1919 Ontario general election

1919 Ontario general election
	October 20, 1919
111 seats in the 15th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ; 56 seats were needed for a majority
Premier before election; William Hearst; Conservative	Premier after election ; Ernest C. Drury; United Farmers

The 1919 Ontario general election, held on October 20, 1919, elected 111 Members of the 15th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs"). The United Farmers of Ontario captured the most seats but only a minority of the legislature. They joined with 11 Labour MPPs and three others to form a coalition government, ending the 14-year rule of Ontario's Conservatives.^[1] This is one of the few examples of coalition government in Canadian history.

Premier William Howard Hearst had aimed to win a fifth consecutive term for the Conservatives, but instead the party became the first in Ontario history to fall from first to third place.^[2] As newspaperman John Willison later remarked, "There could not have been a worse time for a general election."^[2]

Campaign

The parties tended to have a targeted approach in fielding their candidates:

Candidate contests in the ridings
Candidates nominated	Ridings	Party
Candidates nominated	Ridings	Con	Lib	UFO	Lab	Ind	Farm-Lab	Ind-Con	Soc	Farm-Lib	Soldier	Sold-Lab	Ind-Lib	Totals
Acclamation	4	4												4
2	48	44	15	31	2	2		1		1				96
3	50	46	44	32	14	8	3			1	1	1		150
4	8	8	6	2	4	4	2	2	2		1	1		32
5														–
6	1	1	1	1	1				1				1	6
Total	111	103	66	66	21	14	5	3	3	2	2	2	1	288

It was the first in which women could vote and run for office.^{[lower-alpha 2]} Election day was also held on the same day as the scheduled referendum on prohibition.^[2]

Conservatives

Hearst alienated the business community with his progressive policies; he had a rift with Adam Beck (London) over the direction of the Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission; and his promotion of prohibition alienated the urban "wets".^[2]

Only the Conservatives attempted to field a full slate—and were helped by having four candidates being declared elected by acclamation^[5]—but about two dozen incumbents decided to step aside in favour of the local farmer candidates.^[6]

Seventeen Conservative MLAs either retired from the Legislature, or had failed to be renominated.^[7] Arthur Pratt (Norfolk South) opted to campaign as an Independent-Conservative, claiming earlier in the year that at least 27 MLAs privately opposed Hearst's prohibition policy.^[6]

Beck also decided to stand as an Independent, saying, "I do not object to the Government having a control of the Hydro enterprise, but I object to its becoming a Government department; only as an Independent can I look after the interests of Hydro-Electric Power for the people of the Province in the most efficient manner."^[6]

Liberals

The Liberals split between those still loyal to former leader Newton Rowell and his successor William Proudfoot (Huron Centre), and those who supported the new leader, Hartley Dewart.^[2] John Campbell Elliott (Middlesex West) (who had come in 3rd in the 1919 leadership contest), joined by five others, decided to drop out of the race.^[8]

They tried to avoid direct contests with UFO candidates,^[2] fielding candidates in only 66 ridings as opposed to the 90 named in the 1914 election. In many respects, however, they underestimated the discontent that was simmering among rural Ontarians, and Dewart focused his attention unnecessarily against the Conservative campaign manager George Howard Ferguson.^[9]

Proudfoot opted to campaign as an Independent.^[10]

United Farmers

The UFO focused on rural areas. Its leader, R.H. Halbert, did not campaign, as he had been elected to the House of Commons of Canada in an earlier by-election.^[8] It had only two incumbent MPPs, Beniah Bowman and John Wesley Widdifield, who had entered the legislature by winning by-elections in Manitoulin and Ontario North.

Labour

The labour political movement was fragmented between the Independent Labour Party, the Ontario section of the Canadian Labour Party, and the Ontario Labour Educational Association and its newspaper The Industrial Banner.^[11] The ILP was the effective organization on the campaign trail that year, and it promoted joint action with the UFO.^[12]

Media in the campaign

Media support in the campaign was mixed. The Globe and The Toronto Star, at that time both Liberal in outlook, were hostile against Dewart because of his stand on temperance issues.^[13] The Toronto World, generally a Conservative backer, pursued a simmering scandal from 1916^[14]^[15] concerning International Nickel and alleged provincial support of wartime shipments of the metal to Germany via the cargo submarine Deutschland.^[16]^[8] The Farmer's Sun, recently acquired by the UFO, was an enthusiastic promoter of farmer policies.^[11]

Electoral system

Of the 111 seats, 103 were from single-member constituencies elected through first-past-the-post voting. The remaining eight came from four dual-member ridings in Toronto, each of which had parallel contests voting separately for seat A and seat B under the same FPTP rules.

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1919 Ontario general election
Riding	Region	1914		Winning party						Turnout ^{[a 1]}	Votes
				Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %		UFO	Lab	F-Lab	F-Lib	Soldier	Lib	Con	Ind	I-Con	I-Lib	S-Lab	Soc	Total
				Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %														Total

