# New Westminster (federal electoral district)

New Westminster was a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1871 to 1979.
This riding was created in 1871 as New Westminster District when British Columbia joined Confederation and returned six members of parliament by special byelections in five electoral districts (with Victoria District returning two members). It was renamed New Westminster in 1872 when the word "district" was dropped from the name of all five electoral districts. The riding was abolished in 1976, when it was redistributed into the ridings of New Westminster—Coquitlam and Burnaby.

## History

From being geographically the largest electoral district of the province upon joining confederation to its elimination as a standalone seat just over a century later, the evolution of this namesake electoral district followed the gradual decline in importance of the Royal City, once the capital of the Colony of British Columbia.

### Pre-confederation

Before confederation, the various colonies and dominions had different election laws that restricted enfranchisement on various factors such as gender, land ownership, religion, allegiance to the United Kingdom, or length of residency. New Brunswick only allowed white male to vote, and First Nations are routinely excluded as they were not consider British subjects.
The electoral district of New Westminster however had the uniquely odious honour of being the first to single out specific racial groups for exclusion. When the Colony of British Columbia held its first general election in 1866, Chinese and First Nations were excluded from voting only in the New Westminster district.

### 1871 to 1896

When British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871, the province's six seats were allocated three each to the island and the mainland. Of the three seats for the mainland, two seats were allocated for the interior districts Cariboo and Yale. Accordingly, this riding constituted the entire New Westminster Land District, which covered largely modern day understanding of the Greater Vancouver, and Coast land district, the vast and largely unsurveyed mainland area west of 124th meridian west and the adjoining islands. (At the time, the City of Vancouver did not exist and the Vancouver riding was for the area of Vancouver Island not in Victoria.) It was and remained geographically the largest electoral district in the province until 1896. It returned Hugh Nelson, later Lieutenant Governor, for its first two terms.
The six original districts were contested in six general elections from 1872 to 1891 and represented through to the seventh parliament until the 1896 election. Although the boundary between New Westminster and Coast land districts has shifted significantly north to around modern day Prince Rupert according to the official map issued in 1891 by Forbes George Vernon, the province's Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, the riding remained notionally the same as it consisted of both those district.
During this period, the three mainland seats consistently returned Conservative MPs, with Liberal James Cunningham's election in 1874 being the exception. Cunningham did not complete his term however, having resigned after being elected as the first directly elected mayor of New Westminster.

### 1896 to 1914

Given the gradual growth of population and the incorporation of The City of Vancouver, the two interior seats were merged and a new seat named Burrard was created from New Westminster in the 1896 election, covering part of the newly incorporated City of Vancouver and the vast geography north of it. These new boundary also brought in a new batch of members, with all three mainland ridings returning Liberal MPs.
At the 1904 election, another riding was created from New Westminster with the City of Vancouver and its suburbs the municipalities of Point Grey and South Vancouver forming the electoral district of Vancouver City.

### 1914 till 1979

New Westminster riding continued to include Richmond, Delta and all the Fraser Valley communities up the river to one mile beyond Yale. In 1914, the riding consisted of New Westminster, Richmond and Delta, losing the Surrey-Langley area to the new Westminster District, which was only contested once before changing name to Fraser Valley.
In a further redistribution in 1924, the riding was shrunk to areas south of the Fraser River west of and including the Township of Langley, plus the city of New Westminster and the City of Burnaby. As population in the Lower Mainland continued to grow, by the 1933 election, the northern half of Burnaby was distributed to Vancouver North. By the 1947 election, the rest of Burnaby and Richmond were removed and became Burnaby-Richmond, and New Westminster riding consisted of New Westminster, Surrey, Delta and Langley.
The 1966 redistribution, which combined northern Burnaby into North Vancouver-Seymour, New Westminster riding extended as far into Burnaby as Grandview Highway and Edmonds Avenue, including Burnaby Mountain and the areas of Coquitlam west of Laurentian Avenue. At the time this included the then-municipality of Fraser Mills adjoining the francophone community at Maillardville. Langley, Surrey and Delta were excluded from the riding.
The riding was abolished in 1976. Successor ridings were Burnaby and New Westminster—Coquitlam.

