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 Canada East and later Quebec).The Province of Canada held 8 unique elections from 1841 to 1864 before Confederation. While party lines were somewhat blurred, there were political parties.
There are many examples of groups of MPs going against the party line, or splitting a party into two. A good example of this is when a number of Liberal MPs supported John A. Macdonald, a Conservative, and his idea for Canadian Confederation, while many other Liberal Party members were opposed to Confederation.
After the establishment of the double majority principle, any bill, in order to be passed, needed a majority of MPs from both Canada West and Canada East. This sometimes led to coalitions between Ontario Liberals and Quebec Tories, or vice versa. The elections listed below are divided into "Left" or "Reformer" camps, and "Right" or "Conservative" camps.
1841
Four major parties contested the 1841 election. The Reformers from Canada West were a group of left-wing, pro-democracy, radical Reformers who wanted to change the government. The Family Compact from Canada West was a group of rich Tories interested in the status quo.
Canada East had two similar groups. Les Patriotes, a reformist group consisting almost exclusively of French Canadians, and the Tories, a mostly English group.
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Reform Left-Wing |
Reform - 29 | Patriotes - 21 | Total - 50 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Family Compact - 10 | Tories - 17 | Total - 27 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
Independent - 1 | Independent - 4 | Total - 5 |
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Tories - 28 | Tories - 13 | Total - 41 |
| Reform Left-Wing |
Reform - 12 | Patriotes - 23 Liberal-5 |
Total - 40 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
Independent - 1 | Independent - 1 | Total - 2 |
Due to the double majority rule (legislation needed a majority of both Canada East and Canada West MPs) this parliament was not able to get much done.
1848
By 1848, the Reformers were popular once more in Canada West.
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Reform Left-Wing |
Reform - 23 | Patriotes - 23 Liberal - 9 |
Total - 55 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Tories - 18 | Tories - 6 | Total - 24 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
Independent - 1 | Independent - 1 | Total - 2 |
Due to the problems of the last parliament, the Governor General was ordered to sign everything that came from this legislature, marking the birth of responsible government in Canada.
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Status Quo Reform Left-of-Center |
Reform - 20 | Ministeralists - 23 Liberal-9 |
Total - 62 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Tories - 20 | Tories - 3 | Total - 24 |
| Radical Reform Left-Wing |
None | Rouges - 4 | Total - 4 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
Independent - 1 | Independent - 3 | Total - 4 |
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Status Quo Reform Centrist |
Reform - 19 | Ministeralists - 35 | Total - 54 |
| Radical Reform Left-Wing |
Clear Grits - 14 Left-wing Reform - 6 |
Rouges & Liberals - 19 | Total - 39 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Conservative - 25 | Conservative - 9 | Total - 34 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
Independent - 1 | None | Total - 1 |
In order to stay in government, the moderate reformers formed a coalition with the Conservatives. The better-formed Conservative party took over the Reform Party, and the remaining Reformers left for the Clear Grits, renaming the party, the Liberal Party.
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Liberal Left-Wing |
Liberal - 34 | Rouges - 10 Liberal - 5 |
Total - 49 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Conservative - 24 | Conservative - 15 | Total - 39 |
| Former Reformer Centrist |
Moderate Reformer - 5 | Bleu - 33 | Total - 38 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
Independent - 1 | None | Total - 1 |
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Liberal Left-Wing |
Liberal - 29 | Liberal - 29 | Total - 58 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Conservative - 29 | Conservative - 8 | Total - 37 |
| Former Reformer Centrist |
Moderate Reformer - 6 | Bleu - 27 | Total - 33 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
None | None | None |
1864
The final election for the Province of Canada took place in 1864. Conservatives supported a greater confederation, but Liberals opposed it. Eventually George Brown led a group of Canada West Liberals to form a coalition with the Conservatives, and began the discussions on the confederation of all of the British North America colonies. The confederation project received wide support from Canada West, general opposition from the maritimes and Canada East was divided.
| Movement | Canada West | Canada East | Total Seats |
| Liberal Left-Wing |
Liberal - 41 | Liberal - 25 | Total - 66 |
| Conservative Right-Wing |
Conservative - 24 | Conservative - 11 | Total - 35 |
| Former Reformer Centrist |
Moderate Reformer - 2 | Bleu - 25 | Total - 27 |
| Non-Aligned Independent |
None | Independent - 1 | Total - 1 |
This election was followed by the first federal election, the Canadian federal election, 1867, and later on the first provincial elections. 1867 marked the beginning of two founding myths: the founding of the Canadian nation in English Canada and the pact between two founding peoples in French Canada.
When Canada became a Dominion of the British Empire, the Conservatives and Liberals retained their names, while the former Reformers became Liberal-Conservatives, and continued to work very closely with the Conservative Party.
Further Reference
List of Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada
List of Canadian federal elections
List of Ontario general elections
List of Quebec general elections