1894 Ontario general election
June 26, 1894
94 seats in the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
48 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Oliver Mowat William Ralph Meredith
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader since 1872 1879
Leader's seat Oxford North London
Last election 53 34
Seats won 45 23
Seat change Decrease8 Decrease9
Premier before election

Oliver Mowat
Liberal

 Premier after election

Oliver Mowat
Liberal

The 1894 Ontario general election was the eighth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 26, 1894, to elect the 94 Members of the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").[1]

The main issues were the Liberals' "Ontario System", as well as French language schools, farmer interests, support for Toronto business, woman suffrage, the temperance movement, and the demands of labour unions.[2]

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Oliver Mowat, formed the government for the seventh consecutive parliament, even though some of its members were elected under joint banners: either with the Patrons of Industry or the Protestant Protective Association.

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by William Ralph Meredith, formed the official opposition.

The Patrons of Industry, a farmers' organization formed in 1890, cooperated with the urban labour movement to address the political frustrations of both groups with big business. Sixteen members of the Legislative Assembly were elected with Patrons of Industry support—12 Liberals, one Conservative, and three who ran only under the "Patrons of Industry" banner.

The Protestant Protective Association (PPA) was an anti-Catholic group, associated with the Orange Order. It campaigned against the rights of Catholics and French-Canadians, and argued that Roman Catholics were attempting to take over Ontario. Nine candidates were elected with PPA support, 6 Conservatives, 1 Liberal and 2 who ran only under the PPA banner. The PPA worked most closely with the Conservative opposition.

Unlike the previous two elections, this election strictly used First past the post to elect the members. The Toronto district was divided into separate single member districts, as part of the expansion of the Assembly.

Expansion of the Legislative Assembly

An Act passed just prior to the election[3] increased the size of the Assembly from 91 to 94 seats:

Results

[1]

Elections to the 8th Parliament of Ontario (1894)
Political party Party leader MPPs Votes
Candidates 1890 Dissol. 1894 ± # % ± (pp)
Liberal Oliver Mowat 80 53 45 8Decrease 153,826 40.99% 8.64Decrease
Conservative William Ralph Meredith 56 34 23 11Decrease 104,369 27.81% 12.07Decrease
  Liberal-Patrons 26 – – 12 12Increase 44,029 11.73% New
  Conservative–P.P.A. 13 – – 5 5Increase 24,616 6.56% New
Patrons of Industry Joseph Longford Haycock 7 – – 3 3Increase 10,465 2.79% New
  Conservative-Patrons 7 – – 2 2Increase 11,608 3.09% New
  Liberal-P.P.A. 2 – – 2 2Increase 3,649 0.97% New
Protestant Protective Association 8 – – 1 1Increase 11,015 2.94% New
Independent-Conservative-PPA 1 – – 1 1Increase 2,326 0.62% New
Independent 9 – – – 9,374 2.50% New
  Liberal-Equal Rights 2 – – 2Decrease Did not campaign
  Conservative-Equal Rights 2 – – 2Decrease Did not campaign
Vacant
Total 209 91 91 94 375,277 100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots 3,886
Registered voters / turnout 539,358 70.30% 0.70Increase
Seats and popular vote by party of major influence
PartySeatsVotesChange (pp)
Liberal[a 1]
45 / 94
40.99%
-8.64
 
Conservative[a 1]
23 / 94
27.81%
-12.07
 
Patrons of Industry
17 / 94
17.61%
17.61 17.61
 
Protestant Protective Association[a 2]
9 / 94
11.09%
11.09 11.09
 
Equal Rights
0 / 94
0.00%
-10.00
 
Other
0 / 94
3.12%
2.01 2.01
 
  1. 1 2 Straight party support only. Other MLAs sponsored by Patrons of Industry, PPA or Equal Rights Party are allocated to the latter, to show extent of influence.
  2. ↑ Associated with the Orange Order.

