1940 Alberta general election

The 1940 Alberta general election was held on March 21, 1940, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

1940 Alberta general election

March 21, 1940 (1940-03-21)

57 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
29 seats were needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
IM
Leader William Aberhart Andrew Davison
Party Social Credit Independent Movement
Leader since September 3, 1935 1940
Leader's seat Calgary Calgary
Last election 56 seats, 54.2% pre-creation
Seats before 47
Seats won 36 19
Seat change Decrease11
Popular vote 132,507 131,172
Percentage 42.9% 42.5%
Swing Decrease11.3%

  Third party Fourth party
 
LAB
LIB
Leader unknown Edward L. Gray
Party Labour Liberal
Leader since June 4, 1937
Leader's seat ran in Edmonton presumably
Last election 0 seats, 1.7% 5 seats, 23.1%
Seats before 0 6
Seats won 1 1
Seat change Increase1 Decrease5
Popular vote 3,258 2,755
Percentage 1.1% 0.9%
Swing Decrease0.6% Decrease22.2%

Premier before election

William Aberhart
Social Credit

Premier after election

William Aberhart
Social Credit

Despite its failure to implement its key policy, providing prosperity certificates to all Albertans, the Social Credit Party of Premier William Aberhart won a second term in government. Nevertheless, it lost eleven seats that it had won in the 1935 landslide.

This provincial election, like the previous three, saw district-level proportional representation (Single transferable voting) used to elect the MLAs of Edmonton and Calgary. City-wide districts were used to elect multiple MLAs in the cities. All the other MLAs were elected in single-member districts through Instant-runoff voting.

Unity Movement

The Conservative and Liberal parties as well as the remains of the United Farmers, recognizing the widespread popularity of the Social Credit party, ran joint candidates as independents in what was called the "Independent Movement" or the "Unity Movement". Although independent candidates won almost as many votes as Social Credit, their support was dispersed across many areas so few of the movement's candidates took a majority of the votes (required under Instant-runoff voting to take the seat) so the movement's overall vote tally did not translate into its due share of seats overall. The Independent Movement lost a number of races by small margins. However, due to the Parliamentary system, which awards power solely on the basis of seats won, Social Credit was returned for a second term, albeit with a considerably reduced majority.

The Liberals under leader Edward Gray chose only to support Independent candidates that they played a hand in nominating, and nominated other candidates under its own banner. Gray felt that candidates should not be machined into the field and left it up to the individual Liberal constituency associations to decide if they would support a candidate or not.[1]

This would be the most opposition that Social Credit would face until 1959.

Co-operative Commonwealth

The social democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation nominated candidates for the first time, but failed to win any seats in the legislature, despite winning over 10% of the popular vote under the leadership of former United Farmers of Alberta MLA Chester Ronning. Like Ronning, most of the CCF's candidates had run in the 1935 election for the UFA.

Reduction of electoral districts

An Act was passed in 1939 that provided for the reduction of the number of MLAs from 63 to 57, upon the next election.[2] Calgary and Edmonton now returned five MLAs each instead of six, and the following other changes were made:

AbolishedNew
New districts
Renaming of districts
  • Innisfail
  • Rocky Mountain House[a 3]
Abolition of districts
  • Nanton-Claresholm
  • divided among Macleod, Okotoks-High River and Little Bow
  • Ribstone
  • divided between Acadia-Coronation and Wainwright
Merger of districts
  • Acadia
  • Coronation
  • Acadia-Coronation
  • Bow Valley
  • Empress
  • Bow Valley-Empress
Reorganization of districts
  • Cochrane
  • Pincher Creek
  • Rocky Mountain
  • Banff-Cochrane
  • Pincher Creek-Crowsnest
  • Sturgeon
  • Victoria
  • Whitford
  • Redwater
  • Willingdon
  1. from parts of Vegreville, Sedgewick and Camrose
  2. from part of Grande Prairie
  3. also drawing in parts of Edson, Red Deer and Lacombe

Results

Elections to the 9th Alberta Legislative Assembly (1940)
Party Leader Candidates First-preference votes Seats
Votes ±  % Fpv Change (pp) 1935 1940 ±
Social Credit William Aberhart 56132,50731,193Increase42.90 -11.35
 
56
36 / 57
20Decrease
Independent Movement[a 1] Andrew Davison 57130,60311,178Increase42.28 2.51 2.51
 
