1945 Canadian federal election

none September 2023 1945 Canadian federal election Canada 1921 parliamentary no no no Opinion polling for the 1945 Canadian federal election 1940 Canadian federal election 1940 1949 Canadian federal election 1949 245 seats in the House of Commons 123 75.3%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 ( 5.4 pp) June 11, 1945 20th Canadian Parliament 19th Canadian Parliament William 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(lost re-election) 179 seats, 51.32% 118 61 2,086,545 39.78% 11.54 pp John Bracken in the Toronto Star, 1947.jpg 140 120 160 0 0 CA PC nohash John Bracken December 11, 1942 CA PC name Neepawa 39 seats, 29.24% 66 27 1,448,744 27.62% 2.79 pp Major James Coldwell (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA CCF nohash M. J. Coldwell March 22, 1942 CA CCF name Rosetown—Biggar 8 seats, 8.42% 28 20 815,720 15.55% 7.31 pp Solon Earl Low (cropped2).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA Social Credit nohash Solon Earl Low April 6, 1944 CA Social Credit name Peace River 10 seats, 2.59% 13 3 212,220 4.05% 1.46 pp Maxime Raymond (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 QC Bloc populaire nohash Maxime Raymond February 10, 1943 QC Bloc populaire name Beauharnois—Laprairie New party 2 2 172,765 3.29% New party TimBuck (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 CA Labor-Progressive nohash Tim Buck 1929 CA Labor-Progressive name3 Ran in Trinity (lost) 0 seats, 0.19% 1 1 111,892 2.13% 1.94 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 1945.png 380px The Canadian parliament after the 1945 election The 1945 Canadian federal election was held on June 11, 1945, to elect members of the House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberals won a third term. The party fell five seats short of majority government but was able to rule in majority in practice with the support of eight Independent Liberal MPs. Since 1939, Canada had been fighting in World War II. In May 1945, the war in Europe ended, allowing King to call an election. As the war in Asia was still raging on, King promised a voluntary force to fight in Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of Japan, while Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) leader John Bracken promised conscription, which was an unpopular proposal and led to the PCs' third consecutive defeat. The Liberals were also re-elected because of their promise to expand welfare programs. However, they also lost about a third of their seats; this stark decline in support was partly attributed to their introduction of conscription in 1944 (which was unpopular in Quebec, paving the rise of the Bloc Populaire)H. Blair Neatby King, William Lyon Mackenzie 17 http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/king_william_lyon_mackenzie_17E.html July 25, 2022 as well as the breakthrough of the democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which campaigned on an even bigger expansion of the welfare state than the Liberals. The Social Credit Party made modest gains. Although the election officially resulted in a minority government, the election of eight "Independent Liberal" MPs, most of whom did not run as official Liberals because of their opposition to conscription, gave the King government an effective working majority in parliament. Most of the Independent Liberal MPs joined (or re-joined) the Liberal caucus following World War II when the conscription issue became moot. As King was defeated in his own riding of Prince Albert, fellow Liberal William MacDiarmid, who was re-elected in the safe seat of Glengarry, resigned so that a by-election could be held, which was subsequently won by King.H. Blair Neatby King, William Lyon Mackenzie 17 http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/king_william_lyon_mackenzie_17E.html July 20, 2015 Background In the 1935 election, the Liberal Party led by William Lyon Mackenzie King returned to power (King's Liberals had previously governed Canada from 1921 to 1930) with a landslide majority government. The King government's success in combatting the Great Depression led to their second landslide majority victory in the 1940 election. From 1939 to 1945, the King government's main priority was aiding the Allies in World War II. In the period leading up to the election, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was