1921 Saskatchewan general election

The 1921 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 9, 1921, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

1921 Saskatchewan general election

← 1917 June 9, 1921 (1921-06-09) 1925 →
← outgoing members members →
63 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 32 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   PRO CON Leader William Martin — — Party Liberal Progressive Conservative Leader since 1916 — — Leader's seat Regina City — — Last election 51 pre-creation 7 Seats won 45 6 2 Seat change 6 6 5 Popular vote 92,983 13,613 7,133 Percentage 51.4% 7.5% 3.9% Swing 5.3pp 7.5pp 32.4pp
Premier before election William Martin Liberal Premier after election William Martin Liberal

The Liberal Party of Saskatchewan of Premier William M. Martin was re-elected – although with a diminished share of the popular vote, and a reduced caucus in the legislature.

Donald McLean resigned as leader of the Conservative Party in April 1921,^[1] and the party convention decided to only form a committee to make arrangements for the coming election.^[1] There were only four candidates who were considered to have a chance of success,^[1] of which only two seats were retained. Its share of the popular vote fell from about 36% to less than 4%.

Harris Turner was instrumental in calling a meeting of Conservatives and separate school supporters to form an Independent Movement for the coming election.^[2] At a meeting held in Saskatoon in May 1921, it was decided not to establish a party structure, but to organize a central committee to field candidates.^[2] John Maharg, president of the Saskatchewan Grain Growers' Association and Minister of Agriculture in the Liberal government, would later accuse the movement of being engineered from the office of John Reid, the federal Minister of Railways.^[3] It appeared that the movement was effectively led by W.T. Badger, who was ostensibly campaigning as an Independent Conservative in Rosetown.^[3] Candidates in the movement included four Conservative, four Labour and four Non-Partisan figures.^[3]

The Independent and Independent Conservative candidates won over 29% of the vote, and voters elected a total of eight Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) under these banners.

The Progressive Party of Saskatchewan made its first appearance, winning six of the seven ridings that it contested.

Expansion of Legislative Assembly

An Act was passed in 1920 providing for an increase of seats from 59 to 63, upon the next election.^[4] Moose Jaw City, Regina City and Saskatoon City now returned two members, using block voting. Previously they had each elected one MLA, who had been elected using the first-past-the-post voting election system. The multi-seat districts were used until the 1960s.

The following other changes were also made:

Abolished ridings	New ridings
Renaming of districts
Moose Mountain	Wolseley
Drawn from other ridings
	Gravelbourg

Results

Elections to the 5th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (1921)^[5]

Party		Leader	Candidates	Votes						Seats
				#	±	%	Change (pp)			1917	1921	±
	Liberal	William Martin	60	92,983	13,569	51.39	-5.29			51	45 / 63	6
	Independent		35	46,556	42,116	25.73	23.37			1	7 / 63	6
	Progressive		7	13,613	13,613	7.52	7.52			–	6 / 63	6
	Conservative		4	7,133	61,110	3.94	-32.36			7	2 / 63	5
	Independent Conservative		3	6,295	6,295	3.48	3.48			–	1 / 63	1
	Labour		3	6,034	4,560	3.34	2.55			–	1 / 63	1
	Independent Pro-Government		1	Acclamation						–	1 / 63	1
	Nonpartisan League		3	3,735	3,532	2.06	-1.81
	Independent Labour		1	1,690	1,690	0.93	New
	Government		1	1,510	1,510	0.84	New
	Independent Non-Partisan League		1	1,400	1,400	0.77	New
Total			119	180,949		100.00%

MLAs elected

Arm River: George A. Scott   Bengough: Thomas Gamble   Biggar: John Meikle   Cannington: Robert Douglas   Canora: Albert Hermanson   Cumberland: George Langley   Cut Knife: William Dodds   Cypress: Henry Halvorson   Elrose: Wilbert Hagarty   Estevan: Robert Dunbar   Francis: Walter Robinson   Gravelbourg: William Cummings   Hanley: Ernest Ketcheson   Happyland: Stephen Morrey   Humboldt: Henry Therres   Île-à-la-Crosse: Joseph Nolin   Jack Fish Lake: Donald Finlayson   Kerrobert: John Dowd   Kindersley: William Harvey   Kinistino: John R. Taylor   Last Mountain: Samuel Latta

