1908 Ontario general election

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1908 Ontario general election

← 1905 June 8, 1908 1911 →

106 seats in the 12th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
54 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader James P. Whitney Alexander Grant MacKay
Party Conservative Liberal
Leader since 1896 1907
Leader's seat Dundas Grey North
Last election 69 28
Seats won 86 19
Seat change Increase17 Decrease9

Premier before election

James P. Whitney
Conservative

Premier after election

James P. Whitney
Conservative

The 1908 Ontario general election was the 12th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 8, 1908, to elect the 106 Members of the 12th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").[1]

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by Sir James P. Whitney, was elected for a second term in government, increasing its majority in the Legislature significantly.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Alexander Grant MacKay, continued to lose seats.

Allan Studholme became the province's first Labour MLA as the result of a 1906 Hamilton East by-election. He was re-elected in the 1908 general election and would remain in the legislature until his death in 1919.

The four Toronto districts each elected two members in this election. Each seat was contested separately, with each voter in the district allowed to vote for a candidate in each contest.

Expansion of the Legislative Assembly[edit]

The number of electoral districts was increased from 97 to 102, under an Act passed in 1902, returning a total of 106 MLAs.[2] The following electoral changes were made:

Electoral system[edit]

The eight Toronto MPPs were elected in two-seat districts. Plurality block voting was used in these districts.

The other 94 MPPs were elected through First-past-the-post voting in single-member districts.

Results[edit]

Elections to the 12th Parliament of Ontario (1908)[1]
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1905 1908 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Conservative James P. Whitney 105 69 86 17Increase 246,324 8,712Increase 54.68% 1.31Increase
Liberal Alexander Grant MacKay 90 28 19 9Decrease 177,719 20,876Decrease 39.45% 5.16Decrease
Labour 8 1 1Increase 7,555 7,555Increase 1.68% New
Independent Liberal 2 1 1Decrease 1,470 3,892Decrease 0.33% 0.87Decrease
Independent Conservative 6 7,977 7,882Increase 1.77% 1.75Increase
Socialist 13 3,129 1,856Increase 0.69% 0.40Increase
Independent 6 3,091 2,991Increase 0.69% 0.67Increase
Prohibitionist 1 2,187 281Increase 0.49% 0.06Increase
Liberal-Temperance 1 1,017 1,017Increase 0.23% New
Total 232 98 106 450,469 100.00%
Voter turnout 457,209 10,006Increase 73.42 0.54Decrease
Registered electors 622,751 18,085Increase
Acclamations  Conservative 6


Seats and popular vote by party
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
Conservative
86 / 106
54.68%
1.31 1.31
 
Liberal
19 / 106
39.45%
-5.16
 
Labour
1 / 106
1.68%
1.68 1.68
 
Other
0 / 106
4.19%
2.17 2.17
 

Synopsis of results[edit]

Results by riding - 1908 Ontario general election[1]
Riding Winning party Turnout Votes
Name[a 1] 1905 Party Votes Share Margin
#
Margin
%
Con Lib Lab I-Con I-Lib Soc Proh L-Tmp Ind Total
 
