1905 Ontario general election

The 1905 Ontario general election was the 11th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on January 25, 1905, to elect the 98 Members of the 11th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").^[1]

1905 Ontario general election

← 1902 January 25, 1905 1908 →
← outgoing members
98 seats in the 11th Legislative Assembly of Ontario 50 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader James P. Whitney George William Ross Party Conservative Liberal Leader since 1896 1899 Leader's seat Dundas Middlesex West Last election 48 50 Seats won 69 28 Seat change 21 22
Premier before election George William Ross Liberal Premier after election James P. Whitney Conservative

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by Sir James P. Whitney, defeated the Ontario Liberal Party, led by Sir George William Ross, bringing to an end the control of the government that the Liberal Party had exercised power for the previous 34 years.

Campaign

The main focus of the campaign was on the Conservatives attacking the Liberal "machine" which had dominated elections in the Province, especially between 1898 and 1904, and was involved in numerous instances of bribery and other corrupt practices.^[2] This was further highlighted by the fact that no Liberals were prosecuted for this, while Conservatives were involved in fewer such matters but faced numerous convictions.^[3] By 1905, this had led to widespread disgust,^[4] and one Tory candidate, P.D. Ross in Ottawa, declared upon his nomination that every honest man should be a Conservative.^[5]

The ensuing Conservative victory was overwhelming. Six constituencies returned Tory members for the first time ever since Confederation, plus eight others which had only done so once before.^[6] Most cities, other than Ottawa and Kingston, voted Conservative.^[7]

Results

^[1]

Elections to the 11th Parliament of Ontario (1905)

Political party		Party leader	MPPs					Votes
			Candidates	1902	Dissol.	1905	±	#	%	± (pp)
	Conservative	James P. Whitney	98	48		69	21	237,612	53.37%	5.83
	Liberal	George William Ross	95	50		28	22	198,595	44.61%	5.04
	Independent Liberal		3	–		1	1	5,362	1.20%	New
	Independent Conservative		1	–	–	–		95	0.02%	0.36
	Independent		2	–	–	–		100	0.02%	1.16
	Prohibitionist		2	–	–	–		1,906	0.43%	0.29
	Socialist		7	–	–	–		1,273	0.29%	0.17
	Temperance		2	–	–	–		250	0.06%	New
	Socialist Labour		–	–	–	–		Did not campaign
	Vacant
Total			210	98	98	98		445,193	100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots								3,254
Registered voters / turnout								616,996	72.68%	1.87

Seats and popular vote by party

Party		Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
	Conservative	69 / 98	53.37%	5.83		5.83
	Liberal	28 / 98	44.61%	-5.04
	Other	1 / 94	2.02%	-0.79

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1905 Ontario general election^[1]

