1940 Canadian federal election

none September 2023 Conscription Crisis of 1944 1940 Canadian federal election Canada 1921 parliamentary no no no 1935 Canadian federal election 1935 1945 Canadian federal election 1945 245 seats in the House of Commons 123 69.9%Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=turn&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada 10 March 2019 ( 4.3 pp) March 26, 1940 19th Canadian Parliament 18th Canadian Parliament Wm Lyon Mackenzie King (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA Liberal nohash W. L. Mackenzie King August 7, 1919 CA Liberal name Prince Albert 173 seats, 44.68% 179 6 2,365,979 51.32% 6.64 pp MP Robert Manion1.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA National Government nohash Robert Manion July 7, 1938 CA National Government name Ran in Fort William (lost) 39 seats, 29.84% 39 1,348,260 29.24% 0.60 pp William Herridge headshot.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA New Democracy nohash William D. Herridge 1939 CA New Democracy name2 Ran in Kindersley (lost) 17 seats, 4.10% 10 7 119,354 2.59% 1.51 pp Ac.woodsworth.jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA CCF nohash J. S. Woodsworth August 1, 1932 CA CCF name Winnipeg North Centre 7 seats, 9.31% 8 1 392,615 8.42% 1.07 pp 350px Results by electoral district, shaded by winners' vote share 350px Results by province and territory Prime Minister Prime Minister after election William Lyon Mackenzie King CA Liberal name William Lyon Mackenzie King CA Liberal name Chambre des Communes 1940.png 350px The Canadian parliament after the 1940 election The 1940 Canadian federal election was held March 26, 1940, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 19th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party was re-elected to their second consecutive majority government. The election was overshadowed by the Second World War, which caused many Canadians to rally around the government. In response to this, the Conservative Party of Robert Manion ran on a platform advocating the creation of an all-party national unity government and ran under the name "National Government" in this election. Though Manion was personally opposed to conscription, the Liberals faced intense pressure in Quebec on the question and promised not to institute the measure. This promise was to haunt the Liberals as they faced increasing pressure from the military and especially from English Canada to bring in the measure. To release him from his September 1939 promise, King called a plebiscite in 1942 on the question. It was the most successful election for the Liberal Party in its history, in which it captured 73% of the seats in the House of Commons. By contrast, the Conservatives performed even worse than in the previous election, finishing with the same number of seats, a slightly lower share of the popular vote, and with Manion being defeated in his riding. This was the last election contested by the original incarnation of the Conservatives, who thereafter merged with remnants of the moribund Progressive Party to form the Progressive Conservatives. Social Credit ran jointly with the New Democracy movement of William Duncan Herridge. Some candidates of the Conservative and Social Credit parties insisted on running under the traditional names, however. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) gained its first seat east of Manitoba, with the election of Clarence Gillis from Cape Breton Island. This election was the last one for its ailing leader, J. S. Woodsworth. National results center|300px PartyParty leader# of candidatesSeatsPopular vote1935Elected% Change#%pp Change CA Liberal row Liberal W. L. Mackenzie King 242173179+2.3% 2,365,979 51.32%+6.64 CA PC row National Government 1Robert Manion 199* 36- 1,348,260 29.24% +0.57 CA PC row Conservative 1839 353,799 1.17% CA CCF row Co-operative CommonwealthJ. S. Woodsworth947 8+14.3%392, 6158.51%-0.09 CA Social Credit row-name2 J.H. Blackmore 917 7-41.17%46,271 1.00%-1.51 CA New Democracy row New Democracy2 3W.D. Herridge19*373,869 1.59% CA Liberal-Progressive row-name 443-25.0% 27,8150.60%-0.07 CA Independent rowIndependent Liberal3212+100%147,216 3.19%+1.96 CA Independent rowIndependent191 1- 57,247 1.24%+0.85 CA Independent rowIndependent Conservative 511-10,431 0.23%+0.21 CA Independent row Unity 2*14*12,3370.27%* CA Independent row United Reform Movement 1* 1* 13,868 0.30%* CA Independent rowIndependent National 2* -* 12,7100.28%* CA Independent rowUnknown1---110*- CA Communist row-name Tim Buck 8--- 8,6990.19%-0.27 CA Independent row Farmer-Labour  2* -*8,1260.18%* CA Independent row National Unity  1*-* 7,5340.16%* CA Independent row United Farmers of Ont.