Lloydminster: Robert J. Gordon   Lumsden: William Vancise   Maple Creek: Peter Hyde   Melfort: George B. Johnston   Milestone: Bernard Larson   Moose Jaw City: William George Baker   Moose Jaw City: James Pascoe (I-Con)   Moose Jaw County: Charles Dunning   Moosomin: John Salkeld   Morse: John Maharg (IPG)   North Qu'Appelle: James Garfield Gardiner   Notukeu: George Spence   Pelly: Sarah Ramsland   Pheasant Hills: James Arthur Smith   Pipestone: William John Patterson   Prince Albert: Charles M. McDonald   Redberry: George Cockburn   Regina City: James Albert Cross   Regina City: William Martin   Rosetown: John Andrew Wilson   Rosthern: John Uhrich

Saltcoats: George Sahlmark   Saskatoon City: Archibald Peter McNab   Saskatoon City: Harris Turner   Saskatoon County: Charles Agar   Shellbrook: Edgar Clinch   Souris: John Patrick Gordon   South Qu'Appelle: Donald H. McDonald   Swift Current: David Sykes   The Battlefords: Allan Pickel   Thunder Creek: William J. F. Warren   Tisdale: Hugh Jones   Touchwood: John M. Parker   Turtleford: Archibald Gemmell   Vonda: James Hogan   Wadena: William Henry McKinnon   Weyburn: Charles Hamilton   Wilkie: Sidney Bingham   Willow Bunch: Abel Hindle   Wolseley: William George Bennett   Wynyard: George Wilson Robertson   Yorkton: Thomas Garry

Single-member districts

Results by riding - 1921 Saskatchewan general election (single-member districts)^[5][6]

