1935 Canadian federal election

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1935 Canadian federal election
← 1930 October 14, 1935 1940 →
245 seats in the House of Commons
123 seats needed for a majority
Turnout74.2%[1] (Increase0.7pp)
  First party Second party Third party
  Wm Lyon Mackenzie King.jpg Richard Bedford Bennett.jpg John Horne Blackmore2.jpg
Leader W. L. Mackenzie King R. B. Bennett J. H. Blackmore
Party Liberal Conservative Social Credit
Leader since 1919 1927 1935
Leader's seat Prince Albert Calgary West Lethbridge
Last election 90 135 pre-creation
Seats won 171 39 17
Seat change Increase81 Decrease96 Increase17
Popular vote 1,967,839 1,290,671 180,679
Percentage 44.68% 29.84% 4.10%
Swing Increase0.65pp Decrease18.48pp Increase4.10pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
  Ac.woodsworth.jpg Henry Herbert Stevens.jpg
Leader J. S. Woodsworth H. H. Stevens
Party Co-operative Commonwealth Reconstruction
Leader since 1932 1935
Leader's seat Winnipeg North Centre Kootenay East
Last election pre-creation pre-creation
Seats won 7 1
Seat change Increase7 Increase1
Popular vote 410,125 384,462
Percentage 9.31% 8.73%
Swing Increase9.31pp Increase8.73pp
Canada 1935 Federal Election.svg
Chambre des Communes 1935.png
The Canadian parliament after the 1935 election
Prime Minister before election

R. B. Bennett
Conservative

Prime Minister after election

William Lyon Mackenzie King
Liberal

The 1935 Canadian federal election was held on October 14, 1935. to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R. B. Bennett's Conservatives.

The central issue was the economy, which was still in the depths of the Great Depression. Bennett, in office since the 1930 election, had done little to stimulate the economy during his first few years, believing that a policy of high tariffs and trade within the British Empire would correct the depression. In the last months of his time in office, he reversed his position, however, copying the popular New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt in the United States. Upset about high unemployment and inaction by the federal government, voters were unwilling to allow the Conservatives to continue to govern, despite their change of policy.

The Conservatives were also suffering severe internal divisions. During his first years in office, Bennett had alienated those in his party who supported intervention in the economy. His last minute conversion to interventionism alienated the rest of the party. Former cabinet minister H.H. Stevens left to form the Reconstruction Party. Senior minister Sir Joseph Flavelle announced he would be supporting the Liberals.

Voters opted for Mackenzie King's promise of mild reforms to restore economic health. The Liberals crushed the Tories, winning 171[2] seats to the Conservatives' 39, the worst ever performance by the Tories until their collapse in 1993. The Liberal Party would continue to hold power until 1957.

The 1935 election was also important in it saw the final demise of the Progressive Party and the United Farmers of Alberta. Two new movements rose out of the west, however. The new Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a social democratic party, first competed in this election and won seven seats, promising social reform.

The Social Credit Party of Canada was even more successful, capturing seventeen seats on its platform of monetary reform despite winning less of the popular vote than the former. Fifteen of these seats were in Alberta, where the party dominated after having swept to power in a landslide less than two months before the federal vote.

National results[]

