1909 Alberta general election

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41 seats in theLegislative Assembly of Alberta 21 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alexander Rutherford Albert Robertson Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 1905 1905 Leader's seat Strathcona ran inHigh River Last election 23 seats, 57.56% 2 seats, 37.13% Seats before 22 2 Seats won 36 2 Seat change 14 0 Popular vote 29,634 15,848 Percentage 59.26% 31.69% Swing 1.70% 5.44%   Third party Fourth party   S L Leader unknown Donald McNabb Party Socialist Labour Leader since — 1909 Leader's seat — ran inLethbridge City (lost) Last election pre-creation pre-creation Seats before 0 1 Seats won 1 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,302 214 Percentage 2.60% 0.43% Swing 2.60% 0.43%
Premier before election Alexander C. Rutherford Liberal Premier after election Alexander C. Rutherford Liberal

The1909 Alberta general election was the second general election held in the province ofAlberta, Canada. It took place on March 22, 1909, to elect 41 members to the2nd Alberta Legislature. The incumbentLiberal Party led by PremierAlexander C. Rutherford achieved a re-election victory, securing amajority government by winning 36 out of the 41 seats in the legislature with more than 59 percent of the popular vote. TheConservative Party led byAlbert Robertson once again formed theofficial opposition, with only two members, and Robertson himself was defeated in his own seat in High River. The remaining three seats were divided among smaller parties and independent candidates.

Prior to the election, the Legislative Assembly passedAn Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in February 1909 which created an additional 16 seats in the Legislature, expanding from 25 members to a total of 41, and redistributed the boundaries of theprovincial electoral districts.^[1] As part of the redistricting process, the Crowsnest Pass region was separated from the Pincher Creek electoral district and established as its own district named Rocky Mountain. This new district had a significant population of coal miners, which was reflected in the election outcome with the election of a Socialist candidate. Due to the increased population and growth ofEdmonton andCalgary, each city was granted an additional seat in the legislature. As a result, multi-seat districts were established in these cities, allowing voters to cast up to two votes using theblock voting system. In Edmonton, two Liberal candidates were elected to represent the two seats, while in Calgary, one Liberal and one Conservative candidate emerged victorious. This marked the first instance in Alberta's political history where multiple-seat districts were used and mixed representation, with members from different parties, were elected in a district. (Each election from here until 1955 would have at least one multiple-seat district.)^[2]

The election in theAthabasca electoral district was conducted on July 15, 1909, due to the remoteness of the riding.^[3]

Despite the election being an overwhelming success for the Liberal government of Premier Rutherford, his administration was embroiled with theAlberta and Great Waterways Railway scandal shortly after the election. The scandal divided the Liberal Party and forced Rutherford to resign in 1910.Arthur Sifton, Alberta's chief justice was selected as the second Premier of Alberta in an effort to restore party unity.

The1905 Alberta general election as a fiercely contested battle between the formidable Liberal machine led by Rutherford and the less organized Conservative Party underR. B. Bennett. The Liberals had the advantage of incumbency, as Rutherford had been appointed as the first Premier, and their superior organizing ability. These factors contributed to a resounding victory for the Liberals, who won 22 out of the 25 seats in the Legislature. In contrast, the Conservative Party only managed to win two seats.^[4]

Historian Lewis Thomas argues that the overwhelming Liberal triumph can be attributed to their incumbent status. The Liberal government, in its two months of power, had not faced any scandals or policy failures, making it difficult for the opposition to effectively criticize and challenge them.^[5] Additionally, the Liberals were able to leverage their control over the machinery of government, both at the provincial and federal levels. Thomas notes that there are a few surviving written suggestions of Liberal appointments, indicating their effective exercise ofpatronage powers.^[6] Furthermore, Thomas argues that the Conservative Party's strong positions on issues such as provincial control over the school system and public lands did not resonate significantly with the voters.^[5] The Conservatives attributed their defeat to the Roman Catholic vote, which was perceived to be sympathetic toWilfrid Laurier due to his support for separate schools. Bennett himself believed that his loss inCalgary by a margin of 37 votes toWilliam Henry Cushing was influenced byRoman Catholic interests,^[5] the labor vote, and his absence from the district during campaigning.^[7] Consequently, Bennett promptly resigned as leader and temporarily withdrew from politics.^[8]

