# 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.
A 1916 Act of the Legislature provided for the life of the Assembly to be extended to five years, and members of the clergy were no longer disqualified from being elected as MLAs.
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, and their votes were cast between August 5 and Election Day.
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.

## 1915 redistribution of ridings

An Act was passed in 1915, providing for an increase in the seats in the Assembly from 42 to 47 upon the next election. The following changes were made:
| Abolished ridings | New ridings |
| Abolition of multi-member district ||
| Cariboo | Cariboo Fort George Omineca |
| Merger of districts ||
| Nelson City Ymir | Nelson |
| Division of districts ||
| Okanagan | North Okanagan South Okanagan |
| Rossland City | Rossland Trail |
| Vancouver City (5 members) | Vancouver City (6 members) North Vancouver South Vancouver |
| Renaming of districts ||
| Nanaimo City | Nanaimo |
| New Westminster City | New Westminster |
| Skeena | Prince Rupert |

## Results

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1916) :
| Political party | Political party | Party leader | MLAs | MLAs | MLAs | MLAs | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Political party | Political party | Party leader | Candidates | 1912 | 1916 | ± | # | ± | % | ± (pp) |
| | Liberal | Harlan Brewster | 45 | – | 36 | 36 | 89,892 | 68,459 | 50.00 | 24.63 |
| | Conservative | William Bowser | 46 | 39 | 9 | 30 | 72,842 | 22,419 | 40.52 | 19.13 |
| | Independent | | 7 | – | 1 | 1 | 4,926 | 3,413 | 2.74 | 0.95 |
| | Independent Socialist | | 3 | – | 1 | 1 | 1,321 | 1,321 | 0.74 | New |
| | Independent Conservative | | 4 | 1 | – | 1 | 3,014 | 1,851 | 1.68 | 0.31 |
| | Socialist | | 4 | 1 | – | 1 | 2,106 | 7,260 | 1.17 | 9.91 |
| | Social Democratic | | 3 | 1 | – | 1 | 1,012 | 391 | 0.56 | 0.18 |
| | Independent Labour | | 2 | – | – | – | 2,985 | 2,985 | 1.66 | New |
| | Independent Liberal | | 1 | – | – | – | 1,518 | 1,518 | 0.84 | New |
| | Independent Progressive | | 1 | – | – | – | 158 | 158 | 0.09 | New |
| Total | Total | Total | 116 | 42 | 47 | 47 | 179,774 | 179,774 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Seats and popular vote by party :
| Party | Seats | Votes | Change (pp) | Change (pp) |
| █ Liberal | 36 / 47 | 50.00% | 24.63 | 24.63 |
| █ Conservative | 9 / 47 | 40.52% | -19.13 | |
| █ Socialist | 0 / 47 | 1.17% | -9.91 | |
| █ Other | 2 / 47 | 8.31% | 4.41 | 4.41 |

## Results by riding

The following MLAs were elected:

### Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (single-member districts) :
| Riding | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Winning party | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Name | 1912 | 1912 | Party | Party | Votes | Share | Margin # | Margin % | Lib | Con | Soc | I-Con | I-Soc | SD | Ind | Oth | Total |
| Alberni | | Con | | Lib | 393 | 39.26% | 38 | 3.80% | 393 | 355 | – | – | – | – | 253 | – | 1,001 |
| Atlin | | Con | | Lib | 329 | 54.29% | 52 | 8.58% | 329 | 277 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 606 |
| Cariboo | New | New | | Lib | 453 | 68.64% | 246 | 37.28% | 453 | 207 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 660 |
| Chilliwhack | | Con | | Lib | 987 | 55.64% | 200 | 11.28% | 987 | 787 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,774 |
| Columbia | | I-Con | | Lib | 541 | 66.63% | 270 | 33.26% | 541 | 271 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 812 |
| Comox | | Con | | Lib | 916 | 43.07% | 34 | 1.60% | 916 | 882 | 246 | – | – | 83 | – | – | 2,127 |
| Cowichan | | Con | | Ind | 539 | 56.92% | 131 | 13.84% | 408 | – | – | – | – | – | 539 | – | 947 |
| Cranbrook | | Con | | Lib | 727 | 59.06% | 223 | 18.12% | 727 | 504 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,231 |
| Delta | | Con | | Con | 964 | 51.55% | 58 | 3.10% | 906 | 964 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,870 |
| Dewdney | | Con | | Lib | 927 | 54.08% | 140 | 8.16% | 927 | 787 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,714 |
| Esquimalt | | Con | | Con | 655 | 50.08% | 2 | 0.16% | 653 | 655 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,308 |
| Fernie | | Con | | Lib | 903 | 46.38% | 77 | 3.96% | 903 | 826 | 218 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,947 |
| Fort George | New | New | | Con | 499 | 43.43% | 7 | 0.61% | – | 499 | – | – | 492 | – | – | 158 | 1,149 |
| Grand Forks | | Con | | Lib | 584 | 63.62% | 250 | 27.24% | 584 | 334 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 918 |
| Greenwood | | Con | | Lib | 491 | 70.55% | 286 | 41.10% | 491 | 205 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 696 |
| The Islands | | Con | | Lib | 358 | 50.28% | 4 | 0.56% | 358 | 354 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 712 |
| Kamloops | | Con | | Lib | 1,519 | 61.27% | 559 | 22.54% | 1,519 | 960 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,479 |
| Kaslo | | Con | | Lib | 456 | 54.94% | 82 | 9.88% | 456 | 374 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 830 |
| Lillooet | | Con | | Con | 296 | 52.39% | 27 | 4.78% | 269 | 296 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 565 |
| Nanaimo | | SD | | Lib | 1,137 | 57.14% | 562 | 28.25% | 1,137 | 575 | – | – | 278 | – | – | – | 1,990 |
| Nelson | New | New | | Con | 607 | 48.99% | 100 | 8.07% | 507 | 607 | – | – | – | – | 125 | – | 1,239 |
| Newcastle | | Soc | | I-Soc | 551 | 56.11% | 120 | 12.22% | – | 431 | – | – | 551 | – | – | – | 982 |
| New Westminster | | Con | | Lib | 1,369 | 53.58% | 183 | 7.16% | 1,369 | 1,186 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,555 |
| North Okanagan | New | New | | Lib | 1,261 | 57.08% | 313 | 14.16% | 1,261 | 948 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,209 |
| North Vancouver | New | New | | Lib | 980 | 52.80% | 382 | 20.58% | 980 | 598 | – | 278 | – | – | – | – | 1,856 |
| Omineca | New | New | | Lib | 473 | 62.16% | 185 | 24.32% | 473 | 288 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 761 |
| Prince Rupert | | Con | | Lib | 1,062 | 52.89% | 116 | 5.78% | 1,062 | 946 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,008 |
| Revelstoke | | Con | | Lib | 802 | 60.62% | 281 | 21.24% | 802 | 521 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,323 |
| Richmond | | Con | | Lib | 1,441 | 54.07% | 252 | 9.45% | 1,441 | 1,189 | – | 35 | – | – | – | – | 2,665 |
| Rossland | | Con | | Lib | 424 | 55.79% | 88 | 11.58% | 424 | 336 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 760 |
| Saanich | | Con | | Lib | 1,033 | 58.53% | 301 | 17.06% | 1,033 | 732 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,765 |
| Similkameen | | Con | | Con | 650 | 55.41% | 127 | 10.82% | 523 | 650 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,173 |
| Slocan | | Con | | Lib | 448 | 50.06% | 1 | 0.12% | 448 | 447 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 895 |
| South Okanagan | New | New | | Con | 845 | 54.52% | 140 | 9.04% | 705 | 845 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,550 |
| South Vancouver | New | New | | Lib | 1,579 | 45.75% | 205 | 5.94% | 1,579 | 1,374 | – | – | – | – | – | 498 | 3,451 |
| Trail | New | New | | Con | 626 | 45.56% | 142 | 10.33% | 484 | 626 | 262 | – | – | – | – | – | 1,372 |
| Yale | | Con | | Lib | 809 | 57.05% | 200 | 14.10% | 809 | 609 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,418 |
    = 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
    = other incumbents renominated
    = multiple candidates
Results by riding - 1912 British Columbia general election (multiple-member districts) :
| Party | Party | Vancouver City | Vancouver City | Vancouver City | Victoria City | Victoria City | Victoria City |
| Party | Party | Votes | Share | Change | Votes | Share | Change |
| | Liberal | 47,263 | 49.38% | 18.53% | 15,772 | 51.29% | 26.17% |
| | Conservative | 39,050 | 40.80% | -13.94% | 11,347 | 36.90% | -30.00% |
| | Independent | 2,824 | 2.95% | 1.01% | 1,185 | 3.85% | 0.01% |
| | Independent Conservative | 2,701 | 2.82% | New | – | – | – |
| | Independent Labour | 2,487 | 2.60% | New | – | – | – |
| | Socialist | 1,380 | 1.44% | -11.02% | – | – | -4.13% |
| | Independent Liberal | – | – | – | 1,518 | 4.94% | New |
| | Social Democratic | – | – | – | 929 | 3.02% | New |
| Total | Total | 46,285 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 16,034 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
| Seats won | Seats won | 5 1 | 5 1 | 5 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Incumbents returned | Incumbents returned | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |