A plebiscite on prohibition was held in Canada on 29 September 1898, the first national referendum in the country's history.[1] The Liberal government had made an election promise in 1896 to provide an opportunity for Canadians to register their opinions about the sale of alcohol.[2] The non-binding plebiscite saw 51.3% in favour of introducing prohibition, although turnout was only 44%.[3] A majority voted for its introduction in all provinces except Quebec, where 81.2% opposed it.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Are you in favour of the passing of an Act prohibiting the importation, manufacture of sale of spirits, wine, ale, beer, cider and all other alcoholic liquors for use as beverages? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results by Results by jurisdiction. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Despite the majority in favour, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's government chose not to introduce a federal bill on prohibition, but not to prevent provinces from passing their own bills. Prohibition laws were passed by provincial governments during the first twenty years of the 20th century. The federal government also moved to ban inter-provincial (mail-order) sale of liquor in some cases.
A 2012 study found that religion was by far the most important factor in determining how Canadians voted, with Evangelicals favoring prohibition, whereas Catholics and Anglicans opposed it.[4] More urbanized districts were less likely to favor prohibition.[4]
Results
edit| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 278,380 | 51.26 | |
| Against | 264,693 | 48.74 | |
| Total | 543,073 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 543,073 | 98.43 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 8,642 | 1.57 | |
| Total votes | 551,715 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,236,419 | 44.62 | |
| Source: Direct Democracy | |||
By province and territory
edit| Jurisdiction |  Yes
|
No | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| British Columbia | 5,731 | 54.64 | 4,756 | 45.36 |
| Manitoba | 12,419 | 80.66 | 2,978 | 19.34 |
| New Brunswick | 26,919 | 73.76 | 9,575 | 26.24 |
| Northwest Territories | 6,238 | 68.84 | 2,824 | 31.16 |
| Nova Scotia | 34,368 | 86.49 | 5,370 | 13.51 |
| Ontario | 154,498 | 57.27 | 115,284 | 42.73 |
| Prince Edward Island | 9,461 | 89.20 | 1,146 | 10.80 |
| Quebec | 28,436 | 18.81 | 122,760 | 81.19 |
| 278,380 | 51.26 | 264,693 | 48.74 | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Referendum". The Canadian Encyclopedia
- ^ Harry Thurston Peck (1899). The International Year Book. Dodd, Mead. p. 153.
- ^ Alfred Emanuel Smith; Francis Walton (1898). New Outlook. Outlook publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 362.
- ^ a b Dostie, Benoit; Dupré, Ruth (2012-10-01). ""The people's will": Canadians and the 1898 referendum on alcohol prohibition". Explorations in Economic History. 49 (4): 498–515. doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2012.06.005.
Further reading
edit- Dostie, Benoit; Dupré, Ruth (2012). "'The people's will': Canadians and the 1898 referendum on alcohol prohibition". Explorations in Economic History. 49 (4): 498–515. doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2012.06.005.
- Smart, Reginald G.; Ogborne, Alan C. (1996). Northern Spirits : A Social History of Alcohol in Canada (2nd ed.). Ontario: Addiction Research Foundation. ISBN 978-0-88868-276-5.
- Samuel E. St. O Chapleau (1898). "Report on the prohibition plebiscite held on the 29th day of September 1898 in the Dominion of Canada". ISBN B0008D4FCS