Pembina (Alberta provincial electoral district)

Pembina was a provincial electoral district in Alberta mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1971.[1]

Pembina
Alberta electoral district
Defunct provincial electoral district
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of Alberta
District created1909
District abolished1971
First contested1909
Last contested1967

History

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The Pembina electoral district was formed prior to the 1909 Alberta general election from the western portion of the St. Albert electoral district. The district would be abolished prior to the 1971 Alberta general election, and be incorporated into Barrhead and Athabasca.

Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

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Members of the Legislative Assembly for Pembina
Assembly Years Member Party
2nd  1909–1913     Henry William McKenney Liberal
3rd  1913–1917 Gordon MacDonald
4th  1917–1921
5th  1921–1926     George MacLachlan United Farmers
6th  1926–1930
7th  1930–1935
8th  1935–1940     Harry Knowlton Brown Social Credit
9th  1940–1944     George MacLachlan Independent
10th  1944–1948     Robin Jorgenson Social Credit
11th  1948–1952
12th  1952–1955
13th  1955–1959
14th  1959–1963
15th  1963–1967
16th  1967–1971 Carl A. Muller
See Barrhead electoral district from 1971-1993
and Athabasca electoral district from 1971-1986

Election results

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1909

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1909 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry William McKenney Acclaimed
Total N/A
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A
Eligible electors / turnout N/A N/A
Liberal pickup new district.
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1909 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1913

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1913 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gordon Macdonald 432 50.64%
Conservative F. D. Armitage 421 49.36%
Total 853
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A
Eligible electors / turnout N/A N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1913 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1917

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1917 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gordon Macdonald Acclaimed
Total N/A
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A
Eligible electors / turnout N/A N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Source(s)
Source: "Hand Hills Official Results 1917 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
One of eleven Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta acclaimed under The Elections Act Section 38, which stipulated that any member of the 3rd Alberta Legislative Assembly would be guaranteed re-election, with no contest held, if the member joined for wartime service in the First World War.
An Act amending The Election Act respecting Members of the Legislative Assembly on Active Service., SA 1917, c. 38

1921

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1921 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Farmers George MacLachlan 1,838 72.85%
Liberal Dr. Phillips 540 21.40%
Independent F. D. Armitage 145 5.75%
Total 2,523
Rejected, spoiled and declined N/A
Eligible electors / turnout N/A N/A
United Farmers gain from Liberal Swing N/A
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1921 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1926

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1926 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Farmers George MacLachlan 1,930 59.51% -13.34%
Liberal E. F. Henderson 886 27.32% 5.92%
Conservative A. D. Henderson 427 13.17%
Total 3,243
Rejected, spoiled and declined 153
Eligible electors / turnout 4,521 75.12%
United Farmers hold Swing -9.63%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1926 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1930

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1930 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Farmers George MacLachlan 2,094 64.35% 4.84%
Independent H. G. Curlett 1,160 35.65%
Total 3,254
Rejected, spoiled and declined 120
Eligible electors / turnout 4,982 67.72% -7.39%
United Farmers hold Swing -1.74%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1930 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1935

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1935 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Harry Knowlton Brown 3,133 57.06%
Liberal H. B. Fraser 1,145 20.85%
United Farmers George MacLachlan 1,030 18.76% -45.59%
Conservative M. G. H. Cardann 183 3.33%
Total 5,491
Rejected, spoiled and declined 227
Eligible electors / turnout 7,140 80.08% 12.36%
Social Credit gain from United Farmers Swing 3.75%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1940

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1940 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
First count
Independent George MacLachlan 1,719 42.43%
Social Credit Harry Knowlton Brown 1,589 39.22% -17.84%
Co-operative Commonwealth W. Mentz 743 18.34%
Total 4,051
Ballot transfer results
Independent George MacLachlan 1,980 52.13%
Social Credit Harry Knowlton Brown 1,818 47.87%
Total 3,798
Rejected, spoiled and declined 244
Eligible electors / turnout 7,152 60.05% -20.03%
Independent gain from Social Credit Swing -2.00%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1940 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Instant-runoff voting requires a candidate to receive a plurality (greater than 50%) of the votes.
As no candidate received a plurality of votes, the bottom candidate was eliminated and their 2nd place votes were applied to both other candidates until one received a plurality.

