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

November 2, 1933
48 seats of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 25 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 †[lower-alpha 1] Simon Fraser Tolmie Party Non-Partisan Independent Group Unionist Leader since 1933 1933 Leader's seat Did not run[lower-alpha 1] Saanich (lost re-election) Last election Did not contest 35[lower-alpha 2] Seats won 2 1 Seat change 2 34[lower-alpha 3] Popular vote 38,836 15,445 Percentage 10.19% 4.05% Swing new 49.25pp[lower-alpha 3]
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 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 and the elections in Vancouver Centre and Victoria City were postponed, 4 Non-partisan and 2 Unionist candidates withdrew.

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.[2]