During the first session of the Alberta Legislature,four by-elections were held, with three taking place in 1906. In each of these by-elections, the incumbent Liberal party managed to retain the seats. The first by-election occurred inLethbridge after LiberalLeverett George DeVeber's appointment to theSenate of Canada on March 8, 1906. Liberal candidateWilliam Simmons emerged victorious with 43.9 per cent of the vote, defeating Labour candidate Frank Henry Sherman who received 37.4 per cent, and Conservative candidate A. E. Keffer who secured 18.7 per cent of the vote.^[9][10] Following the appointment ofMatthew McCauley, theVermilion representative, as the Warden of the Edmonton Penitentiary, LiberalJames Bismark Holden was acclaimed as his successor on July 16, 1906.^[9] Similarly, whenCharles Stuart, theGleichen representative, was appointed to theSupreme Court of the Northwest Territories in October 1906, a by-election was held, resulting in Liberal candidateEzra Riley securing 56.3 per cent of the vote and defeating Conservative candidateWilliam L. Walsh.^[9]

A significant surprise occurred in the 1909 by-election in Lethbridge whenWilliam Simmons resigned to run in the1908 Canadian federal election inMedicine Hat. Labour candidateDonald McNabb was acclaimed as the representative for Lethbridge on January 8, 1909, becoming Alberta's first Labour representative.^[9][11]

The 1st Alberta Legislature was dissolved and the election writ was dropped on March 22, 1909.^[12]

The boundaries of theelectoral districts for the first Alberta general election in 1905 were determined by theAlberta Act and became a subject of controversy. Accusations ofgerrymandering in favour of the Liberal Party and northern Alberta arose,^[a] with Calgary-based newspapers such as theCalgary Herald,Calgary Albertan, andEye-Opener claiming that the borders provided preferential treatment to Edmonton and northern Alberta.^[14] Prime Minister Laurier had received assurances from Alberta Members of ParliamentPeter Talbot andFrank Oliver that the distribution was fair.^[14]

The question of whether there was population-based gerrymandering elicits different responses. Historian Lewis Thomas points out that the final layout favoured northern Alberta with an additional district, even though Oliver and Talbot were aware that more than 1,000 additional voters south of theRed Deer River had participated in the1904 federal election.^[15] Alexander Bruce Kilpatrick notes that thecensus results from 1906 indicate that if the 38th township is chosen as the dividing line (City of Red Deer), there were 93,601 people in northern Alberta and 87,381 in southern Alberta, with an additional 4,430 residing in the 38th township.^[16] Kilpatrick argues that there was a misconception regarding the population distribution in the Strathcona census district, with the assumption that most people lived south of the 38th Township, when in fact a significant majority lived north of it.^[13] However, Kilpatrick describes the layout of the electoral districts as a "blatant manipulation of the electoral map to suit a particular purpose."^[17] He claims that Oliver designed the constituencies to maximize the influence of Edmonton, with the borders not aligning with the previous constituencies from theNorth-West Territories Assembly, and instead, they were drawn to have several ridings bordering the city.^[17] Meanwhile, Calgary did not have the same advantages in design and went from having two seats in the North-west Territories Assembly to one in the new Alberta Legislature.^[17]

It was not until the fourth and final session of the1st Alberta Legislature that changes to provincial elections procedures and electoral districts were addressed. The government introduced theAct respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta,^[1] which significantly altered the electoral map and extended the maximum term of the Legislature from four to five years.