6
19 / 57
13Increase
Liberal Edward Gray 22,755483Increase0.89 0.14 0.14
 
1
1 / 57
Steady
Labour 23,2581,828Decrease1.05 -0.63
 
1 / 57
1Increase
Co-operative Commonwealth Chester Ronning 3634,31634,316Increase11.11 11.11 11.11
 
Independent Liberal 11,136181Increase0.37 0.06 0.06
 
Communist 11,0674,704Decrease0.35 -1.56
 
Independent[a 2] 25692,171Decrease0.18 -0.72
 
Independent Labour 125127Increase0.08 0.01 0.01
 
Independent Progressive 41,7261,726Increase0.56
Independent Social Credit 1362362Increase0.12
Independent Farmer 2314314Increase0.10
Total165 308,864 100.00%
Rejected ballots 10,6152,346Increase
Turnout 319,4799,458Increase 74.8%7.0Decrease
Registered voters 427,33549,086Increase
  1. compared against combined 1935 totals for UFA, Conservatives and Liberals (other than Grouard)
  2. 1 in Calgary; 1 in Edmonton

MLAs elected

    Synopsis of results

    Results by riding  1940 Alberta general election (all except Calgary and Edmonton)[3]
    Riding First-preference votes Turnout
    [a 1]
    Final counts Winning party
    Name SC IndM CCF Lib Lab Oth Total SC IndM CCF Lib Lab 1935 1940
     
    Acadia-Coronation 2,1631,6655594,387 76.3% 2,2971,963 New SC
    Alexandra 2,2151,2551,273 73.1% 2,3261,953 SC SC
    Athabasca 1,9651,3367824,083 61.9% 2,0781,497 SC SC
    Banff-Cochrane 1,8692,9314,800 80.4% Elected on 1st count New IndM
    Beaver River 2,5556691,2544,478 70.4% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Bow Valley-Empress 2,0351,7623,797 70.5% Elected on 1st count New SC
    Bruce 2,0181,4337524,203 71.8% 2,2031,781 New SC
    Camrose 2,4721,4841,5505,506 77.2% 2,5822,508 SC SC
    Cardston 2,1601,8083,968 81.9% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Clover Bar 2,2521,3701,4765,098 77.9% 2,4182,261 SC SC
    Cypress 1,6672,0653,732 75.3% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Didsbury 2,3122,379 74.5% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Drumheller 2,0431,5307414,314 79.8% 2,3301,720 SC SC
    Edson 1,9497982,2114,958 72.7% 2,1002,558 SC Lab
    Gleichen 1,4572,2556704,382 75.2% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Grande Prairie 1,5561,9986744,228 70.4% 1,7842,233 SC IndM
    Grouard 1,7031,0241,7474,474 62.0% 1,9611,965 Lib Lib
    Hand Hills 2,5471,9704,517 75.5% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Lac Ste. Anne 1,6121,2391,1103,961 63.9% 1,8391,704 SC SC
    Lacombe 2,3212,0616265,008 75.6% 2,4572,361 SC SC
    Leduc 2,1411,1067323,979 65.9% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Lethbridge 2,7604,3187,078 83.4% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Little Bow 2,1622,0344,196 86.0% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Macleod 2,4872,4464,933 82.3% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Medicine Hat 2,9432,8635,806 86.1% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Okotoks-High River 3,1784,3527,530 80.5% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Olds 2,3452,4553625,162 76.4% 2,5492,483 SC SC
    Peace River 2,1142,2534,367 60.0% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Pembina 1,5891,7197434,051 60.0% 1,8181,980 SC IndM
    Pincher Creek-Crowsnest 2,3562,1291,0475,532 86.1% 2,4432,210 New SC
    Ponoka 1,9071,9205754,402 74.7% 2,0452,234 SC IndM
    Red Deer 2,0832,7609715,814 77.7% 2,3303,142 SC IndM
    Redwater 2,2269457853,956 64.9% Elected on 1st count New SC
    Rocky Mountain House 2,4771,4967674,740 69.4% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    St. Albert 1,6921,3835521,0084,635 70.9% 2,0182,304 SC IndM
    St. Paul 2,2701,6098134,692 70.2% 2,4211,785 SC SC
    Sedgewick 2,6051,4267944,825 75.7% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Spirit River 1,4091,0877723,268 63.3% 1,7071,295 New SC
    Stettler 2,6681,8517845,303 78.5% Elected on 1st count SC SC
    Stony Plain 1,9141,2289421964,280 72.6% 2,2131,606 SC SC
    Taber 1,8791,3835763,838 80.0% 1,9981,618 SC SC
    Vegreville 2,2231,9205234,666 75.6% 2,3752,061 SC SC
    Vermilion 2,2031,8159364,954 76.4% 2,5062,148 SC SC
    Wainwright 2,2961,6111,0393655,311 76.4% 2,5832,169 SC SC
    Warner 1,5581,9373,495 83.0% Elected on 1st count SC IndM
    Wetaskiwin 2,4801,8749015,255 71.9% 2,7612,179 SC SC
    Willingdon 2,3295149683,811 64.4% Elected on 1st count New SC
    1. including spoilt ballots
      = Open seat
      = turnout is above provincial average
      = Candidate was in previous Legislature
      = Incumbent had switched allegiance
      = Previously incumbent in another riding
      = Not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
      = Incumbency arose from by-election gain
      = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
      = Multiple candidates

