Comox—Alberni
# Comox—Alberni

Comox—Alberni was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1979, and again from 1988 to 1993.

## History

This riding was created in 1914 from parts of Comox—Atlin riding.

It was abolished in 1976 when it was redistributed into Comox—Powell River and Nanaimo—Alberni ridings.

It was recreated in 1987 from parts of those two ridings. The new riding consisted of:

* the Town of Comox;
* the City of Courtenay;
* Electoral Areas A, B and C of Comox-Strathcona Regional District;
* the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District;
* Electoral Areas E, F, G and H of Nanaimo Regional District;
* that part of Electoral Area C of Nanaimo Regional District lying west of the east boundary of Dunsmuir Land District;
* Electoral Area E of Powell River Regional District;
* the Village of Cumberland; and
* the Towns of Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

The electoral district was abolished in 1996 when it was merged into Nanaimo—Alberni riding.

## Members of Parliament

| Parliament | Years | Member | Party |
| - | - | - | - |
| Riding created from Comox—Atlin |||||
| 13th | 1917–1921 | Herbert Sylvester Clements | Government (Unionist) |
| 14th | 1921–1925 | Alan Webster Neill | Progressive |
| 15th | 1925–1926 | Alan Webster Neill | Independent |
| 16th | 1926–1930 | Alan Webster Neill | Independent |
| 17th | 1930–1935 | Alan Webster Neill | Independent |
| 18th | 1935–1940 | Alan Webster Neill | Independent |
| 19th | 1940–1945 | Alan Webster Neill | Independent |
| 20th | 1945–1949 | John Lambert Gibson | Independent Liberal |
| 21st | 1949–1953 | John Lambert Gibson | Independent |
| 22nd | 1953–1957 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | Co-operative Commonwealth |
| 23rd | 1957–1958 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | Co-operative Commonwealth |
| 24th | 1958–1962 | Henry McQuillan | Progressive Conservative |
| 25th | 1962–1963 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | New Democratic |
| 26th | 1963–1965 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | New Democratic |
| 27th | 1965–1968 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | New Democratic |
| 28th | 1968–1969 | Richard Durante | Liberal |
| 28th | 1969–1972 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | New Democratic |
| 29th | 1972–1974 | Thomas Speakman Barnett | New Democratic |
| 30th | 1974–1979 | Hugh Alan Anderson | Liberal |
| Riding dissolved into Comox—Powell River and Nanaimo—Alberni |||||
| Riding re-created from Comox—Powell River and Nanaimo—Alberni |||||
| 34th | 1988–1993 | Bob Skelly | New Democratic |
| 35th | 1993–1997 | Bill Gilmour | Reform |
| Riding dissolved into Nanaimo—Alberni |||||

## Election results

### Comox—Alberni, 1988–1993

1993 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Reform | Bill Gilmour | 22,573 | 43.78 | +33.84 |
| | Liberal | Lonnie W. Hindle | 10,610 | 20.58 | +3.99 |
| | New Democratic | Bob Skelly | 8,560 | 16.60 | -26.23 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Mike Hicks | 4,831 | 9.37 | -18.93 |
| | National | Ernest Daley | 3,120 | 6.05 | – |
| | Green | Richard Porter | 1,261 | 2.45 | +1.38 |
| | Natural Law | Kathleen Lapeyrouse | 287 | 0.56 | – |
| | Independent | Kenneth R. Foster | 252 | 0.49 | – |
| | Canada Party | Genther Heinrich Smuda | 68 | 0.13 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 51,562 | 100.0 |
| | Reform gain from New Democratic | Reform gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +14.92 |