Addington Con Con acclaimed
Algoma Con Con 2,134 60.95% 767 21.91% 80.70% 2,134 1,367 3,501
Brant North Con Con 1,850 54.69% 317 9.37% 89.15% 1,850 1,533 3,383
Brant South Lib Con 2,815 51.83% 199 3.66% 86.91% 2,815 2,616 5,431
Brockville Lib Con 2,195 56.59% 511 13.17% 85.09% 2,195 1,684 3,879
Bruce Centre Con Con 1,940 55.05% 356 10.10% 88.48% 1,940 1,584 3,524
Bruce North Lib Lib 2,282 53.99% 337 7.97% 80.85% 1,945 2,282 4,227
Bruce South Con Lib 1,774 51.39% 96 2.78% 86.02% 1,678 1,774 3,452
Carleton Con Con 1,352 62.22% 531 24.44% 51.67% 1,352 821 2,173
Dufferin Con Con 2,229 50.48% 42 0.95% 84.37% 2,229 2,187 4,416
Dundas Con Con 2,260 62.67% 914 25.35% 75.78% 2,260 1,346 3,606
Durham East Con Con acclaimed
Durham West Con Con 1,575 51.04% 64 2.07% 85.30% 1,575 1,511 3,086
Elgin East Con Con 2,289 56.09% 497 12.18% 86.70% 2,289 1,792 4,081
Elgin West Con Con 3,347 55.00% 609 10.01% 76.88% 3,347 2,738 6,085
Essex North Con Con 2,988 63.63% 1,280 27.26% 51.74% 2,988 1,708 4,696
Essex South Lib Con 2,618 50.76% 78 1.51% 83.62% 2,618 2,540 5,158
Fort William New Con 1,317 61.06% 477 22.11% 67.38% 1,317 840 2,157
Frontenac Con Con 1,576 53.05% 181 6.09% 67.46% 1,576 1,395 2,971
Glengarry Lib Con 2,170 53.07% 251 6.14% 77.41% 2,170 1,919 4,089
Grenville Con Con 1,923 50.30% 23 0.60% 75.72% 1,923 1,900 3,823
Grey Centre Con Con 2,253 64.54% 1,015 29.07% 62.54% 2,253 1,238 3,491
Grey North Lib Lib 3,026 50.59% 71 1.19% 70.93% 2,955 3,026 5,981
Grey South Con Con 2,187 53.04% 251 6.09% 73.16% 2,187 1,936 4,123
Haldimand Lib Lib 1,977 54.81% 347 9.62% 96.22% 1,630 1,977 3,607
Halton Con Con 2,449 53.86% 351 7.72% 86.86% 2,449 2,098 4,547
Hamilton East Con Lab 2,717 40.91% 75 1.13% 72.45% 2,642 1,258 2,717 24 6,641
Hamilton West Con Con 3,121 63.22% 1,558 31.56% 69.65% 3,121 1,563 253 4,937
Hastings East I-Lib Con 2,201 61.76% 838 23.51% 75.90% 2,201 1,363 3,564
Hastings North Con Con 2,225 65.42% 1,049 30.84% 64.19% 2,225 1,176 3,401
Hastings West Con Con 1,882 52.41% 173 4.82% 81.15% 1,882 1,709 3,591
Huron Centre Lib Lib 2,051 52.11% 166 4.22% 78.68% 1,885 2,051 3,936
Huron North Lib Con 2,292 51.94% 171 3.87% 93.11% 2,292 2,121 4,413
Huron South Con Con 2,365 54.41% 383 8.81% 89.97% 2,365 1,982 4,347
Kenora New Con 1,078 56.00% 231 12.00% 41.23% 1,078 847 1,925
Kent East Con Con 2,524 50.83% 82 1.65% 78.54% 2,524 2,442 4,966
Kent West Lib Con 3,926 52.98% 441 5.95% 83.47% 3,926 3,485 7,411
Kingston Lib Con 2,215 54.48% 393 9.67% 96.27% 2,215 1,822 29 4,066
Lambton East Con Lib 2,404 52.57% 235 5.14% 93.46% 2,169 2,404 4,573
Lambton West Con Con 3,841 54.45% 628 8.90% 79.98% 3,841 3,213 7,054
Lanark North Con Con 2,017 56.61% 471 13.22% 90.11% 2,017 1,546 3,563
Lanark South Con Con acclaimed
Leeds Con Con 2,102 52.35% 189 4.71% 89.98% 2,102 1,913 4,015
Lennox Con Con 1,477 50.29% 17 0.58% 89.40% 1,477 1,460 2,937
Lincoln Con Con 3,463 59.56% 1,112 19.13% 78.67% 3,463 2,351 5,814
London Con Con 5,084 58.00% 1,403 16.01% 78.42% 5,084 3,681 8,765
Manitoulin Con Con 1,414 66.73% 709 33.46% 58.48% 1,414 705 2,119
Middlesex East Con Con 2,363 56.44% 539 12.87% 79.28% 2,363 1,824 4,187
Middlesex North Con Lib 2,172 51.29% 109 2.57% 91.10% 2,063 2,172 4,235
Middlesex West Lib Lib 1,775 60.29% 606 20.58% 82.91% 1,775 1,169 2,944
Monck Lib Con 1,816 50.49% 35 0.97% 90.23% 1,816 1,781 3,597
Muskoka Con Con acclaimed
Nipissing New Con 1,654 59.09% 509 18.19% 67.63% 1,654 1,145 2,799
Norfolk North Lib Con 1,720 51.08% 73 2.17% 94.01% 1,720 1,647 3,367
Norfolk South Con Con 1,490 52.04% 117 4.09% 92.48% 1,490 1,373 2,863
Northumberland East Con Con 2,582 56.30% 578 12.60% 82.12% 2,582 2,004 4,586
