1933 British Columbia general election

The 1933 British Columbia general election was the eighteenth 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 September 13, 1933, and held on November 2, 1933.^[1] The new legislature met for the first time on February 20, 1934.

1933 British Columbia general election

← 1928 November 2, 1933 1937 →
47 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 24 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   CCF Leader Thomas Dufferin Pattullo Robert Connell Party Liberal Co-operative Commonwealth Leader since 1928 1933 Leader's seat Prince Rupert Victoria City Last election 12 pre-creation Seats won 34 7 Seat change 22 7 Popular vote 159,131 120,185 Percentage 41.74% 31.53% Swing 1.70pp pre-creation   Third party Fourth party   Leader William John Bowser †[a] Simon Fraser Tolmie Party Non-Partisan Independent Group Unionist Leader since 1933 1933 Leader's seat Did not run[a] Saanich (lost re-election) Last election Did not contest 35[b] Seats won 2 1 Seat change 2 34[c] Popular vote 38,836 15,445 Percentage 10.19% 4.05% Swing new 49.25pp[c]
Premier before election Simon Fraser Tolmie Conservative Premier after election Thomas Dufferin Pattullo Liberal

The Liberal Party won a majority government.

The Official Opposition was formed by the social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, which was contesting its first election.

Because of internal discord, the provincial executive of the Conservative Party decided not to contest the election officially. Instead, each local association was to act on its own. Some candidates ran as Independents, some as Independent Conservatives. Those supporting the premier, Simon Fraser Tolmie, ran as Unionist Party of British Columbia, and those grouped around William John Bowser, a former premier, ran as the Non-Partisan Independent Group. When Bowser died on October 25, the elections in Vancouver Centre and Victoria City were postponed to November 27, and the following candidates withdrew:^[2]

• in Vancouver Centre, one each from the Unionists, NPIG and United Front
• in Victoria City, one Unionist, three NPIG and one Independent

Other notable races include the election of Bridge River-Lillooet News publisher George Matheson Murray in Lillooet over Conservative Ernest Crawford Carson. Carson's brother Robert Henry Carson ran as a Liberal, winning Kamloops. Carson and his brother both served as cabinet ministers in later regimes. They were the sons of Robert Carson, an American who was one of the very few survivors of an Indian attack on a wagon train on the Oregon Trail and who went on to found one of the early ranches at Pavilion and whose holdings became part of the Diamond S Ranch.^[3]

1932 redistribution of ridings

An Act was passed in 1932, providing for a reduction of the seats in the Assembly from 48 to 47 upon the next election.^[4] The following changes were made:

Abolished ridings	New ridings
Drawn from other ridings
	Peace River
Merger of districts
Alberni Nanaimo	Alberni-Nanaimo
Columbia Revelstoke	Columbia-Revelstoke
Nelson Creston	Nelson-Creston
Reorganization of districts
Richmond-Point Grey (1 MLA) South Vancouver (1 MLA) Vancouver City (6 MLAs)	Vancouver-Burrard (2 MLAs) Vancouver Centre (2 MLAs) Vancouver East (2 MLAs) Vancouver-Point Grey (3 MLAs)

1934 post-election redistribution

A 1934 Act increased the size of the Assembly from 47 to 48, by abolishing the district of Columbia-Revelstoke and reviving the previous districts of Columbia and Revelstoke, with immediate effect.^[5] William Henry Sutherland was declared the MLA for Revelstoke,^[6] and Thomas King (Liberal) was acclaimed in Columbia in the subsequent byelection.^[7]

Results

Elections to the 18th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1933)^[8]

Political party		Party leader	MLAs				Votes
			Candidates	1928	1933	±	#	±	%	± (pp)
	Liberal	Duff Pattullo	47	12	34	22	159,131	14,259	41.74	1.70
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Robert Connell	46	–	7	7	120,185	120,185	31.53	New
	Conservative fragmention
	█ Non-Partisan Independent Group	William John Bowser	30		2		38,836		10.19
	█ Unionist	Simon Fraser Tolmie	12		1		15,445		4.05
	█ Independent Conservative		6		–		7,114		1.87
	█ Independent		4		–		2,193		0.58
	█ Oxford Group		1		1		1,655		0.43
	All Conservative factions		53	35	4	31	65,243	128,688	17.12	36.18
	Independent		24	–	1	1	25,658	22,000	6.73	5.72
	Labour (all factions)		4	1	1		2,357	15,867	0.62	4.42
	United Front (Workers and Farmers)		20	–	–	–	4,584	4,584	1.20	New
	Independent Co-operative Commonwealth		8	–	–	–	2,266	2,266	0.59	New
	Independent Liberal		2	–	–	–	1,076	75	0.28	–
	Socialist		5	–	–	–	370	370	0.10	Returned
	Progressive Liberal		1	–	–	–	353	353	0.09	New
Total			210	48	47		381,223		100.00%
Rejected ballots[9]							3,380[a 1]	121
Actual voters who voted[9]							236,415	61,481	73.07%	1.74
Registered voters[9]							323,540	78,300

