1923 Ontario general election

1923 Ontario general election
	June 25, 1923
111 seats in the 16th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ; 56 seats were needed for a majority
Premier before election; Ernest Charles Drury; United Farmers	Premier after election ; Howard Ferguson; Conservative

The 1923 Ontario general election was the 16th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 25, 1923, to elect the 111 Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").^[1]

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by George Howard Ferguson, was elected to power with a majority in the Legislature (although taking less than half the votes cast).

This election ended the rule of the United Farmers of Ontario-Labour coalition government of Ernest C. Drury.

Campaign

Candidate contests in the ridings
Candidates nominated	Ridings	Party
Candidates nominated	Ridings	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Pro	Ind-Lib	Totals
Acclamation	2	1			1				2
2	50	43	34	19	2	1	1		100
3	49	48	34	48	13	1	2	1	147
4	8	8	2	9	6	6		1	32
5	1	1	1	1		2			5
6	1	2		1	1	2			6
Total	111	103	71	78	23	12	3	2	292

Voter turnout

The election saw a voter turnout of just 54.7%, the lowest voter turnout in Ontario history until the 2007 election.^[2]

The low election turn-out was in part caused by the worst wind, rain and lightning storm in years inundating the western part of the province.^[3] The electrical storm and hurricane began shortly after the polls closed, resulting in massive disruption of telegraph and telephone communications, which hampered the reporting of results.^[4]

Results

The 1923 election was plagued by low turn-out, and all the parties took fewer voters than they had in 1919.

The UFO actually took a larger proportion of the vote than it had in 1919 but took just a fraction of the seats it had taken in 1919 due to much of the anti-UFO vote concentrating behind Conservative Party candidates. The UFO had held power by virtue of a coalition with Labour and three other MLAs. Together they had received 34 percent of the votes cast in 1919. The Conservatives after the 1923 election took majority government based on taking 34 percent of the vote by that one party alone.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Wellington Hay, lost close to half its caucus in the Conservative landslide. Labour (the Independent Labour Party) too lost most of its MLAs in this turn-around election.

The Conservative party was the most popular, taking 34 percent of the vote. Its candidate was the leading one in a large proportion of the districts, giving it a large majority of seats in the legislature (more than its due proportionally) under the First past the post system in use at the time.

In the election, the UFO again did not run candidates where a Labour candidate was running - and also not in 20 other districts as well. The UFO received the third-most number of votes overall but only ran in about two-thirds of the districts so its vote count likely does not measure its actual support. Together Labour and the UFO ran in 93 seats so the two did not cover all the districts in the province.

The UFO did not receive as many votes as it had in 1919 but still got fairly good numbers considering it did not run candidates in a third of the districts. As the 1923 election was plagued by low turn-out, the UFO received a higher percentage of votes cast than it had received in 1919.

Prior to the election, the UFO government had introduced bills to re-distribute the ridings,^[5] and to introduce proportional representation^[6] and the single transferable vote,^[7] but withdrew them after vehement opposition from the Conservative MLAs,^[8] and it was found that even some government members were ambivalent.^[9]

Under First past the post, the UFO received about a third of the seats that it was due proportionally overall. Looking at the 71 districts where the UFO ran candidates, it received about half the votes there so was due 35 of those seats but received only eight. In many districts, Conservative candidates took rural seats away from incumbent UFO MLAs by taking just a few hundred more votes than them in each district. In Prince Edward, Conservative candidate Horace Stanley Colliver took just 17 more votes than his closest contender to win the seat.^[10]^[11]

Ferguson was the only party leader to hold his seat in the election. Drury, Hay and Rollo all lost their seats to their Conservative opponents.

Elections to the 16th Parliament of Ontario (1923)
Political party		Party leader	MPPs					Votes
Political party		Party leader	Candidates	1919	Dissol.	1923	±	#	%	± (pp)
	Conservative	Howard Ferguson	103	25	24	75	50	473,819	49.77%	15.68
	United Farmers	E.C. Drury	71	44	44	17	27	199,393	20.94%	0.03
	Liberal	Wellington Hay	78	27	27	14	13	203,079	21.33%	4.18
	Labour	Walter Rollo	23	11	11	4	7	45,213	4.75%	4.34
	Independent		12	–	–	1	1	15,426	1.62%	2.45
	Independent Liberal		2	1	1	–	1	5,041	0.53%	0.08
	Progressive		3	–	–	–	–	10,122	1.06%	New
	Farmer–Labour		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Farmer-Liberal		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Soldier		–	1	1	–	1	Did not campaign
	Vacant				1
Total			292	111	111	111		952,093	100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots								13,600
Registered voters / turnout								1,655,312	58.34%	27.19

