Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, 1958

Last updated
Liberal leadership election, 1958
Date January 16, 1958
Convention Ottawa Coliseum,
Lansdowne Park,
Ottawa, Ontario
Resigning leader Louis St. Laurent
Won by Lester Pearson
Ballots 1
Candidates 3
Liberal leadership elections
1919 · 1948 · 1958 · 1968 · 1980 · 1984 · 1990 · 2003 · 2006 · 2009 · 2013

A Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called to replace Liberal leader Louis St. Laurent, who had resigned as Prime Minister after the 1957 election. On the first ballot, former External Affairs minister Lester Pearson defeated former cabinet minister Paul Martin and Mayor of Portage la Prairie, Harold Lloyd Henderson. [1]

Louis St. Laurent 12th Prime Minister of Canada

Louis Stephen St. Laurent was the 12th prime minister of Canada, from 15 November 1948 to 21 June 1957. He was a Liberal with a strong base in the Catholic francophone community, from which base he had long mobilised support to Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. His foreign policy initiatives transformed Canada from an isolationist ex-colony with little role in world affairs to an active "middle power". St. Laurent was an enthusiastic proponent of Canada's joining NATO in 1949 to fight the spread of Communism, overcoming opposition from some intellectuals, the Labor-Progressive Party, and many French Canadians. The contrast with Mackenzie King was not dramatic – they agreed on most policies. St. Laurent had more hatred of communism, and less fear of the United States. He was neither an idealist nor a bookish intellectual, but an "eminently moderate, cautious conservative man ... and a strong Canadian nationalist".

Contents

Background

The Liberals had held power for 22 years until their defeat in the 1957 federal election on June 10, 1957, which returned a Progressive Conservative minority government. Louis St. Laurent, who had led the Liberals since 1948, announced on September 6, 1957 that he would not be leading the Liberals into another election. [2]

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada Former Canadian political party

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) was a federal political party in Canada.

A minority government, or minority cabinet or minority parliament, is a cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament. It is sworn into office, with or without the formal support of other parties, to enable a government to be formed. Under such a government, legislation can only be passed with the support of enough other members of the legislature to provide a majority, encouraging multi-partisanship. In bicameral parliaments, the term relates to the situation in chamber whose confidence is considered most crucial to the continuance in office of the government.

Candidates

Rev. Harold Lloyd Henderson was a Presbyterian minister and politician in Manitoba, Canada.

Essex East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. it was created in 1924 from parts of Essex North and Essex South ridings.

Algoma East was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1968. It was created in 1903 from parts of Algoma riding.

Donald Hugh Mackay, Mayor of Calgary, withdrew his candidacy a week before the convention. Former Finance Minister Walter Edward Harris, who had lost his seat in the election, had initially been expected to be Pearson's main competitor but did not run. [3] Newfoundland MP and former Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Jack Pickersgill was also expected to run but did not stand. Other names mentioned as possible candidates were former Fisheries Minister and British Columbia MP James Sinclair (Coast—Capilano), former Transport Minister and Montreal MP George Carlyle Marler (Saint-Antoine—Westmount), and former Public Works Minister Robert Winters who had lost his Queens—Lunenburg, Nova Scotia seat in the election. [3]

Donald Hugh Mackay was the 26th Mayor of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Walter Edward Harris Canadian politician

Walter Edward Harris, was a Canadian politician and lawyer.

Jack Pickersgill Canadian federal politician based out of Newfoundland

John Whitney "Jack" Pickersgill, was a Canadian civil servant and politician. He was born in Ontario, but was raised in Manitoba. He was the Clerk for the Canadian Government's Privy Council in the early 1950s. He was first elected to federal parliament in 1953, representing a Newfoundland electoral district and serving in prime minister Louis St. Laurent's cabinet. In the mid-1960s, he served again in cabinet, this time under prime minister Lester B. Pearson. He resigned from parliament in 1967 to become the president of the Canadian Transport Commission. He was awarded the highest level of the Order of Canada in 1970. In his later years, he wrote books on Canadian history, and he died in 1997 in Ottawa.

