1951 Ontario general election

The 1951 Ontario general election was held on November 22, 1951, to elect the 90 members of the 24th Legislative Assembly of Ontario (Members of Provincial Parliament, or "MPPs") of the Province of Ontario.[1]

1951 Ontario general election

November 22, 1951

90 seats in the 24th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
46 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Leslie Frost Walter Thomson
Party Progressive Conservative Liberal
Leader since April 27, 1949 November 10, 1950
Leader's seat Victoria Ran in Ontario (Lost)
Last election 53 14
Seats won 79 8
Seat change Increase26 Decrease6
Percentage 48.5% 31.5%
Swing Increase7.0pp Increase1.7pp

  Third party Fourth party
  LP
Leader Ted Jolliffe Stewart Smith
Party Co-operative Commonwealth Labor-Progressive
Leader since April 3, 1942 1951
Leader's seat York South (lost re-election)
Last election 21 2
Seats won 2 1
Seat change Decrease19 Decrease1
Percentage 19.1% 0.7%
Swing Decrease3.3pp Decrease0.3pp

Premier before election

Leslie Frost
Progressive Conservative

Premier after election

Leslie Frost
Progressive Conservative

Background

Because of Canada's participation in the Korean War, and because previous legislation governing the participation of active service voters stationed overseas had lapsed,[2] new provision was made to enable the collection of votes of Ontario residents who had returned to active service because of the present conflict.[3] Legislation governing the functioning of elections[4] and the preparation of voters' lists[5] was also revised.

Campaign

The majority of races were three-way contests between the major parties:

Riding contests, by number of candidates (1951)
Candidates PC Lib L-L CCF Lab-Pr I-PC I-Lab Ind S-L Total
2 131326
3 6462264192
4 1212125213148
5 111115
Total 908827762141271

Outcome

The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, led by Leslie Frost, won a fourth consecutive term in office, increasing its caucus in the legislature from 53 in the previous election to 79—a solid majority.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Walter Thomson, lost six seats, but regained the role of official opposition because of the collapse of the CCF vote. Albert Wren was elected as a Liberal-Labour candidate and sat with the Liberal caucus.

The social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), led by Ted Jolliffe, lost all but two of its previous 21 seats with Jolliffe himself being defeated in the riding of York South.

One seat was won by J.B. Salsberg of the Labor-Progressive Party (which was the Communist Party of Ontario). LPP leader A.A. MacLeod lost his downtown Toronto seat of Bellwoods in this election and three other LPP candidates were also defeated.

Results

[1][6]

Elections to the 24th Parliament of Ontario (1951)
Political party Party leader MPPs Votes
Candidates 1948 Dissol. 1951 ± # % ± (pp)
Progressive Conservative Leslie Frost 9053537926Increase860,93948.467.18Increase
Liberal Walter Thomson 88131376Decrease551,75331.061.72Increase
Liberal–Labour 21117,9390.45
Co-operative Commonwealth Ted Jolliffe 772121219Decrease339,36219.107.42Decrease
Labor–Progressive Stewart Smith 62211Decrease11,9140.670.33Decrease
Independent 41,8690.110.01Increase
Independent Labour 11,3750.080.07Increase
Independent PC 21,0940.060.13Decrease
Socialist Labour 13710.020.03Decrease
Total 271 90 90 90 1,776,616 100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots 23,834
Registered voters / turnout 2,745,709 65.57% 2.09Decrease
Seats and popular vote by party
PartySeatsVotesChange (pp)
 Progressive Conservative
79 / 90
48.46%
7.18 7.18
 
 Liberal/Liberal-Labour
8 / 90
31.51%
1.72 1.72
 
 Co-operative Commonwealth
2 / 90
19.10%
-7.42
 
 Other
1 / 90
0.93%
-1.48
 

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1951 Ontario general election[1][6]
Riding Winning party Turnout
[a 1]
Votes
Name[a 2] 1948 Party Votes Share Margin
#
Margin
%
PC Lib/LL CCF Lab-Pr I-PC I-Lab Ind S-Lab Total
 