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1923 Ontario general election^{[a 1]}
Riding	Region	Winning party						Turnout ^{[a 2]}	Votes
		1919 → 1923		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %		Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	I-Lib	Prog	Total
		1919 → 1923		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %									Total

Addington	EAS		Con	3,110	70.83%	1,829	41.65%	61.33%	3,110	–	1,281	–	–	–	–	4,391
Algoma	NOR		Lib	2,365	36.06%	14	0.21%	67.57%	2,351	1,842	2,365	–	–	–	–	6,558
Brant North	MWO		UFO	3,617	50.36%	52	0.72%	61.19%	3,565	3,617	–	–	–	–	–	7,182
Brant South	MWO		Lab	5,678	53.26%	695	6.52%	59.09%	–	–	4,983	5,678	–	–	–	10,661
Brockville	EAS	→	Con	4,182	59.12%	1,290	18.24%	62.26%	4,182	–	2,892	–	–	–	–	7,074
Bruce North	MWO		UFO	2,557	39.97%	311	4.86%	75.68%	2,246	2,557	1,595	–	–	–	–	6,398
Bruce South	MWO	→	UFO	1,942	35.83%	49	0.90%	67.10%	1,893	1,942	1,585	–	–	–	–	5,420
Bruce West	MWO		Lib	2,582	38.73%	38	0.57%	68.07%	1,541	2,544	2,582	–	–	–	–	6,667
Carleton	EAS	→	Con	4,813	61.22%	1,764	22.44%	64.13%	4,813	3,049	–	–	–	–	–	7,862
Cochrane	NOR		Lib	3,138	39.54%	627	7.90%	42.39%	2,172	–	3,138	2,511	116	–	–	7,937
Dufferin	MWO	→	Con	3,898	51.47%	223	2.94%	72.03%	3,898	3,675	–	–	–	–	–	7,573
Dundas	EAS	→	Con	3,773	54.07%	568	8.14%	65.52%	3,773	3,205	–	–	–	–	–	6,978
Durham East	CEN	→	Con	3,040	60.25%	1,034	20.49%	63.35%	3,040	2,006	–	–	–	–	–	5,046
Durham West	CEN		Lib	2,295	42.31%	181	3.34%	67.51%	2,114	1,015	2,295	–	–	–	–	5,424
Elgin East	SWO	→	Con	2,968	44.34%	1,050	15.69%	61.37%	2,968	1,807	1,918	–	–	–	–	6,693
Elgin West	SWO	→	Con	5,289	50.07%	1,709	14.68%	58.24%	5,289	2,773	3,580	–	–	–	–	11,642
Essex North	SWO	→	Lib	4,282	62.15%	1,674	24.30%	49.08%	–	2,608	4,282	–	–	–	–	6,890
Essex South	SWO	→	Con	2,652	35.43%	60	0.80%	57.08%	2,652	2,592	2,241	–	–	–	–	7,485
Fort William	NOR	→	Con	2,866	39.94%	208	2.90%	57.97%	2,866	–	1,152	2,658	–	500	–	7,176
Frontenac	EAS		Con	3,529	57.56%	927	15.12%	70.59%	3,529	2,602	–	–	–	–	–	6,131
Glengarry	EAS	→	Lib	3,313	54.53%	550	9.05%	54.27%	–	2,763	3,313	–	–	–	–	6,076
Grenville	EAS		Con	4,374	66.56%	2,176	33.11%	60.17%	4,374	2,198	–	–	–	–	–	6,572
Grey Centre	MWO		UFO	3,636	50.52%	75	1.04%	65.32%	3,561	3,636	–	–	–	–	–	7,197
Grey North^{[a 3]}	MWO	→	UFO	3,873	40.50%	60	0.63%	68.46%	3,813	3,873	1,877	–	–	–	–	9,563
Grey South	MWO	→	Con	4,553	51.77%	312	3.55%	65.93%	4,553	4,241	–	–	–	–	–	8,794