Before the Legislature's first session opened, four by-elections were called. William Ralph Meredith (London) resigned to accept appointment as a judge, while the elections of James M. Savage (Algoma West), John Senn (Haldimand) and Edward H. Smythe (Kingston) were overturned on appeal. The Liberals won all four Conservative seats, thus securing a majority in the Assembly. That, together with the inability of the Patrons of Industry and the Conservatives to combine on any issue, ensured the Liberals' hold on power.[4]


Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1890 Ontario general election[1]
Riding[a 1] Winning party Turnout Votes
Name[a 2] 1890 Party Votes Share Margin
#		 Margin
%		 Lib Con POI PPA Ind Total
 
Addington Con Con 1,84952.89%2025.78%75.79%1,6471,849–––3,496
Algoma East Con Lib 1,98250.85%661.69%50.48%1,9821,916–––3,898
Algoma West Lib Con 1,13750.13%60.26%52.42%1,1311,137–––2,268
Brant North Lib Lib 1,19261.44%44422.89%77.41%1,192–748––1,940
Brant South Lib Lib 2,59756.74%61713.48%79.56%2,597––1,980–4,577
Brockville Lib Lib 2,04553.49%2676.98%71.43%2,0451,778–––3,823
Bruce Centre Lib L-PI 1,93257.97%53115.93%69.91%1,401–1,932––3,333
Bruce North Con L-PP 1,36939.35%2467.07%63.61%1,123987–1,369[a 3]–3,479
Bruce South Lib Lib 1,91352.05%1514.11%68.91%1,913–1,762––3,675
Cardwell Con C-PI 1,88854.93%34510.04%65.18%6–3,431[a 4]––3,437
Carleton Con C-PI 1,98663.61%85027.23%68.07%–1,1361,986––3,122
Dufferin C-ER PI 2,46557.05%60914.09%71.28%–1,8562,465––4,321
Dundas Con Con 2,01052.44%1874.88%77.22%–2,0101,823––3,833
Durham East C-ER Con 1,74656.49%40112.97%66.84%–1,746–1,345–3,091
Durham West Lib C-PP 1,64650.94%611.89%84.42%1,585––1,646–3,231
Elgin East Con Con 1,70043.72%3669.41%74.35%1,3341,700854––3,888
Elgin West Con L-PI 2,85151.55%1713.09%80.82%–2,6802,851––5,531
Essex North Con Lib 1,84342.46%2465.67%54.60%1,8439011,597––4,341
Essex South Lib Lib 2,52152.82%78916.53%79.15%2,521–5201,732–4,773
Frontenac Con L-PI 1,51752.26%1314.51%61.94%–1,3861,517––2,903
Glengarry Lib L-PI 2,03055.22%38410.45%70.96%––2,030–1,6463,676
Grenville Con Con 1,82647.88%49212.90%64.99%1,3341,826–654–3,814
Grey Centre Con PPA 1,73542.67%54213.33%67.33%1,138––2,928[a 5]–4,066
Grey North Lib Lib 1,64638.09%2134.93%66.04%1,6461,242–1,433–4,321
Grey South Con PI 2,40159.83%78919.66%69.29%1,612–2,401––4,013
Haldimand Lib Con 1,69350.22%150.44%76.00%1,6781,693–––3,371
Halton Con Con 2,26951.25%1112.51%77.10%2,1582,269–––4,427
Hamilton East New Lib 2,34851.09%1002.18%78.01%2,348––2,248–4,596
Hamilton West New Lib 2,46855.10%45710.20%78.80%2,468––2,011–4,479
Hastings East Con L-PI 1,57452.70%1615.39%63.32%1,413–1,574––2,987
Hastings North Con PI 1,78250.71%501.42%61.37%–1,7321,782––3,514
Hastings West Lib Lib 1,47351.41%812.83%56.05%1,473–––1,3922,865
Huron East Lib Lib 2,12955.95%45311.91%74.44%2,129–1,676––3,805
Huron South Lib Lib 2,33550.24%220.47%79.03%2,3352,313–––4,648
Huron West Lib Lib 2,26350.85%761.71%73.39%2,263–2,187––4,450
Kent East Lib Lib 2,36555.03%43210.05%61.62%2,365–1,933––4,298
Kent West Con L-PI 3,10654.52%5159.04%71.59%–2,5913,106––5,697
Kingston Con Con 1,71050.01%10.03%80.89%1,7091,710–––3,419
Lambton East Lib IC-PP 2,32652.06%1844.12%78.15%2,142––2,326[a 6]–4,468
Lambton West Lib C-PP 3,04450.73%881.47%63.63%2,956––3,044–6,000
Lanark North L-ER Con 1,49950.44%260.87%75.08%1,4731,499–––2,972
Lanark South Con Con 1,83053.03%62318.05%69.08%1,2071,830–414–3,451
Leeds Con Con 1,99955.14%37310.29%65.02%–1,9991,626––3,625
Lennox Con Con 1,08939.09%1124.02%67.24%9771,089720––2,786
Lincoln Con Con 2,54851.23%1222.45%76.62%–2,548––2,4264,974
London Con Con 3,27351.07%1372.14%86.29%3,1363,273–––6,409
Middlesex East Con L-PP 2,28054.79%3999.59%69.27%1,881––2,280–4,161
Middlesex North Lib L-PI 2,01551.64%1283.28%75.79%––2,0151,887–3,902
Middlesex West Lib Lib 1,97051.46%1122.93%79.59%1,9701,858–––3,828
Monck Lib Lib 1,51951.13%672.26%72.61%1,519––1,452–2,971
Muskoka Con C-PP 1,80352.44%1684.89%75.02%1,635––1,803–3,438
