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1878 British Columbia general election
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1878 British Columbia general election British Columbia parliamentary no no no 1875 British Columbia general election 1875 2nd Parliament of British Columbia 1878 3rd Parliament of British Columbia 1882 British Columbia general election 1882 25 seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Premier Andrew Charles Elliott BC Government name Premier after election George Anthony Walkem BC Opposition name
The 1878 British Columbia general election was held in 1878.
Political context
Issues and debates
Non-party system
There were to be no political parties in the new province. The designations "Government" and "Opposition" and "Independent" (and variations on these) functioned in place of parties, but they were very loose and do not represent formal coalitions, more alignments of support during the campaign. "Government" meant in support of the current Premier; "Opposition" meant campaigning against him, and often enough the Opposition would win and immediately become the Government. The Elections British Columbia notes for this election describe the designations as "Government (GOV.) candidates supported the administration of G.A.B. Walkem. Those opposed ran as Reform (REF.), Opposition (OPP.), Independent Reform (IND.REF.), or Independent Opposition (IND.OPP.) candidates. Those who ran as straight Independents (IND.) were sometimes described as Government supporters (IND./GOV.).
The Walkem Government
See Notes on the previous election.
Byelections not shown
Any changes due to byelections are shown below the main table showing the theoretical composition of the House after the election. A final table showing the composition of the House at the dissolution of the Legislature at the end of this Parliament can be found below the byelections. The main table represents the immediate results of the election only, not changes in governing coalitions or eventual changes due to byelections.
List of ridings
The original ridings had remained twelve in number, electing 25 members of the first provincial legislature from 12 ridings (electoral districts), some with multiple members. There were no political parties were not acceptable in the House by convention, though some members were openly partisan at the federal level (usually Conservative, although both Liberal and Labour allegiance were on display by some candidates).
These ridings were:
Cariboo (three members)
Comox
Cowichan (two members)
Esquimalt (two members)
Kootenay (two members)
Lillooet (two members)
Nanaimo
New Westminster (two members)
New Westminster City
Victoria (two members)
Victoria City (four members)
Yale (three members)
Statistics
Votes 6,377
Candidates 46
Members 25
Vancouver Island 3,714 votes, twelve seats 309.5 votes/seat
Upper Island 695 votes, four seats (173.75 votes/seat)
Comox: 52 votes (52 votes/seat)
Cowichan: 292 votes (2 seats 196 votes/seat 83 voters/seat)
Nanaimo: 351 votes (351 votes/seat)
"Greater Victoria" 3,019 votes, eight seats (377.375 votes/seat):
Victoria: 309 votes (2 seats 154.5 votes/seat)
Victoria City: 2,523 (4 seats 603.75 votes/seat)
Esquimalt: 187 (2 seats 93.5 votes/seat)
Mainland 2,271 votes 11 seats (excluding Kootenay's) 206.45 votes/seat :
Interior 1,817 eight seats, 227.125 votes/seat (excepting Kootenay):
Cariboo: 788 votes (3 seats 264 votes/seat)
Kootenay: unknown (acclamation)
Lillooet: 241 votes (2 seats 51 votes/seat 120.5 votes/seat)
Yale: 788 votes (3 seats 57 votes/seat 262.67 votes/seat)
Lower Mainland 454 votes (3 seats 151.33 votes/seat:
New Westminster: 309 votes (2 seats 154.5 votes/seat)
New Westminster City: 145 votes (145 votes/seat)
Note that these figures refer to votes actually cast, not the population per se nor the total of the potential voters' list.
Polling conditions
Property requirements for voting instigated for the 1875 election were dropped. Natives (First Nations) and Chinese were disallowed from voting, although naturalized Kanakas (Hawaiian colonists) and American and West Indian blacks and certain others participated. The requirement that knowledge of English be spoken for balloting was discussed but not applied.