Haldimand	MWO	→	Con	4,297	47.56%	644	7.13%	65.96%	4,297	3,653	1,085	–	–	–	–	9,035
Halton	HAM	→	Con	5,186	45.43%	716	6.27%	68.60%	5,186	4,470	1,760	–	–	–	–	11,416
Hamilton East	HAM	→	Con	11,064	55.07%	5,932	29.53%	41.12%	11,064	–	5,132	3,894	–	–	–	20,090
Hamilton West	HAM	→	Con	5,784	52.42%	2,731	24.75%	46.80%	5,784	–	3,053	2,198	–	–	–	11,035
Hastings East	EAS	→	Con	3,741	62.40%	1,487	24.80%	64.10%	3,741	2,254	–	–	–	–	–	5,995
Hastings North	EAS		Con	4,356	71.77%	2,643	43.55%	58.15%	4,356	1,713	–	–	–	–	–	6,069
Hastings West	EAS		Con	4,846	60.05%	1,622	20.10%	51.08%	4,846	–	3,224	–	–	–	–	8,070
Huron Centre	MWO	→	Con	3,133	41.58%	724	9.61%	66.47%	3,133	1,992	–	2,409	–	–	–	7,534
Huron North	MWO		Con	2,896	44.44%	398	6.11%	68.11%	2,896	2,498	1,122	–	–	–	–	6,516
Huron South	MWO	→	Con	2,800	40.11%	437	6.26%	69.29%	2,800	2,363	1,818	–	–	–	–	6,981
Kenora^{[a 4]}	NOR		Con	acclaimed
Kent East	SWO		UFO	4,024	54.75%	698	9.50%	57.65%	3,326	4,024	–	–	–	–	–	7,350
Kent West	SWO		Lib	6,153	59.80%	2,017	19.60%	47.73%	–	4,136	6,153	–	–	–	–	10,289
Kingston^{[a 4]}	EAS		Con	acclaimed
Lambton East	SWO		UFO	3,224	44.28%	458	6.29%	66.68%	2,766	3,224	1,291	–	–	–	–	7,281
Lambton West	SWO	→	Con	6,022	45.96%	2,119	16.17%	60.18%	6,022	3,903	3,179	–	–	–	–	13,104
Lanark North	EAS	→	Con	3,339	54.32%	531	8.64%	65.14%	3,339	2,808	–	–	–	–	–	6,147
Lanark South	EAS	→	Con	3,874	57.27%	983	14.53%	59.71%	3,874	2,891	–	–	–	–	–	6,765
Leeds	EAS		Con	3,779	57.34%	968	14.69%	60.65%	3,779	2,811	–	–	–	–	–	6,590
Lennox	EAS	→	Lib	2,767	51.22%	132	2.44%	69.44%	2,635	–	2,767	–	–	–	–	5,402
Lincoln	HAM	→	UFO	2,360	35.05%	43	0.64%	58.34%	2,057	2,360	2,317	–	–	–	–	6,734
London	SWO	→	Con	9,865	64.85%	7,611	50.03%	46.16%	9,865	–	1,851	2,254	1,243	–	–	15,213
Manitoulin	NOR		UFO	2,407	57.64%	638	15.28%	66.69%	1,769	2,407	–	–	–	–	–	4,176
Middlesex East	SWO		UFO	3,568	47.76%	377	5.05%	34.24%	3,191	3,568	711	–	–	–	–	7,470
Middlesex North	SWO	→	Con	3,319	52.52%	318	5.03%	67.10%	3,319	3,001	–	–	–	–	–	6,320
Middlesex West	SWO		UFO	2,642	52.03%	206	4.06%	66.37%	–	2,642	2,436	–	–	–	–	5,078
Muskoka	CEN		Con	4,186	64.45%	1,877	28.90%	—	4,186	–	2,309	–	–	–	–	6,495
Niagara Falls	HAM	→	Con	4,922	51.97%	2,518	26.59%	47.04%	4,922	–	2,145	2,404	–	–	–	9,471
Nipissing	NOR	→	Con	3,238	48.83%	268	4.04%	52.46%	3,238	–	2,970	423	–	–	–	6,631
Norfolk North	MWO		UFO	3,068	51.87%	221	3.74%	61.16%	2,847	3,068	–	–	–	–	–	5,915