Pearson was the choice of the party establishment, had strong support from MPs in Quebec and Toronto, and won overwhelmingly on the first ballot and was also helped by being awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize weeks before the convention. Martin, who had been on the left of the St. Laurent cabinet, attempted to appeal to the rank-and-file, [1]

Nobel Peace Prize One of five Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

Results

First Ballot
CandidateDelegate SupportPercentage
Lester B. Pearson with a pencil.jpg PEARSON, Lester Bowles 1,07477.8%
MARTIN, Paul Joseph James 30522.1%
HENDERSON, Harold Lloyd 10.1%
Total1,380100%

Related Research Articles

John Diefenbaker 13th Prime Minister of Canada

John George Diefenbaker was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957 to April 22, 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader after 1930 and before 1979 to lead the party to an election victory, doing so three times, although only once with a majority of seats in the House of Commons of Canada.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada) Canadian minister

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations and heads the Department of Global Affairs, though the Minister of International Trade leads on international trade issues. In addition to the Department, the Minister is also the lead in overseeing the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development and the International Development Research Centre.

1957 Canadian federal election

The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party, led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the Tories were able to form a minority government.

Paul Martin Sr. Canadian MP and Senator, father of Prime Minister Paul Martin

Joseph James Guillaume Paul Martin,, often referred to as Paul Martin, Sr, was a noted Canadian politician and diplomat. He was the father of Paul Martin, who served as 21st Prime Minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006.

Robert Winters Canadian politician

Robert Henry Winters, was a Canadian politician and businessman.

Howard Charles Green Canadian politician

Howard Charles Green, was a Canadian politician and parliamentarian.

Joe Greene (Ontario politician) Canadian politician and World War II airman

John James "Joe" Greene, was a Canadian politician.

1968 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

The Liberal Party of Canada leadership election of 1968 elected Pierre Elliott Trudeau as the new leader of the Liberal Party. He was the unexpected winner in what was one of the most important leadership conventions in party history. The Globe and Mail newspaper report the next day called it "the most chaotic, confusing, and emotionally draining convention in Canadian political history."

A Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called for June 16, 1984, to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The convention elected former Finance Minister John Turner, who at the time was not sitting in the House of Commons, as its leader on the second ballot, defeating another former finance minister, Jean Chrétien.

The 1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was held on 23 June 1990 in Calgary, Alberta. The party chose former Deputy Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as its new leader, replacing the outgoing leader, former Prime Minister John Turner.

The 1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The convention was held exactly 29 years after the 1919 leadership convention that saw King elected Liberal leader.

Lester B. Pearson 14th Prime Minister of Canada

Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson was a Canadian scholar, statesman, soldier, prime minister, and diplomat, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis. He was the 14th prime minister of Canada from 22 April 1963 to 20 April 1968, as the head of two back-to-back Liberal minority governments following elections in 1963 and 1965.

The 1919 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was the first leadership convention held by a federal political party in Canada. It was originally called by the Liberal leader, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as a national policy convention with the intention of reinvigorating the Liberal Party after eight years of being in opposition. The convention was also intended to re-unite the party, which had split as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917. The party had divided into Laurier Liberals, who remained in opposition, and a Liberal–Unionist faction which joined the wartime Union government of Sir Robert Borden in support of conscription. Laurier's death on February 17, 1919 resulted in the meeting being reconfigured as a leadership convention. Previous party leaders in Canada had been chosen by the parliamentary caucus or the outgoing leader. However, the Liberal caucus no longer felt that it was representative of Canada's linguistic and religious diversity and that allowing the entire party to select the leader would result in a more representative choice.

Electoral history of Louis St. Laurent

This article is the Electoral history of Louis St. Laurent, the twelfth Prime Minister of Canada (1948-1957).

Electoral history of John Diefenbaker

This article is the Electoral history of John Diefenbaker, the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

Electoral history of Lester B. Pearson

This article is the Electoral history of Lester B. Pearson, the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

References

  1. 1 2 "1958 LIBERAL CONVENTION". CPAC. Cable Public Affairs Channel. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  2. "Sf. Laurent Statement". Globe and Mail. 7 September 1957.
  3. 1 2 "Pearson's Post Position: Leadership Struggle Expected". Globe and Mail. 7 September 1957.