    Multi-member districts

      = Candidate was in previous Legislature
      = First-time MLA
      = Previously incumbent in another district.

    STV analysis

    Exhausted votes

    Twenty-eight districts went beyond first-preference counts in order to determine winning candidates:

    Exhausted votes (1935)
    District Counts Exhausted
    1st preference Final Votes % of 1st pref
    Calgary 45,91444,8301,084 2.36 2.36
     
    Edmonton 43,74341,1302,613 5.97 5.97
     
    Acadia-Coronation 4,3874,260127 2.89 2.89
     
    Alexandra 4,7434,279464 9.78 9.78
     
    Athabasca 4,0833,575508 12.44 12.44
     
    Bruce 4,2033,984219 5.21 5.21
     
    Camrose 5,5065,090416 7.56 7.56
     
    Clover Bar 5,0984,679419 8.22 8.22
     
    Drumheller 4,3144,050264 6.12 6.12
     
    Edson 4,9584,658300 6.05 6.05
     
    Grande Prairie 4,2284,017211 4.99 4.99
     
    Grouard 4,4743,926548 12.25 12.25
     
    Lac Ste. Anne 3,9613,543418 10.55 10.55
     
    Lacombe 5,0084,818190 3.79 3.79
     
    Olds 5,1625,032130 2.52 2.52
     
    Pembina 4,0513,798253 6.25 6.25
     
    Pincher Creek-Crowsnest 5,5324,653879 15.89 15.89
     
    Ponoka 4,4024,279123 2.79 2.79
     
    Red Deer 5,8145,472342 5.88 5.88
     
    St. Albert 4,6354,322313 6.75 6.75
     
    St. Paul 4,6924,206486 10.35 10.35
     
    Spirit River 3,2683,002266 8.14 8.14
     
    Stony Plain 4,2803,819461 10.77 10.77
     
    Taber 3,8383,616222 5.78 5.78
     
    Vegreville 4,6664,436230 4.93 4.93
     
    Vermilion 4,9544,654300 6.06 6.06
     
    Wainwright 5,3114,752559 10.53 10.53
     
    Wetaskiwin 5,2554,940315 5.99 5.99
     

    Calgary

    The Independent Movement (also called the "Citizens' Slate) fielded six candidates for the five seats. The other parties nominated fewer candidates than the maximum seats sought.