rising in popularity. A Gallup poll from September 1943 showed the CCF with a one-point lead over both the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives. Many predicted a major breakthrough for the CCF nationally and the party was expected to win 70 to 100 seats, possibly even enough to form a minority government. In the Saskatchewan provincial election, the CCF won a landslide victory, forming a provincial government for the first time. In 1942, members of the Conservative Party held the Port Hope Conference, which established several Conservative goals including support for free enterprise and conscription, and more radical policies such as full-employment, low-cost housing, trade union rights, as well as a whole range of social security measures, including a government financed medicare system. Progressive Party Premier of Manitoba John Bracken became the Conservative Party's leader that same year, and changed the party's name to the Progressive Conservative Party as a result of this policy shift.The Essentials of Canadian History: Pre-colonization to 1867-the Beginning ... – Terence Allan Crowley, Rae Murphy – Google Boeken. Books.google.com. Retrieved on April 12, 2014. Campaign Liberals Government Stability was a key issue of the election. The Liberals urged voters to "Return the Mackenzie King Government", and argued that only the Liberal Party had a "preponderance of members in all nine provinces". Mackenzie King threatened to call a new election if he was not given a majority: "We would have confusion to deal with at a time when the world will be in a very disturbed situation. The war in Europe is over, but unrest in the east is not over." Social welfare programs were also an issue in the campaign. Another Liberal slogan encouraged voters to "Build a New Social Order" by endorsing the Liberal platform, which included $750 million to provide land, jobs and business support for veterans; $400 million of public spending to build housing; $250 million for family allowances; establishing an Industrial development Bank; loans to farmers, floor prices for agricultural products; tax reductions. Progressive Conservatives The Progressive Conservatives tried to capitalize on the massive mid-campaign victory by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in the 1945 Ontario provincial election. PC campaign ads exhorted voters to rally behind their party: "Ontario shows! Only Bracken can win!", and suggesting that it would be impossible to form a majority government in the country without a plurality of seats in Ontario, which only the Tories could win. Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan, was scheduled for late 1945-early 1946. Bracken had promised conscription for the invasion of Japan whereas King had promised to commit one division of volunteers to the planned invasion of Japan.Morton, Desmond A Military History of Canada, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1999 page 223-224. Based on the way that the Japanese had fought the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa it was widely expected that the invasion of the Japanese home islands would be a bloody campaign, and Bracken's promise of conscription for the planned invasion of Japan did much to turn voters against his party. Despite the party's performance ultimately being their best since R.B. Bennett's government was ousted in a landslide a decade previously, Bracken was widely held responsible for their failure to make a better showing – aside from the conscription issue, many believed that his western populism was a futile approach, and that the Tories could not hope to compete with the CCF and Socreds in the west – and the party grandees immediately began pressuring him to resign in favour of George A. Drew, who had led the Ontario Progressive Conservatives to their provincial election victory; Bracken would eventually do so in 1948. Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Campaigning under the slogan, "Work, Security, and Freedom for All – with the CCF", the CCF promised to retain war-time taxes on high incomes and excess profits in order to fund social services, and to abolish the Senate of Canada. The CCF fought hard to prevent the support of labour from going to the Labor-Progressive Party (i.e., the Communist Party of Canada). The LPP, for its part, pointed out that the CCF's refusal to enter into an electoral pact with the LPP had cost the CCF 100,000 votes in the Ontario election, and had given victory to the Ontario PCs. It urged voters to "Make Labour a Partner in Government." Social Credit The Social Credit Party of Canada tried, with modest success, to capitalize on the positive image of the Alberta Socred government of Ernest Manning (who had succeeded the party's founding leader, William Aberhart on his death two years earlier), asking voters, "Good Government in Alberta -- Why Not at Ottawa?". Referring to social credit monetary theories, the party encouraged voters to "Vote for the National Dividend". While the party's presence outside of Alberta was minimal, its strongest showing elsewhere was in Quebec, where it collaborated with the provincial Union des electeurs under future Socred leader Réal Caouette. The Union would subsequently contest the next federal election as an independent party before disappearing, but it foreshadowed Social Credit's emergence to the Liberals as the main competition in Quebec throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Opinion polling + Evolution of voting intentions at national level Polling firmLast day of survey Source LPC PC CCF SC BP Other ME Margin of Error SampleElection 1945June 11, 194539.7827.6215.554.053.29 5.42GallupJune 9, 1945No Notable Shift in Party Support March 1, 1947 The Evening Citizen 1392917456"OtherNote" Taken from difference between Public Opinion Quarterly and Evening Citizen dataGallupApril 194536292046 5"OtherNote"GallupJanuary 1945The Quarter's Polls. (1945). Public Opinion Quarterly, 9(4), 510. doi:10.1086/26576536282246 4"OtherNote"GallupNovember 19443628235 8GallupSeptember 194436272445 4"OtherNote"GallupJune 19443530217 7GallupMarch 19443430228 6GallupJanuary 1944Public Opinions Polls. (1944). Public Opinion Quarterly, 8(4), 580312924394"OtherNote"GallupDecember 1943Public Opinions Polls. (Spring 1944). Public Opinion Quarterly, 8(1), 142 doi:10.1086/2656763129268 6GallupSeptember 1943Public Opinions Polls. (1943). Public Opinion Quarterly, 7(4), 492 doi:10.1086/26566028282939 3"OtherNote"GallupJune 19433531218 5GallupMay 194336282110 5GallupFebruary 19433227237 11GallupDecember 1942362423 17Bloc populaire founded (September 8, 1942)GallupSeptember 1942Gallup and Fortune Polls. (1942). Public Opinion Quarterly, 6(4), 650. doi:10.1086/265589 392321611GallupJanuary 19425530102 3Election 1940March 26, 194051.3229.248.422.59 National results center|300px PartyParty leader# of candidatesSeatsPopular vote1940Elected% Change#%pp Change CA Liberal row LiberalW. L. Mackenzie King 236 179 118-33.9% 2,086,545 39.78% -11.54 CA PC row Progressive Conservative1 John Bracken 20339 66+66.7% 1,448,744 27.62% -2.79 CA CCF row Co-operative Commonwealth M. J. Coldwell 2058 28+250% 815,720 15.55% +7.31 CA Social Credit row-name2 Solon Earl Low931013+30.0% 212,220 4.05% +1.46 CA Independent rowIndependent Liberal 2128+300% 93,791 1.79% -1.40 CA Independent rowIndependent 6416+500% 256,381 4.89% +3.65 CA Bloc populaire row-nameMaxime Raymond35* 2* 172,7653.29% * CA Labor-Progressive row-name3 Tim Buck681616 111,892 2.13% +1.94 CA Independent row Independent PC8*1*14,541 0.28% * CA Independent row Independent CCF4 2* 1* 6,402 0.12% * CA Liberal-Progressive row-name  131-66.7% 6,147 0.12% -0.48 CA PC row National Government5 1  -  4,872 0.09%  CA Independent row Trades Union  1* -* 4,679 0.09% * CA Independent row Farmer-Labour   2- --3,620 0.07% -0.11 CA Independent row Independent Conservative1- --100% 2,653 0.05% -0.18 CA Independent row DemocraticW.R.N. Smith 5*-*2,603 0.05% * CA Ralliement créditiste row Union of Electors  1* -* 596 0.01% * CA Independent row Socialist Labour   2*-* 459 0.01% * CA Labour row-name   1- -- 423 0.01% -0.07 CA Independent row Liberal-Labour   1* -* 345 0.01% * CA Independent row Independent Labour1* -* 241 x * CA Independent rowFarmer 1- -- 70 xxTotal953245 245- 5,245,709 100%  Sources: http://www.elections.ca -- History of Federal Ridings since 1867 Notes: * The party did not nominate candidates in the previous election. x - less than 0.005% of the popular vote. 1 1945 Progressive Conservative vote compared to 1940 National Government + Conservative vote. 2 1945 Social Credit vote compared to 1940 New Democracy + Social Credit vote. 3 1945 Labor-Progressive vote compared to 1940 Communist vote. 4 The successful "Independent CCF" candidate ran as a People's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation candidate. 