1948 Saskatchewan general election

1948 Saskatchewan general election

June 24, 1948 (1948-06-24)
52 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 27 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Tommy Douglas Walter Tucker Party Co-operative Commonwealth Liberal Leader since July 17, 1942 August 6, 1946 Leader's seat Weyburn Rosthern Last election 47 5 Seats won 31 19 Seat change 16 14 Popular vote 236,900 152,400 Percentage 47.56% 30.60% Swing 5.57pp 4.82pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Joshua Haldeman Rupert Ramsay Party Social Credit Progressive Conservative Leader since 1946 February 15, 1944 Leader's seat Ran in Yorkton (lost) Ran in Saskatoon City (lost) Last election 0 0 Seats won 0 0 Seat change ±0 ±0 Popular vote 40,268 37,986 Percentage 8.09% 7.63% Swing 8.03pp 3.06pp
Premier before election Tommy Douglas Co-operative Commonwealth Premier after election Tommy Douglas Co-operative Commonwealth

The 1948 Saskatchewan general election, the eleventh in the history of the province, was held on June 24, 1948, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government of Premier Tommy Douglas, first elected in 1944, was re-elected with a majority in the legislature.

Summary

Tommy Douglas' Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was re-elected with a reduced majority. While the CCF had won an outright majority of the popular vote in the 1944 election, the party won a large plurality in 1948, while seeing their seat share fall to 31 out of 51 in the Assembly.

Although the share of the popular vote won by Walter Tucker's Liberal Party fell by almost five percentage points, the party increased its representation in the legislature from 5 seats to 19.

The Social Credit Party, which had won 2 seats and 16% of the popular vote in the 1938 election—only to disappear in the 1944 election—returned to win over 8% of the vote, but no seats.

The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Rupert Ramsay, continued to decline, and was also shut out of the legislature.

In some ridings, the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals ran joint candidates in failed attempts to defeat the CCF. These candidates ran as Liberal-PC or Conservative Liberal candidates. The lone successful such candidate—Alex "Hammy" McDonald—immediately joined the Liberal caucus upon being sworn in as an MLA.

Results

Party		Party Leader	# of candidates	Seats			Popular Vote
				1944	Elected	% Change	#	%	% Change
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Tommy Douglas	52	47	31	-34.0%	236,900	47.56%	-5.57%
	Liberal	Walter Tucker	41	5	19	+280%	152,400	30.60%	-4.82%
	Social Credit		36	–	–	–	40,268	8.09%	+8.03%
	Independent		5	–	1	+1000%	11,088	2.23%	+2.05%
	Conservative Liberal (Alexander H. McDonald)		1	*	1	*	5,251	1.05%	*
	Progressive Conservative	Rupert Ramsay	9	–	–	–	37,986	7.63%	-3.06%
	Liberal-PC		3	*	–	*	9,574	1.92%	*
	Independent Liberal		1	*	–	*	3,299	0.66	*
	Labour Progressive		1	–	–	–	1,301	0.26%	-0.26%
Total			149	52	52	–	498,067	100%
Source: Elections Saskatchewan

Note: * Party did not nominate candidates in previous election.

Percentages

Popular vote CCF   47.56% Liberal   30.60% Social Credit   8.09% PC   7.63% Others   6.12%

Seats summary CCF   59.62% Liberal   36.54% Others   3.85%

Ranking

Party		Seats	Second	Third	Fourth
	Co-operative Commonwealth	31	20	1	0
	Liberal	19	19	3	0
	Independent/Other parties	2	6	3	0
	Social Credit	0	2	31	3
	Progressive Conservative	0	3	4	2

Riding results

Names in bold represent cabinet ministers and the Speaker. Party leaders are italicized. The symbol " ** " indicates MLAs who are not running again.

