1934 Ontario general election

1934 Ontario general election
← outgoing members
90 seats in the 19th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ; 46 seats were needed for a majority
Premier before election; George S. Henry; Conservative	Premier after election ; Mitchell Hepburn; Liberal

The 1934 Ontario general election was the 19th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 19, 1934, to elect the 19th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs").^[1]

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Mitchell Hepburn, defeated the governing Ontario Conservative Party, led by George Stewart Henry. Hepburn was assisted by Harry Nixon's Progressive bloc of MLAs who ran in this election as Liberal-Progressives on the understanding that they would support a Hepburn led government. Nixon, himself, became a senior cabinet minister in the Hepburn government.

The Liberals won a majority in the Legislature, while the Conservatives lost four out of every five seats that they had won in the previous election.

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, in its first provincial election, ran 37 candidates^[2] and won a seat in the Ontario Legislature for the first time with the election of Samuel Lawrence in Hamilton East.

The United Farmers of Ontario had affiliated with the CCF but disaffiliated immediately prior to the 1934 election due to a row over suspected Communist infiltration of the party. Accordingly, two UFO nominated candidates, incumbent MLA Farquhar Oliver (Grey South) and Leslie Warner Oke, former MLA for Lambton East, ran as UFO candidates rather than with the CCF. Oliver was re-elected and later supported the Hepburn government.

Earl Hutchinson of Kenora was re-elected as a Labour MLA but resigned a month later to allow Peter Heenan, a former Labour MLA in the riding, to contest Kenora in a by-election as a Liberal so that he could be appointed to Cabinet. Hutchinson was then appointed vice-chairman of the Workmen's Compensation Board.

Redistribution and reduction of ridings[]

Toronto ridings as constituted in 1926

Toronto riding boundaries after 1934 redistribution

The Legislative Assembly was reduced from 112 seats to 90 as a result of an Act passed in 1933:^[3]

Abolished ridings	New ridings
Mergers of ridings
Algoma Manitoulin	Algoma—Manitoulin
Brockville Leeds	Leeds
Bruce North Bruce South	Bruce
Dufferin Simcoe Southwest	Dufferin—Simcoe
Elgin East Elgin West	Elgin
Dundas Grenville	Grenville—Dundas
Haldimand Norfolk	Haldimand—Norfolk
Hamilton West Wentworth South	Wentworth
Lanark North Lanark South	Lanark
Lincoln St. Catharines	Lincoln
London North London South	London
Muskoka Ontario North	Muskoka—Ontario
Nipissing Sturgeon Falls	Nipissing
^{[a 1]} Ottawa South	Ottawa South
Oxford North Oxford South	Oxford
Perth North Perth South	Perth
Peterborough City Peterborough County	Peterborough
Prince Edward Frontenac-Lennox	Prince Edward—Lennox
Victoria North Victoria South	Victoria
Riding abolished; parts transferred to other ridings
Brockton	Dovercourt Parkdale
Greenwood	Riverdale Woodbine
Hastings North	Hastings East Hastings West
Change of name
Brant County	Brant
	Huron—Bruce^{[a 2]}
Huron South
Middlesex West	Middlesex South^{[a 3]}
Ontario South	Ontario
Wellington Northeast	Wellington North
Wentworth North	Hamilton—Wentworth
	Windsor—Walkerville
Windsor West	Windsor—Sandwich

^ Part transferred to Carleton.
^ Also absorbed part of Bruce South.
^ Also absorbed part of Middlesex North.

A subsequent Act in 1934 modified the limits of several Toronto ridings.^[4]

Results[]

Elections to the 19th Parliament of Ontario (1934)
Political party		Party leader	MPPs					Votes
Political party		Party leader	Candidates	1929	Dissol.	1934	±	#	%	± (pp)
	Liberal	Mitchell Hepburn	83	13	16	65	52	735,531	47.09%	14.86
	Conservative	George Stewart Henry	90	90	88	17	73	621,212	39.77%	16.89
	Liberal–Progressive	Harry Nixon	4	1	1	4	3	38,161	2.44%	1.90
	Co-operative Commonwealth	John Mitchell (party president)	37	–	–	1	1	108,961	6.98%	New
	Independent		15	–	–	1	1	17,462	1.12%	1.06
	United Farmers	Farquhar Oliver	2	1	1	1		8,648	0.55%	0.71
	Labour		2	1	1	1		6,411	0.41%	0.58
	Progressive		–	4	3	–	4	Did not campaign
	Independent Conservative		2	2	2	–	2	344	0.02%	2.14
	Independent Liberal		5	–	–	–		12,984	0.83%	New
	Communist		14	–	–	–		9,774	0.63%	0.48
	Socialist-Labour		5	–	–	–		1,607	0.10%	New
	Farmer–Labour		1	–	–	–		608	0.04%	New
	Workers		1	–	–	–		158	0.01%	New
	Prohibitionist		–	–	–	–		Did not campaign
	Vacant
Total			236	112	112	90		1,561,861	100.00%
Blank and invalid ballots								17,305
Registered voters / turnout								2,098,776	75.24%	18.61