Norfolk South	MWO	→	Con	3,070	55.84%	642	11.68%	73.34%	3,070	2,428	–	–	–	–	–	5,498
Northumberland East	CEN	→	Con	4,434	52.09%	356	4.18%	71.02%	4,434	4,078	–	–	–	–	–	8,512
Northumberland West	CEN		Lib	2,810	51.44%	157	2.87%	69.94%	2,653	–	2,810	–	–	–	–	5,463
Ontario North	CEN		UFO	3,330	50.61%	80	1.22%	68.75%	3,250	3,330	–	–	–	–	–	6,580
Ontario South	CEN		Lib	4,212	39.72%	197	1.86%	58.35%	4,015	2,376	4,212	–	–	–	–	10,603
Ottawa East	OTT		Lib	4,635	59.35%	1,460	18.69%	36.23%	–	–	7,810	–	–	–	–	7,810
Ottawa West	OTT	→	Lib	7,362	40.15%	892	4.87%	41.55%	7,624	–	7,362	2,086	1,263	–	–	18,335
Oxford North	MWO	→	UFO	4,019	40.29%	826	8.28%	64.65%	3,193	4,019	2,762	–	–	–	–	9,974
Oxford South	MWO	→	Con	3,889	39.20%	755	7.61%	69.74%	3,889	3,134	2,898	–	–	–	–	9,921
Parkdale	TOR		Con	6,050	79.76%	4,515	59.53%	30.68%	6,050	–	1,535	–	–	–	–	7,585
Parry Sound	NOR	→	Con	4,876	56.10%	2,579	29.67%	61.07%	4,876	1,519	2,297	–	–	–	–	8,692
Peel	CEN		Con	6,087	56.34%	1,369	12.67%	—	6,087	4,718	–	–	–	–	–	10,805
Perth North	MWO	→	Con	6,289	51.68%	410	3.37%	59.60%	6,289	–	5,879	–	–	–	–	12,168
Perth South	MWO	→	Con	3,454	50.34%	46	0.67%	63.51%	3,454	3,408	–	–	–	–	–	6,862
Peterborough East	CEN	→	Con	2,550	52.35%	229	4.70%	—	2,550	2,321	–	–	–	–	–	4,871
Peterborough West	CEN	→	Con	4,278	44.37%	904	9.38%	57.87%	4,278	–	3,374	1,990	–	–	–	9,642
Port Arthur	NOR		Con	2,331	40.27%	727	12.56%	58.19%	2,331	1,346	1,604	–	508	–	–	5,789
Prescott	EAS	→	Ind	3,608	52.87%	740	10.84%	58.92%	–	–	2,868	348	3,608	–	–	6,824
Prince Edward	EAS	→	Con	4,039	50.12%	19	0.24%	71.12%	4,039	–	4,020	–	–	–	–	8,059
Rainy River	NOR	→	Lab	1,738	42.72%	148	3.64%	65.94%	1,590	–	740	1,738	–	–	–	4,068
Renfrew North	EAS	→	Con	4,235	50.65%	108	1.29%	63.48%	4,235	4,127	–	–	–	–	–	8,362
Renfrew South	EAS		UFO	3,653	37.41%	585	5.99%	67.45%	3,044	3,653	3,068	–	–	–	–	9,765
Riverdale	TOR	→	Con	11,074	79.05%	9,309	66.45%	35.56%	11,074	–	1,765	1,169	–	–	–	14,008
Russell	EAS		Lib	4,648	72.94%	2,924	45.89%	35.35%	–	1,724	4,648	–	–	–	–	6,372
St. Catharines	HAM	→	Con	5,364	55.81%	2,490	25.91%	49.90%	5,364	–	2,874	1,374	–	–	–	9,612
Sault Ste. Marie	NOR	→	Con	2,839	43.27%	444	6.77%	43.28%	2,839	–	2,395	1,327	–	–	–	6,561
Simcoe Centre	CEN	→	Con	3,535	39.84%	529	5.96%	65.77%	3,535	3,006	2,332	–	–	–	–	8,873
Simcoe East	CEN	→	Con	5,692	57.57%	1,498	15.15%	57.55%	5,692	4,194	–	–	–	–	–	9,886
Simcoe South	CEN	→	Con	3,016	55.88%	635	11.77%	72.26%	3,016	2,381	–	–	–	–	–	5,397