Riding[a 1]	Winning party								Turnout	Votes
Name[a 2]	1902		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %		Con	Lib	I-Lib	I-Con	Ind	Oth	Total
Addington		Con		Con	1,384	64.58%	625	29.16%	49.56%	1,384	759	–	–	–	–	2,143
Algoma		Con		Con	2,064	55.22%	390	10.43%	57.46%	2,064	1,674	–	–	–	–	3,738
Brant North		Lib		Con	1,242	51.34%	65	2.69%	83.58%	1,242	1,177	–	–	–	–	2,419
Brant South		Lib		Lib	3,091	51.26%	152	2.52%	86.28%	2,939	3,091	–	–	–	–	6,030
Brockville		Lib		Lib	2,201	52.00%	169	3.99%	80.74%	2,032	2,201	–	–	–	–	4,233
Bruce Centre		Con		Con	1,982	53.47%	257	6.93%	80.79%	1,982	1,725	–	–	–	–	3,707
Bruce North		Lib		Lib	2,162	50.94%	80	1.89%	71.83%	2,082	2,162	–	–	–	–	4,244
Bruce South		Lib		Con	1,890	50.97%	72	1.94%	78.65%	1,890	1,818	–	–	–	–	3,708
Cardwell		Con		Con	1,902	65.25%	889	30.50%	54.23%	1,902	1,013	–	–	–	–	2,915
Carleton		Con		Con	1,617	78.69%	1,179	57.37%	42.74%	1,617	438	–	–	–	–	2,055
Dufferin		Con		Con	2,027	53.88%	292	7.76%	65.39%	2,027	–	–	–	–	1,735	3,762
Dundas		Con		Con	2,293	57.87%	624	15.75%	75.63%	2,293	1,669	–	–	–	–	3,962
Durham East		Con		Con	1,665	65.60%	792	31.21%	60.41%	1,665	873	–	–	–	–	2,538
Durham West		Lib		Con	1,690	52.02%	131	4.03%	88.82%	1,690	1,559	–	–	–	–	3,249
Elgin East		Con		Con	2,249	51.42%	124	2.83%	85.65%	2,249	2,125	–	–	–	–	4,374
Elgin West		Con		Con	3,129	53.02%	536	9.08%	79.02%	3,129	2,593	–	–	–	180	5,902
Essex North		Con		Con	3,385	57.04%	836	14.09%	68.70%	3,385	2,549	–	–	–	–	5,934
Essex South		Lib		Lib	2,828	51.26%	139	2.52%	76.39%	2,689	2,828	–	–	–	–	5,517
Fort William and Lake of the Woods		Lib		Con	1,536	55.57%	308	11.14%	45.06%	1,536	1,228	–	–	–	–	2,764
Frontenac		Con		Con	1,616	55.46%	318	10.91%	62.29%	1,616	1,298	–	–	–	–	2,914
Glengarry		Con		Lib	2,214	53.17%	264	6.34%	74.28%	1,950	2,214	–	–	–	–	4,164
Grenville		Con		Con	2,010	57.89%	548	15.78%	62.92%	2,010	–	1,462	–	–	–	3,472
Grey Centre		Con		Con	2,160	70.11%	1,239	40.21%	50.62%	2,160	921	–	–	–	–	3,081
Grey North		Lib		Lib	3,268	52.16%	271	4.33%	77.42%	2,997	3,268	–	–	–	–	6,265
Grey South		Con		Con	2,372	54.73%	410	9.46%	71.57%	2,372	1,962	–	–	–	–	4,334
Haldimand		Lib		Lib	2,019	57.50%	527	15.01%	86.11%	1,492	2,019	–	–	–	–	3,511
Halton		Lib		Con	2,522	55.62%	510	11.25%	82.70%	2,522	2,012	–	–	–	–	4,534
Hamilton East		Con		Con	3,273	54.48%	538	8.95%	79.39%	3,273	2,735	–	–	–	–	6,008
Hamilton West		Con		Con	3,089	53.68%	424	7.37%	80.78%	3,089	2,665	–	–	–	–	5,754
Hastings East		Lib		I-Lib	2,125	53.42%	272	6.84%	86.32%	1,853	–	2,125	–	–	–	3,978
Hastings North		Con		Con	2,327	74.51%	1,531	49.02%	44.02%	2,327	796	–	–	–	–	3,123
