Canadian federal election, 1878

Last updated
Canadian federal election, 1878
Canadian Red Ensign (1868-1921).svg
  1874 September 17, 1878 1882  

206 seats in the 4th Canadian Parliament
104 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Sir John A Macdonald circa 1878 retouched.jpg Alexander Mackenzie portrait.jpg
Leader John A. Macdonald Alexander Mackenzie
Party Conservative Liberal
Leader since18671873
Leader's seat Victoria [1] Lambton
Last election65 seats, 30.1%129 seats, 39.5%
Seats won13463
Seat changeIncrease2.svg69Decrease2.svg66
Popular vote229,151180,074
Percentage42.1%33.1%
SwingIncrease2.svg12.0%Decrease2.svg6.4%

Prime Minister before election

Alexander Mackenzie
Liberal

Prime Minister-designate

John A. Macdonald
Conservative

The Canadian federal election of 1878 was held on September 17 to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 4th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the end of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie's Liberal government after only one term in office. Canada suffered an economic depression during Mackenzie's term, and his party was punished by the voters for it. The Liberals' policy of free trade also hurt their support with the business establishment in Toronto and Montreal.

House of Commons of Canada lower house of the Parliament of Canada

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons currently meets in a temporary Commons chamber in the West Block of the parliament buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, while the Centre Block, which houses the traditional Commons chamber, undergoes a ten-year renovation.

4th Canadian Parliament

The 4th Canadian Parliament was in session from 13 February 1879 until 18 May 1882. The membership was set by the 1878 federal election on 17 September 1878. It was dissolved prior to the 1882 election.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Contents

Sir John A. Macdonald and his Conservative/Liberal-Conservative party was returned to office after having been defeated five years before amidst scandals over the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Voter turn-out: 69.1%

John A. Macdonald 1st Prime Minister of Canada

Sir John Alexander Macdonald was the first prime minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career which spanned almost half a century.

The Pacific Scandal was a political scandal in Canada involving bribes being accepted by 150 members of the Conservative government in the attempts of private interests to influence the bidding for a national rail contract. As part of British Columbia's 1871 agreement to join Canadian Confederation, the government had agreed to build a transcontinental railway linking the Pacific Province to the eastern provinces.

Canadian Pacific Railway railway in Canada

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), also known formerly as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, and known as simply Canadian Pacific is a historic Canadian Class I railroad incorporated in 1881. The railroad is owned by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001.

National results

The Canadian parliament after the 1878 election Chambre des Communes 1878.png
The Canadian parliament after the 1878 election
134639
ConservativeLiberalO
PartyParty leader# of candidatesSeatsPopular vote
1874 ElectedChange#%Change
  Conservative John A. Macdonald 10138 85+118.4%143,19226.28%+7.80pp
  Liberal-Conservative 602649+76.9%85,99915.78%+3.50pp
  Liberal Alexander Mackenzie 12112663-54.8%180,07433.05%-7.74pp
 Independent1145+25%14,7832.71%-0.48pp
 Independent Conservative222-1,0010.18%-0.76pp
 Unknown117- 114,04320.93%-1.93pp
 Independent Liberal411+100%5,3880.99%-
  Nationalist Conservative 1*1*4010.07%*
Total417197206+3.6%100.0%-
Sources: http://www.elections.ca -- History of Federal Ridings since 1867

Note:

* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

Acclamations

The following Members of Parliament were elected by acclamation;

Results by province

Party name BC MB ON QC NB NS PE Total
  Conservative Seats:12373318385
 Popular vote (%):-49.625.535.05.921.731.626.3
  Liberal-Conservative Seats:21231236249
 Vote (%):39.6-15.813.214.322.712.015.8
  Liberal Seats:2 271797163
 Vote (%):- 36.321.748.234.937.233.1
 IndependentSeats:1 112- 5
 Vote (%):12.2 1.51.613.14.3 2.7
 Independent ConservativeSeats: 1 1   2
 Vote (%): 50.4 0.7   0.2
 UnknownSeats: 
 Vote (%):48.2 19.927.414.814.719.320.9
 Independent LiberalSeats:   1- 1
 Vote (%):  1.0 3.71.7 1.0
 Nationalist ConservativeSeats:  1- 1
 Vote (%):   0.3   0.1
Total seats 6 4 88 65 16 21 6 206

Vote and seat summaries

Popular vote
Conservative
42.06%
Liberal
33.05%
Others
24.89%
Seat totals
Conservative
65.05%
Liberal
30.58%
Others
4.37%

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References

  1. Macdonald initially ran in Kingston, where he was defeated. He then ran unopposed in Marquette, and following his appointment as Prime Minister was required by the convention at the time to vacate his seat and run again. On doing so, he chose to stand in Victoria rather than Marquette.

See also