1. Incomplete

Seats and popular vote by party^[8]

Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█ Liberal	34 / 47	41.74%	1.70		1.7
█ Co-operative Commonwealth	7 / 47	31.53%	31.53		31.53
█ Conservative (all factions)	4 / 47	17.12%	-36.18
█ Independent	1 / 47	6.73%	5.72		5.72
█ Labour	1 / 47	0.62%	-4.42
█ Other	0 / 47	2.26%	1.65		1.65

MLAs elected

Alberni-Nanaimo: George Sharratt Pearson   Atlin: William James Asselstine   Burnaby: Ernest Winch   Cariboo: Donald Morrison MacKay   Chilliwack: Edward Dodsley Barrow   Columbia-Revelstoke: William Henry Sutherland   Comox: Laurence Arnold Hanna   Cowichan-Newcastle: Hugh Savage (OG)   Cranbrook: Frank Mitchell MacPherson   Delta: Robert Swailes   Dewdney: David William Strachan   Esquimalt: Robert Henry Pooley   Fernie: Thomas Aubert Uphill (ILP)   Fort George: Henry George Thomas Perry   Grand Forks-Greenwood: Dougald MacPherson   The Islands: Alexander McDonald

Kamloops: Robert Henry Carson   Kaslo-Slocan: Charles Sidney Leary   Lillooet: George Murray   Mackenzie: Ernest Bakewell   Nelson-Creston: Frank Putnam   New Westminster: Wells Gray   North Okanagan: Kenneth Cattanach MacDonald   North Vancouver: Harley Anderson   Omineca: Alexander Malcolm Manson   Peace River: Clive Planta   Prince Rupert: Duff Pattullo   Rossland-Trail: Richard Ronald Burns   Saanich: Norman William Whittaker   Salmon Arm: Rolf Wallgren Bruhn   Similkameen: Charles H. P. Tupper   Skeena: Edward Tourtellotte Kenney

South Okanagan: Joseph Allen Harris   Vancouver-Burrard: Gerry McGeer   Vancouver-Burrard: Helen Douglas Smith   Vancouver Centre: Gordon McGregor Sloan   Vancouver Centre: Gordon Sylvester Wismer   Vancouver East: John Price   Vancouver East: Harold Winch   Vancouver-Point Grey: George Moir Weir   Vancouver-Point Grey: Stanley McKeen   Vancouver-Point Grey: Robert Wilkinson   Victoria City: John Hart   Victoria City: Boss Johnson   Victoria City: Robert Connell   Victoria City: Herbert Anscomb   Yale: John Joseph Alban Gillis

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1933 British Columbia general election (single-member districts)^[10]