-Labour  1--- 4,761 0.10%-0.06 CA Labour row-name 1- --3,916 0.08%-0.25 CA Independent row United Progressive 1*-*2,727 0.06%* CA Independent row National Liberal Progressive 1* -*2,4340.05%* CA National Labour row-name  1* -* 2,3540.05%* CA Independent row Anti-Conscriptionist  1*-* 642 0.01%* CA Canadian Labour row-name 1* -*3980.01%* CA Independent row United Reform  1* -*2690.01%* CA Independent row Social Credit-National Unity  1*-*241 0.01%*Total 657245 245-0.8% 4,610,603 100%  Sources: http://www.elections.ca -- History of Federal Ridings since 1867 https://web.archive.org/web/20081204121507/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/hfer/hfer.asp?Language=E 2008-12-04 Notes: * The party did not nominate candidates in the previous election. x - less than 0.005% of the popular vote 1 "Change" and "% Change% figures compare total of "National Government" and "Conservative" to 1935 Conservative vote. 2 New Democracy and Social Credit ran jointly under the New Democracy banner under the leadership of former Conservative William Duncan Herridge who had founded New Democracy in 1939 to promote his ideas monetary and economic reform, though several candidates continued to run under the old Social Credit name. The 3 New Democracy MPs elected were all Social Credit incumbents, including Social Credit parliamentary leader John Horne Blackmore while Herridge himself failed to win his seat. The party sat in the House of Commons under the New Democracy name until 1944 when its national convention voted to revert to the Social Credit name. 3One candidate appears to have run under the "New Democratic Party" banner. It is unlikely that this was related in any way to the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation's adoption of this name in 1960. This may be a mis-reporting of party label - this may have been a "New Democracy" candidate. 4MP elected was Dorise Nielsen who ran and was elected as a Progressive Unity candidate (or United Progressive Movement (UPM)"CPC centenary: Communists in the parliamentary arena, an indispensable element of class struggle" online https://pvonline.ca/2021/01/21/cpc-centenary-communists-in-the-parliamentary-arena-an-indispensable-element-of-class-struggle/ accessed 2025-10-23 in North Battleford but was a covert member of the Communist Party of Canada. When the Communist Party was refounded in 1943 as the Labor-Progressive Party, Nielsen openly joined the party and became an LPP MP. Vote and seat summaries Ternary plots - shift of electoral support (1935-1940) 350 200 yes center Electoral districts identified by colours of winning parties File:Ternary CA1935.svg 1935 Ternary plot of 1935 results File:Ternary CA1940.svg 1940 Ternary plot of 1940 results Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px Liberal #F08080 51.32 National Government CA PC 29.24 CCF CA CCF 8.42 New Democracy CA Social Credit 2.59 Others #DCDCDC 8.43 Seat totals #ddd 600px 410px Liberal #F08080 73.06 National Government CA PC 15.91 New Democracy CA Social Credit 4.08 CCF CA CCF 3.26 Liberal-Progressive CA Liberal-Progressive 1.22 Others #DCDCDC 2.44 Results by province Party nameBCABSKMBONQCNBNSPEYKTotal CA Liberal rowLiberal Seats: 10 7 12 13 56 62 5 10 4 - 179 CA Liberal row Popular Vote: 37.4 37.9 43.0 43.5 50.3 64.4 54.6 50.4 55.3 46.4 51.3 CA PC row National Government Seats: 4 - 2 1 22 - 5 1 - 1 36 CA PC row Vote: 28.8 13.0 14.1 26.2 40.2 18.0 43.4 40.1 44.753.6 30.0 CA PC rowConservative Seats:    - - 3 -        3 CA PC row Vote:     0.2 1.7 2.2 1.1         1.2 CA CCF rowCo-operative Commonwealth Seats:1 - 5 1 - - -1     8 CA CCF row Vote: 28.4 13.0 28.7 19.6 3.8 0.7 0.4 6.0   8.6 CA Social Credit rowSocial Credit Seats:  7   -            7 CA Social Credit row Vote:  16.5   0.6           1.0 CA New Democracy rowNew Democracy Seats: - 3 - -   -         3 CA Social Credit row Vote:0.1 18.0 3.3 0.4  0.9        1.6 CA Liberal-Progressive rowLiberal-Progressive Seats:      2 1          3 CA Liberal-Progressive row Vote:       4.7 0.8          0.6 CA Independent rowIndependent Liberal Seats: -       - 2 - -     2 CA Independent row Vote: xx       1.0 10.2 1.6 3.3     3.3 CA Independent rowIndependent Seats:1 - - - - -   -     1 CA Independent row Vote: 3.0 0.2 1.0 3.4 0.4 2.1  0.2    1.3 CA Independent rowUnited Reform Movement Seats:    1              1 CA Independent row Vote:     3.7              0.3 CA Independent rowUnity Seats:    1              1 CA Independent row Vote:     3.3              0.3 CA Independent rowIndependent Conservative Seats:         1         1 CA Independent row Vote:          0.9        0.2 Total Seats16 17 21 17 8265 10 12 4 1 245Parties that won no seats:CA Independent row Independent Nat. Gov. Vote: 0.1         1.1       0.3 CA Communist row-name Vote: 0.4 0.3 0.6 xx 0.2 0.1        0.2 CA Independent row Farmer-Labour Vote:         0.5          0.2 CA Independent row National Unity Vote:     2.0             0.2 CA Independent row NDP (?) Vote: 1.6      xx         0.2 CA Independent row UFO-Labour Vote:        0.3         0.1 CA Independent row Unknown Vote:         xx         0.1 CA Labour row-name Vote:           0.3      0.1 CA Independent row United Progressive Vote:     1.0              0.1 CA Independent row National Liberal Progressive Vote:         0.2           0.1 CA National Labour row-name Vote:          0.2        0.1 CA Independent row Anti-Conscriptionist Vote:           0.1        xx CA Canadian Labour row-name Vote:         xx          xx CA Independent row United Reform Vote:     0.1               xx xx - less than 0.05% of the popular vote See also Canada Politics List of Canadian federal general elections List of political parties in Canada 19th Canadian Parliament References Further reading Canada, Chief Electoral Officer Nineteenth General Election, 1940: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer 1940 Queen's Printer Ottawa 2027/mdp.39015024873468 free Federal 1940 Category:March 1940 in Canada