1945 British Columbia general election

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| <- 1941 | October 25, 1945 | 1949 ->

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|

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48 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
25 seats needed for a majority
|  | First party  | Second party

|
|

|  |

CCF

Leader  | John Hart (Liberal leader) | Harold Winch
Party  | Liberal-Conservative Coalition | Co-operative Commonwealth
Leader since  | 1941  | 1938
Leader's seat  | Victoria City | Vancouver East
Last election  | 33[a] | 14
Seats won  | 37  | 10
Seat change  | 4  | 4
Popular vote  | 261,147  | 175,960
Percentage  | 55.83%  | 37.62%
Swing  | 8.02pp | 4.26pp

* * *

| Premier before election

John Hart
Coalition

| Premier after election

John Hart
Coalition

|

The 1945 British Columbia general election was the 21st general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on August 31, 1945, and held on October 25, 1945. The new legislature met for the first time on February 21, 1946.

A centre-right coalition was formed by the Liberal and Conservative (now called the Progressive Conservative) parties in order to defeat the social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

Although the Coalition won fewer votes than the Liberal and Conservative parties won in total in the previous election, the Coalition still won over half of the votes, and was able to form a majority government.

## Results[edit]

Elections to the 21st Legislative Assembly of British Columbia  (1945)[1] Political party  | Party leader  | MLAs  | Votes

|
|
|

Candidates  | 1941 | 1945  | ±  | #  | ±  | %  | ± (pp)
| Coalition |

John Hart

Royal Maitland

| 47 | 32 | 37 | 5 | 261,147 | 26,979 | 55.83 | 7.65
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Harold Winch | 48 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 175,960 | 24,520 | 37.62 | 4.26
| Labour (all factions)  |  | 2 | 1 | 1 |  | 1,395 | 5,746 | 0.30 | 1.27
| Liberal[b] |  | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1,681 | – | Changed
allegiance
| Labour Progressive |  | 21 | – | – | – | 16,479 | 16,479 | 3.52 | New
| Social Credit (alliance)  |  | 16 | – | – | – | 6,627 | 6,627 | 1.42 | New
| People's CCF |  | 2 | – | – | – | 2,786 | 2,786 | 0.60 | New
| Independent |  | 2 | – | – | – | 1,532 | 106 | 0.33 | 0.03
| Independent PC  |  | 2 | – | – | – | 748 | 748 | 0.16 | New
| Democratic |  | 1 | – | – | – | 423 | 423 | 0.09 | New
| Socialist Labour |  | 3 | – | – | – | 285 | 398 | 0.06 | 0.09
| Independent Liberal  |  | 1 | – | – | – | 199 | 199 | 0.04 | New
| Socialist |  | 1 | – | – | – | 105 | 105 | 0.02 | New
| Progressive Liberal  |  | 1 | – | – | – | 61 | 61 | 0.01 | New
Total  | 147  | 48  | 48  | 467,747  | 100.00%
Rejected ballots[2] | 3,899 | 898 |
Actual voters who voted[2] | 298,387 | 5,514 | 62.66% | 10.07
Registered voters[2] | 476,222 | 58,383 |

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

|
|
|

█ Coalition |

37 / 48

55.83%

| -7.65 |

█ Co-operative Commonwealth |

10 / 48

37.62%

| 4.26 |  | 4.26

█ Labour Progressive |

0 / 48

3.52%

| 3.52 |  | 3.52

█ Social Credit |

0 / 48

1.42%

| 1.42 |  | 1.42

█ Other  |

1 / 48

1.61%

| -1.55 |

## MLAs elected[edit]

Alberni: James Mowat

Atlin: William Duncan Smith

Burnaby: Ernest Winch

Cariboo: Louis LeBourdais

Chilliwack: Leslie Harvey Eyres

Columbia: Thomas King

Comox: Herbert John Welch

Cowichan-Newcastle: Samuel Guthrie

Cranbrook: Frank William Green

Delta: Alexander Campbell Hope

Dewdney: Roderick Charles MacDonald

Esquimalt: Charles Taschereau Beard

Fernie: Thomas Aubert Uphill (ILP)

Fort George: John McInnis

Grand Forks-Greenwood: Thomas Alfred Love

Kamloops: Robert Henry Carson

Kaslo-Slocan: Randolph Harding

Lillooet: Ernest Crawford Carson

Mackenzie: Herbert Gargrave

Nanaimo and the Islands: George Sharratt Pearson

Nelson-Creston: Frank Putnam

New Westminster: Boss Johnson

North Okanagan: K. C. MacDonald[c]