Riding	Winning party								Votes
Name	1928		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %	Lib	CCF	NP	Un	O-C	UF	Ind	Oth	Total
Alberni-Nanaimo	New			Lib	3,146	47.47%	793	11.96%	3,146	2,353	781	–	–	185	162	–	6,627
Atlin		Lib		Lib	419	32.63%	111	8.64%	419	308	–	–	136	–	421[a 1]	–	1,284
Burnaby		Con		CCF	4,548	39.27%	528	4.55%	4,020	4,548	519	1,051	–	694	22	726	11,580
Cariboo		Con		Lib	1,089	54.50%	578	28.92%	1,089	398	511	–	–	–	–	–	1,998
Chilliwack		Con		Lib	2,273	44.96%	618	12.23%	2,273	1,655	1,128	–	–	–	–	–	5,056
Columbia-Revelstoke	New			Lib	1,947	72.27%	1,200	44.54%	1,947	747	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,694
Comox		Con		Lib	2,204	49.94%	614	13.91%	2,204	1,590	–	–	–	259	84	276	4,413
Cowichan-Newcastle		Con		OG	1,655	40.88%	367	9.06%	520	1,288	–	–	2,240[a 2]	–	–	–	4,048
Cranbrook		Lib		Lib	2,951	69.53%	1,720	40.52%	2,951	1,231	–	–	–	62	–	–	4,244
Delta		Con		CCF	2,631	36.95%	538	7.55%	2,093	2,631	–	–	612[a 3]	49	1,735	–	7,120
Dewdney		Con		Lib	1,235	30.34%	166	4.08%	1,235	967	1,069	–	–	127	673	–	4,071
Esquimalt		Con		Un	1,466	39.03%	59	1.57%	1,407	525	358	1,466	–	–	–	–	3,756
Fernie		ILP		ILP	1,693	56.58%	394	13.16%	1,299	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,693	2,992
Fort George		Con		Lib	1,577	56.32%	952	34.00%	1,577	625	310	–	–	192	–	96	2,800
Grand Forks-Greenwood		Con		Lib	1,034	58.55%	523	29.61%	1,034	221	511	–	–	–	–	–	1,766
The Islands		Con		Lib	726	35.35%	57	2.78%	726	400	233	–	669	–	26	–	2,054
Kamloops		Con		Lib	1,836	44.76%	476	11.61%	1,836	1,360	906	–	–	–	–	–	4,102
Kaslo-Slocan		Con		Lib	1,250	45.05%	299	10.78%	1,250	574	951	–	–	–	–	–	2,775
Lillooet		Con		Lib	927	44.06%	222	10.55%	927	472	705	–	–	–	–	–	2,104
Mackenzie		Con		CCF	2,071	43.61%	685	14.42%	1,386	2,071	1,292	–	–	–	–	–	4,749
Nelson-Creston	New			Lib	2,489	49.19%	1,187	23.46%	2,489	1,161	1,302	–	–	125	–	–	5,060
New Westminster		Lib		Lib	2,694	46.98%	1,218	21.24%	2,694	1,476	–	–	–	125	1,439	–	5,734
North Okanagan		Con		Lib	2,322	48.01%	676	13.97%	2,322	868	1,646	–	–	–	–	–	4,836
North Vancouver		Lib		CCF	2,427	35.19%	643	9.32%	1,636	2,427	1,784 [a 4]	–	–	132	7	911[a 5]	6,897
Omineca		Lib		Lib	1,079	52.23%		%	1,079	538	355	–	–	–	94	–	2,066
Peace River	New			NP	957	37.31%	157	6.12%	749	800	957	–	–	59	–	–	2,565
Prince Rupert		Lib		Lib	1,725	64.90%	1,060	39.88%	1,725	665	–	–	–	268	–	–	2,658
Rossland-Trail		Con		Lib	1,729	43.84%	415	10.52%	1,729	901	1,314	–	–	–	–	–	3,944
Saanich		Con		Lib	2,171	37.97%	348	6.09%	2,171	1,216	508	1,823	–	–	–	–	5,718
Salmon Arm		Con		NP	1,351	44.82%	463	15.36%	888	603	1,351	–	–	172	–	–	3,014
Similkameen		Con		Lib	1,765	43.23%	379	9.28%	1,765	730	1,386	–	–	–	202	–	4,083
Skeena		Lib		Lib	902	56.34%	451	28.17%	902	451	–	–	–	–	248	–	1,601
South Okanagan		Con		Lib	1,636	36.66%	191	4.28%	1,636	1,382	–	–	1,445	–	–	–	4,463
Yale		Lib		Lib	1,193	68.64%	881	50.69%	1,193	233	312	–	–	–	–	–	1,738

1. The incumbent Herbert Frederick Kergin received 267 votes.
2. The incumbent Cyril Francis Davie received 585 votes.
3. The incumbent John Walter Berry received 447 votes.
4. Jack Loutet had been elected as a Conservative in a 1930 byelection
5. John Melvin Bryan Sr., previously elected as a Liberal in 1924, ran as an Independent Liberal and received 846 votes

  = 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

  = Conservative factions

  = multiple candidates

Results by riding - 1933 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts)^[10]

Riding		Winning party		Votes
Name	MLAs	1928	1933	Lib	CCF	NP	Un	O-C	UF	Ind	Oth	Total
Vancouver-Burrard	2	New	2	19,139	12,857	5,642	1,733	–	235	–	616	40,222
Vancouver Centre	2	New	2	13,648	10,454	–	–	2,741	646	–	834	28,323
Vancouver East	2	New	2	14,171	21,991	2,450	404	–	1,002	418	656	41,092
Vancouver-Point Grey	3	New	3	31,436	22,330	10,555	6,152	–	174	902	111	71,660
Victoria City	4	4	2   1   1	24,420	15,138	–	2,816	3,119	95	19,225	503	65,316

  = election day deferred

See also

• List of British Columbia political parties

Notes

1. Bowser died prior to the election.
2. Result for the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
3. Compared to the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

References

1. Elections BC 1988, p. 173.
2. Elections BC 1988, p. 180.
3. BCGNIS listing "Mount Carson"
4. Constitution Act Amendment Act, 1932, S.B.C. 1932, c. 8
5. Constitution Act Amendment Act, 1934, S.B.C. 1934, c. 15
6. 1934 Act, s. 11
7. Elections BC 1988, p. 181.
8. Elections BC 1988, pp. 159, 173.
9. Elections BC 1988, p. 2.
10. Elections BC 1988, pp. 161–164, 175–180.

Further reading

• An Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986 (PDF). Victoria: Elections British Columbia. 1988. ISBN 0-7718-8677-2.
• The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1933. Toronto: The Annual Review Company. 1934.