Sixteen new seats were added, increasing the total number of seats from 25 to 41.^[18] Seven of the new constituencies were located south of the central City of Red Deer, seven were north of Red Deer, and two districts were adjacent to the Red Deer city in land to be opened up for settlement by new railroads.^[19] The districts ofCalgary andEdmonton were provided with a second seat, and elections were to be held usingmultiple non-transferable vote.^[20] Historian Lewis Thomas notes that the idea of redistribution was deemed necessary due to the rapid population growth and development, and the significant increase in seats was generally accepted without controversy.^[18] However,Albert Robertson, leader of the Conservative Party and representative forHigh River, criticized the extension of the election cycle from four to five years and the provisions for two members in each of Calgary and Edmonton.^[20] Liberal representativeAnthony Rosenroll, who representedWetaskiwin, also criticized the changes, believing that rural constituencies deserved greater representation.^[20]

During the first provincial election in 1905, the eligibility requirements for voters and candidates remained in place as per the rules established by theNorth-West Legislative Assembly throughThe Territories Elections Ordinance.^[21][22]The right to vote was granted to maleBritish subjects who were 21 years or older, had resided in the North-West Territories for at least 12 months, and had lived in the electoral district for the preceding three months.^[22] The election took place on November 9, 1905, with polling stations open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.^[22] During the 1905 election, voters marked an "X" on a blank sheet of paper using a coloured pencil that corresponded to the candidate they wished to vote for, with red representing the Liberal Party and blue representing the Conservative Party.^[15][23]

During the fourth session of the first Legislative Assembly, the government introduced theAct respecting Elections of Members of the Legislative Assembly.^[24] This Act stipulated that voters must be male British subjects, 21 years of age or older, who had resided in Alberta for a minimum of 12 months, and had lived in the electoral district for the preceding three months.^[25] The new Act continued to exclude judges, prisoners, and Indigenous persons from voting.^[26] Additionally, the Act provided the government with the option to postpone the election date for the electoral districts ofAthabasca andPeace River to allow more time for information about the nominated candidates to be disseminated.^[27] This provision proved unnecessary for Peace River, as Liberal candidateJames Cornwall was acclaimed.^[28] However, it was utilized for Athabasca, with the election taking place more than three months later on July 15, 1909.^[29]

Unlike the 1905 election, theReturning Officers were required to print ballots with each candidate's name listed in alphabetical order.^[27]

In the 1905 election, the Liberal Party, led by Rutherford, achieved a landslide victory by securing 22 out of the 25 seats. During the first Legislature, the Liberal Party focused on implementing measures to develop the province. Their campaign centered on portraying the Conservative Party as subordinates to theCanadian Pacific Company, labeling them as "butler-in-ordinary" to the company.^[30] The Liberal Party faced hostility from the Canadian Pacific Company due to the government's actions, such as imposing taxes on railway lands, enacting theWorkers Compensation Act, limiting the workday in coal mines toeight hours, enforcingSabbath restrictions strictly, and implementing a new provincial railway policy to expand railway lines within the province.^[30]

Premier Rutherford dedicated much of his election efforts to conservative strongholds in Southern Alberta, including Calgary, Lethbridge, and Pincher Creek, where he campaigned for candidates.^[12] The Liberal Party's campaign slogan was "Rutherford, Reliability, and Railroads."^[12] Rutherford also appealed to voters, urging them not to view the election as a purely partisan affair. He emphasized that all voters were "Albertans" and that the interests of the province should take precedence over party affiliations.^[12] Prominent Conservative lawyerPaddy Nolan unexpectedly supported the Liberal Party during the election, Nolan went as far as campaigning alongside Rutherford throughout the province, despite his own Conservative affiliation.^[31]

Once again, the Liberal Party emerged victorious in the election, securing a strong majority of votes and seats in the Legislature. Eight members were elected by acclamation,^[32] while Cabinet members enjoyed significant support from their constituents. The Liberal Party's influence was particularly dominant in Northern Alberta.^[32]

Following the disappointing outcome of the 1905 election, and with the failure to secure a seat in Calgary, R. B. Bennett, the leader of the Conservative Party, resigned from his position and temporarily withdrew from politics.^[8] Only two Conservative candidates were successful in the election: Hiebert in Rosebud andAlbert Robertson inHigh River. When the first session of the Legislature commenced in 1906, Robertson was appointed as theLeader of the Opposition. In the Legislature, Robertson advocated for public ownership of the telephone system^[33] and railways,^[34] which differed from the government's policy of leaving both sectors under private control.

