The timeline of elections in Canada covers all the provincial, territorial and federal elections from when each province was joined Confederation through to the present day. The table below indicates which party won the election. Several provinces held elections before joining Canada, but only their post-Confederation elections are shown. These include:
The most recent election is shown with a box limited to five years of government, as this is the maximum length of office, as set by the constitution. However, elections can be called at any time by an incumbent government. The federal government, nine provinces, and one territory have changed to fixed election dates every four years. For these legislatures, the box is shown as running until the next scheduled election, but one could still be earlier if the government falls due to a motion of no confidence. Nova Scotia and Yukon do not have fixed election dates in this matter.
Abbreviation | Party |
---|---|
Pre | Pre-Confederation |
BCL | British Columbia Liberal |
LIB | Liberal Party |
NDP | NDP |
CCF | CCF |
ASC | Alberta Social Credit |
UF | United Farmers |
SK | Saskatchewan Party |
BSC | British Columbia Social Credit |
PQ | Parti Québécois |
CON | Progressive Conservatives or historical Conservatives |
YU | Yukon Party |
CPC | Conservative Party |
UN | Union Nationale |
APC | Alberta Progressive Conservative |
CAQ | Coalition Avenir Québec |
Co. | Coalition |
N/A | Nonpartisan, and consensus government |
Year | BC | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | NT | Federal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1867 | 1st Co. [1] [lower-alpha 1] | 1st PC [2] | 1st [lower-alpha 2] | 1st LIB [3] | 1st PC [4] | |||||
1868 | ||||||||||
1869 | ||||||||||
1870 | 1st N/A [5] | 2nd N/A | (Temp. Council) | |||||||
1871 | 1st N/A [6] | 2nd LIB [1] | 2nd PC [2] | 2nd LIB [3] | ||||||
1872 | 2nd PC [7] | |||||||||
1873 | 26th PC [8] | |||||||||
1874 | 2nd N/A [5] | 3rd N/A | 3rd LIB [3] | 3rd LIB [9] | ||||||
1875 | 2nd N/A [6] | 3rd LIB [1] | 3rd PC [2] | |||||||
1876 | 27th PC [10] | (First Council ) | ||||||||
1877 | ||||||||||
1878 | 3rd [6] | 3rd [5] | 4th LIB [lower-alpha 3] | 4th N/A | 4th PC [3] | 4th PC [11] | ||||
1879 | 4th PC [5] | 4th LIB [1] | 28th PC [12] | |||||||
1880 | ||||||||||
1881 | 5th PC [2] | |||||||||
1882 | 4th N/A [6] | 5th N/A | 5th LIB [3] | 29th PC [13] | 5th PC [14] | |||||
1883 | 5th PC [5] | 5th LIB [1] | ||||||||
1884 | ||||||||||
1885 | ||||||||||
1886 | 5th N/A [6] | 6th PC [5] | 6th LIB [1] | 6th LIB [2] | 6th N/A | 6th LIB [3] | 30th PC [15] | |||
1887 | 6th PC [16] | |||||||||
1888 | 7th LIB [5] | 1st N/A | ||||||||
1889 | ||||||||||
1890 | 6th N/A [6] | 7th LIB [1] | 7th LIB [2] | 7th N/A | 7th LIB [3] | 31st Co. [lower-alpha 4] [17] | ||||
1891 | 2nd N/A | 7th PC [18] | ||||||||
1892 | 8th LIB [5] | 8th PC [2] | 8th N/A | |||||||
1893 | 32nd LIB [19] | |||||||||
1894 | 7th N/A [6] | 8th LIB [1] | 8th LIB [3] | 3rd N/A | ||||||
1895 | 9th N/A | |||||||||
1896 | 9th LIB [5] | 8th LIB [20] | ||||||||
1897 | 9th LIB [2] | 9th LIB [3] | 33rd LIB [21] | |||||||
Year | BC | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | NT | Federal |
Year | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | YU | NT | Federal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | LIB | LIB | LIB | N/A | LIB | LIB | N/A | LIB | |||||
1898 | 8th N/A [6] | 9th LIB [1] | N/A [lower-alpha 5] | 4th N/A | |||||||||
1899 | 10th CON [5] | 10th N/A | |||||||||||
1900 | 9th N/A [6] | 10th LIB [2] | 34th LIB [22] | 1st N/A | 9th LIB | ||||||||
1901 | 10th LIB [3] | ||||||||||||
1902 | 10th LIB [1] | 5th CON | |||||||||||
1903 | 10th CON [6] | 11th CON [5] | 11th N/A | 2nd | |||||||||
1904 | 11th LIB [2] | 35th LIB [22] | 10th LIB | ||||||||||
1905 | 1st ABL [23] | 1st LIB [24] | 11th CON [1] | 3rd N/A | (Second Council) | ||||||||
1906 | 11th LIB [3] | ||||||||||||
1907 | 11th CON [6] | 12th CON [5] | 4th N/A | ||||||||||