Hastings West		Con		Con	2,018	57.46%	524	14.92%	68.93%	2,018	1,494	–	–	–	–	3,512
Huron East		Lib		Lib	2,212	51.66%	142	3.32%	86.22%	2,070	2,212	–	–	–	–	4,282
Huron South		Con		Con	2,688	54.14%	411	8.28%	88.60%	2,688	2,277	–	–	–	–	4,965
Huron West		Lib		Lib	2,435	50.02%	2	0.04%	83.44%	2,433	2,435	–	–	–	–	4,868
Kent East		Lib		Con	2,714	50.52%	56	1.04%	76.12%	2,714	2,658	–	–	–	–	5,372
Kent West		Lib		Lib	4,073	51.05%	167	2.09%	83.46%	3,906	4,073	–	–	–	–	7,979
Kingston		Lib		Lib	2,238	50.22%	20	0.45%	91.13%	2,218	2,238	–	–	–	–	4,456
Lambton East		Lib		Con	2,587	51.94%	193	3.87%	85.17%	2,587	2,394	–	–	–	–	4,981
Lambton West		Con		Con	4,201	54.01%	624	8.02%	80.75%	4,201	3,577	–	–	–	–	7,778
Lanark North		Lib		Con	1,810	57.59%	477	15.18%	75.61%	1,810	1,333	–	–	–	–	3,143
Lanark South		Con		Con	1,565	69.90%	891	39.79%	39.61%	1,565	674	–	–	–	–	2,239
Leeds		Con		Con	1,983	64.89%	910	29.78%	55.59%	1,983	1,073	–	–	–	–	3,056
Lennox		Con		Con	1,597	51.09%	68	2.18%	81.95%	1,597	1,529	–	–	–	–	3,126
Lincoln		Con		Con	3,287	56.58%	765	13.17%	78.68%	3,287	2,522	–	–	–	–	5,809
London		Con		Con	4,783	52.27%	566	6.19%	86.19%	4,783	4,217	–	–	–	150	9,150
Manitoulin		Con		Con	1,277	56.43%	448	19.80%	42.66%	1,277	829	–	–	–	157	2,263
Middlesex East		Lib		Con	2,463	51.46%	140	2.93%	85.15%	2,463	2,323	–	–	–	–	4,786
Middlesex North		Lib		Con	2,069	50.69%	56	1.37%	84.68%	2,069	2,013	–	–	–	–	4,082
Middlesex West		Lib		Lib	2,043	51.42%	113	2.84%	84.00%	1,930	2,043	–	–	–	–	3,973
Monck		Lib		Lib	1,766	51.11%	77	2.23%	82.77%	1,689	1,766	–	–	–	–	3,455
Muskoka		Lib		Con	2,122	63.46%	900	26.91%	59.12%	2,122	1,222	–	–	–	–	3,344
Nipissing East		Lib		Con	1,524	49.48%	63	2.05%	58.63%	1,524	1,461	–	95	–	–	3,080
Nipissing West		Lib		Con	1,533	58.62%	451	17.25%	44.50%	1,533	1,082	–	–	–	–	2,615
Norfolk North		Con		Lib	1,969	55.36%	381	10.71%	88.14%	1,588	1,969	–	–	–	–	3,557
Norfolk South		Lib		Con	1,711	50.19%	13	0.38%	91.67%	1,711	1,698	–	–	–	–	3,409
Northumberland East		Con		Con	2,644	59.47%	842	18.94%	75.38%	2,644	1,802	–	–	–	–	4,446
Northumberland West		Lib		Lib	1,510	54.91%	270	9.82%	81.64%	1,240	1,510	–	–	–	–	2,750
Ontario North		Con		Con	2,258	52.10%	182	4.20%	85.32%	2,258	2,076	–	–	–	–	4,334
Ontario South		Lib		Con	2,720	51.05%	112	2.10%	87.48%	2,720	2,608	–	–	–	–	5,328
Oxford North		Lib		Lib	2,885	54.82%	507	9.63%	75.82%	2,378	2,885	–	–	–	–	5,263
Oxford South		Con		Con	2,713	52.04%	213	4.09%	82.73%	2,713	2,500	–	–	–	–	5,213
Parry Sound		Lib		Con	2,243	52.37%	374	8.73%	43.75%	2,243	1,869	–	–	–	171	4,283
Peel		Lib		Lib	2,269	50.36%	32	0.71%	86.86%	2,237	2,269	–	–	–	–	4,506