Prior to the 1909 election, the Conservative Party convention was held to establish party policies and select a new leader. Robertson, known for his staunch conservatism and loyalty,^[30] faced criticism for his imperial connections.^[30] The other Conservative representative,Cornelius Hiebert, displayed little interest in partisan politics and increasingly aligned himself with the Liberal government.^[35] Hiebert and Robertson clashed during the session, and although Hiebert supported the party platform at the convention, he decided to run as an Independent in the 1909 election.^[36] The leadership of the Conservative Party was offered toMaitland Stewart McCarthy, a lawyer andMember of the House of Commons forCalgary. However, McCarthy declined the leadership offer as it would require him to resign his federal seat, which he had controversially won in the 1908 election, and he believed that such a resignation would be perceived as an admission of guilt for the 1908 controversy.^[30] Despite not contesting the election,Robert Brett was seen as the de facto leader of the Conservative Party.^[37] R. B. Bennett, without his consent, was nominated as a candidate, which led him to return to politics.^[37] However, he did not consider taking on the leadership of the party again.^[30] The convention failed to select a permanent leader, leaving the party effectively without a leader, despite Robertson holding the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislature.^[30][12]

The Conservative convention platform aligned with many aspects of the Liberal government's policies but advocated for government ownership in certain areas such as railways and telephones.^[38] The platform also promised initiatives such asInitiative,Referendum, andRecall, as well as a plebiscite on the prohibition of liquor trafficking.^[35] Other platform proposals included reforestation in areas affected by forest fires, a commission for electrical power, the establishment of anexperimental farm, civil service reform, the construction of highways, government-ownedgrain elevators, and other initiatives.^[35]

Once again, the Conservative Party failed to make a significant impact with voters, managing to secure only two seats in the Legislature, with Bennett winning in Calgary andGeorge Hoadley in the neighboringOkotoks constituency.^[32] Historian Lewis Thomas notes that the Conservatives were compelled to accept another "moral victory," although prominent ConservativeWilliam Antrobus Griesbach expressed weariness with such symbolic victories.^[32]

Third parties and Independent candidates played a large role in the election. In five districts the only opposition to the Liberal candidate was an Independent or candidate of a small party. These were St. Albert, Strathcona, Camrose, Red Deer and Pakan.^[39]

In the 1909 election,Charles M. O'Brien, aSocialist candidate, achieved victory in the coal mining district ofRocky Mountain.^[32][29] Although he did not receive officialunion support, he gained significant backing from thecoal miners in the district. In a closely contested race, O'Brien narrowly defeated Liberal candidate John Angus Macdonald by a margin of only 32 votes.^[29] O'Brien's successful election to the legislature indicated a growing trend of radicalization among coal miners in Alberta.^[40]

Lethbridge City's incumbent MLADonald McNabb, the onlyLabour Party man in the Legislature, ran for his seat again in 1909 but he placed a distant third. Since his election earlier in 1909, he been recognized as a moderate man - it is reported that BC labour king-pin R.P. Prettipiece had criticized his politics.^[39] He was the only man to run under the Labour label in 1909.^[41]

Independent-Conservative candidateEdward Michener defeated the Liberal incumbentJohn Thomas Moore inRed Deer.^[32] The Conservative Party chose not to field a candidate in the district, and Michener captured 51.3 percent of the vote.^[29] Courting Liberal voters, he had said if elected, he would support Liberal Premier Rutherford.^[39]

TheEdmonton Bulletin noted after the beginning of the 2nd Legislature, despite still holding only two seats, experienced an improvement in their position. This was attributed to the presence of R. B. Bennett in the legislature, with the newspaper describing him as superior to both Robertson and Hiebert in terms of political skills and debating abilities.^[32]

