York South was the name of an electoral district or riding used for electing members to the Canadian House of Commons and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

History

The federal riding was created in 1903 and consisted of the Township of York and the towns of East Toronto, North Toronto and Toronto junction. As is suggested by the names of the towns in the riding, the consituency abutted on the city of Toronto's northern border. As time progressed and the population grew the riding shrank in size so that it consisted of what was later called the borough of York in the midlle western part of Metropolitan Toronto and some surrounding areas. While it was originally a largely rural riding it was an urban, working class riding by the end of World War II. The riding is notable for the 1942 federal by-election in which newly elected Conservative leader Arthur Meighen was defeated in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation's candidate (assisted by the Liberals). The election was a major breakthrough for the CCF and ended Meighen's attempt to return to politics. It later became the home riding of New Democratic Party leader David Lewis.

The provincial riding of York South first came into existence for the 1926 Ontario election. It was slightly smaller than the federal riding but covered much of the same area. For most of the period after World War II, it was a bastion of the CCF and its successor the NDP being the riding of three CCF/NDP leaders in the Ontario legislature; Ted Jolliffe, Donald C. MacDonald and Bob Rae.

Federal riding

• 1904 - William Findlay MacLean - Independent Conservative
• 1908 - William Findlay MacLean - Independent Conservative
• 1911 - William Findlay MacLean - Independent Conservative
• 1917 - William Findlay MacLean - Unionist
• 1921 - William Findlay MacLean - Independent Conservative
• 1925 - William Findlay MacLean - Independent Conservative
• 1926 - Robert Henry McGregor - Conservative
• 1930 - Robert Henry McGregor - Conservative
• 1935 - James Earl Lawson - Conservative
• 1940 - Alan Cockerham - National Government
• 1942 by-election - Joseph W. Noseworthy - Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
• 1945 - Alan Cockerham - Progressive Conservative
• 1949 - Joseph W. Noseworthy - Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
• 1953 - Joseph W. Noseworthy - Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
• 1957 - William G. Beech - Progressive Conservative
• 1958 - William G. Beech - Progressive Conservative
• 1962 - David Lewis - New Democratic Party
• 1963 - Marvin Gelber - Liberal
• 1965 - David Lewis - New Democratic Party
• 1968 - David Lewis - New Democratic Party
• 1972 - David Lewis - New Democratic Party
• 1974 - Ursula Appoloni - Liberal

For the 1979 Canadian election the riding was redistributed and became York South—Weston.

Provincial riding

• Leopold Macaulay - Conservative - 1926-1943
• Ted Jolliffe - Ontario CCF - 1943-1945
• Howard Julian Sale - Progressive Conservative - 1945-1948
• Ted Jolliffe - Ontario CCF - 1948-1951
• William George Beech - Progressive Conservative - 1951-1955
• Donald C. MacDonald - CCF/NDP 1955-1982
• Bob Rae - Ontario NDP - 1982-1996
• Gerard Kennedy - Ontario Liberal Party - 1996-1999

When the government of Mike Harris changed Ontario's electoral law so that federal and provincial ridings matched, the riding of York South was abolished and replaced with York South—Weston.

External links

• York South entry on the House of Commons website includes election results and the changing descriptions of the riding's boundaries.