South Okanagan was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia beginning with the election of 1916. Following the 1975 election boundary revisions accompanied the riding's renaming to Okanagan South. The riding was originally part of the Yale riding until 1890, and when first that riding was broken up the Okanagan was in Yale-East (1894–1900), and then in Okanagan (1903–1912). Both South Okanagan and North Okanagan were created in advance of the 1916 election.

Notable MLAs

The most famous MLA from this riding was indubitably W.A.C. Bennett, who won the seat originally as a Conservative in 1941, sat with the Coalition in '45 and '49, then joined the Social Credit League of British Columbia in the preferential-ballot melee of '52 and '53 which led to his securing majority rule for his long tenure as Premier from 1953 to 1972. The second-most famous MLA from this riding was his son, William Richards Bennett, Premier from 1975 election to 1986 election.

Political geography

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Election results

14th British Columbia election, 1916
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Conservative James William Jones 845 54.52% unknown
  Liberal Leslie Vivian Rogers 705 45.48% unknown
Total valid votes 1,550 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
15th British Columbia election, 1920
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Conservative James William Jones 1,882 56.77% unknown
  Liberal Leslie Vivian Rogers 1,433 43.23% unknown
Total valid votes 3,315 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
1 Endorsed by FLP but ran on SPC platform.
16th British Columbia election, 1924
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Conservative James William Jones 2,009 52.98% unknown
  Liberal Charles Barrell Latta 1,318 34.76% unknown
Provincial Hubert Bertram Daniel Lysons 340 8.97% – unknown
  Canadian Labour Party John William Stalker Logie 125 3.30% unknown
Total valid votes 3,792 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
17th British Columbia election, 1928
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Conservative James William Jones 2,145 56.08% unknown
  Independent Daniel Wilbur Sutherland 1,680 43.92% unknown
Total valid votes 3,825 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 21
Turnout %
18th British Columbia election, 1933
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
  Liberal Joseph Allen Harris 1,636 36.66%
Independent Conservative James William Jones1 1,445 32.38%
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Owen Lewis Jones 1,382 30.97%
Total valid votes 4,463 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 0
1 Endorsed by the Independent CCF.
19th British Columbia election, 1937
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
  Liberal Cecil Robert Bull 2,388 45.02% unknown
Conservative Thomas Grantham Norris 2,101 39.61% unknown
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Silvanus Noble Dixon 815 15.37% unknown
Total valid votes 5,304 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 57
Turnout %
20th British Columbia election, 1941
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Conservative William Andrew Cecil Bennett 2 2,009 37.69% unknown
  Liberal Cecil Robert Bull 1,769 33.19% unknown
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Felicia Snowsell 1,552 29.12% unknown
Total valid votes 5,330 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 53
Turnout %
2 Electoral debut. Later 25th Premier of British Columbia, 1952–1972, and father of 27th Premier, William Richards Bennett (both Social Credit.
21st British Columbia election, 1945
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Coalition William Andrew Cecil Bennett 3,706 64.25% – unknown
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Gladys Adelia Webster 2,062 35.75% unknown
Total valid votes 5,768 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 140
Turnout %
22nd British Columbia election, 1949
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Coalition William Andrew Cecil Bennett 6,555 58.40% – unknown
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Thomas Wilkinson 4,669 41.60% unknown
Total valid votes 11,224 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 171
Turnout %
23rd British Columbia election, 19523
Party Candidate Votes
1st count 		% Votes
final count 		% ±%
Social Credit League William Andrew Cecil Bennett 6,082 51.24% 6,082 51.24%
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Thomas Wilkinson 2,654 22.36% 2,654 22.36% unknown
  Liberal Cecil Robert Bull 1,763 14.85% 1,763 14.85% unknown