Seats and popular vote by party
Party	Seats	Votes	Change (pp)
█ Liberal	65 / 90	47.09%	14.86	14.86
█ Conservative	17 / 90	39.77%	-16.89
█ Liberal–Progressive	4 / 90	2.44%	1.90	1.9
█ Co-operative Commonwealth	1 / 90	6.98%	6.98	6.98
█ United Farmers	1 / 90	0.55%	-0.71
█ Labour	1 / 90	0.41%	-0.30
█ Progressive	0 / 90	0.00%	-3.40
█ Prohibitionist	0 / 90	0.00%	-2.54
█ Other	1 / 90	2.76%	0.10	0.1

Reorganization of ridings[]

1929		1934
Riding	Party	Riding	Party
Mergers of ridings
Algoma	█ Conservative	Algoma—Manitoulin	█ Liberal
Manitoulin	█ Conservative	Algoma—Manitoulin	█ Liberal
Brockville	█ Conservative	Leeds	█ Liberal
Leeds	█ Conservative	Leeds	█ Liberal
Bruce North	█ Liberal	Bruce	█ Liberal
Bruce South	█ Liberal	Bruce	█ Liberal
Dufferin	█ Progressive	Dufferin—Simcoe	█ Liberal
Simcoe Southwest	█ Conservative	Dufferin—Simcoe	█ Liberal
Elgin East	█ Conservative	Elgin	█ Liberal
Elgin West	█ Conservative	Elgin	█ Liberal
Dundas	█ Conservative	Grenville—Dundas	█ Conservative
Grenville	█ Conservative	Grenville—Dundas	█ Conservative
Haldimand	█ Conservative	Haldimand—Norfolk	█ Liberal
Norfolk	█ Conservative	Haldimand—Norfolk	█ Liberal
Hamilton West	█ Conservative	Wentworth	█ Liberal
Wentworth South	█ Conservative	Wentworth	█ Liberal
Lanark North	█ Conservative	Lanark	█ Conservative
Lanark South	█ Conservative	Lanark	█ Conservative
Lincoln	█ Conservative	Lincoln	█ Liberal
St. Catharines	█ Conservative	Lincoln	█ Liberal
London North	█ Conservative	London	█ Liberal
London South	█ Conservative	London	█ Liberal
Muskoka	█ Conservative	Muskoka—Ontario	█ Liberal–Progressive
Ontario North	█ Conservative	Muskoka—Ontario	█ Liberal–Progressive
Nipissing	█ Conservative	Nipissing	█ Liberal
Sturgeon Falls	█ Conservative	Nipissing	█ Liberal
	█ Conservative	Ottawa South	█ Conservative
Ottawa South	█ Conservative	Ottawa South	█ Conservative
Oxford North	█ Liberal–Progressive	Oxford	█ Liberal
Oxford South	█ Liberal	Oxford	█ Liberal
Perth North	█ Conservative	Perth	█ Liberal
Perth South	█ Conservative	Perth	█ Liberal
Peterborough City	█ Conservative	Peterborough	█ Conservative
Peterborough County	█ Conservative	Peterborough	█ Conservative
Prince Edward	█ Conservative	Prince Edward—Lennox	█ Liberal
Frontenac-Lennox	█ Conservative	Prince Edward—Lennox	█ Liberal
Victoria North	█ Liberal	Victoria	█ Liberal
Victoria South	█ Conservative	Victoria	█ Liberal
Riding abolished; parts transferred to other ridings
Brockton	█ Conservative
Greenwood	█ Conservative
Hastings North	█ Conservative

Seats that changed hands[]

Elections to the 18th Parliament of Ontario – unaltered seats won/lost by party, 1929–1934
Party		1929	Gain from (loss to)																		1934
Party		1929	Con		Lib		Pro		L-Pro		UFO		Lab		I-Con		CCF		Ind		1934
	Conservative	55				(39)				(1)								(1)		(1)	13
	Liberal	9	39				1								2						51
	Progressive	3				(1)				(2)											–
	Liberal–Progressive	–	1				2														3
	United Farmers	1																			1
	Labour	1																			1
	Independent-Conservative	2				(2)															–
	Co-operative Commonwealth	–	1																		1
	Independent	–	1																		1
Total		71	42	–	–	(42)	3	–	–	(3)	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	(1)	–	(1)	71

Of the unaltered seats, there were 47 that changed allegiance in the election:

Conservative to Liberal

Conservative to Liberal-Progressive

Kent East

Conservative to CCF

Hamilton East

Conservative to Independent

Brantford

Progressive to Liberal

Progressive to Liberal-Progressive

Brant
Grey North

Independent-Conservative to Liberal

Notes[]

References[]

^ "1934 General Election". Elections Ontario. Elections Ontario. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
^ "Nominations for Elections in Ontario and Saskatchewan". Ottawa Citizen. 13 June 1934. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
^ The Representation Act, 1933, S.O. 1933, c. 56
^ The Representation Act, 1934, S.O. 1934, c. 51

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