Addington PC PC 7,03556.04%2,32818.55%73.26%7,0354,70781112,553
Algoma—Manitoulin PC PC 5,71847.18%1,1389.39%68.95%5,7184,5801,82212,120
Brant Lib Lib 8,21847.49%1,79510.37%70.36%6,4238,2182,66517,306
Brantford Lib Lib 7,28938.45%1,2496.59%73.74%5,6307,2896,04018,959
Bruce Lib PC 7,36948.93%6524.33%77.21%7,3696,71797315,059
Carleton PC PC 10,86359.00%5,39829.32%64.28%10,8635,4651,13894518,411
Cochrane North PC PC 4,00940.28%4614.63%66.79%4,0093,5482,3959,952
Cochrane South CCF CCF 10,23340.82%1,6066.41%69.52%8,6275,39110,23382025,071
Dufferin—Simcoe PC PC 7,53558.33%2,96622.96%62.52%7,5354,56981412,918
Durham PC PC 7,38951.79%2,27915.97%76.75%7,3895,1101,76914,268
Elgin PC PC 10,50155.08%3,36717.66%69.74%10,5017,1341,43019,065
Essex North CCF Lib 10,05139.85%2,2438.89%70.07%7,80810,0517,36225,221
Essex South PC PC 9,79764.50%5,26634.67%66.29%9,7974,53186115,189
Fort William Lib PC 8,05742.60%7223.82%72.57%8,0577,3353,15736618,915
Glengarry PC PC 5,29855.23%1,00310.46%76.01%5,2984,2959,593
Grenville—Dundas PC PC 7,79766.01%3,78332.03%56.63%7,7974,014011,811
Grey North PC PC 9,06858.74%4,81331.18%74.85%9,0684,2552,11515,438
Grey South Lib Lib 6,25649.44%9397.42%76.75%5,3176,2561,08012,653
Haldimand—Norfolk PC PC 11,29851.58%2,43011.09%69.31%11,2988,8681,73921,905
Halton PC PC 9,06351.61%2,76215.73%67.60%9,0636,3012,19717,561
Hamilton East CCF PC 9,33644.36%1,8508.79%51.77%9,3364,2247,48621,046
Hamilton Centre CCF PC 7,75342.44%1,5778.63%61.16%7,7534,3416,17618,270
Hamilton—Wentworth PC PC 11,86555.58%6,80031.85%63.10%11,8655,0654,41721,347
Hastings East* PC PC 6,29456.76%2,19819.82%72.42%6,2944,09669911,089
Hastings West PC PC 10,29955.37%3,27917.63%70.78%10,2997,0201,28318,602
Huron PC PC 8,00554.88%1,4249.76%80.51%8,0056,58114,586
Huron—Bruce PC PC 7,43158.48%2,15516.96%76.89%7,4315,27612,707
Kenora PC LL 4,77643.58%1331.21%66.00%4,6434,7761,54110,960
Kent East Lib PC 6,89156.75%1,64013.51%72.82%6,8915,251012,142
Kent West PC PC 12,19455.26%3,85817.48%68.55%12,1948,3361,53622,066
Kingston* PC PC 9,92457.34%3,51820.33%74.21%9,9246,40697817,308
Lambton East PC PC 6,61058.35%1,89116.69%67.25%6,6104,71911,329
Lambton West PC PC 10,81459.13%5,98332.72%64.16%10,8144,8312,64218,287
Lanark PC PC 12,07177.56%9,10958.53%70.02%12,0712,96253115,564
Leeds PC PC 10,65861.01%3,84822.03%74.32%10,6586,81017,468
Lincoln PC PC 15,47745.61%5,88717.35%65.01%15,4779,5908,03283433,933
London Lib PC 13,92647.38%3,11210.59%61.06%13,92610,8144,65529,395
Middlesex North PC PC 8,60749.29%2,98117.07%57.63%8,6075,6263,22917,462
Middlesex South PC PC 8,46158.27%3,32422.89%65.08%8,4615,13792214,520
Muskoka—Ontario PC PC 9,37054.17%2,80716.23%73.86%9,3706,5631,36417,297
Niagara Falls Lib Lib 10,20948.79%3,26315.59%61.57%6,94610,2093,76920,924
Nipissing PC PC 8,21946.73%1,4098.01%65.11%8,2196,8102,56117,590
Northumberland PC PC 10,14062.43%4,03924.87%78.11%10,1406,10116,241
Ontario CCF CCF 12,05440.17%2,1787.26%71.44%9,8767,80612,05426830,004
Ottawa East Lib Lib 10,72250.08%2,27510.63%58.34%8,44710,7222,24221,411
Ottawa South PC PC 19,90855.98%7,46420.99%59.72%19,90812,4443,21235,564
Oxford PC PC 10,02645.17%1960.88%68.16%10,0269,8302,33822,194
Parry Sound PC PC 6,34860.24%2,15820.48%68.87%6,3484,19010,538