Northumberland West Lib Lib 1,591 53.44% 205 6.89% 92.38% 1,386 1,591 2,977
Ontario North Con Con 2,230 55.62% 451 11.25% 85.39% 2,230 1,779 4,009
Ontario South Con Con 2,773 52.90% 304 5.80% 85.46% 2,773 2,469 5,242
Ottawa East New Lib 2,798 54.54% 466 9.08% 78.11% 2,332 2,798 5,130
Ottawa West New Con 4,806 55.04% 880 10.08% 71.86% 4,806 3,926 8,732
Oxford North Lib Lib 2,893 54.03% 432 8.07% 81.25% 2,461 2,893 5,354
Oxford South Con Lib 2,671 50.42% 44 0.83% 88.55% 2,627 2,671 5,298
Parry Sound Con Con 2,879 62.05% 1,263 27.22% 53.88% 2,879 1,616 145 4,640
Peel Lib Con 2,852 54.78% 498 9.57% 87.79% 2,852 2,354 5,206
Perth North Con Con 3,688 51.87% 266 3.74% 88.65% 3,688 3,422 7,110
Perth South Con Lib 2,453 50.58% 56 1.15% 93.18% 2,397 2,453 4,850
Peterborough East Lib Con 1,978 61.14% 721 22.29% 78.99% 1,978 1,257 3,235
Peterborough West Con Con 2,561 54.56% 428 9.12% 76.14% 2,561 2,133 4,694
Port Arthur New Con 1,241 55.16% 380 16.89% 71.64% 1,241 861 148 2,250
Prescott Lib Con 1,944 50.09% 7 0.18% 66.02% 1,944 1,937 3,881
Prince Edward Lib Con 2,221 51.53% 132 3.06% 86.70% 2,221 2,089 4,310
Rainy River New Con 944 54.95% 170 9.90% 78.65% 944 774 1,718
Renfrew North Con Lib 2,274 52.28% 198 4.55% 86.47% 2,076 2,274 4,350
Renfrew South Con Con 2,623 52.39% 239 4.77% 77.82% 2,623 2,384 5,007
Russell Lib Lib 2,642 58.72% 785 17.45% 59.61% 1,857 2,642 4,499
Sault Ste. Marie Lib Con 1,406 54.69% 241 9.37% 61.43% 1,406 1,165 2,571
Simcoe Centre Con Con 1,972 55.08% 364 10.17% 75.97% 1,972 1,608 3,580
Simcoe East Lib Lib 3,105 51.49% 180 2.99% 75.37% 2,925 3,105 6,030
Simcoe South Con Con acclaimed
Simcoe West Con Con 1,921 65.38% 904 30.77% 61.18% 1,921 1,017 2,938
Stormont Con Lib 2,327 50.09% 8 0.17% 70.96% 2,319 2,327 4,646
Sturgeon Falls New Con 959 52.92% 106 5.85% 82.42% 959 853 1,812
Sudbury New Con 1,492 62.69% 604 25.38% 64.29% 1,492 888 2,380
Timiskaming New Con 1,649 55.00% 549 18.31% 48.21% 1,649 1,100 249 2,998
Toronto East - A Con Con 4,393 76.51% 1,988 34.62% 48.59% 4,393 1,003 346 5,742
Toronto East – B New Con 2,695 43.03% 290 4.63% 53.00% 2,695 975 188 2,405 6,263
Toronto North - A Con Con 6,789 88.44% 2,919 38.03% 53.92% 6,789 544 343 7,676
Toronto North – B New Con 4,502 52.40% 632 7.36% 60.40% 4,502 3,870 220 8,592
Toronto South - A Con Con 5,202 74.69% 3,103 44.55% 47.61% 5,202 1,473 290 6,965
Toronto South – B New Con 4,947 67.67% 2,848 38.95% 49.94% 4,947 2,099 265 7,311
Toronto West - A Con Con 6,190 70.58% 3,975 45.32% 47.86% 6,190 1,877 56 301 297 49 8,770
Toronto West – B New Con 4,160 47.41% 1,945 22.17% 47.88% 4,160 2,215 380 1,870 150 8,775
Victoria East Con Con acclaimed
Victoria West Con Con 2,061 50.50% 98 2.40% 94.00% 2,061 1,963 57 4,081
Waterloo North Con Con 3,063 49.42% 332 5.36% 76.73% 3,063 2,731 404 6,198
Waterloo South Con Con 2,353 63.49% 1,000 26.98% 54.01% 2,353 1,353 3,706
Welland Con Con 3,729 56.57% 866 13.14% 77.32% 3,729 2,863 6,592
Wellington East Con Con 1,898 53.06% 219 6.12% 82.09% 1,898 1,679 3,577
Wellington South Con Con 2,787 52.12% 399 7.46% 78.67% 2,787 2,388 172 5,347
Wellington West Con Lib 1,665 50.53% 35 1.06% 83.14% 1,630 1,665 3,295
Wentworth North Lib Con 1,600 50.60% 119 3.76% 90.98% 1,600 1,481 81 3,162
Wentworth South Lib Lib 1,582 53.72% 219 7.44% 85.19% 1,363 1,582 2,945
York East Con Con 2,998 56.84% 722 13.69% 65.47% 2,998 2,276 5,274
York North Con Con 2,918 54.00% 432 7.99% 92.95% 2,918 2,486 5,404
York West Con Con 3,241 61.80% 1,453 27.71% 54.81% 3,241 1,788 215 5,244
  1. ^ order is as given in EO reports
  = 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
  = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
  = multiple candidates