Results by riding
Results of British Columbia general election, 1878
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Edwin Pimbury
|align="center" rowspan=2 |CowichanGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=3 |CaribooOpposition
|align="center"|George Cowan
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|William Smithe
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|John Evans
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Wellington John Harris
|align="center" rowspan=2 |New WestminsterGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|George Anthony Boomer Walkem1
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Donald McGillivray
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=|ComoxOpposition
|align="center"|John Ash
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Ebenezer Brown
|align="center" |New Westminster CityGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |EsquimaltOpposition
|align="center"|Hans Lars Helgesen
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Preston Bennett
|align="center" rowspan=3 |YaleGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|Frederick W. Williams
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|John Andrew Mara
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |KootenayOpposition
|align="center"|Robert Leslie Thomas Galbraith
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Forbes George Vernon
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|Charles Gallagher
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |LillooetOpposition
|align="center"|William M. Brown
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|William Saul
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" |NanaimoOpposition
|align="center"|James Atkinson Abrams
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |VictoriaOpposition
|align="center"|Thomas Basil Humphreys
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|James Thomas McIlmoyl
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=4 |Victoria CityIndependentOpposition
|align="center"|Robert Beaven
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|James Smith Drummond
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|John William Williams
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|William Wilson
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|align-left"|1 Premier-Elect and Incumbent Premier
|-
| align="center" colspan="10"|Source: Elections BC
|-
|}
Byelections
As customary, byelections were held to confirm the appointment of various members to the Executive Council (cabinet). In this Parliament, all three such byelections were won by acclamation:
Robert Beaven, Victoria City, July 10, 1878
Thomas Basil Humphreys, Victoria, July 10, 1878
George Anthony Boomer Walkem, Cariboo, August 3, 1878
Walkem's byelection acclamation confirmed him as Premier; Executive Council appointments were decided and made by the Lieutenant-Governor in this period, not by the Premier directly, but by the L-G in Consultation with the Premier (as still is the case, though only as a formal technicality, not in practice). The Premier's position itself was technically an appointment, as there were no political parties nor leaders, other than unofficial ones for each faction in the House to whom the Lieutenant-Governor would turn if their known caucus was sufficient to form a government.
Other byelections were held on the occasion of death, ill health, retirement and/or resignation for other reasons. These were won by:
George Ferguson, Cariboo, October 29, 1879 (replacing John Evans, who died August 25, 1879).
William James Armstrong, New Westminster City, Acclaimed December 20, 1879 (day of return of writ). Byelection caused by resignation of Ebenezer Brown November 1881 because of ill health, Victoria Standard November 19, 1881.
Composition of House at dissolution
Note: Government/Opposition status applies to candidate at time of election in 1878, not at time of dissolution in 1882.
Composition of 3rd British Columbia Parliament at Dissolution, 1882
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Edwin Pimbury
|align="center" rowspan=2 |CowichanGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=3 |CaribooOpposition
|align="center"|George Cowan
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|William Smithe
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|George Ferguson
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Wellington John Harris
|align="center" rowspan=2 |New WestminsterGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|George Anthony Boomer Walkem
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Donald McGillivray
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=|ComoxOpposition
|align="center"|John Ash
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|William James Armstrong
|align="center" |New Westminster CityGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |EsquimaltOpposition
|align="center"|Hans Lars Helgesen
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Preston Bennett
|align="center" rowspan=3 |YaleGovernment
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|Frederick W. Williams
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|John Andrew Mara
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |KootenayOpposition
|align="center"|Robert Leslie Thomas Galbraith
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|BC Government background|
|align="center"|Forbes George Vernon
|BC Government background|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|Charles Gallagher
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |LillooetOpposition
|align="center"|William M. Brown
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|William Saul
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" |NanaimoOpposition
|align="center"|James Atkinson Abrams
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=2 |VictoriaOpposition
|align="center"|Thomas Basil Humphreys
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|James Thomas McIlmoyl
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center" rowspan=4 |Victoria CityIndependentOpposition
|align="center"|Robert Beaven
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|James Smith Drummond
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|John William Williams
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|
|
|
|BC Opposition background|
|align="center"|William Wilson
|BC Opposition background|
|-
|
|align-left"|
|-
| align="center" colspan="10"|Source: Elections BC
|-
|}
Further reading & references
In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia, Joseph Morton, J.J. Douglas, Vancouver (1974). Despite its title, a fairly thorough account of the politicians and electoral politics in early BC.
See also
List of British Columbia political parties
Category: elections in Canada
Election