1898 Canadian prohibition plebiscite

A plebiscite on prohibition was held in Canada on 29 September 1898, the first national referendum in the country's history.[1] The Liberal government had made an election promise in 1896 to provide an opportunity for Canadians to register their opinions about the sale of alcohol.[2] The non-binding plebiscite saw 51.3% in favour of introducing prohibition, although turnout was only 44%.[3] A majority voted for its introduction in all provinces except Quebec, where 81.2% opposed it.

Canadian prohibition plebiscite, 1898
Date	29 September 1898 (1898-09-29)
Results Votes % Yes 278,380 51.26% No 264,693 48.74%
Results by Results by jurisdiction.   Yes     No

Despite the majority in favour, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's government chose not to introduce a federal bill on prohibition. As a result, Canadian prohibition was instead enacted through laws passed by the provinces during the first twenty years of the 20th century.

A 2012 study found that religion was by far the most important factor in determining how Canadians voted, with Evangelicals favoring prohibition, whereas Catholics and Anglicans opposed it.[4] More urbanized districts were less likely to favor prohibition.[4]

Results

Jurisdiction	For Prohibition		Against Prohibition
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Northwest Territories	6,238	68.8	2,824	31.2
British Columbia	5,731	54.6	4,756	45.4
Manitoba	12,419	80.6	2,978	19.4
New Brunswick	26,919	72.2	9,575	27.7
Nova Scotia	34,368	87.2	5,370	12.8
Ontario	154,498	57.3	115,284	42.7
Prince Edward Island	9,461	89.2	1,146	10.8
Quebec	28,436	18.8	122,760	81.2
Canada	278,380	51.2	264,693	48.8

See also

• 1920 Canadian liquor plebiscite
• 1919 Quebec prohibition referendum

References

1. "Referendum". The Canadian Encyclopedia
2. Harry Thurston Peck (1899). The International Year Book. Dodd, Mead. p. 153.
3. Alfred Emanuel Smith; Francis Walton (1898). New Outlook. Outlook publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 362.
4. Dostie, Benoit; Dupré, Ruth (2012-10-01). ""The people's will": Canadians and the 1898 referendum on alcohol prohibition". Explorations in Economic History. 49 (4): 498–515. doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2012.06.005.

Further reading

• Dostie, Benoit; Dupré, Ruth (2012). "'The people's will': Canadians and the 1898 referendum on alcohol prohibition". Explorations in Economic History. 49 (4): 498–515. doi:10.1016/j.eeh.2012.06.005.
• Smart, Reginald G.; Ogborne, Alan C. (1996). Northern Spirits : A Social History of Alcohol in Canada (2nd ed.). Ontario: Addiction Research Foundation. ISBN 978-0-88868-276-5.
• Samuel E. St. O Chapleau (1898). "Report on the prohibition plebiscite held on the 29th day of September 1898 in the Dominion of Canada". ISBN B0008D4FCS