Ontario general election, 1894

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The Ontario general election, 1894 was the eighth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 26, 1894, to elect the 94 Members of the Legislative Assembly ("MLAs").

The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Oliver Mowat, form the government for the seventh consecutive parliament, even though some of its members were elected under joint banners: either with the Patrons of Industry or the Protestant Protective Association.

The Ontario Conservative Party, led by William Ralph Meredith, formed the official opposition.

The Patrons of Industry, a farmers' organization formed in 1890, cooperated with the urban labour movement to address the political frustrations of both groups with big business. Sixteen members of the Legislative Assembly were elected with Patrons of Industry support -- 12 Liberals, one Conservative, and three who ran only under the "Patrons of Industry" banner.

The Protestant Protective Association (PPA) was an anti-Catholic group, associated with the Orange Order. It campaigned against the rights of Catholics and French-Canadians, and argued that Roman Catholics were attempting to take over Ontario. Nine candidates were elected with PPA support, 6 Conservatives, 1 Liberal and 2 who ran only under the PPA banner. The PPA worked most closely with the Conservative opposition.

[edit] Results

	Party	Leader	1890	Elected	% change
	Liberal	Oliver Mowat	53	45	-15.1%
	Liberal-Patron		*	12	*
	Liberal-P.P.A.		*	1	*
	Liberal-Equal Rights		2	-
	Conservative	William Ralph Meredith	34	23	-32.4%
	Conservative–P.P.A.		*	6	*
	Conservative-Patron		*	1	*
	Conservative-Equal Rights		2	-	-
	Patrons of Industry		*	3	*
	Protestant Protective		*	2	*
	Independent		1	1	-
Total Seats			91	94	+3.3%