Peel PC PC 12,52856.61%6,81730.80%66.22%12,5285,7113,89322,132
Perth PC PC 11,69750.21%2,57711.06%69.05%11,6979,1202,47723,294
Peterborough PC PC 14,44258.48%6,80227.54%67.14%14,4427,6402,61424,696
Port Arthur CCF PC 7,75837.38%1,5867.64%63.89%7,7585,4476,1721,375[a 3]20,752
Prescott PC PC 7,04657.11%1,96015.89%76.77%7,0465,0865614912,337
Prince Edward—Lennox Lib PC 7,56554.30%1,1978.59%100.23%7,5656,36813,933
Rainy River LL PC 3,63344.04%4705.70%72.52%3,6333,1631,4548,250
Renfrew North PC PC 7,76957.93%2,12715.86%67.59%7,7695,64213,411
Renfrew South PC PC 6,87556.00%1,93715.78%68.97%6,8754,93846312,276
Russell PC PC 6,94644.31%100.06%55.68%6,9466,9361,79415,676
Sault Ste. Marie CCF PC 7,35939.42%1,3087.01%71.24%7,3596,0515,25718,667
Simcoe Centre PC PC 7,72157.03%1,90314.06%62.02%7,7215,81813,539
Simcoe East PC PC 8,63455.91%3,56523.08%72.59%8,6345,0691,74115,444
Stormont PC Lib 9,38350.32%1,6809.01%70.95%7,7039,3831,56018,646
Sudbury PC PC 14,05644.91%2,4187.73%65.77%14,05611,6385,60531,299
Temiskaming CCF PC 4,32839.53%6636.05%73.61%4,3282,9573,66510,950
Victoria PC PC 12,42381.02%9,51262.03%69.66%12,4232,91115,334
Waterloo North Lib PC 9,87335.22%1610.57%58.54%9,8739,7128,44528,030
Waterloo South CCF PC 8,23940.57%1,2496.15%68.30%8,2395,0786,99020,307
Welland Lib PC 10,39040.27%4821.87%68.83%10,3909,9084,70979125,798
Wellington North Lib PC 7,15949.85%6024.19%75.90%7,1596,55764514,361
Wellington South PC PC 8,20843.65%2,23511.88%71.77%8,2085,9734,62518,806
Wentworth CCF PC 11,00437.97%4081.41%53.08%11,0047,38310,59628,983
Windsor—Walkerville PC PC 8,85848.60%3,80120.86%66.24%8,8583,4515,05785918,225
Windsor—Sandwich PC PC 11,66653.32%6,50129.71%63.81%11,6665,0505,16521,881
York East CCF PC 30,94447.78%8,70813.45%56.23%30,94411,58122,23664,761
York North PC PC 19,51849.00%8,15920.48%59.64%19,51811,3598,95539,832
York South CCF PC 13,76039.61%5141.48%58.74%13,7606,87013,24686734,743
York West CCF PC 24,61447.62%7,57314.65%65.39%24,61410,03417,04151,689
Beaches CCF PC 9,90449.28%2,67913.33%66.15%9,9042,9707,22520,099
Bellwoods Lab-Pr PC 5,57133.39%2981.79%64.56%5,5715,2732,4833,35716,684
Bracondale CCF PC 6,21342.17%1,72011.67%59.11%6,2134,0284,49314,734
Dovercourt CCF PC 8,59538.98%4622.10%59.97%8,5955,3218,13322,049
Eglinton PC PC 21,87665.20%14,78344.06%66.98%21,8767,0934,58533,554
High Park CCF PC 10,36044.30%2,39910.26%67.71%10,3605,0657,96123,386
Parkdale CCF PC 10,91442.58%2,5019.76%61.82%10,9146,3048,41325,631
Riverdale CCF PC 10,73645.57%3,57015.15%60.36%10,7365,2857,16637123,558
St. Andrew Lab-Pr Lab-Pr 5,22038.85%1,36510.16%56.64%3,8552,0461,9155,22040113,437
St. David CCF PC 6,88040.64%1,2327.28%57.90%6,8804,4015,64816,929
St. George PC PC 10,33356.86%5,90432.49%54.42%10,3333,4104,42918,172
St. Patrick PC PC 7,40057.97%4,49635.22%53.52%7,4002,4622,90412,766
Woodbine CCF PC 10,44543.97%1,1674.91%61.78%10,4454,0309,27823,753
  1. including spoilt ballots
  2. order is as given in EO reports
  3. Bruce Magnuson, who later became the Labor-Progressive leader in Ontario in 1956
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = incumbent had switched allegiance
  = other incumbents renominated
  = campaigned as a Liberal-Labour candidate