1935 Canadian parliament English version.svg
↓
173 39 17 7 9
Liberal Conservative SC CC O
Party Party leader # of
candidates 		Seats Popular vote
1930 Elected % Change # % pp Change
  Liberal W. L. Mackenzie King 245 90 173 +92.2% 1,967,839 44.68% +0.65
  Conservative R. B. Bennett 228 134 39 -70.9% 1,290,671 29.30% -18.48
Social Credit J. H. Blackmore 46 * 17 * 180,679 4.10% *
  Co-operative Commonwealth J. S. Woodsworth 121 * 7 * 410,125 9.31% *
Liberal–Progressive   5 3 4 +33.3% 29,569 0.67% -0.48
Reconstruction H.H. Stevens 172 * 1 * 384,462 8.73% *
  Independent Liberal 24 - 1   54,239 1.23% +0.86
  Independent 13 2 1 -50.0% 17,207 0.39% -0.16
  United Farmers of Ontario-Labour   1 - 1   7,210 0.16% +0.16
  Independent Conservative 4 - 1   1,078 0.02% -0.24
Communist Tim Buck 12 - - - 20,140 0.46% +0.34
Labour   5 2 - -100% 14,423 0.33% -0.35
  Progressive-Conservative   2 1 - -100% 12,220 0.28% -0.13
    1 * - * 4,214 0.10% *
    1 * - * 3,961 0.09% *
  Unknown 3 - - - 3,407 0.08% -0.11
  Independent Reconstructionist 1 * 0 * 865 0.02% *
  Technocrat   1 * 0 * 733 0.02% *
  Liberal-Labour   3 - - - 708 0.02% -0.17
  Socialist Party of Canada (WSM)   1 * - * 251 0.01% *
  Independent Labour 1 - - - 221 0.01% -0.41
    1 * - * 79 x *
Total 891 245 245 - 4,404,301 100%  
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

Vote and seat summaries[]

Popular vote
Liberal
 
 44.68%
Conservative
 
 29.84%
CCF
 
 9.31%
Social Credit
 
 4.10%
Others
 
 12.07%
Seat totals
Liberal
 
 70.61%
Conservative
 
 15.92%
Social Credit
 
 6.94%
CCF
 
 2.86%
Others
 
 3.67%

Results by province[]

Party name BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE YK Total
  Liberal Seats won by party: 6 1 16 10 56 59 9 12 4 - 173
  Popular Vote (%): 31.8 21.6 40.8 31.7 42.2 56.0 57.2 52.7 58.3 44.4 44.7
  Conservative Seats: 5 1 1 1 25 5 1 - - 39
  Vote: 24.9 17.6 18.0 27.9 35.8 27.5 31.9 34.5 38.4 29.8
  Co-operative Commonwealth Seats: 3 - 2 2 - -       7
  Vote: 32.7 12.0 21.3 19.4 8.0 0.6     8.8
  Social Credit Seats: - 15 2 -             17
  Vote: 0.6 46.6 17.8 2.0             4.1
  Liberal-Progressive Seats:       4           4
  Vote:       10.5           0.7
  Reconstruction Seats: 1 - - - - - - - -   1
  Vote: 7.3 0.7 1.3 5.9 11.4 9.3 9.7 12.7 3.4   8.7
  Independent Liberal Seats:       - - 1 - -     1
  Vote:     0.2 0.6 3.8 0.4 3     1.2
  Independent Seats: 1     - - - -       1
  Vote: 1.8 0.1 0.2 0.7 0.8     0.4
  UFO-Labour Seats:         1           1
  Vote:         0.5           0.2
  Independent Conservative Seats:         -       1 1
  Vote:         xx       55.6 xx
Total Seats 16 17 21 17 82 65 10 12 4 1 245
Parties that won no seats:
Communist Vote: 0.5 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.3         0.5
  Farmer-Labour Vote: 0.3       0.5 0.5         0.3
  Progressive-Conservative Vote:       0.5   0.7         0.1
  Vote:           0.4         0.1
  Vote:         0.2           0.1
  Unknown Vote:         0.x 0.x         0.1
  Independent Reconstruction Vote:           0.1         xx
  Technocrat Vote:   0.3                 xx
  Liberal-Labour Vote:           0.1         xx
Socialist Vote: 0.1                   xx
  Independent Labour Vote:           0.x         xx
  Vote:           0.x         xx
  • xx - less than 0.05% of the popular vote

See also[]

Further reading[]

  • The Editors, ed. (1939). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1935 and 1936. Toronto: The Annual Review Company.
  • H. Blair Neatby, William Lyon Mackenzie King: 1932-1939 (1976)
  • J. R. H. Wilbur (1968). The Bennett new deal: fraud or portent?. Copp Clark.

References[]

  1. ^ "Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums". Elections Canada. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ "1935 Election". www.canadahistory.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-06.
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