Simcoe West	CEN		Con	3,610	56.78%	1,580	24.85%	57.05%	3,610	2,030	634	–	84	–	–	6,358
Stormont	EAS	→	Con	3,661	44.04%	1,050	12.63%	56.13%	3,661	2,041	2,611	–	–	–	–	8,313
Sturgeon Falls	NOR		Lib	2,671	62.32%	1,670	38.96%	—	614	1,001	2,671	–	–	–	–	4,286
Sudbury	NOR		Con	5,816	58.65%	1,816	17.31%	60.80%	5,816	–	4,100	–	–	–	–	9,916
Timiskaming	NOR		Con	3,160	44.12%	1,008	14.07%	58.76%	3,160	2,152	1,850	–	–	–	–	7,162
Toronto NE - A	TOR		Con	13,049	71.46%	10,205	55.88%	34.78%	13,049	–	2,844	–	–	–	2,368	18,261
Toronto NE - B	TOR		Con	13,952	77.58%	9,919	55.15%	34.61%	13,952	–	–	–	–	–	4,033	17,985
Toronto NW - A	TOR		Con	17,255	85.34%	14,291	70.68%	34.17%	17,255	–	2,964	–	–	–	–	20,219
Toronto NW - B	TOR	→	Con	14,703	70.46%	10,982	52.63%	34.34%	14,703	–	–	–	–	2,443	3,721	20,867
Toronto SE - A	TOR	→	Con	7,730	81.56%	7,019	74.06%	31.85%	7,730	–	1,037	711	–	–	–	9,478
Toronto SE - B	TOR	→	Con	7,216	77.13%	5,986	63.98%	31.60%	7,216	–	1,230	910	–	–	–	9,356
Toronto SW - A	TOR	→	Con	8,233	56.71%	4,761	37.39%	50.78%	8,233	–	3,472	2,812	–	–	–	14,517
Toronto SW - B	TOR	→	Con	7,756	52.54%	5,158	37.48%	48.28%	7,756	–	2,198	2,211	–	2,598	–	14,763
Victoria North	CEN	→	Con	2,711	47.00%	358	6.21%	66.72%	2,711	2,353	704	–	–	–	–	5,768
Victoria South	CEN	→	Con	3,880	42.64%	526	5.78%	75.56%	3,880	3,354	1,865	–	–	–	–	9,099
Waterloo North	MWO	→	Con	5,370	50.35%	2,237	20.98%	47.96%	5,370	–	3,133	309	1,853	–	–	10,665
Waterloo South^{[a 5]}	MWO	→	Lab	5,006	50.08%	15	0.15%	47.29%	4,991	–	–	5,006	–	–	–	9,997
Welland	HAM	→	Con	4,941	52.19%	1,239	13.09%	59.17%	4,941	824	3,702	–	–	–	–	9,467
Wellington East	MWO		UFO	3,628	61.64%	1,370	23.28%	61.32%	2,258	3,628	–	–	–	–	–	5,886
Wellington South	MWO		Con	5,444	52.04%	2,424	23.17%	60.12%	5,444	3,020	1,997	–	–	–	–	10,461
Wellington West	MWO	→	Con	2,685	50.41%	576	10.81%	65.13%	2,685	2,109	532	–	–	–	–	5,326
Wentworth North	HAM		UFO	3,397	58.02%	939	16.04%	65.80%	2,458	3,397	–	–	–	–	–	5,855
Wentworth South	HAM	→	Con	3,348	46.38%	889	12.32%	49.57%	3,348	2,459	1,411	–	–	–	–	7,218
Windsor	SWO	→	Con	5,424	53.29%	1,871	18.38%	34.99%	5,424	–	3,553	1,202	–	–	–	10,179
York East	CEN		Con	11,863	71.36%	8,783	52.84%	32.85%	11,863	3,080	976	–	704	–	–	16,623
York North	CEN		Con	4,341	44.65%	811	8.34%	69.77%	4,341	1,852	3,530	–	–	–	–	9,723
York West	CEN		Con	14,338	72.10%	8,791	44.21%	33.00%	14,338	–	–	–	5,547	–	–	19,885