  Progressive Conservative William Bower Hughes-Games 1,371 11.55% 1,371 11.55% unknown
Total valid votes 11,870 100.00% 11,870 %
Total rejected ballots 543
Turnout %
3 Preferential ballot; final count is between top two candidates from first count; one count only needed in this riding.
24th British Columbia election, 1953 4
Party Candidate Votes
1st count 		% Votes
final count 		% ±%
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 6,756 58.51% 6,756 58.51%
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Thomas Wilkinson 2,427 21.02% 2,427 21.02% unknown
  Liberal John Victor Hyde Wilson 1,961 16.98% 1,961 16.98 % unknown
  Progressive Conservative Katharine Frances Huntington Weddell 403 3.49% 403 3.49% unknown
Total valid votes 11,547 100.00% 11,547 %
Total rejected ballots 477
Total Registered Voters
Turnout %
4 Preferential ballot; final count is between top two candidates from first count; one count only needed in this riding.
25th British Columbia election, 1956
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 7,694 69.70% – unknown
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Walter Ratzlaff 1,663 15.07% unknown
  Liberal Cecil Robert Bull 1,230 11.14% unknown
  Progressive Conservative] Brian Coryell Weddell 451 4.09% unknown
Total valid votes 11,038 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 186
Turnout %
26th British Columbia election, 1960
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 8,058 59.89% – unknown
  Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Walter Ratzlaff 2,902 21.57% unknown
  Progressive Conservative Hubert Stuart Harrison Smith 1,256 9.34% unknown
  Liberal Joseph M. Barre 1,238 9.20% unknown
Total valid votes 13,454 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 301
Turnout %
27th British Columbia election, 1963
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 8,485 63.69% – unknown
  Progressive Conservative James Marshall 2,488 18.68% unknown
New Democratic Barbara Sydney Bedell 1,707 12.81% unknown
  Liberal Arthur Parsons Dawe 642 4.82% unknown
Total valid votes 13,322 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 115
Turnout %
28th British Columbia election, 1966
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 8,747 73.15% – unknown
New Democratic Thomas Rose 1,936 16.19% unknown
  Liberal Leo Joseph Matte 1,274 10.65% unknown
Total valid votes 11,957 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 135
Turnout %
29th British Columbia election, 1969
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 13,074 72.20% – unknown
New Democratic Eva A. Pfeifer 3,078 17.00% unknown
  Liberal Robert Dickson Knox 1,957 10.81% unknown
Total valid votes 18,109 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 205
Turnout %
30th British Columbia election, 1972
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Andrew Cecil Bennett 12,122 49.91% – unknown
New Democratic Frank Snowsell 6,060 24.95% unknown
  Liberal Roger MacPhail Tait 3,917 16.13% unknown
  Progressive Conservative James Crosland Doak 2,188 9.01% unknown
Total valid votes 24,287 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 304
Turnout %
By-election, September 7, 1973
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Richards Bennett 9,726 39.47% unknown
New Democratic Brian Patrick McIver 6,390 25.93% unknown
  Progressive Conservative Derril Thomas Warren 6,023 24.44% unknown
  Liberal John Dyck 2,434 9.88% unknown
Marxist–Leninist Brian Keith Sproule 43 .17% unknown
 } Independent Kenneth Leslie Craig Hasanen 26 .11% unknown
Total valid votes 26,642 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 113
Turnout %
Reason for by-election: Resignation of W.A.C. Bennett on June 5, 1973, upon retirement from politics.


31st British Columbia election, 1975
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit William Richards Bennett 17,918 55.04% – unknown
New Democratic Hugh Duncan Dendy 10,851 33.33% unknown
  Liberal Tom Finkelstein 2,072 6.37% unknown
  Progressive Conservative Alex William Crouch 1,712 5.26% unknown
Total valid votes 32,553 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 209
Turnout %
5 27th Premier of British Columbia.

Redistribution of the riding following the 1975 election saw adjustments of its boundaries and a new name, Okanagan South, for the 1979 election.

External links

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Preceded byNew Westminster Coquitlam Constituency represented by the Premier of British Columbia 1952–1972 1975–1979 Succeeded byCoquitlam Okanagan South

Sources

Elections BC website - historical election data

Category