Addington	EAS		Con		Con	acclaimed
Algoma‡	NOR		Con		Lib	2,272	35.48%	39	0.61%	75.21%	1,898	–	–	–	–	2,272	2,233	–	–	–	–	–	6,403
Brant	MWO		Lib		UFO	3,597	44.21 %	1,024	12.59%	79.52%	3,597	–	–	–	–	1,966	2,573	–	–	–	–	–	8,136
Brant South	MWO		Lib		Lab	6,408	46.55%	2,377	17.27%	82.90%	–	6,408	–	–	–	4,031	3,326	–	–	–	–	–	13,765
Brockville	EAS		Con		Lib	4,866	56.47%	1,115	12.94%	81.26%	–	–	–	–	–	4,866	3,751	–	–	–	–	–	8,617
Bruce North	MWO		Lib		UFO	3,689	54.08%	557	8.17%	80.47%	3,689	–	–	–	–	3,132	–	–	–	–	–	–	6,821
Bruce South	MWO		Con		Lib	2,727	41.88%	797	12.24%	83.97%	1,930	–	–	–	–	2,727	1,855	–	–	–	–	–	6,512
Bruce West	MWO		Lib		Lib	3,094	39.75%	101	1.30%	84.06%	2,993	–	–	–	–	3,094	1,696	–	–	–	–	–	7,783
Carleton	EAS		Con		UFO	4,877	56.24%	1,082	12.48%	70.04%	4,877	–	–	–	–	–	3,795	–	–	–	–	–	8,672
Cochrane	NOR		Lib		Lib	2,951	49.24%	1,120	18.69%	62.23%	–	1,211	–	–	–	2,951	1,831	–	–	–	–	–	5,993
Dufferin	MWO		Con		UFO	4,117	53.50%	538	7.00%	80.72%	4,117	–	–	–	–	–	3,579	–	–	–	–	–	7,696
Dundas	EAS		Con		UFO	4,792	59.45%	1,524	18.90%	79.05%	4,792	–	–	–	–	–	3,268	–	–	–	–	–	8,060
Durham East	CEN		Con		UFO	1,111	57.89%	303	15.78%	25.53%	1,111	–	–	–	–	–	808	–	–	–	–	–	1,919
Durham West	CEN		Con		Lib	3,346	56.20%	738	12.40%	81.53%	–	–	–	–	–	3,346	2,608	–	–	–	–	–	5,954
Elgin East	SWO		Con		UFO	4,937	59.47%	1,572	18.94%	80.21%	4,937	–	–	–	–	–	3,365	–	–	–	–	–	8,302
Elgin West	SWO		Con		UFO	7,542	57.11%	1,879	14.22%	74.67%	7,542	–	–	–	–	–	5,663	–	–	–	–	–	13,205
Essex North	SWO		Lib		UFO	6,486	71.09%	3,848	42.18%	75.06%	6,486	–	–	–	–	–	2,638	–	–	–	–	–	9,124
Essex South	SWO		Lib		UFO	3,558	41.30%	130	1.51%	81.13%	3,558	–	–	–	–	3,428	–	1,629	–	–	–	–	8,615
Fort William	NOR		Con		Lab	3,745	51.48%	1,513	20.80%	65.99%	–	3,745	–	–	–	2,232	1,298	–	–	–	–	–	7,275
Frontenac	EAS		Con		Con	3,016	47.32%	509	7.99%	77.45%	2,507	–	–	–	–	–	3,016	850	–	–	–	–	6,373
Glengarry	EAS		Lib		UFO	4,554	62.10%	1,775	24.20%	66.84%	4,554	–	–	–	–	2,779	–	–	–	–	–	–	7,333
Grenville*	EAS		Con		Con	4,125	50.50%	81	1.00%	81.69%	4,044	–	–	–	–	–	4,125	–	–	–	–	–	8,169
Grey Centre	MWO		Con		UFO	4,363	52.87%	474	5.74%	83.76%	4,363	–	–	–	–	–	3,889	–	–	–	–	–	8,252
Grey North*	MWO		Con		F-Lib	5,659	55.92%	1,198	11.84%	79.73%	–	–	–	5,659	–	–	4,461	–	–	–	–	–	10,120
Grey South	MWO		Con		UFO	5,252	54.99%	953	9.98%	78.14%	5,252	–	–	–	–	–	4,299	–	–	–	–	–	9,551
Haldimand	MWO		Con		UFO	6,056	59.83%	1,990	19.66%	85.32%	6,056	–	–	–	–	–	4,066	–	–	–	–	–	10,122
Halton	HAM		Con		UFO	4,456	40.33%	1,054	9.54%	79.06%	4,456	–	–	–	–	3,190	3,402	–	–	–	–	–	11,048
Hamilton East	HAM		Lab		Lab	16,012	60.24%	7,588	28.55%	71.90%	–	16,012	–	–	2,146	–	–	–	–	–	8,424	–	26,582
Hamilton West	HAM		Con		Lab	8,722	60.25%	4,643	32.07%	72.94%	–	8,722	–	–	–	1,675	4,079	–	–	–	–	–	14,476
Hastings East	EAS		Con		UFO	3,641	51.22%	174	2.44%	80.76%	3,641	–	–	–	–	–	3,467	–	–	–	–	–	7,108
Hastings North	EAS		Con		Con	acclaimed
Hastings West	EAS		Con		Con	5,072	52.19%	425	4.38%	79.54%	–	–	–	–	–	4,647	5,072	–	–	–	–	–	9,719
Huron Centre	MWO		Lib		Lab	3,193	38.65%	163	1.97%	81.37%	2,039	3,193	–	–	–	–	–	3,030	–	–	–	–	8,262
Huron North	MWO		Con		Con	2,897	37.61%	341	4.43%	85.18%	2,249	–	–	–	–	2,556	2,897	–	–	–	–	–	7,702
Huron South	MWO		Con		UFO	3,298	41.91%	774	9.84%	84.22%	3,298	–	–	–	–	2,047	2,524	–	–	–	–	–	7,869
Kenora	NOR		Con		Lab	1,870	49.47%	975	25.79%	73.99%	–	1,870	–	–	–	405	610	895	–	–	–	–	3,780
Kent East	SWO		Lib		UFO	5,374	55.28%	1,026	10.56%	84.57%	5,374	–	–	–	–	–	4,348	–	–	–	–	–	9,722
Kent West	SWO		Con		Lib	8,098	48.03%	2,919	17.31%	82.89%	5,179	–	–	–	–	8,098	3,583	–	–	–	–	–	16,860
Kingston	EAS		Con		Con	acclaimed