Analysis[edit]

Party candidates in 2nd place[1][a 1]
Party in 1st place Party in 2nd place Total
Accl Con Lib Lab I-Con I-Lib Ind L-Tmp Proh
Conservative 6 69 4 4 1 1 1 86
Liberal 18 1 19
Labour 1 1
Total 6 19 69 4 4 1 1 1 1 106
  1. ^ excluding Ottawa seats
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party[1]
Parties Accl 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
 Conservative 6 80 19
 Liberal 19 69 2
 Labour 1 4 1 1 1
 Independent Conservative 4 2
 Independent 1 3 1
 Independent Liberal 1 1
 Prohibitionist 1
 Liberal-Temperance 1
 Socialist 10 2 1
Resulting composition of the 10th Legislative Assembly of Ontario[1]
Source Party
Con Lib Lab Total
Seats retained Incumbents returned 49 7 56
Acclamations 6 6
Open seats held 2 3 5
Seats changing hands Incumbents defeated 6 6 12
Open seats gained 9 2 11
Byelection gains held 1 1 2
New seats New MLAs 9 9
Previously incumbent in the Legislature 4 1 5
Total 86 19 1 106


MLAs elected by region and riding[edit]

Party designations are as follows:

  Conservative
  Liberal
  Labour



Division and reorganization of ridings[edit]

The newly created ridings returned the following MLAs:

1905 1908
Riding Party Riding Party
Fort William and Lake of the Woods  Conservative Fort William  Conservative
Kenora  Conservative
Port Arthur and Rainy River  Liberal Port Arthur  Conservative
Rainy River  Conservative
Nipissing East  Conservative Nipissing  Conservative
Timiskaming  Conservative
Nipissing West  Conservative Sudbury  Conservative
Sturgeon Falls  Conservative
Ottawa  Liberal
(2 MLAs)
Ottawa East  Liberal
Ottawa West  Conservative
Toronto East  Conservative Seat A  Conservative
Seat B  Conservative
Toronto North  Conservative Seat A  Conservative
Seat B  Conservative
Toronto South  Conservative Seat A  Conservative
Seat B  Conservative
Toronto West  Conservative Seat A  Conservative
Seat B  Conservative
Huron East  Liberal Huron North  Conservative
Huron West  Liberal Huron Centre  Liberal

Seats that changed hands[edit]

Elections to the 12th Parliament of Ontario – unaltered seats won/lost by party, 1905–1908
Party 1905 Gain from (loss to) 1908
Con Lib I-Lib Lab
Conservative 62 14 (8) 1 (1) 68
Liberal 23 8 (14) 17
Independent-Liberal 1 (1)
Labour 1 1
Total 86 9 (15) 14 (8) 1 (1) 86

Of the unaltered seats, there were 24 that changed allegiance in the election:

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Resigned before the opening of the first session, in order to stand and win in Algoma East in the 1908 federal election. Albert Grigg (Conservative) won the subsequent byelection.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "1908 General Election". Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ The Representation Act, 1908, S.O. 1908, c. 2

Further reading[edit]