The 1926 Ontario general election was the 17th general election held in the Province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It was held on December 1, 1926, to elect the 112 Members of the

17th Legislative Assembly of Ontario The 17th Legislative Assembly of Ontario was in session from December 1, 1926, until September 17, 1929, just prior to the 1929 Ontario general election, 1929 general election. The majority party was the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, O ...

("MLAs").

Background

The

United Farmers of Ontario The United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) was an agrarian and populist provincial political party in Ontario, Canada. It was the Ontario provincial branch of the United Farmers movement of the early part of the 20th century. History Foundation and r ...

decided to withdraw from electoral politics after having been defeated in the 1923 election, and most of its MPPs redesignated themselves as

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

with former UFO

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

William Edgar Raney becoming party leader. Nevertheless, several MPPs, including Raney himself, continued to run as candidates endorsed by local UFO associations. Leslie Oke and

Beniah Bowman Beniah Bowman (March 14, 1886 – April 13, 1941) was an Ontario farmer and political figure. He represented Manitoulin in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from October 24, 1918 to October 18, 1926 and Algoma East in the House of Commons ...

were opposed to Raney's leadership as he was not a farmer. They were also opposed to the creation of a new Progressive Party which would not focus exclusively on farmers' issues, so they chose to remain as UFO MPPs. Bowman later resigned from the legislature before the election. The fracture of the UFO, together with a large number of resignations from MPPs who chose to run federally in the elections of

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

and

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

, significantly changed the composition of the Assembly:

Redistribution of seats

A 1925 Act provided for the redistribution of the Legislative Assembly into 112 ridings for the election. The dual-member ridings in the City of Toronto, in effect since the 1914 election, were abolished and replaced by single-member seats:

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...

was drawn out from

York East York East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada at different times. It was located in the province of Ontario. History The first federal riding of York East was created by the British North America Act ...

, and

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

from

York West York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

. There were other changes made to ridings elsewhere in the Province: :* Brant and

Brant South Brant South was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1923. It was also called the South ...

were reorganized into

Brant County The County of Brant (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 39,474) is a Census divisions of Ontario#Single-tier municipalities, single-tier municipality in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Although it retains t ...

and

Brantford Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...

:* Bruce West was divided between Bruce North and Bruce South :*

Durham East Durham East was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It was created by the Briti ...

and

Durham West Durham West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the county of Durham ...

were combined to form

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

:* Frontenac and Lennox became Frontenac—Lennox :* Grey Centre wasa divided between

Grey North Grey North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Grey in ...

and

Grey South Grey South was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1876 to 1917. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Grey into ...

Hamilton Centre Hamilton Centre (french: Hamilton-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. History It was created in 2003 from parts of Hamilton East, Hamil ...

was created from parts of Hamilton East and Hamilton West :* Huron Centre was split between

Huron North Huron North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1882, and from 1917 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided ...

and

Huron South Huron South was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Huron into two ridings ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

was split into

London North London North was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It was first created for the 1926 provincial election when the London riding was divided in two sections, and then eliminated prior to the 1934 provincial election when the c ...

and

London South London South was an electoral riding in Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering ...

Middlesex East Middlesex East was a former federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Middlesex into th ...

was split between

Middlesex North Middlesex North was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1917. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the ...

and

Middlesex West Middlesex West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Midd ...

Norfolk North Norfolk North was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It was created by the Br ...

and Norfolk South merged to form

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Northumberland East Northumberland East was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1917. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It was created by ...

and

Northumberland West Northumberland West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1917. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. The original definition of t ...

became

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

Ottawa West Ottawa West was a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1997 and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1908 to 1926 and from 1955 to 1999. It cover ...

was divided to form Ottawa North and

Ottawa South Ottawa South (french: Ottawa-Sud) is a federal electoral district in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by David McGuinty, brother of former Premier of Ontario and Ottawa South MPP Dalton McGuinty ...

:* Peterborough East and

Peterborough West Peterborough West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Pe ...

were reorganized to form Peterborough City and

Peterborough County Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Peterborough, which is independent of the county. The southern section of the county is mix of agriculture, urban and lakefront properties. The northern section of th ...

:* Wellington East and Wellington West merged to form

Wellington Northeast Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by met ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

was divided to form Windsor East and

Windsor West Windsor West (french: Windsor-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. Geography The district consists of the part of the city of Windsor lying west an ...

York South York South was an electoral district (or "riding") in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1979. The riding is notable for the 1942 federal by-election in which newly elected Conservative leader Ar ...

was carved out from

A further Act in 1926 merged

Simcoe South Simcoe South was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1925, and from 1979 to 1988. It was located north of Toronto in the province of Ontario. It was initially created by the British North Amer ...

and

Simcoe West Simcoe West was an electoral riding in Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1875 from Simcoe North Simcoe North (french: Simcoe-Nord) is a federal electoral district in central Ontario, Canada. It was established as a federal riding in 1867. ...

into

Simcoe Southwest Simcoe South was an electoral Riding (division), riding in Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1867 at the time of Canadian Confederation, confederation and was abolished in 1933 before the 1934 election. Members of Provincial Parliament ...

, and divided

Cochrane Cochrane may refer to: Places Australia *Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line Canada * Cochrane, Alberta * Cochrane Lake, Alberta * Cochrane District, Ontario ** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...

into Cochrane North and

Cochrane South Cochrane South was an electoral riding in Ontario, Canada. It represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1999. It encompassed the southern part of the Cochrane District, including the city of Timmins. For the 1999 election ...

