1907 British Columbia general election

Canadian provincial election

1907 British Columbia general election

* * *

| <- 1903 | February 2, 1907 (1907-02-02) | 1909 ->

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<- outgoing members

elected members ->

* * *

42 seats to the 11th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
23 seats needed for a majority
|  | First party  | Second party  | Third party

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LIB

SOC

Leader  | Sir Richard McBride | James Alexander MacDonald | No leader
Party  | Conservative | Liberal | Socialist
Leader since  | 1903  | 1903  |
Leader's seat  | Dewdney | Rossland City |
Seats before  | 22  | 17  | 2
Seats won  | 26  | 13  | 3
Seat change  | 4  | 4  | 1
Popular vote  | 30,781  | 23,481  | 5,603
Percentage  | 48.70%  | 37.15%  | 8.87%
Swing  | 2.27pp  | 0.63pp  | 0.91pp

* * *

| Premier before election

Sir Richard McBride
Conservative

| Premier

Sir Richard McBride
Conservative

|

The 1907 British Columbia general election was the eleventh general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election called on December 24, 1906, and held on February 2, 1907. The new legislature met for the first time on March 7, 1907.

The governing Conservative party won a second term in government, with almost half the popular vote, and a majority of the seats in the legislature, increasing its number of seats by 4 to 26.

The Liberal Party lost 4 seats in the legislature, despite winning about the same share of the popular vote that it had in the 1903 election.

The Socialist Party won one additional seat to bring its total to three.

## Results

[edit]

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1907)[1] Political party  | Party leader  | MLAs  | Votes

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|
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Candidates  | 1903 | 1907  | ±  | #  | ±  | %  | ± (pp)
| Conservative | Richard McBride | 42 | 22 | 26 | 4 | 30,781 | 2,868 | 48.70% | 2.27
| Liberal | James Alexander MacDonald | 40 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 23,481 | 766 | 37.15% | 0.63
| Socialist |  | 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5,603 | 816 | 8.87% | 0.91
| Canadian Labour[a 1] |  | 6 | 1 | – | 1 | 2,495 | 1,926 | 3.95% | 3.41
| Independent Labour[a] |  | 2 | – | – | – | 487 | 487 | 0.77% | New
| Independent Socialist  |  | 1 | – | – | – | 211 | 211 | 0.33% | New
| Independent |  | 1 | – | – | – | 147 | 147 | 0.23% | New
Total  | 112 | 42  | 42  | 63,205  | 100.00%

1. ^ Comparison is with combined totals of local Labour candidates in 1903

Seats and popular vote by party[1] Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp)

|
|
|

█ Conservative |

26 / 42

48.70%

| 2.27 |  |

█ Liberal |

13 / 42

37.15%

| -0.63 |

█ Socialist |

3 / 42

8.87%

| 0.91 |  |

█ Labour |

0 / 42

3.95%

| -3.41 |

█ Other  |

0 / 42

1.33%

| 0.86 |  |

## Results by riding

[edit]

The following MLAs were elected:[3]

Alberni: Harlan Carey Brewster

Atlin: Henry Esson Young

Cariboo: Harry Jones

Cariboo: John MacKay Yorston

Chilliwhack: Charles William Munro

Columbia: Henry George Parson

Comox: Robert Grant

Cowichan: William Henry Hayward

Cranbrook: James Horace King

Delta: John Oliver

Dewdney: Richard McBride[b]

Esquimalt: John Jardine

Fernie: William Roderick Ross

Grand Forks: John McInnis

Greenwood: George Ratcliffe Naden

The Islands: Albert Edward McPhillips

Kamloops: Frederick John Fulton

Kaslo: Neil Franklin MacKay

Lillooet: Mark Robert Eagleson

Nanaimo City: James Hurst Hawthornthwaite

Nelson City: George Arthur Benjamin Hall

Newcastle: Parker Williams

New Westminster City: Thomas Gifford

Okanagan: Price Ellison

Revelstoke: Thomas Taylor

Richmond: Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton

Rossland City: James Alexander MacDonald

Saanich: David McEwen Eberts

Similkameen: Lytton Wilmot Shatford

Skeena: William Thomas Kergin

Slocan: William Hunter

Vancouver City: Charles William John Bowser

Vancouver City: James Ford Garden

Vancouver City: Alexander Henry Boswell MacGowan

Vancouver City: George Albert McGuire

Vancouver City: Robert Garnett Tatlow

Victoria City: Henry Frederick William Behnsen

Victoria City: Frederick Davey

Victoria City: Richard McBride

Victoria City: Henry Broughton Thomson

Yale: Stuart Alexander Henderson

Ymir: James Hargrave Schofield

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### Synopsis of results

[edit]

Results by riding - 1907 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[4] Riding  | Winning party  | Votes

