1916 British Columbia general election

The 1916 British Columbia general election was the fourteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 5, 1916, and held on September 14, 1916. The new legislature met for the first time on March 1, 1917.

1916 British Columbia general election

September 14, 1916
47 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 24 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Harlan Carey Brewster William John Bowser Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 1912 1915 Leader's seat Alberni[lower-alpha 1] Vancouver City Last election 0 39 Seats won 36[lower-alpha 1] 9 Seat change 36 30 Popular vote 89,892 72,842[lower-alpha 2] Percentage 50.00% 40.52% Swing 24.63pp 19.13pp
Premier before election William John Bowser Conservative Premier after election Harlan Carey Brewster Liberal

A 1916 Act of the Legislature[1] provided for the life of the Assembly to be extended to five years,[2] and members of the clergy were no longer disqualified from being elected as MLAs.[3]

The Liberal Party defeated the governing Conservative Party, winning 50% of the vote, almost double its share from the previous election. The Liberals won 36 of the 47 seats in the legislature.

The Conservatives' popular vote fell from almost 60% to just over 40%, and took nine seats, forming the Official Opposition.

Two other seats were won by independents.

Soldiers serving overseas were able to vote in the election,[4] and their votes were cast between August 5 and Election Day.[5]

The number of MLAs to be elected was increased from 42 to 47, of which there were 37 single-member districts, Victoria City was constituted as a 4-member district, and Vancouver City as a 6-member district.[6]

Two referendums were also held on Election Day (concerning Prohibition and women's suffrage), but their results were not announced until later in the year.[7]