Summary

The

Ontario Conservative Party The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...

, led by

Howard Ferguson George Howard Ferguson, PC (June 18, 1870 – February 21, 1946) was the ninth premier of Ontario, from 1923 to 1930. He was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1905 to 1930 who represented the eastern provincia ...

, was re-elected for a second term in government. The principal issue of the campaign was the government's proposal to repeal the ''

Ontario Temperance Act The ''Ontario Temperance Act'' was a law passed in 1916 that led to the prohibition of alcohol in Ontario, Canada. When the Act was first enacted, the sale of alcohol was prohibited, but liquor could still be manufactured in the province or importe ...

'', replacing

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

with government control of liquor sales. The Liberal and Progressive parties both campaigned against repeal, and one of Ferguson's ministers,

William Folger Nickle William Folger Nickle KC (December 31, 1869 - November 15, 1957) was a Canadian politician who served both as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and in the Ontario legislature where he rose to the position of Attorney-General of Onta ...

, resigned from the cabinet and ran for re-election against the government as a Prohibitionist candidate. The

Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022. The party esp ...

, led by

W.E.N. Sinclair William Edmund Newton Sinclair (June 28, 1873 – November 26, 1947), known as W. E. N. Sinclair, was a Canadian barrister, solicitor and interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. Background Sinclair was born in Whitby Township, Ontario, the ...

, maintained its 14 seats, while the Progressives won 10. Four

Liberal-Progressive Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no Liberal-Progressive party: it was an alliance between two parties. In Manitoba, a party existe ...

candidates were also elected, along with several independents. Oke was the only UFO MPP who was re-elected as such, and he was joined by

Thomas Farquhar Thomas Farquhar (January 28, 1875 – December 24, 1962) was a Canadian politician and businessman from northern Ontario. Farquhar served in municipal politics in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario becoming the city’s seventh mayor from 1920 to 1922. ...

from

Manitoulin Manitoulin District is a district in Northeastern Ontario within the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1888 from part of the Algoma District. The district seat is in Gore Bay. It comprises Manitoulin Island primarily, as well as a ...

and

Farquhar Oliver Farquhar Robert Oliver (March 6, 1904 – January 22, 1989) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. Oliver was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a United Farmers of Ontario Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 1926 provin ...

from

. The latter won with the assistance of federal MP Agnes MacPhail. Karl Homuth of

Waterloo South Waterloo South was a federal electoral district and a provincial electoral district in Canada. Federally, it was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the Bri ...

was the only

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MPP returned.

Results

, - ! colspan=2 rowspan=2 , Political party ! rowspan=2 , Party leader ! colspan=5 , MPPs ! colspan=3 , Votes , - ! Candidates !

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

! Dissol. !1926 !± !# !% ! ± (pp) , style="text-align:left;",

, 112 , 75 , 74 , 72 , 3 , 634,635 , 55.36% , 5.80 , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , 14 , 11 , 14 , , 197,623 , 17.24% , 4.12 , style="text-align:left;",

William Raney William Edgar Raney (1859–1933) was a lawyer, politician and judge in Ontario, Canada, in the early twentieth century. He was known for his opposition to gambling on horse racing and the sale of alcohol. Early life Born on December 8, 1859, ...

, 17 , – , 11 , 10 , 10 , 72,445 , 6.32% , , , 9 , – , – , 4 , 4 , 45,733 , 3.99% , , style="text-align:left;", Leslie Oke , 3 , 17 , 1 , 3 , 14 , 15,417 , 1.34% , 19.77 , , 3 , 4 , 3 , 1 , 3 , 14,794 , 1.29% , 3.47 , style="text-align:left;", , 7 , – , 1 , 4 , 4 , 21,002 , 1.83% , , style="text-align:left;", , 6 , – , – , 2 , 2 , 19,198 , 1.67% , , style="text-align:left;", , 1 , – , – , 1 , 1 , 5,861 , 0.51% , , style="text-align:left;", Liberal-Prohibitionist , style="text-align:left;", , 2 , – , – , 1 , 1 , 9,115 , 0.80% , , style="text-align:left;", , 1 , 1 , – , – , 1 , 2,912 , 0.25% , 1.37 , style="text-align:left;", , 27 , – , – , – , , 96,868 , 8.45% , , style="text-align:left;", Liberal-Labour , style="text-align:left;", , 2 , – , – , – , , 4,633 , 0.40% , , style="text-align:left;", Progressive-Liberal , style="text-align:left;", , 1 , – , – , – , , 3,941 , 0.34% , , style="text-align:left;", Liberal-Labour-Prohibitionist , style="text-align:left;", , 1 , – , – , – , , 2,298 , 0.20% , , colspan="3", , 10 , colspan="5", , -style="background:#E9E9E9;" , colspan="3" style="text-align:left;", Total , 241 , 111 , 111 , 112 , , 1,146,475 , 100.00% , , - , colspan="8" style="text-align:left;", Blank and invalid ballots , align="right", 6,717 , style="background:#E9E9E9;" colspan="2", , -style="background:#E9E9E9;" , colspan="8" style="text-align:left;", Registered voters / turnout , 1,805,061 , 63.89% , 6.15

Background

Redistribution of seats

Summary

Results

Notes

References

See also

Further reading