Canadian prohibition plebiscite, 1898

Canadian prohibition plebiscite, 1898
Date 29 September 1898 (1898-09-29)
Results
Votes %
Yes 278,380 51.26%
No 264,693 48.74%
Results by Results by jurisdiction.
  Yes     No
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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.

Despite the majority in favour, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's government chose not to introduce a federal bill on prohibition. As a result, Canadian prohibition was instead enacted through laws passed by the provinces during the first twenty years of the 20th century.

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

Jurisdiction For Prohibition Against Prohibition
Votes % Votes %
Northwest Territories 6,23868.82,82431.2
British Columbia5,73154.64,75645.4
Manitoba12,41980.62,97819.4
New Brunswick26,91972.29,57527.7
Nova Scotia34,36887.25,37012.8
Ontario154,49857.3115,28442.7
Prince Edward Island9,46189.21,14610.8
Quebec28,43618.8122,76081.2
Canada278,38051.2264,69348.8

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Referendum". The Canadian Encyclopedia
  2. ↑ Harry Thurston Peck (1899). The International Year Book. Dodd, Mead. p. 153.
  3. ↑ Alfred Emanuel Smith; Francis Walton (1898). New Outlook. Outlook publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 362.
  4. 1 2 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

  • 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 0-88868-276-X.
  • 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
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