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1902 Ontario prohibition referendum

Field	Value
country	Canada
flag_year	1868
title	Are you in favour of bringing into force Part II of The Liquor Act, 1902?
date	December 4, 1902
yes	199,749
no	103,548
total	303,297
map	File:1902 Ontario Prohibition Referendum Map.png	mapcaption=
{{legend	#2B2457	90–100%	border	1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend	#32320C	90–100%	border	1px #AAAAAA solid}}

Yes No

A referendum on the legality of alcoholic beverages was held in Ontario, Canada on December 4, 1902. Though 65 percent of voters indicated support for prohibition, a majority of half of the number of voters in the 1898 election did not support the motion, and prohibition was not introduced.

Referendum question

*Are you in favour of bringing into force Part II of The Liquor Act, 1902?*

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had previously ruled in 1896 that provinces do not have the authority to prohibit the importation of alcohol. Part II of the Liquor Act would authorize prohibition to the extent that Ontario would be allowed to enact, specifically a ban on the sale of alcohol in bars and retail establishments and the placement of restrictions on the sale of alcohol in restaurants.

The Act provided that passage in the referendum was contingent on several conditions being met:

(2) The Clerk of the Crown in Chancery shall certify under his hand and seal to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council the total number of votes arrived at by adding together

the votes polled for all of the candidates at the general election of members to serve in the Legislative Assembly in the year 1898 except in the Electoral District of Ottawa ;
one half of the votes polled for all the candidates in the said Electoral District of Ottawa; and
the number of votes polled at the last contested election held. prior to the said general election in every electoral district for which a candidate was returned in 1898 by acclamation.

Results

Choice	All ridings	Yes	No	Votes	%	Ridings	Votes	%
Yes	199,749	65.86	85	176,684	71.12	12	23,065	42.03
No	103,548	34.14	71,736	28.88	31,812	57.97
Total	303,297	100.00	248,420	100.00	54,877	100.00
Majority	96,201	31.72	104,948	42.24	8,747	15.94
Turnout

The Yes vote was less than the required threshold of 212,723, so prohibition was not adopted.

Only 12 of the 97 ridings voted No:

Essex North
Hamilton West
Kingston
London
Nipissing West
Ottawa
Prescott
Russell
Toronto East
Toronto South
Waterloo North
Welland

References

Bibliography

References

{{Cite canlaw. (1902)
. (1903). ["Votes cast 'Yes' and 'No' For and Against the Adoption of 'The Liquor Act, 1902'"](https://archive.org/details/n09ontariosession35ontauoft/page/n471/mode/2up). *[[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]*.
. (December 11, 1902). ["Ontario Says: 'Banish the Bars.'"](https://news.haltonhills.halinet.on.ca/85767/page/2). *[[The Acton Free Press]]*.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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