Lambton East	SWO		Con		UFO	4,575	53.09%	2,414	28.01%	85.86%	4,575	–	–	–	–	1,882	2,161	–	–	–	–	–	8,618
Lambton West	SWO		Con		UFO	6,081	40.42%	1,299	8.64%	80.56%	6,081	4,782	–	–	–	–	4,180	–	–	–	–	–	15,043
Lanark North	EAS		Con		UFO	2,881	40.85%	83	1.18%	81.33%	2,881	–	–	–	–	1,373	2,798	–	–	–	–	–	7,052
Lanark South	EAS		Con		UFO	3,872	48.18%	803	9.99%	76.05%	3,872	1,096	–	–	–	–	3,069	–	–	–	–	–	8,037
Leeds	EAS		Con		Con	4,351	54.59%	731	9.18%	78.03%	–	–	–	–	–	3,620	4,351	–	–	–	–	–	7,971
Lennox	EAS		Con		Con	2,329	39.98%	314	5.39%	81.71%	1,482	–	–	–	–	2,015	2,329	–	–	–	–	–	5,826
Lincoln	HAM		Lib		Lib	3,242	39.39%	507	6.16%	80.22%	2,735	–	–	–	–	3,242	2,253	–	–	–	–	–	8,230
London	SWO		Con		Lab	13,008	53.94%	1,901	7.88%	78.32%	–	13,008	–	–	–	–	–	11,107	–	–	–	–	24,115
Manitoulin	NOR		Con		UFO	2,428	60.20%	823	20.40%	74.05%	2,428	–	–	–	–	–	1,605	–	–	–	–	–	4,033
Middlesex East	SWO		Con		UFO	5,463	52.61%	2,963	28.53%	80.53%	5,463	–	–	–	–	2,500	2,421	–	–	–	–	–	10,384
Middlesex North	SWO		Lib		UFO	3,857	50.41%	1,696	22.18%	84.48%	3,857	–	–	–	–	1,627	2,161	–	–	–	–	–	7,645
Middlesex West	SWO		Lib		UFO	4,394	75.59%	2,975	51.18%	81.35%	4,394	–	–	–	–	–	1,419	–	–	–	–	–	5,813
Muskoka	CEN		Con		Con	3,054	46.22%	290	4.39%	67.05%	–	–	–	–	–	2,764	3,054	789	–	–	–	–	6,607
Niagara Falls	HAM		Con		Lab	4,057	38.37%	368	3.48%	76.25%	–	4,057	–	–	–	3,689	2,826	–	–	–	–	–	10,572
Nipissing	NOR		Con		Lib	3,122	42.44%	934	12.70%	71.52%	–	2,188	–	–	–	3,122	2,046	–	–	–	–	–	7,356
Norfolk North	MWO		Lib		UFO	4,522	63.09%	1,877	26.18%	79.98%	4,522	–	–	–	–	–	2,645	–	–	–	–	–	7,167
Norfolk South	MWO		Con		UFO	3,280	62.67%	1,326	25.34%	79.50%	3,280	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,954	–	–	–	5,234
Northumberland East	CEN		Con		UFO	4,521	50.49%	87	0.98%	78.31%	4,521	–	–	–	–	–	4,434	–	–	–	–	–	8,955
Northumberland West	CEN		Lib		Lib	3,401	55.32%	654	10.64%	81.20%	–	–	–	–	–	3,401	2,747	–	–	–	–	–	6,148
Ontario North	CEN		Con		UFO	4,162	54.12%	633	8.24%	84.13%	4,162	–	–	–	–	–	3,529	–	–	–	–	–	7,691
Ontario South	CEN		Con		Lib	7,843	63.97%	3,425	27.94%	75.93%	–	–	–	–	–	7,843	4,418	–	–	–	–	–	12,261
Ottawa East	OTT		Lib		Lib	7,309	63.57%	4,431	38.54%	62.40%	–	2,878	–	–	–	7,309	1,311	–	–	–	–	–	11,498
Ottawa West	OTT		Lib		Con	8,953	34.36%	1,097	4.21%	69.56%	–	7,856	–	–	–	6,526	8,953	2,723	–	–	–	–	26,058
Oxford North	MWO		Lib		Lib	5,369	47.61%	2,313	20.51%	80.76%	–	–	2,852	–	–	5,369	3,056	–	–	–	–	–	11,277
Oxford South	MWO		Con		UFO	4,452	39.84%	617	5.52%	83.74%	4,452	–	–	–	–	2,888	3,835	–	–	–	–	–	11,175
Parkdale	TOR		Con		Con	11,091	68.95%	6,096	37.90%	67.61%	–	–	–	–	–	–	11,091	4,995	–	–	–	–	16,086
Parry Sound	CEN		Con		Lib	4,618	54.49%	761	8.98%	67.01%	–	–	–	–	–	4,618	3,857	–	–	–	–	–	8,475
Peel	CEN		Con		Con	4,562	40.25%	105	0.93%	83.63%	2,315	–	–	–	–	4,457	4,562	–	–	–	–	–	11,334
Perth North	MWO		Con		Lib	6,095	41.63%	1,641	11.21%	80.08%	4,454	–	–	–	–	6,095	4,092	–	–	–	–	–	14,641
Perth South	MWO		Con		UFO	5,847	64.20%	2,586	28.40%	—	5,847	–	–	–	–	–	3,261	–	–	–	–	–	9,108
Peterborough East	CEN		Con		UFO	3,623	58.18%	1,019	16.36%	73.91%	3,623	–	–	–	–	–	2,604	–	–	–	–	–	6,227
Peterborough West	CEN		Lib		Lab	4,732	41.49%	685	6.01%	76.19%	–	4,732	–	–	–	4,047	2,625	–	–	–	–	–	11,404
Port Arthur	NOR		Con		Con	2,578	41.33%	483	7.74%	70.97%	–	–	–	–	–	2,095	2,578	1,564	–	–	–	–	6,237
Prescott	EAS		I-Lib		Lib	3,929	47.43%	1,298	15.67%	71.03%	2,631	–	–	–	–	3,929	1,724	–	–	–	–	–	8,284
Prince Edward	EAS		Lib		Lib	4,557	55.78%	945	11.56%	82.46%	–	–	–	–	–	4,557	3,612	–	–	–	–	–	8,169
Rainy River	NOR		Con		Con	1,420	40.00%	352	9.92%	68.44%	1,062	–	–	–	–	1,068	1,420	–	–	–	–	–	3,550