1988 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Bob Skelly | 21,128 | 42.83 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Darlene Weir | 13,959 | 28.30 |
| | Liberal | Ray J. Rogers | 8,182 | 16.59 |
| | Reform | Gary Hein | 4,905 | 9.94 |
| | Green | Jim Bohlen | 528 | 1.07 |
| | Christian Heritage | Ivan R. Zalinko | 478 | 0.97 |
| | Communist | Gary William Swann | 151 | 0.31 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 49,331 | 100.0 |
| This riding was created from parts of Comox—Powell River and Nanaimo—Alberni, which elected a New Democrat and a Progressive Conservative, respectively, in the last election. Neither of the incumbents ran in this election. |||||||

### Comox—Alberni, 1917–1974

1974 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Hugh Alan Anderson | 13,594 | 35.74 | +8.73 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Al Lazerte | 12,683 | 33.34 | +15.03 |
| | New Democratic | Don Barker | 11,158 | 29.33 | -20.35 |
| | Communist | Mark F. Mosher | 605 | 1.59 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 38,040 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | -3.15 |

1972 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 17,477 | 49.68 | +3.51 |
| | Liberal | Bob Chown | 9,501 | 27.01 | -18.22 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jerry Sinnott | 6,440 | 18.31 | +9.71 |
| | Social Credit | Delbert Keith Doll | 1,276 | 3.63 | – |
| | Independent | Mark F. Mosher | 483 | 1.37 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 35,177 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +10.86 |

Canadian federal by-election, 8 April 1969 On election being declared void, 14 February 1969 :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 12,612 | 46.17 | +6.84 |
| | Liberal | Richard J.J. Durante | 12,357 | 45.23 | +5.87 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Blair McLean | 2,350 | 8.60 | -8.39 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 27,319 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic gain from Liberal | New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +0.48 |

1968 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Richard J.J. Durante | 11,939 | 39.36 | +15.34 |
| | New Democratic | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 11,930 | 39.33 | -5.84 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Blair McLean | 5,154 | 16.99 | +3.26 |
| | Social Credit | Jean-M.-Joseph Gagnon | 997 | 3.29 | -10.82 |
| | Communist | Mark Mosher | 311 | 1.03 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 30,331 | 100.0 |
| | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +10.59 |

1965 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 13,393 | 45.17 | +2.05 |
| | Liberal | Loran K. Jordon | 7,122 | 24.02 | -5.53 |
| | Social Credit | Jean M. Gagnon | 4,183 | 14.11 | +6.33 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bill MacAdam | 4,072 | 13.73 | -5.82 |
| | Independent | John Alexander McKenzie | 878 | 2.96 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 29,648 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +3.79 |

1963 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 13,449 | 43.12 | +6.27 |
| | Liberal | William C. Moore | 9,217 | 29.55 | +2.50 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Alex W. Crouch | 6,099 | 19.55 | -3.24 |
| | Social Credit | Hazel Fee | 2,428 | 7.78 | -3.54 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 31,193 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +1.88 |

1962 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 10,474 | 36.85 | -1.71 |
| | Liberal | William C. Moore | 7,689 | 27.05 | +17.13 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Henry McQuillan | 6,478 | 22.79 | -23.30 |
| | Social Credit | Jack Finnerty | 3,219 | 11.32 | +5.89 |
| | Communist | Mark Fulmore Mosher | 567 | 1.99 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 28,427 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | -9.42 |
| Change for the New Democrats is based on the 1958 results of the Co-operative Commonwealth. |||||||

1958 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive Conservative | Henry McQuillan | 11,483 | 46.09 | +15.10 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 9,607 | 38.56 | -0.03 |
| | Liberal | M. Stelling | 2,472 | 9.92 | -3.21 |
| | Social Credit | William S. Mullett | 1,354 | 5.43 | -14.56 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 24,916 | 100.0 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Co-operative Commonwealth | Progressive Conservative gain from Co-operative Commonwealth | Swing | Swing | +7.56 |