Prior to the 1909 election, theAlberta and Great Waterways Railway (A&GW) President William Clarke had announced that the line would be completed by the end of 1912, ahead of schedule.^[32] When the A&GW bonds went on sale inLondon in November 1909, the issue was oversubscribed. The following month, the contract forties was awarded.^[42] Everything seemed to be progressing as planned when, at the beginning of the new legislative session, Liberal backbencherJohn R. Boyle asked the government a series of innocuous questions about the company and the guarantees made to it. Rutherford, Minister of Railways as well as Premier, responded to the questions in writing.^[43] Before he did so, however, a rumour began to circulate thatWilliam Henry Cushing, Minister of Public Works, had resigned from the cabinet.^[44]

Boyle and Conservative leaderR. B. Bennett questioned Rutherford about the rumours, but Rutherford initially refused to make any announcement. The next day, however, the rumour was confirmed when the Premier read Cushing's letter of resignation in the legislature. In this letter, Cushing gave his reasons for resigning as disagreement with the government's railway policy, which he claimed was developed without his involvement or consent. Rutherford disagreed with this claim, and expressed his regret for Cushing's resignation.^[45]

The scandal split the Liberal Party: Rutherford's Minister of Public Works,William Henry Cushing, resigned from the government and publicly attacked its railway policy, and a large portion of the Liberal caucusvoted to defeat the government in theLegislative Assembly of Alberta. The government survived all of these votes.^[46] Rutherford largely placated the legislature by appointing aroyal commission to investigate the affair, but pressure fromLieutenant-GovernorGeorge Bulyea and unrest within his own caucus forced Rutherford's resignation and his replacement byArthur Sifton.^[47]

The royal commission gave its report months after Rutherford resigned. The majority on the commission did not find Rutherford or his cabinet guilty of any wrongdoing, but criticized them for poor judgment, both concerning to the loan guarantees and the exemptions the A&GW received from provincial legislation.^[48] Aminority report was more sympathetic, and declared the allegations against them "disproved".^[49]

James Cornwall, a Liberal backbencher who supported Rutherford, fared somewhat worse: his personal financial involvement in the railway gave rise to "suspicious circumstances", but he too was not proven guilty of any wrongdoing.^[48]

Besides provoking Rutherford's resignation, the scandal opened rifts in the Liberal Party that took years to heal. Sifton eventually smoothed over most of these divisions, but was frustrated in his railway policy by legal defeats. He ultimately adopted a similar policy to Rutherford's, and the A&GW was eventually built by private interests using the money raised from provincial loan guarantees.

Party		Votes			Seats
	Liberal	29,634	59.3%	1.7pp	36 / 41 (88%)	14
	Conservative	15,848	31.7%	5.4pp	2 / 41 (5%)	N/A
	Socialist	1,302	2.6%	N/A	1 / 41 (2%)	1
	Others and independents	3,220	6.4%	0.5pp	2 / 41 (5%)	1

For complete electoral history, see individual districts

• List of Alberta political parties

Works cited

• Office of the Chief Electoral Officer;Legislative Assembly Office (2006).A Century of Democracy: Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, 1905-2005. The Centennial Series. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta.ISBN 0-9689217-8-7. RetrievedMay 25, 2020.
• Babcock, Douglas R. (1989).A Gentleman of Strathcona: Alexander Cameron Rutherford. Calgary: The University of Calgary Press.ISBN 0-919813-65-8.
• Gray, James H. (1991).R.B. Bennett: The Calgary Years. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.ISBN 978-0-8020-5975-8.
• Kilpatrick, Alexander Bruce (1980)."A Lesson in Boosterism: The Contest for the Alberta Provincial Capital, 1904-1906".Urban History Review.8 (3):47–109.doi:10.7202/1019362ar.ISSN 0703-0428.
• Thomas, Lewis Gwynne (1959).The Liberal Party in Alberta.Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press.ISBN 978-0-8020-5083-0.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

• Hopkins, J. Castell (1910).The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1909. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.

• 1909 elections in Canada
• Elections in Alberta
• March 1909 in Canada
• 1909 in Alberta

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