Renfrew North	EAS		Con		UFO	3,979	41.10%	230	2.38%	82.45%	3,979	–	–	–	–	1,954	3,749	–	–	–	–	–	9,682
Renfrew South	EAS		Con		UFO	5,426	51.53%	322	3.06%	72.51%	5,426	–	–	–	–	–	5,104	–	–	–	–	–	10,530
Riverdale	TOR		Con		Soldier	7,472	38.84%	1,599	8.31%	—	–	5,873	–	–	7,472	–	5,706	–	–	–	–	189	19,240
Russell	EAS		Lib		Lib	6,121	49.98%	1,174	9.59%	70.80%	4,947	–	–	–	–	6,121	–	1,180	–	–	–	–	12,248
St. Catharines	HAM		Con		Lab	6,313	48.67%	1,891	14.58%	77.71%	–	6,313	–	–	–	2,235	4,422	–	–	–	–	–	12,970
Sault Ste. Marie	NOR		Con		Lab	4,444	59.11%	1,370	18.22%	75.23%	–	4,444	–	–	–	–	3,074	–	–	–	–	–	7,518
Simcoe Centre	CEN		Con		UFO	5,234	57.89%	1,426	15.78%	77.00%	5,234	–	–	–	–	–	3,808	–	–	–	–	–	9,042
Simcoe East	CEN		Con		UFO	5,063	40.78%	483	3.89%	73.05%	5,063	–	–	–	–	–	4,580	2,773	–	–	–	–	12,416
Simcoe South	CEN		Con		UFO	2,927	53.68%	401	7.36%	79.99%	2,927	–	–	–	–	–	2,526	–	–	–	–	–	5,453
Simcoe West	CEN		Con		Con	4,491	55.46%	885	10.92%	74.57%	3,606	–	–	–	–	–	4,491	–	–	–	–	–	8,097
Stormont	EAS		Con		Lib	4,284	43.01%	1,338	13.43%	70.19%	2,946	–	–	–	–	4,284	2,731	–	–	–	–	–	9,961
Sturgeon Falls	NOR		Lib		Lib	2,690	62.02%	1,798	41.46%	71.69%	755	–	–	–	–	2,690	892	–	–	–	–	–	4,337
Sudbury	NOR		Con		Con	3,551	40.59%	142	1.62%	67.63%	–	–	–	1,789	–	3,409	3,551	–	–	–	–	–	8,749
Timiskaming	NOR		Con		Con	3,092	35.84%	77	0.89%	70.81%	–	–	3,015	–	–	2,520	3,092	–	–	–	–	–	8,627
Toronto NE - A	TOR		Con		Con	acclaimed
Toronto NE - B	TOR		Con		Con	13,495	44.59%	5,323	17.59%	56.95%	–	2,910	–	–	–	5,685	13,495	–	8,172	–	–	–	30,262
Toronto NW - A	TOR		Con		Con	18,797	53.93%	2,741	7.86%	—	–	–	–	–	–	16,056	18,797	–	–	–	–	–	34,853
Toronto NW - B	TOR		Con		Lib	18,522	50.80%	585	1.60%	—	–	–	–	–	–	18,522	17,937	–	–	–	–	–	36,459
Toronto SE - A	TOR		Con		Lib	10,037	38.43%	4,585	17.55%	—	–	–	–	–	–	10,037	5,452	1,063	–	–	–	–	26,119
Toronto SE - B	TOR		Con		Lib	10,508	66.92%	5,313	33.84%	—	–	–	–	–	–	10,508	5,195	–	–	–	–	–	15,703
Toronto SW - A	TOR		Con		Lib	16,555	63.86%	7,186	27.72%	54.34%	–	–	–	–	–	16,555	9,369	–	–	–	–	–	25,924
Toronto SW - B	TOR		Con		Lib	12,428	46.88%	4,800	18.10%	55.57%	–	6,457	–	–	–	12,428	7,628	–	–	–	–	–	26,513
Victoria North	CEN		Con		UFO	3,348	57.94%	918	15.88%	69.02%	3,348	–	–	–	–	–	2,430	–	–	–	–	–	5,778
Victoria South	CEN		Con		UFO	2,452	68.97%	1,349	37.94%	82.03%	2,452	–	–	–	–	–	1,103	–	–	–	–	–	3,555
Waterloo North	MWO		Con		I-Lib	5,354	34.62%	2,141	13.85%	74.15%	2,211	3,213	–	–	–	2,974	1,487	–	–	5,354	–	225	15,464
Waterloo South	MWO		Con		F-Lab	8,074	55.49%	4,238	29.12%	78.62%	–	–	8,074	–	–	3,836	2,641	–	–	–	–	–	14,551
Welland	HAM		Con		Lib	5,183	49.03%	1,743	16.49%	95.96%	1,949	–	–	–	–	5,183	3,440	–	–	–	–	–	10,572
Wellington East	MWO		Lib		UFO	3,279	45.08%	908	12.48%	82.86%	3,279	–	–	–	–	1,623	2,371	–	–	–	–	–	7,273
Wellington South*	MWO		L-Tmp		Con	4,362	36.70%	120	1.01%	—	–	–	3,060	–	–	4,242	4,362	–	–	–	–	223	11,887
Wellington West	MWO		Con		UFO	3,379	54.60%	569	9.20%	—	3,379	–	–	–	–	–	2,810	–	–	–	–	–	6,189
Wentworth North	HAM		Con		UFO	4,634	72.21%	2,851	44.42%	76.21%	4,634	–	–	–	–	–	1,783	–	–	–	–	–	6,417
Wentworth South	HAM		Con		UFO	2,642	34.62%	311	4.07%	74.29%	2,642	–	–	–	–	1,995	2,331	–	–	–	664	–	7,632
Windsor	SWO		Lib		Lib	10,874	63.59%	4,649	27.18%	72.11%	–	–	–	–	–	10,874	6,225	–	–	–	–	–	17,099
York East	CEN		Con		Con	8,962	36.85%	1,672	6.87%	68.47%	7,290	–	–	–	–	6,926	8,962	1,144	–	–	–	–	24,322
York North	CEN		Con		Con	4,139	38.10%	286	2.63%	83.24%	2,869	–	–	–	–	3,853	4,139	–	–	–	–	–	10,861
York West	CEN		Con		Con	10,436	37.54%	2,113	7.61%	67.24%	–	–	8,323	–	–	–	10,436	4,935	4,087	–	–	–	27,781