Riding	Winning party								Votes
Name	1917		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %	Lib	Ind	Prog	Con	I-Con	Lab	NPL	Govt	INP	Total
Arm River		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Bengough		Lib		Lib	1,595	67.67%	833	35.34%	1,595	762	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,357
Biggar		Lib		Prog	2,293	60.18%	776	20.37%	1,517	–	2,293	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,810
Cannington		Lib		Lib	1,606	64.65%	728	29.31%	1,606	878	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,484
Canora		Lib		Lib	1,597	43.55%	197	5.37%	1,597	670	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,400	3,667
Cumberland[a 1]		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Cut Knife		Lib		Lib	931	57.47%	242	14.94%	931	689	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,620
Cypress		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Elrose		Lib		Lib	1,957	52.49%	256	6.87%	1,957	1,771	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,728
Estevan		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Francis		Lib		Lib	1,456	54.25%	228	8.49%	1,456	1,228	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,684
Gravelbourg	New			Ind	2,582	52.77%	271	5.54%	2,311	2,582	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,893
Hanley		Lib		Lib	1,953	68.57%	1,058	37.15%	1,953	895	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,848
Happyland		Lib		Lib	2,603	77.82%	1,861	55.64%	2,603	742	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,345
Humboldt		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Île-à-la-Crosse		Lib		Lib	384	57.92%	105	15.84%	384	279	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	663
Jack Fish Lake		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Kerrobert		Lib		Lib	2,468	65.92%	1,192	31.84%	2,468	1,276	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,744
Kindersley		Lib		Prog	3,054	72.73%	1,909	45.46%	1,145	–	3,054	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,199
Kinistino		Lib		Lib	1,902	52.32%	169	4.65%	1,902	1,733	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,635
Last Mountain		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Lloydminster		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Lumsden		Lib		Lib	1,878	64.07%	825	28.15%	1,878	1,053	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,931
Maple Creek		Lib		Lib	1,910	59.89%	631	19.79%	1,910	1,279	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,189
Melfort		Lib		Lib	1,846	61.76%	703	23.52%	1,846	1,143	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,989
Milestone		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Moose Jaw County		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Moosomin		Con		Con	1,892	50.96%	71	1.91%	1,821	–	–	1,892	–	–	–	–	–	3,713
Morse		Lib		IPG	Acclamation
North Qu'Appelle		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Notukeu		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Pelly		Lib		Lib	1,457	33.64%	419	9.67%	1,457	925	–	–	911	–	1,038	–	–	4,331
Pheasant Hills		Lib		Lib	1,590	46.27%	538	15.66%	1,590	1,846	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,436
Pipestone		Lib		Lib	1,624	47.95%	94	2.78%	1,624	1,763	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,387
Prince Albert		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Redberry		Lib		Ind	1,837	53.65%	250	7.30%	1,587	1,837	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,424
Rosetown		Con		Lib	2,735	52.65%	275	5.29%	2,735	–	–	–	2,460	–	–	–	–	5,195
Rosthern		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Saltcoats		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Saskatoon County		Lib		Prog	1,330	52.14%	109	4.27%	1,221	–	1,330	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,551
Shellbrook		Lib		Lib	1,900	59.94%	630	19.87%	1,900	1,270	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,170
Souris		Con		Con	1,260	50.58%	29	1.16%	1,231	–	–	1,260	–	–	–	–	–	2,491
South Qu'Appelle		Con		Ind	1,883	57.36%	483	14.71%	1,400	1,883	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,283
Swift Current		Ind		Ind	1,595	44.38%	85	2.37%	–	1,595	–	–	–	489	–	1,510	–	3,594
The Battlefords		Lib		Lib	Acclamation
Thunder Creek		Con		Prog	730	51.48%	42	2.96%	–	–	730	688	–	–	–	–	–	1,418
Tisdale		Lib		Lib	1,314	54.25%	206	8.51%	1,314	1,108	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,422
Touchwood		Lib		Lib	1,734	58.50%	504	17.00%	1,734	–	–	–	–	–	1,230	–	–	2,964
Turtleford		Lib		Lib	1,186	52.73%	123	5.47%	1,186	1,063	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,249
Vonda		Lib		Lib	2,672	78.08%	1,922	56.17%	2,672	750	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,422
Wadena		Lib		Prog	1,979	61.50%	740	23.00%	1,239	–	1,979	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,218
Weyburn		Lib		Lib	2,368	88.39%	2,057	76.78%	2,368	311	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,679
Wilkie		Lib		Prog	1,694	51.51%	99	3.01%	1,595	–	1,694	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,289
Willow Bunch		Lib		Lib	3,040	54.55%	507	9.10%	3,040	–	2,533	–	–	–	–	–	–	5,573
Wolseley		Lib		Ind	2,322	54.51%	384	9.01%	1,938	2,322	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,260
Wynyard		Lib		Ind	2,197	59.03%	672	18.05%	1,525	2,197	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,722
Yorkton		Lib		Lib	2,116	59.06%	649	18.11%	2,116	–	–	–	–	–	1,467	–	–	3,583

1. Election day deferred to August 9, 1921

  = Open seat

  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature

  = Incumbent had switched allegiance

  = Previously incumbent in another riding

  = Not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature

  = Incumbency arose from by-election gain

  = other incumbents renominated

  = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada

  = Multiple candidates

Multiple-member districts

Results by riding - 1921 Saskatchewan general election (multiple-member districts)^[5]

Riding		Winning party		Votes
Name	MLAs	1917	1921	Lib	Ind	Prog	Con	I-Con	Lab	I-Lab	Total
Moose Jaw City	2	1	1   1	2,921	733	–	–	2,924	3,132	–	11,851
				2,141	–	–	–	–	–	–
Regina City	2	1	2	7,540	3,500	–	–	–	2,413	–	21,206
				5,952	1,801	–	–	–	–	–
Saskatoon City	2	1	1   1	4,198	4,672	–	3,293	–	–	1,690	17,732
				3,879	–	–	–	–	–	–

  = winning candidate

See also

• List of political parties in Saskatchewan
• List of Saskatchewan provincial electoral districts