↑ Data compiled from "Return from the Records of the General Election to the Legislative Assembly in 1923 held on 14th and 25th June". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1923.. Party affiliations per Hopkins 1924, pp. 577–579. Tables compiled by Elections Ontario have incomplete riding list and multiple transcription errors.
↑ including spoilt ballots
↑ Incumbent was elected as Farmer-Liberal in 1919
1 2 Incumbent returned
↑ Incumbent was elected as Farmer-Labour in 1919

= turnout is above provincial average

= incumbent re-elected under the same party banner

= returned by acclamation

= incumbency arose from byelection gain

= incumbent switched allegiance for 1923 nomination

= other incumbents renominated

= multiple candidates

Regional analysis

Distribution of candidates, seats and popular vote %, by party by region (1923)
Region	Candidates							Seats					Vote share (%)
Region	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	I-Lib	Prog	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	I-Lib	Prog
Central Ontario	19	12	12	1	1	–	–	16	–	3	–	–	53.12	23.84	21.44	1.54	0.07	–	–
Eastern Ontario	14	12	9	2	3	–	–	11	1	4	–	1	39.87	26.89	27.44	1.93	3.87	–	–
Hamilton, Halton and Niagara	9	5	8	4	–	–	–	7	2	–	–	–	49.64	14.86	24.64	10.86	–	–	–
Midwestern Ontario	20	17	12	3	1	–	–	10	8	1	2	–	42.57	31.87	18.06	6.42	1.08	–	–
Northeastern Ontario	9	5	8	3	1	–	–	5	1	3	–	–	43.34	14.41	35.18	6.88	0.19	–	–
Northwest Ontario	3	1	3	3	3	–	–	2	–	–	2	–	39.85	7.90	20.52	25.81	5.92	–	–
Southwestern Ontario	13	14	14	2	1	–	–	10	4	2	–	–	39.44	30.24	26.87	2.54	0.91	–	–
Toronto	10	–	9	5	–	2	3	10	–	–	–	–	72.78	–	11.59	5.31	–	3.43	6.88
York, Peel and Ontario	6	5	3	–	2	–	–	4	1	1	–	–	58.58	20.97	11.91	–	8.54	–	–
Total	103	71	78	23	12	2	3	75	17	14	4	1	49.77	20.94	21.33	4.75	1.62	0.53	1.06

MLAs elected

Italicized names indicate members returned by acclamation. Two-tone colour boxes indicate ridings that turned over from the 1919 election, eg,

(Conservative in 1923 and UFO in 1919)

