1886 Ontario general election

The 1886 Ontario general election was the sixth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on December 28, 1886, to elect the 90 Members of the 6th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("MLAs"). The election results were characterized a "crushing defeat for the Conservatives.

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Oliver Mowat, won a fifth consecutive term in government and an increased majority in the Legislature.

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by William Ralph Meredith lost five of its seats.

In Toronto, this and the next election (1890) were held under the Limited Vote system wherein Toronto voters had two votes for the three MPPs in their district. This allowed a degree of minority representation.

Redistribution of ridings
The Assembly was increased from 88 to 90 members, through the following changes:

Results
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Political party ! rowspan=2 | Party leader ! colspan=5 | MPPs ! colspan=3 | Votes ! Candidates !1883 ! Dissol. !1886 !± !# !% ! ± (pp)


 * style="text-align:left;"|Oliver Mowat
 * 88
 * 48
 * 57
 * 9
 * 153,282
 * 48.41%
 * 0.21
 * 0.21


 * style="text-align:left;"|William Ralph Meredith
 * 83
 * 37
 * 32
 * 5
 * 148,969
 * 47.05%
 * 0.46
 * 0.46


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 5
 * 1
 * 1
 * 2,145
 * 0.68%
 * 0.85
 * 0.68%
 * 0.85


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 2
 * 2
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * 2
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 5
 * 12,196
 * 3.85%
 * 2.32
 * 12,196
 * 3.85%
 * 2.32
 * 2.32


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 1
 * 14
 * New
 * 14
 * New
 * 14
 * New
 * New


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign
 * colspan="3"|Did not campaign


 * colspan="3"|
 * colspan="5"|
 * -style="background:#E9E9E9;"
 * colspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Total
 * 182
 * 88
 * 88
 * 90
 * 316,606
 * 100.00%
 * colspan="8" style="text-align:left;"|Blank and invalid ballots
 * align="right"|3,622
 * style="background:#E9E9E9;" colspan="2"|
 * -style="background:#E9E9E9;"
 * colspan="8" style="text-align:left;"|Registered voters / turnout
 * 459,495
 * 69.69%
 * 6.23
 * }
 * 459,495
 * 69.69%
 * 6.23
 * }

Synopsis of results

 * = open seat
 * = turnout is above provincial average
 * = 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 byelection gain
 * = incumbency arose from prior election result being overturned by the court
 * = other incumbents renominated
 * = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
 * = multiple candidates

! colspan=2 | Political party ! Candidate ! Votes ! % ! Elected ! Incumbent


 * style="text-align:left;"|Edward Frederick Clarke
 * 7,032 ||26.28
 * style="text-align:center;"|✅


 * style="text-align:left;"|Henry Edward Clarke
 * 6,883 ||25.72
 * style="text-align:center;"|✅
 * style="text-align:center;"|✅


 * style="text-align:left;"|John Leys
 * 5,380 ||20.11
 * style="text-align:center;"|✅


 * style="text-align:left;"|Charles March
 * 4,055 ||15.15

!colspan="3" style="text-align:right;"|Majority !colspan="3" style="text-align:right;"|Turnout !colspan="3" style="text-align:right;"|Registered voters
 * style="text-align:left;"|John Roney
 * 3,408 ||12.74
 * 1,325 ||4.96
 * 14,916 ||44.80
 * 33,296
 * }

MLAs elected by region and riding
Party designations are as follows:

{{legend|#EA6D6A|Liberal}} {{legend|#9999FF|Conservative}} {{legend|#DCDCDC|Independent}}


 * Northern Ontario
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Algoma East: Robert Adam Lyon}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Algoma West: James Conmee}}


 * Ottawa Valley
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Carleton: George William Monk}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Lanark North: Daniel Hilliard}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Lanark South: William Lees}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Ottawa: Erskine Henry Bronson}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Prescott: Alfred Évanturel}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Renfrew North: Thomas Murray}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Renfrew South: John Alfred McAndrew}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Russell: Alexander Robillard}}


 * Saint Lawrence Valley
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Brockville: Christopher Finlay Fraser}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Cornwall and Stormont: William Mack}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Dundas: Theodore F. Chamberlain}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Glengarry: James Rayside}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Grenville: Frederick John French}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Kingston: James Henry Metcalfe}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Leeds: Robert Henry Preston}}


 * Central Ontario
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Addington: John Stewart Miller}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Durham East: Thomas Dixon Craig}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Durham West: James Wellington McLaughlin}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Frontenac: Henry Wilmot}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Hastings East: William Parker Hudson}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Hastings North: Alpheus Field Wood}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Hastings West: Gilbert Wellington Ostrom}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Lennox: Walter William Meacham}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Northumberland East: William Arnson Willoughby}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Northumberland West: Corelli Collard Field}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Peterborough East: Thomas Blezard}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Peterborough West: James Robert Stratton}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Prince Edward: John Allison Sprague}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Victoria East: John Fell}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Victoria West: John Saunders Cruess}}


 * Georgian Bay
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Bruce North: John Walter Scott Biggar}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Grey North: David Creighton}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Muskoka: George Frederick Marter}}
 * {{legend|#DCDCDC|Parry Sound: Samuel Armstrong}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Simcoe Centre: Orson James Phelps}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Simcoe East: Charles Alfred Drury}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Simcoe West: Thomas Wylie}}


 * Wentworth/Halton/Niagara
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Halton: William Kerns}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Hamilton: John Morison Gibson}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Lincoln: William Garson}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Monck: Richard Harcourt}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Welland: James E. Morin}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wentworth North: James McMahon}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wentworth South: Nicholas Awrey}}


 * Midwestern Ontario
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Brant North: William Bruce Wood}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Brant South: Arthur Sturgis Hardy}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Bruce Centre: Walter MacMorris Dack}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Bruce South: Hamilton Parke O'Connor}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Bruce South: Hamilton Parke O'Connor}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Dufferin: Falkner Cornwall Stewart}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Grey Centre: Joseph Rorke}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Grey South: John Blythe}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Haldimand: Jacob Baxter}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Huron East: Thomas Gibson}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Huron South: Archibald Bishop}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Huron West: Alexander McLagan Ross}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Norfolk North: John Bailey Freeman}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Norfolk South: William Morgan}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Oxford North: Oliver Mowat}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Oxford South: Angus McKay}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Perth North: John George Hess}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Perth South: Thomas Ballantyne}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Waterloo North: Elias Weber Bingeman Snider}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Waterloo South: Isaac Master}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wellington East: Charles Clarke}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wellington South: Donald Guthrie}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wellington West: Absalom Shade Allan}}


 * Southwestern Ontario
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Elgin East: Thomas McIntyre Nairn}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Elgin West: Andrew B. Ingram}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Essex North: Gaspard Pacaud}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Essex South: William Douglas Balfour}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Kent East: Robert Ferguson}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Kent West: James Clancy}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Lambton East: Peter Graham}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Lambton West: Timothy Blair Pardee}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|London: William Ralph Meredith}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Middlesex East: Richard Tooley}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Middlesex North: John Waters}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Middlesex West: George William Ross}}


 * Peel/York/Ontario
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Cardwell: William Henry Hammell}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Ontario North: Isaac James Gould}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Ontario South: John Dryden}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Peel: Kenneth Chisholm}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Toronto: Edward Frederick Clarke}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Toronto: Henry Edward Clarke}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Toronto: John Leys}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|York East: George Byron Smith}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|York North: Joseph Henry Widdifield}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|York West: John Taylor Gilmour}}