The timeline of elections in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
covers all the
provincial, territorial and federal elections from when each province was joined
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
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:
*
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...
held 15 elections for its
Legislative Assembly, from 1792 to 1835;
*
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
held 13 elections to its
Legislative Assembly, from 1792 to 1836;
* the
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...
held 8 elections for its
Legislative Assembly from 1841 to 1863;
*New Brunswick's
first 21 elections, beginning in 1785 (the 21st Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick was elected in 1866, one year before Confederation, and continued until 1870, three years after Confederation);
*Nova Scotia's
first 22 elections, beginning in 1758;
*Prince Edward Island's
first 25 elections, beginning in 1773; and
*Newfoundland's
first 29 elections, beginning in 1832.
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
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. 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
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
. Nova Scotia and Yukon do not have fixed election dates in this matter.
Legend
1867–1897
1898–1948
1949–1998
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
(now Newfoundland and Labrador) joined Canada as a new province in 1949.
1999–present
The territory of
Nunavut
Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
was created on 1 April 1999, from land previously part of the
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
.
Notes
Summary
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.
See also
*
List of Canadian federal general elections
This article provides a summary of results for Canadian general elections (where all seats are contested) to the House of Commons, the elected lower half of Canada's federal bicameral legislative body, the Parliament of Canada. The number of se ...
*
Canadian electoral calendar
*
List of elections in the Province of Canada
The Province of Canada was the union of Canada West (formerly Upper Canada and later Ontario) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada and later Quebec). The new Province had a single bicameral Parliament, replacing the parliaments of Lower Canad ...
(pre-Confederation)
*
List of federal by-elections in Canada
This is a list of by-elections in Canada since Confederation. The list includes Ministerial by-elections which occurred due to the requirement that Members of Parliament recontest their seats upon being appointed to Cabinet. These by-elections were ...
References
New Brunswick
: (results back to 1956)
:
Newfoundland and Labrador
:
:
:
Yukon
* (Results back to 1974)
* (Dates of all elections)
* (Non-partisan nature of Legislative Assembly before 1974)
Northwest Territories
*
*
* (1951 to date)
Nunavut
*
*
Federal
*
External links
Elections Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Canadian Elections
Elections in Canada