Ontario prohibition referendum, 1924
Encyclopedia
An Ontario prohibition referendum was held on October 23, 1924 on the repeal of the Ontario Temperance Act
. The referendum was brought about by a clause in the Act, which permitted the possible repeal of prohibition
by a majority vote.
Unlike past referendums, the 1924 referendum was not a yes/no question
— instead, voters indicated their support for either the first statement or the second.
The measure passed by the smallest majority of any of the prohibition referendums. The cities of Toronto
, Hamilton
, Ottawa
and Windsor
, areas where the ruling Conservative Party
drew most of their support, voted overwhelmingly in favour of Question 2. Four months later, the party's throne speech announced intentions to begin debate on repealing restrictions on the sale of beer allowing the sale of a beer with a maximum alcohol content of 4.4% which was nicknamed "Fergie's Foam" after Premier
George Howard Ferguson. The government also declared that referendums on prohibition would no longer take place; the issue would be dealt with by the legislature
.
In the subsequent 1926 election
, in which the Conservatives ran on a platform of repealing the Ontario Temperance Act they maintained a majority and increased their popular vote by 7% to over 57% of the popular vote, results the party took as justification to repeal prohibition. In 1927 the government passed the Act to Regulate and Control the Sale of Liquor in Ontario, which repealed the Ontario Temperance Act and created the Liquor Control Board of Ontario
(LCBO), a crown corporation that brought about government control over liquor. Brewers Retail Inc.
, a privately owned association of brewers overseen by the government, was created to regulate the sale of beer
.
While some communities would pressure local governments to limit the sale of liquor until the 1970s, and while due to the efforts of William Horace Temple
parts of West Toronto did not permit the sale of liquor until 2000, for all intents and purposes official temperance in Ontario had ended.
Ontario Temperance Act
Ontario Temperance Act was a law passed in Ontario in 1916 to prohibit the sale of alcohol, a period known as Prohibition. This meant the province remained dry in legal terms, but smugglers continued to import alcohol into the province. The cause was the demand of religious elements led by women...
. The referendum was brought about by a clause in the Act, which permitted the possible repeal of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
by a majority vote.
Referendum question
- Are you in favour of the continuance of the Ontario Temperance Act?
- Are you in favour of the sale as a beverage of beer
BeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and spirituous liquorDistilled beverageA distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
in sealed packages under government control?
Unlike past referendums, the 1924 referendum was not a yes/no question
Yes-no question
In linguistics, a yes–no question, formally known as a polar question, is a question whose expected answer is either "yes" or "no". Formally, they present an exclusive disjunction, a pair of alternatives of which only one is acceptable. In English, such questions can be formed in both positive...
— instead, voters indicated their support for either the first statement or the second.
Results
| Response to | # of votes in favour | % of votes in favour |
|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | 585,676 | 51.5 |
| Question 2 | 551,761 | 48.5 |
| Total | 1,137,437 | 100.0 |
The measure passed by the smallest majority of any of the prohibition referendums. The cities of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, areas where the ruling Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
drew most of their support, voted overwhelmingly in favour of Question 2. Four months later, the party's throne speech announced intentions to begin debate on repealing restrictions on the sale of beer allowing the sale of a beer with a maximum alcohol content of 4.4% which was nicknamed "Fergie's Foam" after Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
George Howard Ferguson. The government also declared that referendums on prohibition would no longer take place; the issue would be dealt with by the legislature
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
.
In the subsequent 1926 election
Ontario general election, 1926
The Ontario general election, 1926 was the 17th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on December 1, 1926, to elect the 112 Members of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....
, in which the Conservatives ran on a platform of repealing the Ontario Temperance Act they maintained a majority and increased their popular vote by 7% to over 57% of the popular vote, results the party took as justification to repeal prohibition. In 1927 the government passed the Act to Regulate and Control the Sale of Liquor in Ontario, which repealed the Ontario Temperance Act and created the Liquor Control Board of Ontario
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
(LCBO), a crown corporation that brought about government control over liquor. Brewers Retail Inc.
Brewers Retail Inc.
The Beer Store is the trading name for Brewers Retail, a privately owned, joint-venture chain of retail outlets in Ontario, Canada, founded in 1927. The articles of incorporation stipulate that Brewers Retail cannot sell "hard liquor" , or consumer goods...
, a privately owned association of brewers overseen by the government, was created to regulate the sale of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
.
While some communities would pressure local governments to limit the sale of liquor until the 1970s, and while due to the efforts of William Horace Temple
William Horace Temple
William Horace Temple , nicknamed "Temperance Bill" or "Temperance Willie", was a Canadian democratic socialist politician, trade union activist, businessman and temperance crusader. As a youth he worked for the railway. During World War I, and World War II he was a soldier in the Royal Naval...
parts of West Toronto did not permit the sale of liquor until 2000, for all intents and purposes official temperance in Ontario had ended.
See also
- Canada Temperance ActCanada Temperance ActThe Canada Temperance Act was an Act of the Parliament of Canada in 1878, which provided for an option for municipalities to opt-in by plebiscite to a prohibitionary scheme...
1878 - Ontario prohibition plebiscite, 1894Ontario prohibition plebiscite, 1894An Ontario prohibition plebiscite was held on January 1, 1894, in conjunction with municipal elections under the Prohibition Plebiscite Act, on the legality of alcoholic beverages and the implementation of prohibition...
- Ontario prohibition referendum, 1902Ontario prohibition referendum, 1902An Ontario prohibition referendum was held on December 4, 1902, under the Liquor Act, on the legality of alcoholic beverages and the implementation of prohibition in the province. Though the referendum passed, a majority of half of the voters in the 1898 election did not support the motion and...
- Ontario prohibition referendum, 1919Ontario prohibition referendum, 1919An Ontario prohibition referendum was held on October 20, 1919 , on the repeal of the prohibition of alcoholic beverages...
- Ontario prohibition referendum, 1921Ontario prohibition referendum, 1921An Ontario prohibition referendum was held on April 18, 1921 concerning a ban on the importation of alcoholic beverages into Ontario.- Referendum question :Shall the importation and the bringing of intoxicating liquors into the province be forbidden?...
- Prohibition in CanadaProhibition in CanadaThe temperance movement reached its height in Canada in the 1920s, when outside imports were cut off by provincial referendums. As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation restricting the sale of alcohol to minors and imposing excise...