5 One Progressive Conservative candidate ran under the "National Government" label that the party had used in the 1940 election. 6 MP Dorise Nielsen was elected in 1940 as a Unity candidate in North Battleford. She joined the Labor-Progressive Party in 1943 and ran for re-election in 1945 as an LPP MP and lost. Fred Rose was elected to parliament for Cartier as a Labor-Progressive MP in a 1943 by-election. He was re-elected in 1945. Vote and seat summaries 400px|thumb|center|1945 Canadian General Election Map by Riding Ternary plots - shift of electoral support (1940-1945) 350 200 yes center Electoral districts identified by colours of winning parties File:Ternary CA1940.svg 1940 Ternary plot of 1940 results File:Ternary CA1945.svg 1945 Ternary plot of 1945 results Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px Liberal #F08080 39.78 PC CA PC 27.62 CCF CA CCF 15.55 Social Credit CA Social Credit 4.05 Bloc populaire CA Bloc populaire 3.29 Labor-Progressive CA Labor-Progressive 2.13 Others #DCDCDC 7.58 Seat totals #ddd 600px 410px Liberal #F08080 48.16 PC CA PC 27.34 CCF CA CCF 11.42 Social Credit CA Social Credit 5.30 Bloc populaire CA Bloc populaire 0.81 Labor-Progressive CA Labor-Progressive 0.40 Others #DCDCDC 7.34 Results by province Party nameBCABSKMBONQCNBNSPEYKTotal CA Liberal rowLiberal Seats: 5 2 2 9 34 47 7 9 3   118 CA Liberal row Popular Vote: 27.5 21.8 33.0 32.7 40.8 46.5 50.0 45.7 48.4   39.8 CA PC row Progressive Conservative Seats: 5 2 1 2 48 1 3 2 1 1 66 CA PC row Vote: 30.0 18.7 18.8 24.9 41.4 9.7 38.3 36.8 47.440.0 27.6 CA CCF rowCo-operative Commonwealth Seats:4 - 18 5 - -- 1 - - 28 CA CCF row Vote: 29.4 18.4 44.4 31.6 14.3 2.4 7.4 16.74.2 27.515.6 CA Social Credit rowSocial Credit Seats:- 13 - - - -        13 CA Social Credit row Vote:2.3 36.6 3.0 3.20.2 4.4        4.0 CA Independent rowIndependent Liberal Seats:1        7 -       8 CA Independent row Vote: 1.7         5.9 1.1       1.8 CA Independent rowIndependent Seats:      - -6 - -     6 CA Independent row Vote:       0.8 0.4 16.93.2 0.2    4.9 CA Bloc populaire rowBloc populaire Seats:        - 2        2 CA Bloc populaire row Vote:         0.3 11.9         3.3 CA Labor-Progressive rowCA Labor-Progressive name Seats:- - - - -1   -   - 1 CA Communist row Vote: 5.9 4.5 0.8 5.0 2.0 1.0   0.6  32.4 2.1 CA Independent rowIndependent PC Seats:        -1         1 CA Independent row Vote:        xx 1.0        0.3 CA Independent rowIndependent CCF Seats:1         -         1 CA Independent row Vote:1.4         xx        0.1 CA Liberal-Progressive rowLiberal-Progressive Seats:      1            1 CA Liberal-Progressive row Vote:       1.9            0.1 Total Seats16 17 21 17 8265 10 12 4 1 245Parties that won no seats:CA PC row National Government Vote:         0.3          0.1 CA Independent row Trades Union Vote: 1.1                  0.1 CA Independent row Farmer-Labour Vote:         0.2          0.1 CA Independent rowIndependent Conservative Vote:          0.2        0.1 CA Independent row Democratic Vote: 0.6                 xx CA Ralliement créditiste row Union of Electors Vote:           xx       xx CA Independent row Socialist Labour Vote: 0.1                xx CA Labour row-name Vote:         xx       xx CA Independent row Liberal-Labour Vote:         xx       xx CA Independent row Independent Labour Vote:       0.1         xx CA Independent row Farmer Vote:          xx       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 20th Canadian Parliament Notes References Further reading Argyle, Ray. Turning Points: The Campaigns that Changed Canada : 2004 and before (2004) online pp.237-270. Beck James Murray James Murray Beck Pendulum of Power; Canada's Federal Elections 1968 Prentice-Hall of Canada Scarborough 978-0-13-655670-1 https://archive.org/details/pendulumofpower0000unse registration LeDuc Lawrence Pammett Jon H. McKenzie Judith L. Turcotte André Dynasties and Interludes: Past and Present in Canadian Electoral Politics 2010 Dundurn Press Toronto 978-1-55488-886-3 https://archive.org/details/dynastiesinterlu0000unse registration Canada, Chief Electoral Officer Twentieth General Election, 1945: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer 1945 Queen's Printer Ottawa 2027/mdp.39015024873476 free 1945 Federal Category:June 1945 in Canada