Central Ontario

Addington: William David Black

Durham East: Albert James Fallis

Durham West: William John Bragg

Hastings East: James Ferguson Hill

Hastings North: John Robert Cooke

Hastings West: William Henry Ireland

Lennox: John Perry Vrooman

Muskoka: George Walter Ecclestone

Northumberland East: James Franklin Beatty Belford

Northumberland West: Samuel Clarke

Peterborough East: Thomas Dalton Johnston

Peterborough West: William Herbert Bradburn

Prince Edward: Horace Stanley Colliver

Simcoe Centre: Charles Ernest Wright

Simcoe East: William Finlayson

Simcoe South: William Earl Rowe

Simcoe West: James Edgar Jamieson

Victoria North: James Raglan Mark

Victoria South: Robert John Patterson

Eastern Ontario

Brockville: Hezekiah Allan Clark

Carleton: Adam Holland Acres

Dundas: Aaron Sweet

Frontenac: Anthony McGuin Rankin

Glengarry: James Alexander Sangster

Grenville: George Howard Ferguson

Kingston: William Folger Nickle

Lanark North: Thomas Alfred Thompson

Lanark South: Egerton Reuben Stedman

Leeds: Andrew Wellington Gray

Ottawa East: Joseph Albert Pinard

Ottawa West: Harold Fisher

Prescott: Edmond Proulx

Renfrew North: Alexander Stuart

Renfrew South: John Carty

Russell: Aurélien Bélanger

Stormont: John Colborne Milligan

Hamilton/Halton/Niagara

Halton: George Hillmer

Hamilton East: Leeming Carr

Hamilton West: Arthur Campbell Garden

Lincoln: Robert Henry Kemp

Niagara Falls: William Gore Willson

St. Catharines: Edwin Cyrus Graves

Welland: Marshall Vaughan

Wentworth North: Frank Campbell Biggs

Wentworth South: Thomas Joseph Mahony

Midwestern Ontario

Brant: Harry Corwin Nixon

Brant South: Morrison Mann MacBride

Bruce North: William Henry Fenton

Bruce South: Malcolm Alex McCallum

Bruce West: Alexander Patterson Mewhinney

Dufferin: Charles Robert McKeown

Grey Centre: Dougall Carmichael

Grey North: David James Taylor

Grey South: David Jamieson

Haldimand: Richard Nixon Berry

Norfolk North: George David Sewell

Norfolk South: John Strickler Martin

Oxford North: David Munroe Ross

Oxford South: William Henry Chambers

Perth North: Joseph Dunsmore Monteith

Perth South: McCausland Irvine

Waterloo North: William George Weichel

Waterloo South: Karl Kenneth Homuth

Wellington East: William Raney

Wellington South: Lincoln Goldie

Wellington West: William Clarke Chambers

Northeastern Ontario

Algoma: Arthur Gladstone Wallis

Cochrane: Malcolm Lang

Manitoulin: Beniah Bowman

Nipissing: Henri Morel

Parry Sound: George Vernon Harcourt

Sault Ste. Marie: James Lyons

Sturgeon Falls: Zotique Mageau

Sudbury: Charles McCrea

Timiskaming: Angus John Kennedy

Northwest Ontario

Fort William: Franklin Harford Spence

Kenora: Peter Heenan

Port Arthur: Francis Henry Keefer

Rainy River: John Fullarton Callan

Southwestern Ontario

Elgin East: Michael McKnight

Elgin West: Findlay George MacDiarmid

Essex North: Edward Philip Tellier

Essex South: Adolphus T. Armstrong

Huron Centre: Ebon Rinaldo Wigle

Huron North: John Joynt

Huron South: Nelson William Trewartha

Kent East: Manning William Doherty

Kent West: Robert Livingstone Brackin

Lambton East: Leslie Warner Oke

Lambton West: Wilfred Smith Haney

London: Adam Beck

Middlesex East: John Willard Freeborn

Middlesex North: George Adam Elliott

Middlesex West: John Giles Lethbridge

Windsor: Frank Worthington Wilson

Toronto

Parkdale: William Herbert Price

Riverdale: George Oakley

Toronto Northeast - A: Alexander Cameron Lewis

Toronto Northeast - B: Joseph Elijah Thompson

Toronto Northwest - A: Thomas Crawford

Toronto Northwest - B: Arthur Russell Nesbitt

Toronto Southeast - A: John Allister Currie

Toronto Southeast - B: Edward William James Owens

Toronto Southwest - A: James Arthur McCausland

Toronto Southwest - B: Frederick George McBrien

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: William Keith

York West: Forbes Godfrey

Detailed analysis

Seats and popular vote by party
Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█ Conservative	75 / 111	49.56%	15.47	15.47
█ United Farmers	17 / 111	21.11%	0.14	0.14
█ Liberal	14 / 111	21.36%	-4.15
█ Labour	4 / 111	4.76%	-4.33
█ Independent	1 / 111	1.62%	-2.45
█ Other	0 / 111	1.59%	-4.68

Party rankings (1st to 5th place)
Party	Acc	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
█ Conservative	1	74	22	5	1
█ United Farmers		17	43	11
█ Liberal		14	35	27	2
█ Labour	1	3	5	13	1
█ Independent		1	1	1	6	2
█ Progressive			2	1
█ Independent-Liberal			1	1
Totals	2	109	109	59	10	2

Party candidates in 2nd place
Party in 1st place	Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Pro
█ Conservative		37	29	4	2	2
█ United Farmers	14		3
█ Liberal	6	6	1	1
█ Labour	2		1
█ Independent			1
Totals	22	43	35	5	2	2

Principal races, according to 1st and 2nd-place results
Parties		Seats
█ Conservative	█ United Farmers	51
█ Conservative	█ Liberal	35
█ Liberal	█ United Farmers	9
█ Conservative	█ Labour	6
█ Conservative	█ Progressive	2
█ Liberal	█ Labour	2
█ Conservative	█ Independent	1
█ Conservative	█ Independent-Liberal	1
█ Liberal	█ Liberal	1
█ Independent	█ Liberal	1
Total		109

Incumbents not running for reelection

Sixteen MLAs chose not to stand for re-election:^[12]

Riding
Algoma	Kenneth Spencer Stover	Arthur Gladstone Wallis	Arthur Gladstone Wallis
Elgin East	Malcolm MacVicar	William F. Smith	Michael McKnight
Essex South	Milton C. Fox	John Orville Duke	Adolphus T. Armstrong
Huron South	Andrew Hicks	William George Medd	Nelson William Trewartha
Lennox	Reginald Amherst Fowler	Charles Wesley Hambly	John Perry Vrooman
Middlesex North	James C. Brown	Harold Currie	George Adam Elliott
Ottawa West	Hammett Pinhey Hill	Albert Edwin Honeywell	Harold Fisher
Oxford South	Albert Thomas Walker	John L. Wright	William Henry Chambers
Port Arthur	Donald McDonald Hogarth	Francis Henry Keefer	Francis Henry Keefer
Riverdale	Joseph McNamara	—	George Oakley
Russell	Alfred Goulet	Aurélien Bélanger	Aurélien Bélanger
Simcoe West	William Torrance Allen	James Edgar Jamieson	James Edgar Jamieson
Timiskaming	Thomas Magladery	Angus John Kennedy	Angus John Kennedy
Toronto Southeast - B	James Walter Curry	John Callahan	Edward William James Owens
Wellington South	Caleb Henry Buckland	Lincoln Goldie	Lincoln Goldie
York North	Thomas Herbert Lennox	William Keith	William Keith