(* - on recount; ‡ - recount requested but subsequently abandoned)

= incumbent re-elected under the same party banner

= returned by acclamation

= incumbency arose from byelection gain

= incumbent switched allegiance for 1919 nomination

= other incumbents renominated

↑ including spoilt ballots

Post-election pendulum

The robustness of the margins of victory for each party can be summarized in electoral pendulums. These are not necessarily a measure of the volatility of the respective riding results. The following tables show the margins over the various 2nd-place contenders, for which one-half of the value represents the swing needed to overturn the result. Actual seat turnovers to the opposition parties in the 1919 election are noted for reference.

= seats that opposition parties gained in the election

Post-election pendulum - 1919 Ontario general election

Coalition (58 seats)
Margins 5% or less
Northumberland East	Con	0.98
Lanark North	Con	1.18
Essex South	Lib	1.51
Huron Centre	Ind	1.97
Renfrew North	Con	2.38
Hastings East	Con	2.44
Renfrew South	Con	3.06
Niagara Falls	Lib	3.48
Simcoe East	Con	3.89
Wentworth South	Con	4.07
Margins 5%–10%
Oxford South	Con	5.52
Grey Centre	Con	5.74
Peterborough West	Lib	6.01
Dufferin	Con	7.00
Simcoe South	Con	7.36
London	Ind	7.88
Bruce North	Lib	8.17
Ontario North	Con	8.24
Riverdale	Lab	8.31
Lambton West	Lab	8.64
Wellington West	Con	9.20
Halton	Con	9.54
Huron South	Con	9.84
Grey South	Con	9.98
Lanark South	Con	9.99
Margins 10%–20%
Kent East	Con	10.56
Grey North	Con	11.84
Carleton	Con	12.48
Wellington East	Con	12.48
Brant	Con	12.59
Elgin West	Con	14.22
St. Catharines	Con	14.58
Durham East	Con	15.78
Simcoe Centre	Con	15.78
Victoria North	Con	15.88
Peterborough East	Con	16.36
Brant South	Lib	17.27
Sault Ste. Marie	Con	18.22
Dundas	Con	18.90
Elgin East	Con	18.94
Haldimand	Con	19.66
Margins > 20%
Manitoulin	Con	20.40
Fort William	Lib	20.80
Middlesex North	Con	22.18
Glengarry	Lib	24.20
Norfolk South	I-Con	25.34
Kenora	Ind	25.79
Norfolk North	Con	26.18
Lambton East	Con	28.01
Perth South	Con	28.40
Middlesex East	Lib	28.53
Hamilton East	S-Lab	28.55
Waterloo South	Lib	29.12
Hamilton West	Con	32.07
Victoria South	Con	37.94
Essex North	Con	42.18
Wentworth North	Con	44.42
Middlesex West	Con	51.18

Liberal (27 seats)
Margins 5% or less
Algoma	Con	0.61
Bruce West	UFO	1.30
Toronto NW - B	Con	1.60
Margins 5%–10%
Lincoln	UFO	6.16
Parry Sound	Con	8.98
Russell	UFO	9.59
Margins 10%–20%
Northumberland West	Con	10.64
Perth North	UFO	11.21
Prince Edward	Con	11.56
Bruce South	UFO	12.24
Durham West	Con	12.40
Nipissing	Lab	12.70
Brockville	Con	12.94
Stormont	UFO	13.43
Prescott	UFO	15.67
Welland	Con	16.49
Kent West	UFO	17.31
Toronto SE - A	Con	17.55
Toronto SW - B	Con	18.10
Cochrane	Con	18.69
Margins > 20%
Oxford North	Con	20.51
Windsor	Con	27.18
Toronto SW - A	Con	27.72
Ontario South	Con	27.94
Toronto SE - B	Con	33.84
Ottawa East	Lab	38.54
Sturgeon Falls	Con	41.46
Conservative (25 seats)
Acclaimed
Addington
Hastings North
Kingston
Toronto NE - A
Margins 5% or less
Timiskaming	F-Lab	0.89
Peel	Lib	0.93
Grenville	UFO	1.00
Wellington South	Lib	1.01
Sudbury	Lib	1.62
York North	Lib	2.63
Ottawa West	Lab	4.21
Hastings West	Lib	4.38
Muskoka	Lib	4.39
Huron North	Lib	4.43
Margins 5%–10%
Lennox	Lib	5.39
York East	UFO	6.87
York West	F-Lab	7.61
Port Arthur	Lib	7.74
Toronto NW - A	Lib	7.86
Frontenac	UFO	7.99
Leeds	Lib	9.18
Rainy River	Lib	9.92
Margins 10%–20%
Simcoe West	UFO	10.92
Toronto NE - B	I-Con	17.59
Margins > 20%
Parkdale	Ind	37.90
Independent-Liberal (1 seat)
Waterloo North	Lab	13.85

Impact

The result was highly skewed as a result of the way the ridings were drawn up. The Ottawa Journal noted, "The arrangement of electoral districts in Ontario (and throughout Canada) is such that a farmer’s vote has practically twice the effect of the vote of any person resident in cities or large towns. Ottawa, for instance, with 110,000 population elects two members to the Ontario Legislature; Carleton County on one side with 20,000 people elects one member; Russell County on the other side has a population of 40,000 and elects one member."^[17]

The UFO emerged from the vote with the largest bloc of seats, joining the eleven Labour MLAs to form a coalition government. Liberal-UFO MLA David James Taylor of Grey North, "Soldier" MLA Joseph McNamara of Riverdale and Labour-UFO MLA Karl Homuth of Waterloo South were also members of the governing caucus giving Drury's coalition 58 seats in total, a slight majority.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Hartley Dewart, increased the size of its caucus by a small number, despite turning over more than half the seats held. The Conservative Party lost ground to all other parties, despite receiving the most votes.