Nipissing Lib Lib 1,34565.83%64731.67%56.12%1,345–––6982,043
Norfolk North Lib Lib 1,69054.64%2879.28%76.63%1,690––1,403–3,093
Norfolk South Lib Lib 1,42450.37%210.74%73.06%1,424–1,403––2,827
Northumberland East Con Con 1,70138.76%1794.08%74.35%1,5222,867[a 7]–––4,389
Northumberland West Lib Lib 1,40252.27%1465.44%73.18%1,4021,256––242,682
Ontario North Con Lib 2,11450.90%751.81%79.45%2,1142,039–––4,153
Ontario South Lib Lib 2,88452.94%3205.87%82.45%2,8842,564–––5,448
Oxford North Lib Lib 2,19758.40%63216.80%64.35%2,197––1,565–3,762
Oxford South Lib Lib 2,45454.21%3818.42%71.16%2,454–2,073––4,527
Parry Sound Lib L-PI 1,96856.94%48013.89%42.89%1,488–1,968––3,456
Peel Lib Lib 2,27354.78%3979.57%75.59%2,273––1,876–4,149
Perth North Lib Con 2,95750.93%1081.86%81.23%2,8492,957–––5,806
Perth South Lib L-PI 2,23250.26%230.52%75.32%2,209–2,232––4,441
Peterborough East Lib Lib 1,62158.37%46516.74%62.43%1,6211,156–––2,777
Peterborough West Lib Lib 2,28060.00%76020.00%75.10%2,2801,520–––3,800
Prescott Lib Lib 2,03871.06%1,20842.12%58.42%2,038–830––2,868
Prince Edward Lib L-PI 2,14953.35%66716.56%71.00%–1,4822,149–3974,028
Renfrew North Con Lib 1,97854.40%3208.80%75.46%1,9781,658–––3,636
Renfrew South Lib Lib 1,80253.41%2316.85%69.55%3,373[a 8]1–––3,374
Russell Lib Lib 1,97662.47%78924.94%48.17%1,9761,187–––3,163
Simcoe Centre Lib Lib 1,17036.76%792.48%67.88%1,170922–1,091–3,183
Simcoe East Con Con 2,02143.21%1242.65%67.07%1,8972,021759––4,677
Simcoe West Con L-PI 1,50951.48%872.97%58.38%––2,931[a 9]––2,931
Stormont Lib L-PI 1,80947.02%40410.50%62.89%1,4056331,809––3,847
Toronto East New C-PP 3,40166.12%1,65832.23%62.00%––1,7433,401[a 10]–5,144
Toronto North New Con 4,00755.58%80511.17%71.21%3,2024,007–––7,209
Toronto South New Con 6,07360.31%2,07720.63%71.35%3,9966,073–––10,069
Toronto West New Con 4,36660.53%1,51921.06%68.31%2,8474,366–––7,213
Victoria East Con Con 1,68854.40%2738.80%60.24%–1,6881,415––3,103
Victoria West L-ER Lib 1,78548.64%47012.81%70.62%1,7851,315570––3,670
Waterloo North Lib Lib 2,04251.11%91822.98%64.48%2,042–1,124–8293,995
Waterloo South Lib Lib 2,21255.63%44811.27%65.85%3,976[a 11]––––3,976
Welland Con Lib 2,57950.90%911.80%78.16%2,5792,488–––5,067
Wellington East Lib Lib 1,30836.90%551.55%71.66%1,3089841,253––3,545
Wellington South Lib Lib 1,99360.39%68620.79%59.46%1,993–1,307––3,300
Wellington West Lib C-PP 1,71854.49%2838.98%65.91%1,435––1,718–3,153
Wentworth North Lib Lib 1,44951.31%742.62%78.75%1,4491,375–––2,824
Wentworth South Lib Lib 1,55155.37%30110.75%83.84%1,5511,250–––2,801
York East Lib Lib 1,95956.23%43412.46%67.24%1,9591,525–––3,484
York North Lib Lib 2,03554.28%3218.56%61.07%2,0351,714–––3,749
York West Lib Con 2,15150.62%531.25%72.41%2,0982,151–––4,249
  1. ↑ excluding Ottawa, a multi-member constituency
  2. ↑ order is as given in EO reports
  3. ↑ the Patrons of Industry incumbent Daniel McNaughton, who was elected in an 1893 byelection
  4. ↑ two Conservative candidates
  5. ↑ 1 PPA, plus the Conservative incumbent Joseph Rorke.
  6. ↑ Peter Duncan McCallum, elected as an Independent Conservative in an 1893 byelection
  7. ↑ the incumbent William Arnson Willoughby was the winning candidate
  8. ↑ the incumbent John Francis Dowling received 1,571 votes
  9. ↑ 1 Liberal; 1 Conservative
  10. ↑ George Ryerson was previously elected as a Conservative in an 1893 byelection.
  11. ↑ the incumbent John Douglas Moore was the winning candidate
  = 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
  = joint Conservative candidate
  = joint Independent Conservative candidate
  = joint Liberal candidate
  = joint Labour candidate
  = 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 George O. O'Keefe 3,38129.99 Green tickY
Liberal Erskine Henry Bronson 3,31629.41 Green tickY Green tickY
Conservative Taylor McVeitty 2,61623.20
Independent A. F. McIntyre 1,92317.06
Independent T. H. Beck 390.65
Majority[a 1] 7006.21
Turnout 6,84156.11
Registered voters 12,193
  1. ↑ plurality for third winning candidate

