| Country: | Canada |
| Flag Year: | 1868 |
| Are you in favour of bringing into force Part II of The Liquor Act, 1902? | |
| Date: | December 4, 1902 |
| Yes: | 199,749 |
| No: | 103,548 |
| Total: | 303,297 |
A referendum on the legality of alcoholic beverages was held in Ontario, Canada on December 4, 1902. Though 65 percent of voters indicated support for prohibition, a majority of half of the number of voters in the 1898 election did not support the motion, and prohibition was not introduced.
Are you in favour of bringing into force Part II of The Liquor Act, 1902?
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had previously ruled in 1896 that provinces do not have the authority to prohibit the importation of alcohol. Part II of the Liquor Act would authorize prohibition to the extent that Ontario would be allowed to enact, specifically a ban on the sale of alcohol in bars and retail establishments and the placement of restrictions on the sale of alcohol in restaurants.
The Act provided that passage in the referendum was contingent on several conditions being met:[1]
| Choice | All ridings | Yes | No | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Ridings | Votes | % | Ridings | Votes | % | |
| Yes | 199,749 | 65.86 | 85 | 176,684 | 71.12 | 12 | 23,065 | 42.03 |
| No | 103,548 | 34.14 | 71,736 | 28.88 | 31,812 | 57.97 | ||
| Total | 303,297 | 100.00 | 248,420 | 100.00 | 54,877 | 100.00 | ||
| Majority | 96,201 | 31.72 | 104,948 | 42.24 | 8,747 | 15.94 | ||
| Turnout | 50.57% | 49.70% | 54.87% | |||||
The Yes vote was less than the required threshold of 212,723,[3] so prohibition was not adopted.
Only 12 of the 97 ridings voted No:[2]