The election had several sweeping results:^[7]

only about two dozen MPPs from the previous Legislative Assembly were re-elected;
notably, Conservative William Hearst was defeated by a Labour candidate;
Beck and Proudfoot were also defeated by Labour candidates, despite the decision of the Conservatives and Liberals not to contest the seats;
three clergymen were elected;
eighteen returned soldiers were elected; and
all anti-Prohibition candidates were defeated.

Upon hearing the news of the Conservative defeat, Hearst noted:

I will not make any prophecy as to what will take place. I thought the Government was going to sweep the country, and I was not alone in that, for a great many Liberals who were supporting me thought so, too. The Temperance Act no doubt had a great deal to do with my defeat, but I did what I felt was right, and if I had it to do over again, I would do the same thing.^[18]

Three days after the election, James J. Morrison, Secretary of the UFO, reported on the way he had addressed the need to form a working majority in the chamber. He released the following statement:

The members-elect of the United Farmers of Ontario, after due consideration of the matter, have decided that it would be unwise for them to enter into alliance with either of the old Parties as parties. They are prepared to assume the fullest share of responsibility and form a Government in co-operation with such members of other parties as are in sympathy with their platform and principles and are free to give support thereto. In the formation of a Cabinet full consideration will be given to the various interests of the Province.^[19]

Ernest C. Drury agreed to lead the new government as Premier of Ontario,^[19]^[20] and a UFO-Labour coalition cabinet was formed.^[21] Although he was Vice-President of the UFO,^[8] Drury had not been a candidate in the election^[8] and had to run in a by-election to enter the legislature following his appointment to the office of Premier.

Results overview

Elections to the 15th Parliament of Ontario (1919)^[1]
Political party		Party leader	MPPs					Votes
Political party		Party leader	Candidates	1914	Dissol.	1919	±	#	%	± (pp)
	UFO-Labour Coalition
	█ United Farmers	–	66	–	2	44	44	248,274	20.97%	New
	█ Labour	Walter Rollo	21	1	1	11	10	107,588	9.09%	7.75
	█ Farmer–Labour		5	–	–	1	1	27,841	2.35%	New
	█ Farmer-Liberal		2	–	–	1	1	7,448	0.63%	New
	█ Soldier		2	–	–	1	1	9,618	0.81%	New
	Coalition Total					58		400,679	33.85%
	Liberal	Hartley Dewart	66	24	27	27	3	301,995	25.51%	12.41
	Conservative	William Hearst	103	84	79	25	59	403,655	34.09%	19.78
	Independent Liberal		1	1	1	1		5,354	0.45%	0.01
	Liberal-Temperance		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Independent		14	–	–	–	–	48,244	4.07%	3.08
	Independent Conservative		3	–	–	–	–	14,213	1.20%	0.81
	Soldier–Labour		2	–	–	–	–	9,088	0.77%	New
	Socialist		3	–	–	–	–	637	0.05%	0.87
Total			288	111	111	111		1,183,955	100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots								50,810
Registered voters / turnout								1,443,746	85.53%	21.10

Seats and popular vote by party
	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
Coalition	58 / 111	33.85%	32.51	32.51
Liberal	27 / 111	25.51%	-12.41
Conservative	25 / 111	34.09%	-19.75
Temperance factions	0 / 111	0.00%	-3.97
Other	1 / 111	6.55%	3.62	3.62

Results by riding

Italicized names indicate members returned by acclamation. Two-tone colour boxes indicate ridings that turned over from the 1914 election, eg,

(UFO in 1919 and Conservative in 1914)

Central Ontario

Addington: William David Black

Durham East: Samuel Sandford Staples

Durham West: William John Bragg

Hastings East: Henry Ketcheson Denyes

Hastings North: John Robert Cooke

Hastings West: William Henry Ireland

Lennox: Reginald Amherst Fowler

Muskoka: George Walter Ecclestone

Northumberland East: Wesley Montgomery

Northumberland West: Samuel Clarke

Peterborough East: Ernest Nicholls McDonald

Peterborough West: Thomas Tooms

Prince Edward: Nelson Parliament

Simcoe Centre: Gilbert Hugh Murdoch

Simcoe East: John Benjamin Johnston

Simcoe South: Edgar James Evan

Simcoe West: William Torrance Allen

Victoria North: Edgar Watson

Victoria South: Frederick George Sandy

Eastern Ontario

Brockville: Donald McAlpine

Carleton: Robert Henry Grant

Dundas: William H. Casselman

Frontenac: Anthony McGuin Rankin

Glengarry: Duncan Alexander Ross

Grenville: George Howard Ferguson

Kingston: Arthur Edward Ross

Lanark North: Hiram McCreary

Lanark South: William J. Johnston

Leeds: Andrew Wellington Gray

Ottawa East: Joseph Albert Pinard

Ottawa West: Hammett Pinhey Hill

Prescott: Gustave Évanturel

Renfrew North: Ralph Melville Warren

Renfrew South: John Carty

Russell: Damase Racine

Stormont: James William McLeod

Hamilton/Halton/Niagara

Halton: John Featherstone Ford

Hamilton East: George Grant Halcrow

Hamilton West: Walter Rollo

Lincoln: Thomas A. Marshall

Niagara Falls: Charles Fletcher Swayze

St. Catharines: Frank Howard Greenlaw

Welland: Robert Cooper

Wentworth North: Frank Campbell Biggs

Wentworth South: Wilson A. Crockett

Midwestern Ontario

Brant: Harry Corwin Nixon

Brant South: Morrison Mann MacBride

Bruce North: William Henry Fenton

Bruce South: Frank Rennie

Bruce West: Alexander Patterson Mewhinney

Dufferin: Thomas Kerr Slack

Grey Centre: Dougall Carmichael

Grey North: David James Taylor (F-Lib)