1908 | 2nd LIB [25] | 12th CON [1] | 12th LIB [2] | 12th N/A | 36th LIB [22] | 11th LIB | |||||||
1909 | 12th CON [6] | 2nd ABL [23] | 5th N/A | ||||||||||
1910 | 13th CON [5] | ||||||||||||
1911 | 13th CON [1] | 12th LIB [3] | 12th CON | ||||||||||
1912 | 13th CON [6] | 3rd LIB [26] | 13th LIB [2] | 13th N/A | 37th CON [22] | 6th N/A | |||||||
1913 | 3rd ABL [23] | ||||||||||||
1914 | 14th CON [5] | 14th CON [1] | |||||||||||
1915 | 15th LIB [5] | 38th CON [22] | 7th N/A | ||||||||||
1916 | 14th BCL [6] | 14th LIB [2] | 13th LIB [3] | ||||||||||
1917 | 4th ABL [23] | 4th LIB [27] | 14th N/A | 8th N/A | 13th Co. | ||||||||
1918 | |||||||||||||
1919 | 15th UF [1] | 15th LIB [2] | 39th LIB [22] | ||||||||||
1920 | 15th BCL [6] | 16th LIB [5] | 15th N/A | 14th LIB [3] | 9th N/A | ||||||||
1921 | 5th UF [23] | 5th LIB [28] | 14th LIB | ||||||||||
1922 | 17th UF [5] | 10th N/A | |||||||||||
1923 | 16th CON [1] | 16th LIB [2] | 40th CON [22] | ||||||||||
1924 | 16th BCL [6] | ||||||||||||
1925 | 6th LIB [29] | 16th N/A | 15th CON [3] | 11th N/A | 15th [lower-alpha 6] | ||||||||
1926 | 6th UF [23] | 17th CON [1] | 16th LIB | ||||||||||
1927 | 18th UF [5] | 17th LIB [2] | 41st LIB [22] | ||||||||||
1928 | 17th CON [6] | 16th CON [3] | 12th N/A | ||||||||||
1929 | 7th Co. [lower-alpha 7] [30] | 18th CON [1] | |||||||||||
1930 | 7th UF [23] | 17th N/A | 17th CON | ||||||||||
1931 | 18th LIB [2] | 42nd CON [22] | 13th N/A | ||||||||||
1932 | 19th LIB [5] | ||||||||||||
1933 | 18th BCL [6] | 17th LIB [3] | |||||||||||
1934 | 8th LIB [31] | 19th LIB [1] | 14th N/A | ||||||||||
1935 | 8th SC [23] | 19th LIB [2] | 18th LIB | 43rd LIB [22] | 18th LIB | ||||||||
1936 | 20th LIB [5] | 20th UN [2] | |||||||||||
1937 | 19th BCL [6] | 20th LIB [1] | 18th LIB [3] | 15th N/A | |||||||||
1938 | 9th LIB [32] | ||||||||||||
1939 | 21st LIB [2] | 19th LIB | 44th LIB [22] | ||||||||||
1940 | 9th SC [23] | 16th N/A | 19th LIB | ||||||||||
1941 | 20th Co. [lower-alpha 8] [6] | 21st LIB [5] | 19th LIB [3] | ||||||||||
1942 | |||||||||||||
1943 | 21st CON [1] | 45th LIB [22] | |||||||||||
1944 | 10th SC [23] | 10th CCF [33] | 22nd UN [2] | 20th LIB | 17th N/A | ||||||||
1945 | 21st Co. [lower-alpha 8] [6] | 22nd LIB [5] | 22nd CON [1] | 20th LIB [3] | 20th LIB | ||||||||
1946 | |||||||||||||
1947 | 46th LIB [22] | 18th N/A | |||||||||||
1948 | 11th SC [23] | 11th CCF [34] | 23rd CON [1] | 23rd UN [2] | 21st LIB | ||||||||
Year | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | YU | NT | Federal |
Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador) joined Canada as a new province in 1949. [35]
Year | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | NF | YU | NT | Federal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Co. | ASC | CCF | LIB | PC | UN | LIB | LIB | LIB | N/A | N/A | LIB | |||
1949 | 22nd Co. [lower-alpha 8] [6] | 23rd LIB [5] | 21st LIB [3] | 30th LIB | 19th N/A | 21st LIB | ||||||||
1950 | ||||||||||||||
1951 | 24th CON [1] | 47th LIB [22] | 31st LIB | 6th N/A | ||||||||||
1952 | 23rd BSC [6] | 12th ASC [23] | 12th CCF [36] | 24th UN [2] | 22nd CON | 20th N/A | ||||||||
1953 | 24th BSC [6] | 24th LIB [5] | 22nd LIB [3] | 22nd LIB | ||||||||||
1954 | 7th N/A | |||||||||||||
1955 | 13th ASC [23] | 25th CON [1] | 48th LIB [22] | 21st N/A | ||||||||||
1956 | 25th BSC [6] | 13th CCF [37] | 25th UN [2] | 23rd CON | 23rd CON [3] | 32nd LIB | ||||||||
1957 | 8th N/A | 23rd CON | ||||||||||||
1958 | 25th CON [5] | 22nd N/A | 24th CON | |||||||||||
1959 | 14th ASC [23] | 26th CON [5] | 26th CON [1] | 49th CON [22] | 33rd LIB | |||||||||
1960 | 26th BSC [6] | 14th CCF [38] | 26th LIB [2] | 24th LIB | 24th CON [3] | 9th N/A | ||||||||
1961 | 23rd N/A | |||||||||||||
1962 | 27th CON [5] | 27th LIB [2] | 50th CON [22] | 34th LIB | 25th CON | |||||||||
1963 | 27th BSC [6] | 15th ASC [23] | 27th CON [1] | 25th LIB | 25th CON [3] | 26th LIB | ||||||||
1964 | 15th LIB [39] | 24th N/A | 10th | |||||||||||
1965 | 27th LIB | |||||||||||||
1966 | 28th BSC [6] | 28th CON [5] | 28th UN [2] | 51st LIB [22] | 35th LIB | |||||||||
