1916 British Columbia referendum

April 2023 British Columbia referendums September 14, 1916 British Columbia 200px Prohibition Yes 53.72 No 46.28 Extension of franchise to women Yes 65.86 No 34.14 Two referendums were held in British Columbia on September 14, 1916, alongside the 1916 general election. In them, the majority of voters approved Acts of the British Columbia Legislature that introduced prohibition and women's suffrage on the same basis as men. Background left 200 William John Bowser (cropped).jpg William Bowser William Bowser, BC Conservative name Premier of British Columbia. Harlan Carey Brewster.jpg Harlan Brewster Harlan Brewster, BC Liberal name LeaderThe Liberals had been shut out of the Legislature in the 1912 election. Principal players in the campaign The issues of prohibition and women's suffrage dominated much of the final session of the Legislative Assembly before the election. A Prohibition bill with a referendum clause was promised in the Speech from the Throne in March,Hopkins 1917 766 which was supported by Liberal leader Harlan Brewster in a speech to a prohibition delegation in February.Hopkins 1917 766 The bill received royal assent on May 31,British Columbia Prohibition Act S.B.C. 1916 49 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/893534744 and was scheduled to come into force on July 1, 1917, upon approval by the voters.S.B.C. 1916, c. 49, s. 62 In the campaign, the majority of the prohibitionist supporters were also Liberals.Hopkins 1917 779 A suffrage bill had been defeated earlier in the session,Hopkins 1917 768 and Premier Bowser opted to take that issue to the voters as well.Hopkins 1917 769 It was scheduled to become effective on January 1, 1917, upon approval in the referendum.Woman Suffrage Act S.B.C. 1916 76 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/717248388 The move to submit the issues to the voters was seen as a tactic by Premier Bowser to sideline it from the election,Weppler 1971 111 but it was contested by many women as being unfair to have the decision made solely by male voters.Weppler 1971 111 Implementing legislation was also enacted to provide for the operation of the referendums.Prohibition and Woman Suffrage Referendum Act S.B.C. 1916 50 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/3105482 The extension of the franchise to soldiers stationed overseas for the election also applied for these votes.Military Forces Voting Act S.B.C. 1916 41 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/2089696942 Results Prohibition The question posed was, "Are you in favour of bringing the British Columbia Prohibition Act in force?"Elections BC 1988 413 The votes from the overseas soldiers had initially caused the referendum to be defeated by 822 votes. A Prohibition convention held in March 1917 called for the measure to be passed anyway, despite the overseas vote.Hiebert 1969 89 Incoming Premier Brewster promised to do so, should irregularities be proved to have occurred.Hiebert 1969 89 A commission of inquiry was appointed to investigate allegations of voting irregularities,Prohibition Overseas Vote Investigation Act S.B.C. 1917 50 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/1470372111 and it determined that all ballots cast after Election Day must be disregarded.Elections BC 1988 413 The commissioners reported that "grave frauds and irregularities were committed, and that the regulations laid down for the taking of the vote were in many instances not observed."Elections BC 1988 499 As a result, an Act was passed by the Legislature, providing that Prohibition would come into effect on October 1, 1917.British Columbia Prohibition Commencement Act S.B.C. 1917 49 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/1705116846 + 1916 prohibition referendumElections BC 1988 413414ChoiceVotes on initial countVotes disregarded laterCivilian Soldiers(Canada) Soldiers(Overseas) Total % # Net Net %Yes 36,490 3,353 2,893 42,736 49.52 (832) 41,904 53.72No 27,217 3,622 12,719 43,558 50.47 (7,456) 36,102 46.28Total 63,707 6,975 15,612 86,294 100.00 (8,288) 78,006 100.00Majority 9,273 (269) (9,826) (822) (0.95) 6,624 5,802 7.44 Woman Suffrage The question posed was, "Are you in favour of the extension of the electoral franchise to women?"Elections BC 1988 415 Unlike the prohibition referendum, the votes from soldiers overseas were not disregarded. The initial 1916 suffrage Act was repealed and replaced by a broader amendment to the Provincial Elections Act, effective April 5, 1917, which also allowed women to become MLAs, on same basis as men.Provincial Elections Act Amendment Act, 1917 S.B.C. 1917 23 https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/hstats/hstats/1951457154Weppler 1971 116117 Even after extension of suffrage to women, some women were still barred from voting, on same basis as men. Hutterites and Mennonites of both genders were given the vote in 1948, and Treaty Indians and Japanese-Canadians of both genders were given the vote in 1949.Elections BC 1988 533 + 1916 woman suffrage referendumElections BC 1988 415416ChoiceVotes%Civilian Soldiers(Canada) Soldiers(Overseas) TotalYes 43,160 3,976 8,498 55,634 65.86No 19,962 2,314 6,561 28,837 34.14Total 63,122 6,290 15,059 84,471 100.00Lead of Yes votes over No votes 23,198 1,662 1,937 26,797 31.72 Further reading 1988 An Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986 https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf Victoria Elections British Columbia 0-7718-8677-2 Elections BC 1988 Adams Audrey Marilyn 1958 A study of the use of plebiscites and referendums in the Province of British Columbia https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0106169/1 Thesis MA 4276 University of British Columbia Hiebert Albert John 1969 Prohibition in British Columbia https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/56370353.pdf Thesis MA Simon Fraser University Weppler Doreen Madge 1971 Early Forms of Political Activity Among White Women in British Columbia, 1880-1925 https://summit.sfu.ca/_flysystem/fedora/sfu_migrate/2792/b10066020.pdf Thesis MA Simon Fraser University Hopkins J. Castell The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1916 1917 The Annual Review Publishing Company Toronto https://archive.org/details/canadianannualre0000unse_e6n0/page/764/mode/2up 765782 Notes and references Notes References Category:Canadian prohibition referendums Category:Referendums in British Columbia Category:1916 elections in Canada Category:1916 in British Columbia Category:September 1916 in Canada Category:1916 in women's history Category:History of women in Canada