    Party Candidates MLAs elected
    1940 1935 ± 1940 1935 ±
    Independent Movement 66Increase33Increase
    Social Credit 462Decrease242Decrease
    Co-operative Commonwealth 22Increase
    Independent Labour 11Steady
    Independent 11Steady
    Conservative 44Decrease11Decrease
    Liberal 44Decrease11Decrease
    Labour 33Decrease
    Communist 11Decrease
    Total 14206Decrease561Decrease
    Calgary (1940 Alberta general election) (five members elected, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference)[4]
    PartyCandidateFPv%Count
    123456789101112
    Independent Movement Andrew Davison 27.15% 12,465
    Social Credit William Aberhart 26.40% 12,122 12,122
    Independent Movement James Mahaffy 7.94% 3,645 5,538 5,615 5,672 5,704 5,966 6,041 6,043 6,971 7,040 7,162 9,449
    Independent Movement John J. Bowlen 7.51% 3,447 4,380 4,417 4,431 4,453 4,545 4,586 4,590 5,212 5,254 5,320 7,247
    Co-operative Commonwealth Fred J. White 6.20% 2,846 2,903 3,025 3,037 3,097 3,128 4,179 4,229 4,319 4,461 4,965 5,175
    Independent Movement Joseph Tweed Shaw 5.85% 2,685 3,726 3,746 3,777 3,804 3,994 4,039 4,043 4,592 4,602 4,654
    Social Credit Fred Anderson 4.22% 1,939 1,959 4,203 4,213 4,229 4,236 4,369 5,227 5,282 8,744
    Social Credit Edith Gostick 3.50% 1,605 1,613 2,886 2,905 2,922 2,928 2,985 3,691 3,731
    Independent Movement Norman Dingle 3.22% 1,480 2,084 2,121 2,133 2,158 2,322 2,358 2,363
    Social Credit H.D. Tarves 3.02% 1,386 1,390 1,914 1,918 1,938 1,947 1,979
    Co-operative Commonwealth Robert Alderman 2.83% 1,298 1,333 1,438 1,448 1,487 1,499
    Independent Movement Harry Pryde 1.25% 576 758 766 778 790
    Independent Labour D. V. Mitchell 0.55% 251 266 280 290
    Independent Frank Moodie 0.37% 169 169 186 194
    Exhausted ballots 3 3 6 26 43 72 422 501 507 854 1,084
    Electorate: 59,338   Valid: 45,914   Spoilt: 777   Quota: 7,653   Turnout: 46,691 (78.7%)  
      Calgary (1940 Alberta general election)
      (analysis of transferred votes, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference)
      Party Candidate Maximum
      round
      Maximum
      votes
      Share in
      maximum
      round
      Maximum votes
      First round votesTransfer votes
      Independent Movement Andrew Davison 1 12,465 27.15%
      Social Credit William Aberhart 1 12,122 26.40%
      Independent Movement James Mahaffy 12 9,449 21.08%
      Independent Movement John J. Bowlen 12 7,247 16.17%
      CCF Fred J. White 12 5,175 11.54%
      Independent Movement Joseph Tweed Shaw 11 4,654 10.33%
      Social Credit Fred Anderson 10 8,744 19.26%
      Social Credit Edith Gostick 9 3,731 8.22%
      Independent Movement Norman Dingle 8 2,363 5.19%
      Social Credit H.D. Tarves 7 1,979 4.32%
      CCF Robert Alderman 6 1,499 3.27%
      Independent Movement Harry Pryde 5 790 1.72%
      Independent Labour D. V. Mitchell 4 290 0.63%
      Independent Frank Moodie 3 194 0.42%
      Exhausted votes 1,084 2.36%

      Edmonton

      The Independent Movement presented seven candidates for the five seats being contested.