1957 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 8,598 | 35.89 | +1.22 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Henry C. McQuillan | 7,423 | 30.99 | +20.84 |
| | Social Credit | Benjamin F. Wright | 4,789 | 19.99 | -4.25 |
| | Liberal | Alfred Carl Fillinger | 3,146 | 13.13 | -13.00 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 23,956 | 100.0 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth hold | Co-operative Commonwealth hold | Swing | Swing | -9.81 |

1953 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 6,115 | 34.67 | -5.91 |
| | Liberal | Irving Wilson | 4,609 | 26.13 | – |
| | Social Credit | Robert Harry Watson | 4,275 | 24.24 | – |
| | Progressive Conservative | Eric Frederick Duncan | 1,790 | 10.15 | – |
| | Labor–Progressive | William Stuart E. Morrison | 850 | 4.82 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 17,639 | 100.0 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth gain from Independent | Co-operative Commonwealth gain from Independent | Swing | Swing | -16.02 |

1949 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | John Lambert Gibson | 11,397 | 59.42 | +15.47 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | John Herdman Cameron | 7,785 | 40.58 | +12.52 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 19,182 | 100.0 |
| | Independent gain from Independent Liberal | Independent gain from Independent Liberal | Swing | Swing | +1.48 |

1945 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent Liberal | John Lambert Gibson | 7,348 | 43.95 | – |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Thomas Speakman Barnett | 4,692 | 28.06 | +0.65 |
| | Trade Union | Nigel Morgan | 4,679 | 27.99 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 16,719 | 100.0 |
| | Independent Liberal gain from Independent | Independent Liberal gain from Independent | Swing | Swing | +21.65 |

1940 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | Alan Webster Neill | 10,156 | 72.59 | +25.35 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | George Harrison Brown | 3,835 | 27.41 | +1.81 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 13,991 | 100.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | Swing | +11.77 |

1935 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | Alan Webster Neill | 4,497 | 47.24 | -16.10 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Colin Cameron | 2,437 | 25.60 | – |
| | Conservative | Reece Hague | 1,509 | 15.85 | -20.81 |
| | Labour | Malcolm MacKinnon | 999 | 10.49 | – |
| | Reconstruction | Ernest Richard Tarling | 78 | 0.82 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,520 | 100.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | Swing | -20.85 |

1930 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | Alan Webster Neill | 5,651 | 63.34 | +4.53 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Graham | 3,270 | 36.66 | -2.00 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,921 | 100.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | Swing | +3.26 |

1926 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | Alan Webster Neill | 4,307 | 58.81 | -9.28 |
| | Conservative | Donald Robert MacDonald | 2,831 | 38.66 | +6.75 |
| | Labour | John Edward Armishaw | 185 | 2.53 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,323 | 100.0 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | Swing | -8.02 |

1925 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | Alan Webster Neill | 4,794 | 68.09 | – |
| | Conservative | Thomas Davis Coldicutt | 2,247 | 31.91 | -6.29 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,041 | 100.0 |
| | Independent gain from Progressive | Independent gain from Progressive | Swing | Swing | +37.19 |
| Independent candidate Alan Webster Neill gained 13.82 percentage points from his 1921 performance running as a Progressive candidate. |||||||

1921 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive | Alan Webster Neill | 4,170 | 54.27 | – |
| | Conservative | Herbert Sylvester Clements | 2,935 | 38.20 | -24.61 |
| | Unknown | John Edward Armishaw | 579 | 7.54 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,684 | 100.0 |
| | Progressive gain from Government (Unionist) | Progressive gain from Government (Unionist) | Swing | Swing | +39.44 |
| Conservative change is based on the results of the Unionists in the 1917 election. |||||||

1917 Canadian federal election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| | Government (Unionist) | Herbert Sylvester Clements | 3,652 | 62.81 |
| | Opposition (Laurier Liberals) | William Wallace Burns McInnes | 2,162 | 37.19 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 5,814 | 100.0 |
| This riding was created from Comox—Atlin, which elected Conservative member Herbert Sylvester Clements in the previous election. |||||||
