23rd Canadian Parliament | |||
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Minority parliament | |||
October 14, 1957 – February 1, 1958 | |||
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Parliament leaders | |||
Prime Minister | John Diefenbaker June 21, 1957 – April 22, 1963 | ||
Cabinet | 18th Canadian Ministry | ||
Leader of the Opposition | Louis St. Laurent | ||
Lester B. Pearson | |||
Party caucuses | |||
Government | Progressive Conservative Party | ||
Opposition | Liberal Party | ||
Crossbench | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | ||
Social Credit Party | |||
House of Commons | |||
![]() Seating arrangements of the House of Commons | |||
Members | 265 MP seats List of members | ||
Sovereign | |||
Monarch | Elizabeth II February 6, 1952 – September 8, 2022 | ||
Sessions | |||
1st session October 14, 1957 – February 1, 1958 | |||
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The 23rd Canadian Parliament was in session from October 14, 1957, until February 1, 1958. The membership was set by the 1957 federal election on June 10, 1957, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1958 election.
It was the first parliament opened by the Monarch of Canada, and the only parliament formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II herself, rather than her formal representative, the governor general. In 2025, King Charles III opened the 45th Canadian Parliament, marking the second time any monarch has opened parliament. [1]
It was controlled by a Progressive Conservative Party minority under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and the 18th Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party, led first by Louis St. Laurent, and then by Lester B. Pearson.
It was the second shortest parliament in Canadian history.
The Speaker was Roland Michener. See also List of Canadian electoral districts 1952–1966 for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
There was only one session of the 23rd Parliament.
Following is a full list of members of the twenty-third Parliament listed first by province or territory, then by electoral district.
Electoral districts denoted by an asterisk (*) indicates that district was represented by two members.
Electoral district | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Mackenzie River | Mervyn Arthur Hardie | Liberal |
Electoral district | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Yukon | James Aubrey Simmons | Liberal | |
Erik Nielsen (by-election of 1957-12-16) | Progressive Conservative |
By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | Retained | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yukon | December 16, 1957 | James Aubrey Simmons | Liberal | Erik Nielsen | Progressive Conservative | Election declared void | No | ||
Hastings—Frontenac | November 4, 1957 | George Stanley White | Progressive Conservative | Sidney Earle Smith | Progressive Conservative | Called to the Senate | Yes | ||
Lanark | August 26, 1957 | William G. Blair | Progressive Conservative | George Doucett | Progressive Conservative | Death | Yes |