Perth North		Con		Con	3,712	52.21%	314	4.42%	88.18%	3,712	3,398	–	–	–	–	7,110
Perth South		Lib		Con	2,555	50.58%	59	1.17%	87.11%	2,555	2,496	–	–	–	–	5,051
Peterborough East		Lib		Lib	1,371	52.25%	118	4.50%	64.81%	1,253	1,371	–	–	–	–	2,624
Peterborough West		Lib		Con	2,967	62.33%	1,174	24.66%	73.55%	2,967	1,793	–	–	–	–	4,760
Port Arthur and Rainy River		Lib		Lib	1,285	50.27%	14	0.55%	53.77%	1,271	1,285	–	–	–	–	2,556
Prescott		Lib		Lib	2,093	50.01%	1	0.02%	67.64%	–	4,185[a 3]	–	–	–	–	4,185
Prince Edward		Lib		Lib	2,270	50.06%	5	0.11%	85.84%	2,265	2,270	–	–	–	–	4,535
Renfrew North		Lib		Con	2,791	67.48%	1,446	34.96%	73.03%	2,791	1,345	–	–	–	–	4,136
Renfrew South		Lib		Con	2,457	54.55%	410	9.10%	70.65%	2,457	2,047	–	–	–	–	4,504
Russell		Lib		Lib	2,557	59.55%	820	19.10%	54.87%	1,737	2,557	–	–	–	–	4,294
Sault Ste. Marie		Con		Lib	1,396	52.05%	110	4.10%	55.73%	1,286	1,396	–	–	–	–	2,682
Simcoe Centre		Lib		Con	2,201	57.26%	558	14.52%	79.10%	2,201	1,643	–	–	–	–	3,844
Simcoe East		Lib		Lib	3,284	51.92%	243	3.84%	77.68%	3,041	3,284	–	–	–	–	6,325
Simcoe West		Con		Con	2,129	59.60%	686	19.20%	65.33%	2,129	1,443	–	–	–	–	3,572
Stormont		Lib		Con	2,679	49.93%	37	0.69%	79.90%	2,723[a 4]	2,642	–	–	–	–	5,365
Toronto East		Con		Con	3,573	72.08%	2,373	47.87%	55.23%	3,573	1,200	–	–	–	184	4,957
Toronto North		Con		Con	5,189	57.00%	1,485	16.31%	70.74%	5,189	3,704	–	–	–	211	9,104
Toronto South		Con		Con	5,380	68.48%	3,072	39.10%	57.89%	5,380	2,308	–	–	–	168	7,856
Toronto West		Con		Con	4,998	70.26%	3,223	45.31%	53.88%	4,998	–	1,775	–	28	313	7,114
Victoria East		Con		Con	2,128	67.02%	1,081	34.05%	58.99%	2,128	1,047	–	–	–	–	3,175
Victoria West		Con		Con	2,211	51.61%	138	3.22%	78.33%	2,211	2,073	–	–	–	–	4,284
Waterloo North		Con		Con	3,021	52.51%	361	6.27%	74.87%	3,021	2,660	–	–	72	–	5,753
Waterloo South		Con		Con	2,862	54.19%	443	8.39%	73.89%	2,862	2,419	–	–	–	–	5,281
Welland		Lib		Con	3,328	52.29%	291	4.57%	79.15%	3,328	3,037	–	–	–	–	6,365
Wellington East		Lib		Con	1,910	52.36%	172	4.71%	74.39%	1,910	1,738	–	–	–	–	3,648
Wellington South		Con		Con	2,640	51.18%	282	5.47%	80.29%	2,640	2,358	–	–	–	160	5,158
Wellington West		Con		Con	1,863	53.20%	224	6.40%	79.89%	1,863	1,639	–	–	–	–	3,502
Wentworth North		Lib		Lib	1,612	50.44%	28	0.88%	80.53%	1,584	1,612	–	–	–	–	3,196
Wentworth South		Lib		Lib	1,490	54.01%	221	8.01%	78.50%	1,269	1,490	–	–	–	–	2,759
York East		Lib		Con	2,228	55.33%	429	10.65%	73.50%	2,228	1,799	–	–	–	–	4,027
York North		Lib		Con	2,827	52.49%	268	4.98%	87.60%	2,827	2,559	–	–	–	–	5,386
York West[a 5]		Con		Con	3,276	64.07%	1,439	28.14%	61.08%	3,276	1,837	–	–	–	–	5,113