### Historical boundaries

* 1914 representation order
* 1933 representation order
* 1947 representation order
* 1952 representation order
* 1966 representation order
* 1976 representation order (as New Westminster—Coquitlam)

## Members of Parliament

While its provincial counterpart returned a premier, a deputy premier, and numerous consequential provincial ministers, including one who served both in federal cabinet while elected an MP elsewhere, not a single MP elected from this seat ever served in federal cabinet. It however returned a few infamous character:
* Thomas Robert McInnes, the only Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia ever dismissed from the office
* William Garland McQuarrie, a vocal early advocate of racist policies against Asians, long before syuch view became mainstream during the second world war
* Thomas Reid, a vocal advocate for the complete removal Canadians of Japanese ancestry, including those born in Canada
* George Hahn, after losing the New Westminster seat, sought and lost a byelection while seeking the Social Credit leadership in 1961, resulting in his last place finish in the leadership contest
| Parliament | Years | Member | Party |
| Riding created from New Westminster District |||||
| 2nd | 1872–1874 | Hugh Nelson | Liberal–Conservative |
| 3rd | 1874–1878 | James Cunningham | Liberal |
| 3rd | 1878–1878 | Thomas Robert McInnes | Independent |
| 4th | 1878–1882 | Thomas Robert McInnes | Independent |
| 4th | 1882–1882 | Joshua Homer | Liberal–Conservative |
| 5th | 1882–1887 | Joshua Homer | Liberal–Conservative |
| 6th | 1887–1890† | Donald Chisholm | Conservative |
| 6th | 1890–1891 | Gordon Edward Corbould | Conservative |
| 7th | 1891–1896 | Gordon Edward Corbould | Conservative |
| 8th | 1896–1900 | Aulay MacAulay Morrison | Liberal |
| 9th | 1900–1904 | Aulay MacAulay Morrison | Liberal |
| 10th | 1904–1908 | James Buckham Kennedy | Liberal |
| 11th | 1908–1911 | James Davis Taylor | Conservative |
| 12th | 1911–1917 | James Davis Taylor | Conservative |
| 13th | 1917–1921 | William Garland McQuarrie | Government (Unionist) |
| 14th | 1921–1925 | William Garland McQuarrie | Conservative |
| 15th | 1925–1930 | William Garland McQuarrie | Conservative |
| 16th | 1930–1935 | Thomas Reid | Liberal |
| 17th | 1935–1940 | Thomas Reid | Liberal |
| 18th | 1940–1945 | Thomas Reid | Liberal |
| 19th | 1945–1949 | Thomas Reid | Liberal |
| 20th | 1949–1949 | Thomas Reid | Liberal |
| 20th | 1949–1953 | William Mott | Liberal |
| 21st | 1953–1957 | George Hahn | Social Credit |
| 22nd | 1957–1958 | George Hahn | Social Credit |
| 23rd | 1958–1962 | William McLennan | Progressive Conservative |
| 24th | 1962–1963 | Barry Mather | New Democratic |
| 25th | 1963–1965 | Barry Mather | New Democratic |
| 26th | 1965–1968 | Barry Mather | New Democratic |
| 27th | 1968–1972 | Douglas Hogarth | Liberal |
| 28th | 1972–1974 | Stuart Leggatt | New Democratic |
| 29th | 1974–1979 | Stuart Leggatt | New Democratic |
| Riding dissolved into New Westminster—Coquitlam and Burnaby |||||