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Name  | 1903 | Party  | Votes  | Share  | Margin
#  | Margin
%  | Con  | Lib  | Soc  | C-Lab | Oth | Total
|  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Alberni |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 236 | 48.86% | 32 | 6.62% | 204 | 236 | 43 | – | – | 483
Atlin[c] |  | Con  |  | Con  | 78 | 62.90% | 32 | 25.80% | 78 | 46 | – | – | – | 124
Chilliwhack |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 331 | 51.64% | 21 | 3.28% | 310 | 331 | – | – | – | 641
Columbia |  | Lib  |  | Con  | 254 | 56.57% | 59 | 13.14% | 254 | 195 | – | – | – | 449
Comox |  | Con  |  | Con  | 372 | 56.02% | 80 | 12.04% | 372 | 292 | – | – | – | 664
Cowichan |  | Lib  |  | Con  | 123 | 53.95% | 18 | 7.90% | 123 | 105 | – | – | – | 228
Cranbrook |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 473 | 44.54% | 95 | 8.95% | 378 | 473 | – | – | 211 | 1,062
Delta |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 430 | 62.23% | 169 | 24.46% | 261 | 430 | – | – | – | 691
Dewdney |  | Con  |  | Con  | 384 | 61.44% | 143 | 22.88% | 384 | 241 | – | – | – | 625
Esquimalt |  | Con  |  | Lib  | 297 | 58.58% | 87 | 17.16% | 210 | 297 | – | – | – | 507
Fernie |  | Con  |  | Con  | 350 | 49.93% | 65 | 9.27% | 350 | 66 | 285 | – | – | 701
Grand Forks |  | Con  |  | Soc  | 323 | 43.77% | 68 | 9.22% | 255 | 160 | 323 | – | – | 738
Greenwood |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 217 | 37.22% | 27 | 4.63% | 190 | 217 | 176 | – | – | 583
The Islands |  | Lib  |  | Con  | 179 | 49.31% | 6 | 1.65% | 179 | 173 | 11 | – | – | 363
Kamloops |  | Con  |  | Con  | 534 | 54.88% | 95 | 9.76% | 534 | 439 | – | – | – | 973
Kaslo |  | Con  |  | Con  | 233 | 55.21% | 44 | 10.42% | 233 | 189 | – | – | – | 422
Lillooet |  | Con  |  | Lib  | 123 | 51.68% | 8 | 3.36% | 115 | 123 | – | – | – | 238
Nanaimo City |  | Soc  |  | Soc  | 455 | 50.22% | 165 | 18.21% | 161 | 290 | 455 | – | – | 906
Nelson City |  | Con  |  | Lib  | 314 | 43.67% | 5 | 0.69% | 309 | 314 | 96 | – | – | 719
Newcastle |  | Soc  |  | Soc  | 259 | 46.67% | 62 | 11.17% | 99 | 197 | 259 | – | – | 555
New Westminster City |  | Con  |  | Con  | 675 | 49.31% | 128 | 9.35% | 675 | 547 | – | 147 | – | 1,369
Okanagan |  | Con  |  | Con  | 893 | 54.85% | 250 | 15.35% | 893 | 643 | 92 | – | – | 1,628
Revelstoke |  | Con  |  | Con  | 440 | 54.79% | 171 | 21.29% | 440 | 269 | 94 | – | – | 803
Richmond |  | Con  |  | Con  | 417 | 48.04% | 14 | 1.61% | 417 | 403 | 48 | – | – | 868
Rossland City |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 241 | 45.90% | 55 | 10.47% | 186 | 241 | 98 | – | – | 525
Saanich |  | Lib  |  | Con  | 275 | 51.69% | 18 | 3.38% | 275 | 257 | – | – | – | 532
Similkameen |  | Con  |  | Con  | 298 | 56.55% | 98 | 18.60% | 298 | 200 | 29 | – | – | 527
Skeena |  | Con  |  | Lib  | 188 | 61.44% | 70 | 22.88% | 118 | 188 | – | – | – | 306
Slocan |  | Lab  |  | Con  | 193 | 49.11% | 74 | 18.83% | 193 | 119 | 81 | – | – | 393
Yale |  | Lib  |  | Lib  | 289 | 58.27% | 82 | 16.54% | 207 | 289 | – | – | – | 496
Ymir |  | Con  |  | Con  | 325 | 45.71% | 86 | 12.10% | 325 | 239 | – | – | 147 | 711

= open seat
= winning candidate was in previous Legislature
= incumbent had switched allegiance
= incumbency arose from byelection gain
= other incumbents renominated
= Independent Labour candidate
Results by riding - 1907 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[4] Party | Cariboo | Vancouver City | Victoria City

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|
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Votes | Share | Change | Votes | Share | Change | Votes | Share | Change
| Conservative | 287 | 43.88% | -1.78% | 15,503 | 51.38% | 2.81% | 5,965 | 47.54% | 6.01%
| Liberal | 367 | 56.12% | 1.78% | 10,956 | 36.31% | 10.23% | 4,474 | 35.66% | -17.37%
| Socialist | – | – | – | 3,032 | 10.05% | 0.91% | 443 | 3.53% | -1.92%
| Canadian Labour | – | – | – | 682 | 2.26% | -12.81% | 1,666 | 13.28% | 13.28%
| Socialist Labour | – | – | – | – | – | -1.14% | – | – | –
Total | 654 | 100.00% | 30,173 | 100.00% | 12,548 | 100.00%
Seats won |

Incumbents returned | 1 | 4 | –
Seat change | – | – |

## See also

[edit]

* List of British Columbia political parties
* Richard McBride

## Further reading

[edit]

* In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia, Joseph Morton, J.J. Douglas, Vancouver (1974).
* Hopkins, J. Castell (1908). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1907. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.
* Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Described as Liberal-Labour candidates by the Conservative press, and no Liberal candidates were nominated in their districts. They were repudiated by Canadian Labour's Victoria branch.[2]
2. ^ McBride also won a seat in Victoria. He renounced Dewdney, and William J. Manson (Con) would win in the subsequent byelection.
3. ^ Results are incomplete. Several polling places were unreported.[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 91, 99.
2. ^ Elections BC 1988, p. 104.
3. ^ Elections BC 1988, pp. 101–103.
4. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 96–99, 101–103.
5. ^ Elections BC 1988, pp. 101, 104.

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