1944

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1944 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Robin Jorgenson 2,400 50.87% 11.65%
Co-operative Commonwealth Chas. P. Paterson 1,498 31.75% 13.41%
Independent George MacLachlan 820 17.38% -25.05%
Total 4,718
Rejected, spoiled and declined 242
Eligible electors / turnout 6,962 71.24% -20.03%
Social Credit gain from Independent Swing 7.70%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1944 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1948

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1948 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Robin Jorgenson 3,165 59.59% 8.72%
Co-operative Commonwealth Martin Fjelstad 1,462 27.53% -4.22%
Liberal E. W. Munsterman 684 12.88%
Total 5,311
Rejected, spoiled and declined 386
Eligible electors / turnout 7,829 72.77% 1.52%
Social Credit hold Swing 6.47%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1948 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1952

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1952 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Robin Jorgenson 2,818 57.67% -1.92%
Liberal Matthew M. Watt 1,127 23.07% 10.19%
Co-operative Commonwealth William H. Roberts 941 19.26% -8.27%
Total 4,886
Rejected, spoiled and declined 379
Eligible electors / turnout 7,577 69.49% -3.28%
Social Credit hold Swing 1.27%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1952 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1955

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1955 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Robin Jorgenson 2,609 50.59% -7.08%
Liberal George Schultz 1,708 33.12% 10.05%
Co-operative Commonwealth Martin Felstad 840 16.29% -2.97%
Total 5,157
Rejected, spoiled and declined 465
Eligible electors / turnout 7,715 72.87% 3.38%
Social Credit hold Swing -8.57%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1955 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1959

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1959 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Robin Jorgenson 3,436 61.80% 11.21%
Progressive Conservative Frie Bredo 1,708 30.72%
Liberal Gustav Wahl 416 7.48% -25.64%
Total 5,560
Rejected, spoiled and declined 27
Eligible electors / turnout 7,693 72.62% -0.25%
Social Credit hold Swing 6.80%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1959 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1963

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1963 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Robin Jorgenson 3,067 56.18% -5.62%
Liberal Dr. Ray Brodeur 842 15.42% 7.94%
Progressive Conservative Percy Baxandall 823 15.08% -15.64%
New Democratic Herman Hauch 562 10.29%
Independent Social Credit Verdun Baxandall 165 3.02%
Total 5,459
Rejected, spoiled and declined 39
Eligible electors / turnout 8,850 62.12% -10.50%
Social Credit hold Swing 4.84%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1963 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

1967

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1967 Alberta general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Credit Carl A. Muller 2,866 49.46% -6.73%
Progressive Conservative Edward G. Samuel 2,098 36.20% 21.13%
New Democratic George A. E. Garnett 576 9.94% -0.36%
Liberal Edward P. MacCallum 255 4.40% -11.02%
Total 5,795
Rejected, spoiled and declined 273
Eligible electors / turnout 8,945 67.84% 5.71%
Social Credit hold Swing -13.75%
Source(s)
Source: "Pembina Official Results 1967 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Plebiscite results

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1957 liquor plebiscite

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1957 Alberta liquor plebiscite results: Pembina[2]
Question A: Do you approve additional types of outlets for the
sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote?
Ballot choice Votes %
Yes 1,375 52.12%
No 1,263 47.88%
Total votes 2,638 100%
Rejected, spoiled and declined 75
7,240 eligible electors, turnout 37.47%

On October 30, 1957 a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta. The government decided to consult Alberta voters to decide on liquor sales and mixed drinking after a divisive debate in the legislature. The plebiscite was intended to deal with the growing demand for reforming antiquated liquor control laws.[3]

The plebiscite was conducted in two parts. Question A, asked in all districts, asked the voters if the sale of liquor should be expanded in Alberta, while Question B, asked in a handful of districts within the corporate limits of Calgary and Edmonton, asked if men and women should be allowed to drink together in establishments.[2]

Province wide Question A of the plebiscite passed in 33 of the 50 districts while Question B passed in all five districts. Pembina voted in favour of the proposal by a narrow margin. Voter turnout in the district was poor, as it fell significantly below the province wide average of 46%.[2]

Official district returns were released to the public on December 31, 1957.[2] The Social Credit government in power at the time did not consider the results binding.[4] However the results of the vote led the government to repeal all existing liquor legislation and introduce an entirely new Liquor Act.[5]

Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the plebiscite were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones. Business owners who wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Election results for Pembina". abheritage.ca. Heritage Community Foundation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Alberta Gazette. Vol. 53 (December 31 ed.). Government of Alberta. 1957. pp. 2, 247–2, 249.
  3. ^ "Albertans Vote 2 to 1 For More Liquor Outlets". Vol L No 273. The Lethbridge Herald. October 31, 1957. pp. 1–2.
  4. ^ "No Sudden Change In Alberta Drinking Habits Is Seen". Vol L No 267. The Lethbridge Herald. October 24, 1957. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Entirely New Act On Liquor". Vol LI No 72. The Lethbridge Herald. March 5, 1958. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Bill 81". Alberta Bills 12th Legislature 1st Session. Government of Alberta. 1958. p. 40.

Further reading

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