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place[1][a 1]
Party in 1st placeParty in 2nd placeTotal
LibConL-PIC-PPPOIC-PIPPAIndLab-PI
█ Liberal 21795215243
█ Conservative 18211123
█ Liberal-PI 5411112
█ Conservative-PPA 415
█ Patrons of Industry 123
█ Conservative-PI 112
█ Liberal-PP 22
█ PPA 11
█ Independent Conservative-PPA 11
Total 33241172464192
  1. ↑ excluding Ottawa seats
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party[1]
Parties1st2nd3rd4th5th
█ Liberal 44342
█ Conservative 23249
█ Liberal-PI 12112
█ Conservative-PPA 571
█ Patrons of Industry 322
█ Conservative-PI 241
█ Liberal-PP 2
█ PPA 161
█ Independent Conservative-PPA 1
█ Independent 4311
█ Labour-PI 1
Resulting composition of the 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario[1]
SourcePartyTotal
LibConPOIL-PIC-PIPPAL-PPC-PPIC-PP
Seats retainedIncumbents returned 26935
Open seats held 8412
Byelection loss reversed 11
Defeated by same-party candidate 11
Seats changing handsIncumbents defeated 343611321
Open seats gained 11611111
Byelection gains held 112
Incumbent changed allegiance 11
Incumbent from 3rd-party byelection gain changed allegiance 112
New seatNew MLAs 123
Previously incumbent in the Legislature 1113
Ottawa seatsMLA returned 11
New MLAs 11
Total 45233122125194


