib Con 2,151 50.62% 53 1.25% 72.41% 2,098 2,151 – – – 4,249
  1. ^ excluding Ottawa, a multi-member constituency
  2. ^ order is as given in EO reports
  3. ^ the Patrons of Industry incumbent Daniel McNaughton, who was elected in an 1893 byelection
  4. ^ two Conservative candidates
  5. ^ 1 PPA, plus the Conservative incumbent Joseph Rorke.
  6. ^ Peter Duncan McCallum, elected as an Independent Conservative in an 1893 byelection
  7. ^ the incumbent William Arnson Willoughby was the winning candidate
  8. ^ the incumbent John Francis Dowling received 1,571 votes
  9. ^ 1 Liberal; 1 Conservative
  10. ^ George Ryerson was previously elected as a Conservative in an 1893 byelection.
  11. ^ the incumbent John Douglas Moore was the winning candidate
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = 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
  = incumbency arose from prior election result being overturned by the court
  = other incumbents renominated
  = joint Conservative candidate
  = joint Independent Conservative candidate
  = joint Liberal candidate
  = joint Labour candidate
  = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
  = multiple candidates
Results for Ottawa (2 seats)[1]
Political party Candidate Votes % Elected Incumbent
Liberal George O. O'Keefe 3,381 29.99 Green tickY
Liberal Erskine Henry Bronson 3,316 29.41 Green tickY Green tickY
Conservative Taylor McVeitty 2,616 23.20
Independent A. F. McIntyre 1,923 17.06
Independent T. H. Beck 39 0.65
Majority[a 1] 700 6.21
Turnout 6,841 56.11
Registered voters 12,193
  1. ^ plurality for third winning candidate

Analysis[edit]

Party candidates in 2nd place[1][a 1]
Party in 1st place Party in 2nd place Total
Lib Con L-PI C-PP POI C-PI PPA Ind Lab-PI
█ Liberal 2 17 9 5 2 1 5 2 43
█ Conservative 18 2 1 1 1 23
█ Liberal-PI 5 4 1 1 1 12
█ Conservative-PPA 4 1 5
█ Patrons of Industry 1 2 3
█ Conservative-PI 1 1 2
█ Liberal-PP 2 2
█ PPA 1 1
█ Independent Conservative-PPA 1 1
Total 33 24 11 7 2 4 6 4 1 92
  1. ^ excluding Ottawa seats
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party[1]
Parties 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
█ Liberal 44 34 2
█ Conservative 23 24 9
█ Liberal-PI 12 11 2
█ Conservative-PPA 5 7 1
█ Patrons of Industry 3 2 2
█ Conservative-PI 2 4 1
█ Liberal-PP 2
█ PPA 1 6 1
█ Independent Conservative-PPA 1
█ Independent 4 3 1 1
█ Labour-PI 1
Resulting composition of the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario[1]
Source Party Total
Lib Con POI L-PI C-PI PPA L-PP C-PP IC-PP
Seats retained Incumbents returned 26 9 35
Open seats held 8 4 12
Byelection loss reversed 1 1
Defeated by same-party candidate 1 1
Seats changing hands Incumbents defeated 3 4 3 6 1 1 3 21
Open seats gained 1 1 6 1 1 1 11
Byelection gains held 1 1 2
Incumbent changed allegiance 1 1
Incumbent from 3rd-party byelection gain changed allegiance 1 1 2
New seat New MLAs 1 2 3
Previously incumbent in the Legislature 1 1 1 3
Ottawa seats MLA returned 1 1
New MLAs 1 1
Total 45 23 3 12 2 1 2 5 1 94


MLAs elected by region and riding[edit]

Party designations are as follows:

  Liberal
  Conservative
  Patrons of Industry and allied candidates
  Protestant Protective Association and allied candidates


Division of ridings[edit]

The newly created ridings returned the following MLAs:

1890 1894
Riding Party MLAs Riding Party MLAs
Toronto █ Conservative 2 Toronto East █ Conservative-PPA 1
Toronto North █ Conservative 1
█ Liberal 1 Toronto South █ Conservative 1
Toronto West █ Conservative 1
Hamilton █ Liberal 1 Hamilton East █ Liberal 1
Hamilton West █ Liberal 1
Ottawa █ Liberal 1 converted to dual-member riding █ Liberal 2

Seats that changed hands[edit]

Elections to the 8th Parliament of Ontario – unaltered seats won/lost by party, 1890–1894
Party 1890 Gain from (loss to) 1894
Lib Con Lib-P C-PPA POI Con-P L-PPA PPA ICP L-ER C-ER
Liberal 50 6 (4) (7) (3) (1) (1) 1 41
Conservative 32 4 (6) (5) (1) (1) (2) (2) (1) 1 1 20
  Liberal-Patrons – 7 5 12
  Conservative–P.P.A. – 3 1 4
Patrons of Industry – 1 1 1 3
  Conservative-Patrons – 2 2
  Liberal-P.P.A. – 2 2
Protestant Protective Association – 1 1
Independent-Conservative-PPA – 1 1
Liberal-Equal Rights 2 (1) (1) –
Conservative-Equal Rights 2 (1) (1) –
Total 86 16 (7) 18 (6) – (12) – (4) – (3) – (2) – (2) – (1) – (1) 2 – 2 – 86

Of the constituencies that were not altered, there were 38 seats that changed allegiance in the election:

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued. James Conmee (Liberal) won the subsequent byelection.[5]
  2. ^ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. William Harty (Liberal) won the subsequent byelection.[5]
  3. ^ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued. Jacob Baxter (Liberal) was elected in the subsequent byelection.[5]
  4. ^ Election declared void because of corrupt practices.[5] Appeal was dismissed, and writ for new election issued. James Tucker (Conservative), brother of the ousted candidate, was elected in the subsequent byelection.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "1894 General Election". Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ Janet B. Kerr, "Sir Oliver Mowat and the Campaign of 1894," Ontario History, March 1963, Vol. 55 Issue 1, pp 1-13
  3. ^ An Act respecting Representation of certain Cities in the Legislative Assembly, S.O. 1894, c. 2
  4. ^ Romney, Paul (1994). "Mowat, Sir Oliver". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  5. ^ a b c d Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario. Vol. XXVIII. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1895. pp. 6–11, 20–22, 65.
  6. ^ Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario. Vol. XXIX. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1896. pp. 5–6.


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