Grey South: George Mansfield Leeson

Haldimand: Warren Stringer

Norfolk North: George David Sewell

Norfolk South: Joseph Cridland

Oxford North: John Alexander Calder

Oxford South: Albert Thomas Walker

Perth North: Francis Wellington Hay

Perth South: Peter Smith

Waterloo North: Nicholas Asmussen (I-Lib)

Waterloo South: Karl Kenneth Homuth (F-Lab)

Wellington East: Albert Hellyer

Wellington South: Caleb Henry Buckland

Wellington West: Robert Neil McArthur

Northeastern Ontario

Algoma: Kenneth Spencer Stover

Cochrane: Malcolm Lang

Manitoulin: Beniah Bowman

Nipissing: Joseph Marceau

Parry Sound: Richard Reese Hall

Sault Ste. Marie: James Bertram Cunningham

Sturgeon Falls: Zotique Mageau

Sudbury: Charles McCrea

Timiskaming: Thomas Magladery

Northwest Ontario

Fort William: Henry Mills

Kenora: Peter Heenan

Port Arthur: Donald McDonald Hogarth

Rainy River: James Arthur Mathieu

Southwestern Ontario

Elgin East: Malcolm MacVicar

Elgin West: Peter Gow Cameron

Essex North: Alphonse George Tisdelle

Essex South: Milton C. Fox

Huron Centre: John M. Govenlock

Huron North: John Joynt

Huron South: Andrew Hicks

Kent East: James B. Clark

Kent West: Robert Livingstone Brackin

Lambton East: Leslie Warner Oke

Lambton West: Jonah Moorehouse Webster

London: Hugh Allen Stevenson

Middlesex East: John Willard Freeborn

Middlesex North: James C. Brown

Middlesex West: John Giles Lethbridge

Windsor: James Craig Tolmie

Toronto

Parkdale: William Herbert Price

Riverdale: Joseph McNamara

Toronto Northeast - A: Henry John Cody

Toronto Northeast - B: Joseph Elijah Thompson

Toronto Northwest - A: Thomas Crawford

Toronto Northwest - B: Henry Sloane Cooper

Toronto Southeast - A: John O'Neill

Toronto Southeast - B: James Walter Curry

Toronto Southwest - A: Herbert Hartley Dewart

Toronto Southwest - B: John Carman Ramsden

York/Peel/Ontario

Ontario North: John Wesley Widdifield

Ontario South: William Edmund Newton Sinclair

Peel: Thomas Laird Kennedy

York East: George Stewart Henry

York North: Thomas Herbert Lennox

York West: Forbes Godfrey

Analysis

Party rankings (1st to 5th place)
Party		Acc	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
	█ United Farmers		44	12	9	1
	█ Labour		11	6	3	1
	█ Farmer–Labour		1	2	2
	█ Farmer-Liberal		1		1
	█ Soldier		1		1
	█ Liberal		27	21	17	1
	█ Conservative	4	21	59	18		1
	█ Independent-Liberal		1
	█ Independent			4	8	2
	█ Independent-Conservative			2		1
	█ Soldier–Labour			1		1
	█ Socialist					2
Totals		4	107	107	59	9	1

Party candidates in 2nd place
Party		UFO	Lab	F-Lab	Lib	Con	Ind	Ind-Con	S-Lab
	█ United Farmers		1		4	38		1
	█ Labour				4	3	3		1
	█ Farmer–Labour				1
	█ Farmer-Liberal					1
	█ Soldier		1
	█ Liberal	8	2			17
	█ Conservative	4	1	2	12		1	1
	█ Independent-Liberal		1
Totals		12	6	2	21	59	4	2	1

Principal races, according to 1st and 2nd-place results
Parties		Seats
█ United Farmers	█ Conservative	42
█ Liberal	█ Conservative	29
█ Liberal	█ United Farmers	12
█ Labour	█ Liberal	6
█ Labour	█ Conservative	4
█ Labour	█ Independent	3
█ Conservative	█ Farmer–Labour	2
█ Conservative	█ Independent	1
█ Conservative	█ Independent-Conservative	1
█ Farmer–Labour	█ Liberal	1
█ Farmer-Liberal	█ Conservative	1
█ Independent-Liberal	█ Labour	1
█ Labour	█ Soldier–Labour	1
█ Soldier	█ Labour	1
█ United Farmers	█ Independent-Conservative	1
█ United Farmers	█ Labour	1
Total		107

Seats that changed hands

Elections to the 15th Parliament of Ontario – seats won/lost by party, 1914–1919
Party		1914	Gain from (loss to)																		1919
Party		1914	UFO		Lab		F-Lab		F-Lib		Sol		Lib		Con		I-Lib		L-Tmp		1919
	█ United Farmers	–											10		34						44
	█ Labour	1											3		7						11
	█ Farmer–Labour	–													1						1
	█ Farmer-Liberal	–													1						1
	█ Soldier	–													1						1
	Liberal	24		(10)		(3)									16	(1)	1				27
	Conservative	84		(34)		(7)		(1)		(1)		(1)	1	(16)				(1)	1		25
	Independent-Liberal	1												(1)	1						1
	Liberal-Temperance	1														(1)					–
Total		111	–	(44)	–	(10)	–	(1)	–	(1)	–	(1)	14	(17)	61	(2)	1	(1)	1	–	111

There were 77 seats that changed allegiance in the election:

(* - open seats, # - byelection gains held, ^ - change of affiliation)

(Riding names in italics did not have Liberal candidates. Riding names in bold did not have Conservative candidates.)