North Vancouver: John Henry Cates

Oak Bay: Herbert Anscomb

Omineca: Edward Fraser Rowland

Peace River: Joseph Hardcastle Corsbie

Prince Rupert: William Henry Brett

Revelstoke: William James Johnson

Rossland-Trail: James Lockhart Webster

Saanich: Norman William Whittaker

Salmon Arm: Arthur Brown Ritchie

Similkameen: Reginald Robert Laird

Skeena: Edward Tourtellotte Kenney

South Okanagan: W. A. C. Bennett

Vancouver-Burrard: Donald Cameron Brown

Vancouver-Burrard: George Moir Weir

Vancouver Centre: Allan James McDonell

Vancouver Centre: Gordon Sylvester Wismer

Vancouver East: Arthur James Turner

Vancouver East: Harold Winch

Vancouver-Point Grey: Royal Maitland

Vancouver-Point Grey: James Alexander Paton

Vancouver-Point Grey: Tilly Rolston

Victoria City: John Hart

Victoria City: Nancy Hodges

Victoria City: William Thomas Straith

Yale: John J. Gillis

|
|

### Synopsis of results[edit]

Results by riding - 1945 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)[3] Riding  | Winning party  | Votes

|
|

Name  | 1941 | Party  | Votes  | Share  | Margin
#  | Margin
%  | Coal | CCF  | LPP | SC | Ind | Oth | Total
|  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Alberni |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 2,135 | 54.02% | 877 | 22.19% | 2,135 | 1,258 | 559 | – | – | – | 3,952
Atlin |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 297 | 50.42% | 5 | 0.84% | 297 | 292 | – | – | – | – | 589
Burnaby |  | CCF  |  | CCF  | 5,905 | 50.56% | 1,172 | 10.04% | 4,733 | 5,905 | 744 | 298 | – | – | 11,680
Cariboo |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 1,370 | 57.93% | 375 | 15.86% | 1,370 | 995 | – | – | – | – | 2,365
Chilliwack |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 3,804 | 62.37% | 1,509 | 24.74% | 3,804 | 2,295 | – | – | – | – | 6,099
Columbia |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 671 | 53.30% | 83 | 6.60% | 671 | 588 | – | – | – | – | 1,259
Comox |  | CCF  |  | Coal  | 3,432 | 45.62% | 70 | 0.93% | 3,432 | 3,362 | 729 | – | – | – | 7,523
Cowichan-Newcastle |  | CCF  |  | CCF  | 3,768 | 55.33% | 726 | 10.66% | 3,042 | 3,768 | – | – | – | – | 6,810
Cranbrook |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 2,077 | 49.04% | 112 | 2.64% | 2,077 | 1,965 | 193 | – | – | – | 4,235
Delta |  | CCF  |  | Coal  | 5,859 | 53.64% | 796 | 7.28% | 5,859 | 5,063 | – | – | – | – | 10,922
Dewdney |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 4,586 | 53.71% | 633 | 7.42% | 4,586 | 3,953 | – | – | – | – | 8,539
Esquimalt |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 2,568 | 56.35% | 579 | 12.70% | 2,568 | 1,989 | – | – | – | – | 4,557
Fernie |  | Lab  |  | Lab  | 1,289 | 42.28% | 271 | 8.89% | 1,018 | 742 | – | – | – | 1,289 | 3,049
Fort George |  | Lib  |  | CCF  | 1,726 | 55.73% | 355 | 11.46% | 1,371 | 1,726 | – | – | – | – | 3,097
Grand Forks-Greenwood |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 707 | 52.06% | 246 | 18.11% | 707 | 461 | 84 | – | – | 106 | 1,358
Kamloops |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 2,804 | 57.78% | 911 | 18.77% | 2,804 | 1,893 | 156 | – | – | – | 4,853
Kaslo-Slocan |  | Lib  |  | CCF  | 1,098 | 53.12% | 129 | 6.24% | 969 | 1,098 | – | – | – | – | 2,067
Lillooet |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 1,143 | 51.42% | 320 | 14.40% | 1,143 | 823 | – | 196 | – | 61 | 2,233
Mackenzie |  | CCF  |  | CCF  | 2,961 | 52.19% | 648 | 11.42% | 2,313 | 2,961 | 293 | 106 | – | – | 5,673
Nanaimo and the Islands |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 3,124 | 54.24% | 577 | 10.02% | 3,124 | 2,547 | – | 89 | – | – | 5,760
Nelson-Creston |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 3,055 | 58.59% | 1,806 | 34.64% | 3,055 | 1,249 | – | – | 184 | 726 | 5,214
New Westminster |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 4,900 | 57.91% | 1,933 | 22.85% | 4,900 | 2,967 | 595 | – | – | – | 8,462
North Okanagan |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 2,990 | 59.78% | 1,408 | 28.15% | 2,990 | 1,582 | – | 430 | – | – | 5,002
North Vancouver |  | CCF  |  | Coal  | 5,912 | 54.20% | 1,842 | 16.89% | 5,912 | 4,070 | 646 | 280 | – | – | 10,908
Oak Bay |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 4,598 | 82.31% | 3,610 | 64.62% | 4,598 | 988 | – | – | – | – | 5,586
Omineca |  | Lib  |  | CCF  | 932 | 51.58% | 57 | 3.16% | 875 | 932 | – | – | – | – | 1,807
Peace River |  | Lib  |  | CCF  | 1,682 | 47.85% | 565 | 16.07% | 1,117 | 1,682 | – | 716 | – | – | 3,515
Prince Rupert |  | Lib  |  | CCF  | 1,873 | 49.83% | 525 | 13.97% | – | 1,873 | 538 | – | 1,348 | – | 3,759
Revelstoke |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 1,089 | 51.17% | 50 | 2.34% | 1,089 | 1,039 | – | – | – | – | 2,128
Rossland-Trail |  | CCF  |  | Coal  | 3,171 | 49.35% | 1,111 | 17.29% | 3,171 | 933 | – | 261 | – | 2,060 | 6,425
Saanich |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 5,414 | 57.85% | 1,983 | 21.19% | 5,414 | 3,431 | 239 | – | – | 275 | 9,359
Salmon Arm |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 1,560 | 60.00% | 520 | 20.00% | 1,560 | 1,040 | – | – | – | – | 2,600
Similkameen |  | CCF  |  | Coal  | 3,447 | 57.09% | 856 | 14.18% | 3,447 | 2,591 | – | – | – | – | 6,038
Skeena |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 901 | 58.7% | 267 | 17.40% | 901 | 634 | – | – | – | – | 1,535
South Okanagan |  | Con  |  | Coal  | 3,706 | 64.25% | 1,644 | 28.50% | 3,706 | 2,062 | – | – | – | – | 5,768
Yale |  | Lib  |  | Coal  | 1,077 | 66.77% | 541 | 33.54% | 1,077 | 536 | – | – | – | – | 1,613

