The 1894 Ontario general election was the eighth 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 C ...

, Canada. It was held on June 26, 1894, to elect the 94 Members of the

8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario The 8th Legislative Assembly of Ontario was in session from June 26, 1894, until January 28, 1898, just prior to the 1898 general election. The majority party was the Ontario Liberal Party led by Oliver Mowat. Arthur Sturgis Hardy succeeded Mowat ...

("MLAs"). The main issues were the Liberals' "Ontario System", as well as French language schools, farmer interests, support for Toronto business, woman suffrage, the temperance movement, and the demands of labour unions. 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 since August 2022. The party espouses the principles of li ...

, led by

Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario and one of ...

, formed the government for the seventh consecutive parliament, even though some of its members were elected under joint banners: either with the Patrons of Industry or the Protestant Protective Association. 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

William Ralph Meredith Sir William Ralph Meredith, (March 31, 1840 – August 21, 1923) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge. He served as Leader of the Ontario Conservatives from 1878 to 1894, Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1900 until his de ...

, formed the official opposition. The Patrons of Industry, a farmers' organization formed in 1890, cooperated with the urban labour movement to address the political frustrations of both groups with

big business Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...

. Sixteen members of the Legislative Assembly were elected with Patrons of Industry support—12 Liberals, one Conservative, and three who ran only under the "Patrons of Industry" banner. The Protestant Protective Association (PPA) was an anti-Catholic group, associated with the Orange Order. It campaigned against the rights of Catholics and French-Canadians, and argued that Roman Catholics were attempting to take over Ontario. Nine candidates were elected with PPA support, 6 Conservatives, 1 Liberal and 2 who ran only under the PPA banner. The PPA worked most closely with the Conservative opposition. Unlike the previous two elections, this election strictly used

First past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...

to elect the members. The

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

district was divided into separate single member districts, as part of the expansion of the Assembly.

Expansion of the Legislative Assembly

An Act passed just prior to the election increased the size of the Assembly from 91 to 94 seats: :*

, a riding that returned three MLAs, was divided into

Toronto East Toronto East (called East Toronto until 1903) was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the city of Toronto in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British Nor ...

Toronto North Toronto North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1925. It was located in the city of Toronto in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1903 from parts of Toronto Centre, West To ...

, Toronto South and Toronto West. :*

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, a single-member constituency, was divided into Hamilton East and Hamilton West. :* Ottawa became a two-member riding.

Results

, - ! colspan=2 rowspan=2 , Political party ! rowspan=2 , Party leader ! colspan=5 , MPPs ! colspan=3 , Votes , - ! Candidates ! 1890 ! Dissol. !1894 !± !# !% ! ± (pp) , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , 53 , , 45 , 8 , 153,826 , 40.99% , 8.64 , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , 34 , , 23 , 11 , 104,369 , 27.81% , 12.07 , style="text-align:left;",

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 26 , – , – , 12 , 12 , 44,029 , 11.73% , , style="text-align:left;",

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

– P.P.A. , style="text-align:left;", , 13 , – , – , 5 , 5 , 24,616 , 6.56% , , style="text-align:left;", Joseph Longford Haycock , 7 , – , – , 3 , 3 , 10,465 , 2.79% , , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 7 , – , – , 2 , 2 , 11,608 , 3.09% , , style="text-align:left;",

- P.P.A. , style="text-align:left;", , 2 , – , – , 2 , 2 , 3,649 , 0.97% , , - , style="background-color:#FF8000;", , style="text-align:left;", Protestant Protective Association , style="text-align:left;", , 8 , – , – , 1 , 1 , 11,015 , 2.94% , , style="text-align:left;", , 1 , – , – , 1 , 1 , 2,326 , 0.62% , , style="text-align:left;", , 9 , – , – , – , , 9,374 , 2.50% , , style="text-align:left;",

- Equal Rights , style="text-align:left;", , , 2 , – , – , 2 , colspan="3", ''Did not campaign'' , style="text-align:left;",

- Equal Rights , style="text-align:left;", , , 2 , – , – , 2 , colspan="3", ''Did not campaign'' , colspan="3", , , colspan="5", , -style="background:#E9E9E9;" , colspan="3" style="text-align:left;", Total , 209 , 91 , 91 , 94 , , 375,277 , 100.00% , , - , colspan="8" style="text-align:left;", Blank and invalid ballots , align="right", 3,886 , style="background:#E9E9E9;" colspan="2", , -style="background:#E9E9E9;" , colspan="8" style="text-align:left;", Registered voters / turnout , 539,358 , 70.30% , 0.70 Before the Legislature's first session opened, four by-elections were called.

(

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

) resigned to accept appointment as a judge, while the elections of James M. Savage ( Algoma West), John Senn ( Haldimand) and Edward H. Smythe ( Kingston) were overturned on appeal. The Liberals won all four Conservative seats, thus securing a majority in the Assembly. That, together with the inability of the Patrons of Industry and the Conservatives to combine on any issue, ensured the Liberals' hold on power.

Division of ridings

The newly created ridings returned the following MLAs:

Seats that changed hands

Of the constituencies that were not altered, there were 38 seats that changed allegiance in the election: ;Liberal to Conservative * Algoma West * Haldimand *

Perth North Perth North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Pert ...

York West York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

;Liberal to Liberal/Patrons of Industry * Bruce Centre * Middlesex North *

Parry Sound Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...

Perth South Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Perth ...

Glengarry The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...

* Prince Edward * Stormont ;Liberal to Conservative/PPA * Lambton West *

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 ...

* Wellington West ;Liberal to Patrons of Industry * Grey South ;Liberal to Independent-Conservative/PPA *

Lambton East Lambton East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created from Lambton riding. The East Riding of the county of Lambton was ...

; Conservative to Liberal * Algoma East *

Brockville Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically independent of the county. It is included with Le ...

* Essex North *

Ontario North Ontario North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1925. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. The North Riding of Ontario init ...

* Renfrew North *

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

;Conservative to Liberal/Patrons of Industry * Hastings East *

Kent West Kent West was a federal electoral district (or ''riding'') represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1917. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1903 when Kent riding was divided into two ridings, ...

Elgin West Elgin West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the county of Elgin into ...

* Frontenac *

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. ...

;Conservative to Conservative/PPA * Muskoka ;Conservative to Patrons of Industry * Hastings North ;Conservative to Conservative/Patrons of Industry * Cardwell * Carleton ;Conservative to Liberal/PPA * Bruce North *

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 ...

;Conservative to PPA * Grey Centre ;Liberal/Equal Rights to Liberal *

Victoria West Victoria West is a town in the central Karoo region of South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on the main N12 route, at an elevation of . It is the seat of the Ubuntu Local Municipality within the Pixley ka Seme District Municipa ...

;Liberal/Equal Rights to Conservative *

Lanark North Lanark North 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 which divided the County of Lanark ...

;Conservative/Equal Rights to Conservative * Durham East ;Conservative/Equal Rights to Patrons of Industry * Dufferin

References

{{Ontario elections

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

1894 elections in Canada 1894 in Ontario June 1894 events

Expansion of the Legislative Assembly

Results

Division of ridings

Seats that changed hands

See also

References