## Electoral history

1974 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Stuart Leggatt | 15,397 | 32.85 | -8.75 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Marg Gregory | 15,193 | 32.42 | +0.46 |
| | Liberal | Carl Miller | 14,997 | 32.00 | +6.51 |
| | Social Credit | Ted Adlem | 926 | 1.98 | -0.13 |
| | Communist | Rod Doran | 190 | 0.41 | -0.01 |
| | Independent | Selmer E. Bean | 96 | 0.20 | – |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Leanne Averbach | 68 | 0.15 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 46,867 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | -4.60 |
1972 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Stuart Leggatt | 19,181 | 41.60 | +1.86 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Maurice Mulligan | 14,739 | 31.96 | +20.24 |
| | Liberal | Greg Basham | 10,992 | 25.49 | -19.03 |
| | Social Credit | Ted Adlem | 971 | 2.11 | -1.29 |
| | No affiliation | Rod Doran | 192 | 0.42 | – |
| | No affiliation | Victor Reid | 36 | 0.08 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 46,111 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic gain from Liberal | New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | -9.19 |
1968 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Douglas Hogarth | 18,083 | 44.52 | +20.30 |
| | New Democratic | Clive B. Lytle | 16,144 | 39.74 | -3.83 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Frederick Young Craig | 4,761 | 11.72 | -3.96 |
| | Social Credit | Grayden B. McRae | 1,382 | 3.40 | -13.12 |
| | Communist | Robert C. McLaren | 251 | 0.62 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 40,621 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +12.06 |
1965 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Barry Mather | 27,574 | 43.57 | +6.61 |
| | Liberal | Chris Brown | 15,330 | 24.22 | -2.53 |
| | Social Credit | Joe Unwin | 10,458 | 16.52 | +1.99 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Walter C. MacDonald | 9,925 | 15.68 | -6.09 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 63,287 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +4.57 |
1963 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Barry Mather | 23,609 | 36.96 | -2.22 |
| | Liberal | F.H. Jackson | 17,086 | 26.75 | +3.97 |
| | Progressive Conservative | W.A. McLennan | 13,908 | 21.77 | -0.12 |
| | Social Credit | Jack Burrows | 9,280 | 14.53 | -1.62 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 63,883 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | -3.10 |
1962 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Barry Mather | 23,827 | 39.18 | +15.39 |
| | Liberal | F.H. Jackson | 13,855 | 22.78 | +13.81 |
| | Progressive Conservative | William A. McLennan | 13,311 | 21.89 | -19.83 |
| | Social Credit | Myrtle Everett | 9,822 | 16.15 | -5.27 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 60,815 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +0.79 |
| Change for the New Democrats is based on the results of the Co-operative Commonwealth in the previous election. |||||||
1958 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | William A. McLennan | 21,202 | 41.72 | +20.39 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Douglas Stout | 13,220 | 26.01 | +2.22 |
| | Social Credit | Frederick George Hahn | 10,886 | 21.42 | -14.05 |
| | Liberal | Alex Stewart | 4,559 | 8.97 | -9.13 |
| | Labor–Progressive | Charles M. Stewart | 958 | 1.88 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 40,825 | 100.0 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Progressive Conservative gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | +9.08 |
1957 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Frederick George Hahn | 16,916 | 35.47 | +4.47 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | W. Jack Jones | 11,344 | 23.79 | -3.64 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ted Kuhn | 10,172 | 21.33 | +12.46 |
| | Liberal | Hugh McGivern | 8,632 | 18.10 | -12.80 |
| | Canadian Democrat | Gerry Goeujon | 628 | 1.32 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 47,692 | 100.0 |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | +4.06 |
1953 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Frederick George Hahn | 10,770 | 31.00 | – |
| | Liberal | William Malcolm Mott | 10,735 | 30.90 | -4.31 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Ron Irvine | 9,258 | 27.43 | +4.15 |
| | Progressive Conservative | William McFerran Adrain | 3,083 | 8.87 | -3.51 |
| | Labor–Progressive | Leo Albert Brady | 896 | 2.58 | +0.01 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 34,742 | 100.0 |
| | Social Credit gain from Liberal | Social Credit gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +17.66 |
Canadian federal by-election, 24 October 1949 On Thomas Reid being called to the Senate, 7 September 1949 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Malcolm Mott | 8,727 | 35.21 | -7.21 |
| | Independent | Elmore Philpott | 6,583 | 26.56 | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Ronald William Irvine | 5,769 | 23.28 | -5.17 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Leslie James Christmas | 3,068 | 12.38 | -13.06 |
| | Labor–Progressive | Maurice Rush | 637 | 2.57 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 24,784 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -16.88 |
1949 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Reid | 13,904 | 42.42 | +8.62 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Ronald William Irvine | 9,326 | 28.45 | -0.75 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Leslie James Christmas | 8,338 | 25.44 | -1.14 |
| | Social Credit | William Cameron McCallum | 1,207 | 3.68 | +0.33 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,775 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +4.68 |