1. excluding Ottawa, a multi-member constituency
2. order is as given in EO reports
3. the incumbent Alfred Évanturel received 2,092 votes
4. George Kerr was the winning candidate
5. EO error re party affiliations corrected

  = 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

^[1]

Results for Ottawa (2 seats)

Political party		Candidate	Votes	%	Elected	Incumbent
	Liberal	Donald Joseph McDougal	6,053	26.06	Y
	Liberal	George Samuel May	5,904	25.42	Y
	Conservative	Dennis Murphy	5,675	24.43	N	Y
	Conservative	P.D. Ross	5,596	24.09
Majority[a 1]			229	0.99
Turnout			11,726	74.01
Registered voters			15,844

1. plurality for second winning candidate

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place^{[1][a 1]}

Party in 1st place		Party in 2nd place				Total
		Con	Lib	I-Lib	Proh
	Conservative		66	2	1	69
	Liberal	25	1			26
	Independent Liberal	1				1
Total		26	67	2	1	96

1. excluding Ottawa seats

Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party^[1]

Parties	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
█ Conservative	69	26	2	1
█ Liberal	27	68
█ Independent Liberal	1	2
█ Prohibitionist		1	1
█ Socialist			7
█ Temperance			1	1
█ Independent			1		1
█ Independent Conservative			1

Resulting composition of the 10th Legislative Assembly of Ontario^[1]

Source		Party
		Con	Lib	I-Lib	Total
Seats retained	Incumbents returned	37	18		55
	Open seats held	5	5		10
	Byelection losses reversed	2			2
Seats changing hands	Incumbents defeated	16	1		17
	Open seats gained	8	1	1	10
	Byelection gains held	1	1		2
Ottawa seats	New MLA		1		1
	Incumbent defeated		1		1
Total		69	28	1	98

MLAs elected by region and riding

Party designations are as follows:

  Liberal

  Conservative

  Independent Liberal

Northern Ontario   Algoma: William Ross Smyth   Fort William and Lake of the Woods: Thomas Smellie   Manitoulin: Robert Roswell Gamey   Nipissing East: Charles Lamarche   Nipissing West: Azaire Adulphe Aubin   Port Arthur and Rainy River: Hugh W. Kennedy   Sault Ste. Marie: Charles Napier Smith Ottawa Valley   Carleton: George Nelson Kidd   Lanark North: Richard Franklin Preston   Lanark South: Arthur James Matheson   Ottawa: George Samuel May   Ottawa: Donald Joseph McDougal   Prescott: Joseph Louis Labrosse   Renfrew North: Edward Arunah Dunlop   Renfrew South: Thomas William McGarry   Russell: Damase Racine Saint Lawrence Valley   Brockville: George Perry Graham   Dundas: James Pliny Whitney   Glengarry: John Angus McMillan   Grenville: George Howard Ferguson   Kingston: Edward John Barker Pense[a]   Leeds: John Robertson Dargavel   Stormont: George Kerr Central Ontario   Addington: William James Paul   Durham East: Josiah Johnston Preston   Durham West: John Henry Devitt   Frontenac: John S. Gallagher   Hastings East: Edward Walter Rathbun   Hastings North: Josiah Williams Pearce   Hastings West: Marshall Bidwell Morrison   Lennox: Thomas George Carscallen   Northumberland East: William Arnson Willoughby   Northumberland West: Samuel Clarke   Peterborough East: William A. Anderson   Peterborough West: Thomas Evans Bradburn   Prince Edward: Morley Currie   Victoria East: John Hilliard Carnegie   Victoria West: Samuel John Fox

Georgian Bay   Bruce North: Charles Martin Bowman   Grey North: Alexander Grant MacKay   Muskoka: Arthur Arnold Mahaffy   Parry Sound: John Galna   Simcoe Centre: Alfred Burke Thompson   Simcoe East: James Brockett Tudhope   Simcoe West: James Stoddart Duff Wentworth/Halton/Niagara   Halton: Alfred Westland Nixon   Hamilton East: Henry Carscallen   Hamilton West: John Strathearn Hendrie   Lincoln: Elisha Jessop   Monck: Richard Harcourt   Welland: Evan Eugene Fraser   Wentworth North: Robert Adam Thompson   Wentworth South: Daniel Reed Midwestern Ontario   Brant North: John Henry Fisher   Brant South: Thomas Hiram Preston   Bruce Centre: Hugh Clark   Bruce South: Robert Edwin Clapp   Dufferin: Frederick William Lewis   Grey Centre: Isaac Benson Lucas   Grey South: David Jamieson   Haldimand: Jacob Kohler   Huron East: Archibald Hislop   Huron South: Henry Eilber   Huron West: Malcolm Graeme Cameron   Norfolk North: Thomas Robert Atkinson   Norfolk South: Arthur Clarence Pratt   Oxford North: James S. Munro   Oxford South: Donald Sutherland   Perth North: James Torrance   Perth South: Samuel Nelson Monteith   Waterloo North: Henry George Lackner   Waterloo South: George Pattinson   Wellington East: James J. Craig   Wellington South: Joseph Patrick Downey   Wellington West: James Tucker

Southwestern Ontario   Elgin East: Charles Andrew Brower   Elgin West: Findlay George MacDiarmid   Essex North: Joseph Octave Reaume   Essex South: John Allan Auld   Kent East: Philip Henry Bowyer   Kent West: Archibald Blake McCoig   Lambton East: Hugh Montgomery   Lambton West: William John Hanna   London: Adam Beck   Middlesex East: George Wesley Neely   Middlesex North: Charles Constantine Hodgins   Middlesex West: George William Ross Peel/York/Ontario   Cardwell: Edward Alfred Little   Ontario North: William Henry Hoyle   Ontario South: Charles Calder   Peel: John Smith   York East: Alexander McCowan   York North: Thomas Herbert Lennox   York West: Joseph Wesley St. John Toronto   Toronto East: Robert Allan Pyne   Toronto North: William Beattie Nesbitt   Toronto South: J.J. Foy   Toronto West: Thomas Crawford

Seats that changed hands

Elections to the 11th Parliament of Ontario – seats won/lost by party, 1902–1905

Party		1902	Gain from (loss to)						1905
			Con		Lib		I-Lib
	Conservative	48			26	(5)			69
	Liberal	50	5	(26)				(1)	28
	Independent-Liberal	–	1						1
Total		98	6	(26)	26	(5)	–	(1)	98

There were 32 seats that changed allegiance in the election:

Liberal to Conservative Brant Bruce South Durham West Fort William and Lake of the Woods Halton Kent East Lambton East Lanark North Middlesex East Middlesex North Muskoka Nipissing East Nipissing West

Norfolk South Ontario South Parry Sound Perth South Peterborough West Renfrew South Simcoe Centre Stormont Welland Wellington East York East York North York West

Liberal to Independent-Liberal Hastings East Conservative to Liberal Glengarry Norfolk North Ottawa (both MLAs) Sault Ste. Marie

See also

• Politics of Ontario
• List of Ontario political parties
• Premier of Ontario
• Leader of the Opposition (Ontario)

Notes and references

Notes

1. Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued. Pense was reelected in the subsequent byelection.^[8]

References

1. "1905 General Election". Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
2. Hopkins 1906, pp. 204–206.
3. Hopkins 1906, p. 206.
4. Hopkins 1906, p. 208.
5. Hopkins 1906, p. 209.
6. Hopkins 1906, pp. 215–216.
7. Hopkins 1906, p. 216.
8. Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario. Vol. XL. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1906. pp. 11–13.

Further reading

• Hopkins, J. Castell (1906). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1905. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.