Vancouver (electoral district)

Vancouver was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1904. This riding was created for the 1872 federal election, following British Columbia's admission into the Canadian Confederation in 1871, and lasted until 1903.

Vancouver
British Columbia electoral district
Defunct federal electoral district
LegislatureHouse of Commons
District created1872
District abolished1903
First contested1872
Last contested1900

The name of this riding is not derived from the contemporary City of Vancouver, B.C., but from its first incarnation in 1871 as the riding representing Vancouver Island (excepting the Victoria-area ridings). The Vancouver area was part of the New Westminster electoral district at the time of the province joining Confederation.

Members of Parliament

ParliamentYearsMemberParty
2nd  1872–1874     Francis Hincks Liberal–Conservative
3rd  1874–1878     Arthur Bunster Liberal
4th  1878–1882
5th  1882–1887     David William Gordon Liberal–Conservative
6th  1887–1891
7th  1891–1893
 1893–1896     Andrew Haslam Liberal–Conservative
8th  1896–1900     William Wallace Burns McInnes Liberal
9th  1900–1904     Ralph Smith Liberal
Riding dissolved into Nanaimo and Comox—Atlin

Election results

1900 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalRalph Smith1,25642.49+1.33
ConservativeClive Phillips Wolley86829.36-3.69
LiberalWilliam Sloan83228.15-12.81
Total valid votes2,956100.0  
Liberal holdSwing+2.51
1896 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%
LiberalWm. W.B. McInnes1,02040.96
ConservativeAndrew Haslam82333.05
ConservativeJames Haggart64725.98
Total valid votes2,490100.0  
Canadian federal by-election, 1893
On David William Gordon's death, 19 February 1893
PartyCandidateVotes
Liberal–ConservativeAndrew Haslamacclaimed
1891 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes
Liberal–ConservativeD.W. Gordonacclaimed
1887 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal–ConservativeD.W. Gordon71360.53+0.27
ConservativeJ.T. Planta46539.47
Total valid votes1,178100.0  
Liberal–Conservative holdSwing-19.60
1882 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal–ConservativeDavid William Gordon45560.26+23.02
LiberalArthur Bunster30039.74-7.12
Total valid votes755100.0  
Liberal–Conservative gain from LiberalSwing+15.07
1878 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalArthur Bunster33646.86-16.47
Liberal–ConservativeD.W. Gordon26737.24
UnknownA.J. McLellan7410.32
UnknownJohn Jessop405.58
Total valid votes717100.0  
1874 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%
LiberalArthur Bunster20963.33
UnknownA.C. Anderson8425.45
UnknownJ.W. Carey3711.21
1872 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes
Liberal–ConservativeFrancis Hincksacclaimed
Minister of Finance in the MacDonald government, unseated in Ontario and parachuted into this riding. Arthur Bunster and other local candidates stood down so that Hincks could have the seat by acclamation. He never saw British Columbia, despite being MP for one of its parliamentary seats for two years.

See also