      Party Candidates MLAs elected
      1940 1935 ± 1940 1935 ±
      Independent Movement 77Increase33Increase
      Social Credit 561Decrease22Steady
      Co-operative Commonwealth 33Increase
      Independent Progressive 22Increase
      Independent 11Increase
      Communist 11Steady
      Conservative 66Decrease11Decrease
      Liberal 66Decrease33Decrease
      United Farmers 11Decrease
      Labour 66Decrease
      Reconstruction 11Decrease
      Total 19278Decrease561Decrease
      Edmonton (1940 Alberta general election) (five members elected, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference)[5]
      PartyCandidateFPv%Count
      123456789101112131415
      Social Credit Ernest Manning 23.01% 10,066
      Independent Movement John Percy Page 12.82% 5,607 5,657 5,698 5,774 5,801 6,077 6,118 6,140 6,421 6,466 6,648 6,731 7,935
      Independent Movement Hugh John Macdonald 9.44% 4,128 4,167 4,189 4,249 4,256 4,318 4,342 4,356 5,029 5,061 5,127 5,184 5,828 6,056 6,649
      Independent Movement Gerald O'Connor 9.08% 3,972 3,988 4,006 4,030 4,047 4,145 4,180 4,187 4,578 4,590 4,627 4,650 5,081 5,263 6,035
      Independent Movement David Milwyn Duggan 8.87% 3,878 3,890 3,926 3,953 3,957 4,085 4,092 4,103 4,229 4,240 4,294 4,318 5,713 5,925 6,731
      Independent Movement L. Y. Cairns 7.58% 3,316 3,326 3,356 3,393 3,395 3,584 3,589 3,599 3,697 3,706 3,781 3,801
      Co-operative Commonwealth Elmer Roper 4.54% 1,984 2,013 2,033 2,047 2,245 2,280 2,399 2,421 2,455 2,477
      Co-operative Commonwealth Harry Dean Ainlay 4.21% 1,840 1,866 1,901 1,943 2,105 2,117 2,485 2,552 2,580 2,654 4,539 4,652 4,706 4,724
      Independent Movement E. C. Fisher 3.67% 1,607 1,620 1,655 1,671 1,681 1,712 1,729 1,738
      Social Credit Charles Gould 2.73% 1,192 1,771 1,790 1,820 1,826 1,831 1,965 2,342 2,378
      Social Credit Elisha East 2.55% 1,117 1,593 1,607 1,623 1,631 1,636 1,724 2,375 2,395 3,376 3,422
      Communist James A. MacPherson 2.44% 1,067 1,088 1,108 1,120 1,135 1,136
      Social Credit Norman B. James 2.21% 967 1,923 1,932 1,964 1,970 1,972 2,072 2,428 2,440 3,537 3,568 6,355 6,378 6,382 7,133
      Social Credit Charles B. Wills 2.17% 948 1,442 1,450 1,473 1,483 1,493 1,564
      Independent Movement Marjorie Pardee 1.88% 822 828 843 857 862
      Co-operative Commonwealth William H. Miller 1.01% 442 457 482 493
      Independent G. F. Hustler 0.91% 400 412 452
      Independent Progressive Samuel Barnes 0.64% 282 299
      Independent Progressive J. H. Green 0.25% 108 112
      Exhausted ballots 0 24 42 58 66 193 211 250 345 446 761 811 811 2,613
      Electorate: 59,685   Valid: 43,743   Spoilt: 1,204   Quota: 7,291   Turnout: 44,947 (75.3%)  
        Edmonton (1940 Alberta general election)
        (analysis of transferred votes, candidates ranked in order of 1st preference)
        Party Candidate Maximum
        round
        Maximum
        votes
        Share in
        maximum
        round
        Maximum votes
        First round votesTransfer votes
        Social Credit Ernest Manning 1 10,066 23.01%
        Independent Movement John Percy Page 13 7,935 18.48%
        Independent Movement Hugh John Macdonald 15 6,649 17.34%
        Independent Movement Gerald O'Connor 15 6,035 14.67%
        Independent Movement David Milwyn Duggan 15 6,731 16.37%
        Independent Movement L. Y. Cairns 12 3,801 8.84%
        CCF Elmer Roper 10 2,477 5.71%
        CCF Harry Dean Ainlay 14 4,724 11.00%
        Independent Movement E. C. Fisher 8 1,738 3.99%
        Social Credit Charles Gould 9 2,378 5.47%
        Social Credit Elisha East 11 3,422 7.90%
        Communist James A. MacPherson 6 1,136 2.60%
        Social Credit Norman B. James 15 7,133 17.34%
        Social Credit Charles B. Wills 7 1,564 3.59%
        Independent Movement Marjorie Pardee 5 862 1.97%
        CCF William H. Miller 4 493 1.13%
        Independent G. F. Hustler 3 452 1.03%
        Independent Progressive Samuel Barnes 2 299 0.68%
        Independent Progressive J. H. Green 2 112 0.26%
        Exhausted votes 2,613 5.97%

        References

        1. "Liberals Against Independents If "Machined into Field" - Gray". Vol. XXXIII No 36. The Lethbridge Herald. January 23, 1940. p. 7.
        2. The Legislative Assembly Act Amendment Act, 1939, S.A. 1939, c. 94
        3. A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. Edmonton: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. pp. 134–146. ISBN 0-9689217-9-5.
        4. "Take 12 Counts In Calgary Vote". Calgary Albertan. March 23, 1940. pp. 1–2.
        5. "General Statement By Returning Officer: Electoral Division of Edmonton". Edmonton Bulletin. March 25, 1940. p. 1.

        Further reading

        Party platforms

        • Irvine, William (1940). C.C.F. Provincial Policy (PDF). Co-operative Commonwealth Federation of Alberta.
        • Manifesto (PDF). Willingdon, Alberta: United Farmers of Alberta. 1940.

        See also

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