MLAs elected by region and riding

Party designations are as follows:

  Liberal
  Conservative
  Patrons of Industry and allied candidates
  Protestant Protective Association and allied candidates


    Division of ridings

    The newly created ridings returned the following MLAs:

    1890 1894
    Riding Party MLAs Riding Party MLAs
    Toronto █ Conservative 2 Toronto East █ Conservative-PPA 1
    Toronto North █ Conservative 1
    █ Liberal 1 Toronto South █ Conservative 1
    Toronto West █ Conservative 1
    Hamilton █ Liberal 1 Hamilton East █ Liberal 1
    Hamilton West █ Liberal 1
    Ottawa █ Liberal 1 converted to dual-member riding █ Liberal 2

    Seats that changed hands

    Elections to the 8th Parliament of Ontario – unaltered seats won/lost by party, 1890–1894
    Party 1890 Gain from (loss to) 1894
    Lib Con Lib-P C-PPA POI Con-P L-PPA PPA ICP L-ER C-ER
    Liberal 506(4)(7)(3)(1)(1)141
    Conservative 324(6)(5)(1)(1)(2)(2)(1)1120
      Liberal-Patrons –7512
      Conservative–P.P.A. –314
    Patrons of Industry –1113
      Conservative-Patrons –22
      Liberal-P.P.A. –22
    Protestant Protective Association –11
    Independent-Conservative-PPA –11
    Liberal-Equal Rights 2(1)(1)–
    Conservative-Equal Rights 2(1)(1)–
    Total8616(7)18(6)–(12)–(4)–(3)–(2)–(2)–(1)–(1)2–2–86

    Of the constituencies that were not altered, there were 38 seats that changed allegiance in the election:

    See also

    Notes and references

    Notes

    1. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued. James Conmee (Liberal) won the subsequent byelection.[5]
    2. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. William Harty (Liberal) won the subsequent byelection.[5]
    3. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices. Writ for new election issued. Jacob Baxter (Liberal) was elected in the subsequent byelection.[5]
    4. ↑ Election declared void because of corrupt practices.[5] Appeal was dismissed, and writ for new election issued. James Tucker (Conservative), brother of the ousted candidate, was elected in the subsequent byelection.[6]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1894 General Election". Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
    2. ↑ Janet B. Kerr, "Sir Oliver Mowat and the Campaign of 1894," Ontario History, March 1963, Vol. 55 Issue 1, pp 1-13
    3. ↑ An Act respecting Representation of certain Cities in the Legislative Assembly, S.O. 1894, c. 2
    4. ↑ Romney, Paul (1994). "Mowat, Sir Oliver". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
    5. 1 2 3 4 Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario. Vol. XXVIII. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1895. pp. 6–11, 20–22, 65.
    6. ↑ Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario. Vol. XXIX. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 1896. pp. 5–6.


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