Northwestern Saskatchewan

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Athabasca		Axel Olsen 341						Louis M. Marion (Ind.) 628 Joseph D. Le Chasseur (Ind.) 225		Louis Marcien Marion
Cut Knife		Isidore Nollet 3,027		William Bradley 1,531		Fred F. Wilson 1,642				Isidore Charles Nollet
Meadow Lake		Herschel Howell 2,635		William Lofts 3,307		John W. Evanishen 1,081				Herschel Lee Howell
Redberry		Dmytro Lazorko 2,357		Bernard Korchinski 2,571				Robert C. Glen (PC) 643		Dmytro Matthew Lazorko
Rosthern		Wilbert S. Henschel 959		Walter Tucker 2,964		George W. Beilhartz 1,736				Peter J. Hooge**
Shellbrook		Louis Larsen 2,981		W.R. Vincent 2,806		George J. Klein 959				Guy Franklin Van Eaton**
The Battlefords		Alex Connon 3,554		Paul Prince 3,990						Alexander Duff Connon
Turtleford		Bob Wooff 2,280		Leo Trippe 2,462		Matthew Slager 1,357				Robert Hanson Wooff

February 4, 1950 By-Election: The Battlefords

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hugh Maher	3,296	48.22%	-4.67
	CCF	Alex Connon	3,158	46.20%	-0.91
	Prog. Conservative	David J. Thiessen	381	5.58%	–
Total			6,835	100.00%

Northeastern Saskatchewan

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Cumberland		Joseph Johnson 425		Lorne Blanchard 656				Joseph Maxim Buote (Ind.) 40		Les Walter Lee**
Humboldt		Ben Putnam 2,657		Arnold Loehr 2,689		Joseph A. Thauberger 2,515				Ben Putnam
Kelvington		Peter Howe 2,991		Gladstone Mansfield Ferrie 2,639		Frederick A. Patrick 1,225				Peter Anton Howe
Kinistino		William J. Boyle 2,991		William C. Woods 3,086						William James Boyle
Melfort		Oakland Valleau 4,035		John Egnatoff 4,065						Oakland Woods Valleau
Prince Albert		Larry McIntosh 6,944		Charles McIntosh 6,052		Ralph Ernst 579				Lachlan Fraser McIntosh
Tisdale		John Hewgill Brockelbank 5,242		Donald L.W. Hood 3,980				William Lucas Hayes (PC) 1,171		John Hewgill Brockelbank
Torch River		John Denike 2,260		Harold Guloien 1,779		Leo Nile Nicholson 1,448				John Bruce Harris**

West Central Saskatchewan

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Arm River		E.L. Heinrich 2,263		Gustaf Herman Danielson 3,400		Gabriel J. Giesinger 689				Gustaf Herman Danielson
Biggar		Woodrow Lloyd 3,695		Andrew S. Shaw 2,987						Woodrow Stanley Lloyd
Hanley		Robert A. Walker 2,417		Clayton L. Pascoe 2,366		Frederick E. Roluf 512		Emmett M. Hall (PC) 1,025		James Smith Aitken**
Kerrobert-Kindersley		John Wellbelove 3,333		Fred Larson 3,155		Norman Wildman 1,063				John Wellbelove
Rosetown		John T. Douglas 3,647						Alvin Hamilton (PC) 3,218		John Taylor Douglas
Watrous		James A. Darling 2,968		Andrew William Michayluk 2,829		Martin Kelln 1,092				James Andrew Darling
Wilkie		Hans O. Hansen 2,566		John W. Horsman 3,143		George K. Nicholson 1,110		O. Allen Bently (PC) 329		Hans Ove Hansen

East Central Saskatchewan

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Canora		Alex Kuziak 3,104		Stephen T. Shabbits 2,453		Stanley W. Gorchynski 1,801				Myron Henry Feeley**
Last Mountain		Jacob Benson 3,755		James Wilfrid Gardiner 3,001		Godfrey Kelln 1,219				Jacob Benson
Melville		George T. Webster 4,690		Patrick Deshaye 5,302		John W. Hauser 1,014				Bill Arthurs**
Pelly		Dan Daniels 2,476		John G. Banks 2,646		John W. Kowalyshen 1,020		William M. Berezowski (Labour Prog.) 1,301		Daniel Zederayko Daniels
Saltcoats		Joseph L. Phelps 3,620		Asmundur Loptson 3,945		George A. Dulmage 807				Joseph Lee Phelps
Touchwood		Tom Johnston 2,627		John Joseph Collins 2,459		Harold Fletcher 1,097				Tom Johnston
Wadena		Frederick Dewhurst 4,218		Halldor K. Halldorson 2,930		Denis Dunlop 729				Frederick Arthur Dewhurst
Yorkton		Arthur Swallow 3,795		Andrew M. Kindred 3,256		Joshua N. Haldeman 1,792				Arthur Percy Swallow