1967 | 16th ASC [23] | 16th LIB [40] | 28th CON [1] | 26th LIB | 26th CON [3] | 25th N/A | 11th N/A | |||||||
1968 | 28th LIB | |||||||||||||
1969 | 29th BSC [6] | 29th NDP [5] | ||||||||||||
1970 | 29th LIB [2] | 27th CON | 27th LIB [3] | 52nd LIB [22] | 26th N/A | 12th N/A | ||||||||
1971 | 17th APC [23] | 17th NDP [41] | 29th CON [1] | 36th CON | ||||||||||
1972 | 30th NDP [6] | 37th CON | 29th LIB | |||||||||||
1973 | 30th NDP [5] | 30th LIB [42] | ||||||||||||
1974 | 28th CON | 28th LIB [3] | 53rd LIB [22] | 27th N/A | 30th LIB | |||||||||
1975 | 31st BSC [6] | 18th APC [23] | 18th NDP [43] | 30th CON [1] | 38th CON | 13th N/A | ||||||||
1976 | 31st PQ [42] | |||||||||||||
1977 | 31st CON [5] | 31st CON [1] | ||||||||||||
1978 | 19th NDP [44] | 29th CON | 29th CON [3] | 54th LIB [22] | 28th CON | |||||||||
1979 | 32nd BSC [6] | 19th APC [23] | 55th CON [22] | 39th CON | 14th N/A | 31st CON | ||||||||
1980 | 32nd LIB | |||||||||||||
1981 | 32nd NDP [5] | 32nd CON [1] | 32nd PQ [42] | 30th CON [3] | ||||||||||
1982 | 20th APC [23] | 20th CON [45] | 30th CON | 56th CON [22] | 40th CON | 29th CON | ||||||||
1983 | 33rd BSC [6] | 15th N/A | ||||||||||||
1984 | 31st CON [3] | 33rd CON | ||||||||||||
1985 | 33rd LIB [1] | 33rd LIB [42] | 41st CON | 30th NDP | ||||||||||
1986 | 34th BSC [6] | 21st APC [23] | 21st CON [46] | 33rd NDP [5] | 57th LIB [22] | |||||||||
1987 | 34th LIB [1] | 31st LIB | 16th N/A | |||||||||||
1988 | 34th CON [5] | 32nd CON [3] | 34th CON | |||||||||||
1989 | 22nd APC [23] | 34th LIB [42] | 58th LIB [22] | 42nd | 31st NDP | |||||||||
1990 | 35th CON [5] | 35th NDP [1] | ||||||||||||
1991 | 35th NDP [47] | 22nd NDP [48] | 32nd LIB | 17th N/A | ||||||||||
1992 | 32nd YU | |||||||||||||
1993 | 23rd APC [23] | 33rd LIB [3] | 59th LIB [22] | 43rd LIB | 35th LIB | |||||||||
1994 | 35th PQ [42] | |||||||||||||
1995 | 23rd NDP [49] | 36th [5] | 36th [1] | 33rd LIB | 18th N/A | |||||||||
1996 | 36th NDP [47] | 60th CON [22] | 44th | 33rd NDP | ||||||||||
1997 | 24th APC [23] | 36th LIB | ||||||||||||
1998 | 36th PQ [42] | 34th LIB [3] | ||||||||||||
Year | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | NF | YU | NT | Federal |
The territory of Nunavut was created on 1 April 1999, from land previously part of the Northwest Territories. [50]
The table below shows how many elections each party has won in each province and territory. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut use consensus government, which means there are no political parties. Of forty-two federal elections, twenty-three have been won by the Liberals, and eighteen by the Conservatives.
Party | BC | AB | SK | MB | ON | QC | NB | NS | PEI | NL | YU | NT | NU | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | 9 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 25 | 12 | 25 | 23 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 152 | |
(Progressive) Conservative | 5 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 123 | |
Non-partisan | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 23 | 6 | 84 | |
New Democratic | 5 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 26 | |
Social Credit | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |
Coalition | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
United Farmers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
Union Nationale | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | |
Parti Québécois | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | |
Co. Commonwealth Fed. | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | |
Yukon Party | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | 4 | |
Saskatchewan Party | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | |
Coalition Avenir Québec | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
Total | 42 | 31 | 29 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 39 | 41 | 42 | 22 | 39 | 24 | 6 | 444 |
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