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place
Party in 1st placeParty in 2nd placeTotal
PCLibLLCCF
Progressive Conservative 5712179
Liberal 617
Liberal–Labour 11
Co-operative Commonwealth 22
Labor–Progressive 11
Total 105712290
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party
Parties1st2nd3rd4th5thTotal
 Progressive Conservative 7910190
 Liberal 7572488
 Co-operative Commonwealth 22250377
 Liberal–Labour 112
 Labor–Progressive 1146
 Independent PC 112
 Independent 314
 Independent Labour 11
 Socialist Labour 11
Resulting composition of the 24th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
SourceParty
PC Lib L-L CCF Lab-Pr Total
Seats retainedIncumbents returned 44521
Open seats held 7
Seats changing handsIncumbents defeated 262
Open seats gained 21
Total 79712190

Seats that changed hands

Elections to the 24th Parliament of Ontario – seats won/lost by party, 1948–1951
Party 1948 Gain from (loss to) 1951
PC Lib CCF Lbr-P L-L
Progressive Conservative 538(1)18179
Liberal 131(8)17
Co-operative Commonwealth 21(18)(1)2
Labor–Progressive 2(1)1
Liberal–Labour 11(1)1
Total902(28)8(2)19190

There were 29 seats that changed allegiance in the election.

See also

References

  1. "1951 Ontario general election". Elections Ontario. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  2. The Active Service Election Act, 1945, S.O. 1945 (1st sess.), c. 1
  3. The Active Service Election Act, 1951, S.O. 1951, c. 1
  4. The Election Act, 1951, S.O. 1951, c. 21
  5. The Voters' Lists Act, 1951, S.O. 1951, c. 93
  6. Significant EO data transcription errors corrected, using "Results By Constituencies In Ontario Provincial Elections". Ottawa Citizen. November 23, 1951. p. 3.
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