= open seat
= 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
= other incumbents renominated
= multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1945 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)[3] Riding  | Winning party  | Votes

|
|

Name  | MLAs  | 1941 | 1945  | Coal | CCF  | LPP | SC | Ind | Oth | Total
|  |  |  |  |
Vancouver-Burrard | 2 |

| 29,649 | 20,221 | 2,030 | 1,219 | – | 107 | 53,226
Vancouver Centre | 2 |

| 21,854 | 15,000 | 3,967 | 959 | – | 426 | 42,206
Vancouver East | 2 |

| 18,980 | 25,721 | 2,798 | 705 | – | 56 | 48,260
Vancouver-Point Grey | 3 |

| 67,276 | 26,859 | 2,472 | 625 | – | 423 | 97,655
Victoria City | 3 |

| 31,553 | 16,866 | 436 | 743 | – | 473 | 50,071

## See also[edit]

* List of British Columbia political parties

## Further reading[edit]

* Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986 (PDF). Elections BC. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ The Liberals and Conservatives ran separately in the 1941 election. In that election, the Liberals won 21 seats and the Conservatives won 12 seats.
2. ^ Duff Pattullo was the sole Liberal that chose not to join the Coalition, and Prince Rupert was the only district where the Coalition did not field a candidate in 1945. Pattullo stood as an Independent in this election.
3. ^ Died before the opening of the new Legislature. Charles William Morrow would win the subsequent byelection for the Coalition.

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 193, 203.
2. ^ a b c Elections BC 1988, p. 2.
3. ^ a b Elections BC 1988, pp. 195–199, 205–209.

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See also: List of British Columbia by-elections
*[ILP]: Independent Labour Party
*[Coal]: Coalition
*[LPP]: Labour Progressive
*[SC]: Social Credit
*[Ind]: Independent
*[Oth]: Other minor affiliations
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