Seats that changed hands

Elections to the 16th Parliament of Ontario – seats won/lost by party, 1919–1923
Party		1919	Gain from (loss to)																		1923
Party		1919	Con		UFO		Lib		Lab		Ind		I-Lib		F-Lab		F-Lib		Sol		1923
	Conservative	25			29		13	(2)	9	(1)			1						1		75
	United Farmers	44		(29)			3	(2)									1				17
	Liberal	27	2	(13)	2	(3)						(1)									14
	Labour	11	1	(9)											1						4
	Independent	–					1														1
	Independent-Liberal	1		(1)																	–
	Farmer–Labour	1								(1)											–
	Farmer-Liberal	1				(1)															–
	Soldier	1		(1)																	–
Total		111	3	(53)	31	(4)	17	(4)	9	(2)	–	(1)	1	–	1	–	1	–	1	–	111

There were 64 seats that changed allegiance in the election.

UFO to Conservative

UFO to Liberal

Liberal to Conservative

Liberal to UFO

Liberal to Independent

Prescott

Labour to Conservative

Independent-Liberal to Conservative

Waterloo North

Farmer-Labour to Labour

Waterloo South

Farmer-Liberal to UFO

Grey North

Soldier to Conservative

Riverdale

Conservative to Liberal

Conservative to Labour

Rainy River

Resulting composition of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Source		Party
Source		Con	UFO	Lib	Lab	Ind	Total
Seats retained	Incumbents returned	16	13	8	1		38
	Open seats held	5		2			7
	Acclamation	1			1		2
Seats changing hands	Incumbents defeated	45	2	2	1	1	51
	Open seats gained	7		2			9
	Byelection gain held	1	1				2
	Change in affiliation		1		1		2
Total		75	17	14	4	1	111

Notable groups of candidates

Women candidates in the 1923 election^[12]
Riding	Candidate		Votes	Placed
Fort William	█ Liberal	Mrs B.O. Allen	1,152	3rd
Toronto Northeast - B	█ Progressive	Mrs Mary E. Becker	4,033	2nd
Toronto Northwest - B	█ United Farmers	Edith L. Groves	3,721	2nd

Candidates returned by acclamation^[13]
Riding	Party	Candidate
Kenora	█ Labour	Peter Heenan
Kingston	█ Conservative	William Folger Nickle

Dual nominations in the 1923 election^[12]
Riding	Candidate		Votes	Placed
Ottawa East	█ Liberal	Joseph Albert Pinard	4,635	1st
Ottawa East	█ Liberal	J. Wilfred Gauvreau	3,175	2nd
Ottawa West	█ Conservative	Albert Edwin Honeywell	6,470	2nd
Ottawa West	█ Conservative	Arthur Ellis	1,154	4th
Toronto Southeast - A	█ Liberal	Frederick Hogg	656	3rd
Toronto Southeast - A	█ Liberal	Alfred Burgess	381	4th

Notes

References

↑ "1923 General Election". Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
↑ "Boring campaign behind poor voter turnout: analysts". CTV News. Bell Media. October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
↑ Edmonton Bulletin, June 26, 1923
↑ "Ferguson is Victor". The Georgetown Herald. June 27, 1923. p. 2.
↑ "Bill 177 - An Act respecting the Representation of the People in the Legislative Assembly". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. April 12, 1923.
↑ "Bill 178 - An Act to provide for the Election of Members to the Assembly on the System of Proportional Representation". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. April 12, 1923.
↑ "Bill 179 - An Act to provide for a System of Transferable Votes at Elections to the Assembly". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. April 12, 1923.
↑ Hopkins 1924, pp. 532–534.
↑ Edmonton Bulletin, April 20, 1923
↑ Edmonton Bulletin, June 26, 1923
↑ Canadian Parliamentary Guide 1925
1 2 3 Hopkins 1924, pp. 577–579.
↑ Hopkins 1924, p. 577.

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