Conservative to UFO

Conservative to Labour

Conservative to Farmer-Labour

Waterloo South

Conservative to Farmer-Liberal

Grey North*

Conservative to Soldier

Riverdale*

Conservative to Liberal

Conservative to Independent-Liberal

Waterloo North

Liberal to UFO

Liberal to Labour

Liberal to Conservative

Ottawa West

Independent-Liberal to Liberal

Prescott^

Liberal-Temperance to Conservative

Wellington South

Resulting composition of the 15th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Source		Party
Source		UFO	Lab	F-Lab	F-Lib	Soldier	Lib	Con	Ind-Lib	Total
Seats retained	Incumbents returned		1				8	14		23
	Open seats held						1	4		5
	Byelection loss reversed							1		1
	Acclamation							4		4
Seats changing hands	Incumbents defeated	23	9	1			10	2	1	46
	Open seats gained	19	1		1	1	5			27
	Byelection gain held	2					2			4
	Change in affiliation						1			1
Total		44	11	1	1	1	27	25	1	111

Notable groups of candidates

Soldier candidates in the 1919 Ontario general election^[1]^[22]^[23]
	Riding	Candidate	Military rank	Votes	Placed
Conservative	Kingston	Arthur Edward Ross*	Brigadier-General	Acclaimed
	Leeds	Andrew Wellington Gray	Major	4,351	1st
	Parkdale	William Herbert Price*	Colonel	11,091	1st
	Peel	Thomas Laird Kennedy	Colonel	4,562	1st
	Port Arthur	Donald McDonald Hogarth*	Brigadier-General	2,578	1st
	Timiskaming	Thomas Magladery*	Captain	3,092	1st
	Toronto Northeast - B	Joseph Thompson	Captain	13,495	1st
	Wellington South	Caleb Henry Buckland†	Captain	4,362	1st
Liberal	Algoma	Kenneth Spencer Stover	Lieutenant	2,272	1st
	Cochrane	Malcolm Lang*	Major	2,951	1st
	Hastings West	Edward O'Flynn	Lieutenant-Colonel	4,647	2nd
	Middlesex East	Bart Robson	Lieutenant-Colonel	2,500	2nd
	Sudbury	Robert Arthur	Lieutenant-Colonel	3,409	2nd
	Toronto Northwest - B	Henry Sloane Cooper	Lieutenant-Colonel	18,522	1st
	Toronto Southwest - B	John Carman Ramsden	Captain	12,428	1st
	Windsor	James Craig Tolmie †	Major	10,874	1st
Soldier	Hamilton East	Maurice Fitzgerald	Captain	2,146	3rd
Soldier	Riverdale	Joseph McNamara	Sergeant-Major	7,472	1st
Soldier-Labour	Hamilton East	Samuel Landers	Lieutenant	8,424	2nd
Soldier-Labour	Wentworth South	Samuel Wilkinson		664	3rd
United Farmers	Grey Centre	Dougall Carmichael	Lieutenant-Colonel	4,363	1st
United Farmers	York East	George Little	Captain	7,290	2nd
Independent	Kenora	Harold Arthur Clement Machin *‡	Lieutenant-Colonel	895	2nd
Independent Conservative	Norfolk South	Arthur Clarence Pratt *‡	Colonel	1,954	2nd
Independent Conservative	Toronto Northeast - B	Kelly Evans ‡	Lieutenant-Colonel	8,172	2nd

(* - incumbent; † - chaplain; ‡ - Anti-Prohibition)

Women candidates in the 1919 Ontario general election^[1]^[24]
Riding	Candidate		Votes	Placed
Ottawa West	█ Independent	Justenia Sears	2,723	4th
Toronto Northeast - B	█ Liberal	Henrietta Bundy	5,685	3rd

Candidates returned by acclamation^[25]
	Riding	Candidate
Conservative	Addington	William David Black
	Hastings North	John Robert Cooke
	Kingston	Arthur Edward Ross
	Toronto Northeast - A	Henry John Cody

Cooke was the only acclaimed candidate who had not previously been an incumbent.^[25]

Notes and references

Notes

↑ named only after election
↑ Under Acts passed in 1917 and 1919 respectively.^[3]^[4]

References

1 2 3 4 "1919 General Election". Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Bradburn, Jamie (May 3, 2018). "The year the UFOs came to power in Ontario". tvo.org.
↑ The Ontario Franchise Act, 1917, S.O. 1917, c. 5, s. 4
↑ The Women's Assembly Qualification Act, 1919, S.O. 1919, c. 8
↑ Hopkins 1920, pp. 650–651.
1 2 3 Hopkins 1920, p. 651.
1 2 Hopkins 1920, p. 661.
1 2 3 4 5 Hopkins 1920, p. 655.
↑ Strange, Carolyn (2005). "Dewart, Herbert Hartley". In Cook, Ramsay; Bélanger, Réal (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XV (1921–1930) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
↑ Hopkins 1920, pp. 654–655.
1 2 Hopkins 1920, p. 657.
↑ Hopkins 1920, p. 658.
↑ Hopkins 1920, p. 652.
↑ Hopkins, J. Castell (1917). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1916. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Co. Ltd. pp. 532–540.
↑ "An Old Bone Gnawed Dry". Toronto World. October 15, 1919. p. 6.
↑ Miller, Scott (2019). "Devil Copper: War and the Canadian Nickel Industry, 1883–1970" (PDF). Canadian Military Journal. 20 (1): 31–39. at 34
↑ Hopkins 1920, p. 665.
↑ Hopkins 1920, pp. 665–666.
1 2 Hopkins 1920, p. 667.
↑ "Simcoe County Farmer is the Unanimous Choice as Ontario's Next Premier". Toronto World. October 30, 1919. p. 1.
↑ Hopkins 1920, pp. 668–669.
↑ Hopkins 1920, pp. 660–661.
↑ "No Party has Majority in the new Legislature". The Daily British Whig. Kingston. October 21, 1919. p. 1.
↑ Scollie 2012, pp. 2, 9–13.
1 2 "Many Factions Going to Polls". The Daily British Whig. Kingston. October 14, 1919. p. 1.

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