Southwest Saskatchewan

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Elrose		Maurice J. Willis 4,153						Harry N. McKenzie (Ind. Liberal) 3,299		Maurice John Willis
Gravelbourg		Henry Houze 2,525		Edward Culliton 2,935		Milton A. Wilson 404				Henry Edmund Houze
Gull Lake		Alvin C. Murray 4,251				William E. Cowie 936		Jonas A. Johnson (Liberal-PC) 2,983		Alvin Cecil Murray
Maple Creek		Beatrice J. Trew 2,590		Alexander C. Cameron 2,920		A.J. Miller 2,491				Beatrice Janet Trew
Morse		James W. Gibson 3,069		Ronald D. Miller 2,465		Fred Erhardt 694		John K. Rosa (PC) 481		James William Gibson
Notukeu-Willow Bunch		Niles Leonard Buchanan 4,048		Hans Loken 3,483						Niles Leonard Buchanan
Swift Current		Harry Gibbs 5,273		Clarence J. Orton 5,091						Harry Gibbs

November 10, 1949 By-Election: Gull Lake

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	CCF	Thomas Bentley	3,627	51.36%	-0.67
	Liberal	Harold M. Haney	2,792	39.54%	–
	Prog. Conservative	Charles H. Howlett	643	9.10%	–
Total			7,062	100.00%

July 10, 1951 By-Election: Gravelbourg

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	CCF	Edward H. Walker	2,571	50.76%	+7.70
	Liberal	Ronald A. MacLean	2,494	49.24%	-0.81
Total			5,065	100.00%

Southeast Saskatchewan

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Bengough		Allan L.S. Brown 3,599		Archie V. Wightman 2,627		Arnold L. Meginbir 705				Allan L. Samuel Brown
Cannington		Ralph Hjertaas 3,422		William Patterson 4,687		Peter Franchuk 500				William John Patterson
Lumsden		William S. Thair 2,876		Henry P. Mang 2,220		Gustav D. Pelzer 744		Arthur M. Pearson (PC) 1,003		William Sancho Thair
Milestone		Jacob Erb 2,803				George M. Howell 1,020		Lionel Aston (Liberal-PC) 2,363		Frank Keem Malcolm**
Moosomin		Ivan Burden 3,442						Alex "Hammy" McDonald (Conservative-Liberal) 5,251		Arthur Thomas Procter**
Qu'Appelle-Wolseley		Warden Burgess 3,903		Frederick M. Dundas 4,470		Evert F. Josephson 1,253				Warden Burgess
Souris-Estevan		Charles Cuming 4,741		John E. McCormack 4,924		John K. Strachan 417				Charles David Cuming
Weyburn		Tommy Douglas 6,273				Isabel Paxman 638		F. Charles Eaglesham (Liberal-PC) 4,228		Tommy Douglas

November 10, 1949 By-Election: Cannington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rosscoe A. McCarthy	4,200	54.06%	-0.38
	CCF	Edward G. McCullough	3,569	45.94%	+6.19
Total			7,769	100.00%

Urban constituencies

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	CCF		Liberal		Social Credit		Other
Moose Jaw City		John Wesley Corman 7,534 D. Henry R. Heming 7,331						H. Gordon Young (Ind.) 5,240 J. Fraser McClellan (Ind.) 4,955		John Wesley Corman Dempster Henry R. Heming
Saskatoon City		John Henry Sturdy 14,970 Arthur T. Stone 14,295		L. Charles Sherman 11,551		Malcolm J. Haver 1,959		Rupert D. Ramsay (PC) 13,376		John Henry Sturdy Arthur T. Stone
Regina City		Charlie Williams 20,475 Clarence Fines 20,474		Wilfred G. Brown 16,578		Walter E. Stowe 1,049 Anthony E. Kovatch 971		Allan W. Embury (PC) 16,740		Charles Cromwell Williams Clarence Melvin Fines

See also

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

References

• Saskatchewan Archives Board - Election Results By Electoral Division