vte1945 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Reid | 14,158 | 33.80 | −10.52 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Albert Thomas Alsbury | 12,229 | 29.20 | +0.68 |
| | Progressive Conservative | George Oswald Twiss | 11,133 | 26.58 | −0.59 |
| | Liberal–Progressive | Harold John Griffin | 2,640 | 6.30 | – |
| | Social Credit | George Anderson Pollock | 1,403 | 3.35 | – |
| | Democratic | Spencer Herbert Broatch | 315 | 0.75 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 41,878 | 100.00 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | −5.60 |
1940 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Reid | 15,287 | 44.32 | +7.47 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Albert Thomas Alsbury | 9,837 | 28.52 | -7.37 |
| | National Government | Thomas Robert Selkirk | 9,372 | 27.17 | +3.05 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 34,496 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +7.42 |
1935 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Reid | 9,977 | 36.85 | -19.01 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Edwin Henry Baker | 9,716 | 35.89 | – |
| | Conservative | John Hanna Nicholls Morgan | 6,531 | 24.12 | -20.02 |
| | Reconstruction | Charles Frederick Millar | 850 | 3.14 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 27,074 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -27.45 |
vte1930 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Reid | 13,293 | 55.86 | +16.97 |
| | Conservative | William Garland McQuarrie | 10,502 | 44.14 | +1.36 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 23,795 | 100.00 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +7.80 |
| Source: lop.parl.ca |||||||
1925 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Garland McQuarrie | 7,714 | 42.78 | -0.68 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Wellesley Gray | 7,013 | 38.89 | +11.47 |
| | Labour | Rose Mary Louise Henderson | 3,305 | 18.33 | -10.79 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 18,032 | 100.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -6.08 |
1921 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Garland McQuarrie | 5,520 | 43.46 | -28.46 |
| | Labour | Richard Parmater Pettipiece | 3,699 | 29.12 | – |
| | Liberal | John Reid | 3,482 | 27.42 | -0.66 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 12,701 | 100.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -28.79 |
vte1917 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Government (Unionist) | William Garland McQuarrie | 7,380 | 71.92 | +6.22 |
| | Opposition (Laurier Liberals) | Duncan Alexander McRae | 2,882 | 28.08 | −6.22 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 10,262 | 100.00 |
| | Government (Unionist) hold | Government (Unionist) hold | Swing | Swing | +6.22 |
1911 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Davis Taylor | 3,542 | 65.70 | +7.21 |
| | Liberal | John Oliver | 1,849 | 34.30 | -7.21 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 5,391 | 100.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +7.21 |
1908 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Davis Taylor | 2,846 | 58.49 | +9.92 |
| | Liberal | Robert Jardine | 2,020 | 41.51 | -9.92 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 4,866 | 100.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +9.92 |
1904 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Buckham Kennedy | 1,866 | 51.43 | -0.70 |
| | Conservative | James Davis Taylor | 1,762 | 48.57 | +0.70 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,628 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -0.70 |
1900 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Aulay MacAulay Morrison | 1,772 | 52.13 | -2.50 |
| | Conservative | Edgar Dewdney | 1,627 | 47.87 | +2.50 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,399 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -2.50 |
1896 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Aulay MacAulay Morrison | 1,758 | 54.63 | +30.73 |
| | Conservative | Richard McBride | 1,460 | 45.37 | -30.73 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,218 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +30.73 |
1891 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | G.E. Corbould | 1,694 | 76.10 |
| | Liberal | E.S. Scoullor | 532 | 23.90 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,226 | 100.0 |
Canadian federal by-election, 19 June 1890 On the death of Donald Chisholm, 5 April 1890 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Gordon Edward Corbould | acclaimed |
1887 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Donald Chisholm | 533 | 69.13 |
| | Conservative | T.J. Trapp | 238 | 30.87 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 771 | 100.0 |
1882 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | J.A.R. Homer | acclaimed |
Canadian federal by-election, 9 March 1882 On the resignation of Thomas Robert McInnes, 12 December 1881 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | J.A.R. Homer | acclaimed |
1878 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Thomas Robert McInnes | 388 | 56.48 |
| | Unknown | James Robinson | 299 | 43.52 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 687 | 100.0 |
Canadian federal by-election, 25 March 1878 On the resignation of James Cunningham, 22 January 1878 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Independent | Thomas Robert McInnes | acclaimed |
1874 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | James Cunningham | 162 | 53.29 |
| | Liberal–Conservative | J.A.R. Homer | 142 | 46.71 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 304 | 100.0 |
1872 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Liberal–Conservative | Hugh Nelson | acclaimed |