1896 Canadian federal election

2025-10-02T01:51:52Z

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{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1896 Canadian federal election
| country = Canada
| flag_year = 1868
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| party_colour = no
| party_name = no
| previous_election = 1891 Canadian federal election
| previous_year = 1891
| next_election = 1900 Canadian federal election
| next_year = 1900
| seats_for_election = 213 seats in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]
| majority_seats = 107
| turnout = 62.9%<ref>{{cite web|title=Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums
|url=http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=turn&document=index&lang=e|website=Elections Canada|access-date=10 March 2019}}</ref> ({{decrease}} 1.5 [[Percentage Point|pp]])
| election_date = June 23, 1896
| elected_members = 8th Canadian Parliament
| outgoing_members = 7th Canadian Parliament
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image = Sir Wilfrid Laurier c. 1897.jpg |bSize = 350|cWidth = 150|cHeight = 200|oTop = 50|oLeft = 110}}
| colour1 = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|nohash}}
| leader1 = [[Wilfrid Laurier]]
| leader_since1 = June 2, 1887
| party1 = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|name}}
| leaders_seat1 = [[Quebec East]]{{efn|Laurier was also elected in [[Saskatchewan (Provisional District)]]; he chose to sit for Quebec East instead, and resigned as the Member of Parliament for Saskatchewan (Provisional District).}}
| last_election1 = 90 seats, 45.2%
| seats1 = '''117'''
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 27
| popular_vote1 = 401,425
| percentage1 = 41.4%
| swing1 = {{decrease}} 3.8 [[Percentage Point|pp]]
| image2 = [[File:Charles Tupper photographic portrait (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]
| colour2 = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)|nohash}}
| leader2 = [[Charles Tupper]]
| leader_since2 = May 1, 1896
| party2 = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)|name}}
| leaders_seat2 = [[Cape Breton (federal electoral district)|Cape Breton]]
| last_election2 = 117 seats, 48.6%
| seats2 = 86
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}} 31
| popular_vote2 = '''467,415'''
| percentage2 = '''48.2%'''
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 0.4 [[Percentage Point|pp]]
| title = Prime Minister
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
| before_election = [[Charles Tupper]]
| before_party = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)|name}}
| after_election = [[Wilfrid Laurier]]
| after_party = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|name}}
| map_image = Canada 1896 Federal Election.svg
| map_size = 380px
| map_caption = 1896 Canadian electoral map
| map2_image = Chambre des Communes 1896.png
| map2_size = 380px
| map2_caption = The Canadian parliament after the 1896 election
}}
The '''1896 Canadian federal election''' was held on June 23, 1896, to elect members of the [[House of Commons of Canada]] of the [[8th Canadian Parliament|8th Parliament]] of [[Canada]]. Though the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative Party]], led by [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Charles Tupper]], won a plurality of the popular vote, the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]], led by [[Wilfrid Laurier]], won the majority of seats (with only 41 percent of the vote) to form the next government. The election ended 18 years of Conservative rule.

This was first election in Canada to produce a House of Commons with elected members of four parties. The Liberals and Conservative shared the chamber with elected members of the farmer-based [[Patrons of Industry]] and [[McCarthyites (Canada)|McCarthyites]].

==Description==
The governing [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative Party]], since the death of [[John A. Macdonald]] in 1891, was disorganized. Following Macdonald's death, [[John Abbott]] spent a year as Prime Minister before handing over to [[John Sparrow David Thompson|John Thompson]]. Thompson proved a relatively popular Prime Minister, but his sudden death in December 1894 resulted in his replacement by [[Mackenzie Bowell]], whose tenure as Prime Minister proved a disaster. The Conservatives soon became viewed as corrupt and wasteful of public funds, partially due to the McGreevy-Langevin Scandal. Issues like the [[Manitoba Schools Question]] had cost the party support in both French and English Canada.

Though Bowell nominally remained Prime Minister until the election was called, leadership of the Conservative Party had been functionally taken over by Sir [[Charles Tupper]], a [[Canadian Confederation|Father of Confederation]] and former Premier of [[Nova Scotia]]. Earlier, in February 1896, Tupper introduced remedial legislation to settle the Manitoba dispute, but it was filibustered by the [[McCarthyites (Canada)|McCarthyites]], an alliance of extreme Protestants led by [[Dalton McCarthy]], and the Liberals. This filibuster resulted in Tupper abandoning the bill and asking for a dissolution. Parliament was dissolved on April 24, 1896, and, in accordance with an agreement between Bowell and Tupper that the latter would become [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] following the election call, he became prime minister on May 1, 1896, thus forming the [[7th Canadian Ministry]].

Tupper argued that the real issue of the election was the future of Canadian industry, and he insisted that Conservatives needed to unite to defeat the [[Patrons of Industry]]. However, the Conservatives were so bitterly divided over the Manitoba Schools Question that wherever he spoke, he was faced with a barrage of criticism, most notably at a two-hour address he gave at [[Massey Hall]] in [[Toronto]], which was constantly interrupted by the crowd.

The election saw a great change in the Liberal Party. While the Liberals had traditionally been the party for radical change and [[free trade]], in the 1896 election, they embraced a much more conservative platform. That helped many of the traditional supporters of the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative Party]] move to the Liberals. The most important change was Laurier's support of the [[National Policy]], an important cause to the powerful business interests of [[Montreal]] and [[Toronto]]. The Liberal campaign was directed by an ex-Conservative, [[Joseph Israël Tarte]]. Laurier was also a strong supporter of provincial rights, and a number of powerful Liberal premiers supported the campaign, such as [[Ontario]]'s [[Oliver Mowat]] and [[Nova Scotia]]'s [[W. S. Fielding]], both of whom who won seats in the House and were appointed to cabinet after the election.

The Conservatives won more votes in the 1896 election than the Liberals (48.2% of the votes in comparison to 41.4% for the Liberals). However, the Liberals took more seats. The Conservatives captured about half of the seats in English Canada. They suffered losses in Quebec, where Tupper's reputation as an ardent [[imperialist]] was a major handicap. Tupper's inability to persuade [[Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau]] to return to active politics as his [[Quebec lieutenant]] ended any chances of the Conservatives winning the most seats that province. Meanwhile, Laurier's Liberals won a landslide victory in Quebec, as well as getting some seats in English Canada (especially in the Maritimes and the West).

Tupper initially refused to resign as Prime Minister, insisting that Laurier would be unable to form a government. However, when Tupper attempted to make appointments as prime minister, [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|Lord Aberdeen]] refused. Tupper resigned, and the governor general invited Laurier to form a government.

==National results ==
[[File:1896 Canadian parliament.svg|center|300px]]

{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan=2 colspan=2|Party
!rowspan=2|Party leader
!rowspan=2|# of <br />candidates
!colspan=3|Seats
!colspan=3|Popular vote
|- bgcolor=CCCCCC
|align="center"|[[1891 Canadian federal election|1891]]
|align="center"|'''Elected'''
|align="center"|Change
|align="center"|#
|align="center"|%
|align="center"|Change
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}}
| [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
|[[Wilfrid Laurier]]
|align="right"| 190
|align="right"|90
|align="right"| '''117'''
|align="right"|+30.0%
|align="right"| 401,425
|align="right"| 41.37%
|align="right"|-3.85pp
{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}}
| [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]]
| rowspan=2| [[Charles Tupper]]
|align="right"| 190
|align="right"|97
|align="right"| '''71'''
|align="right"| -16.9%
|align="right"| 430,874
|align="right"| 44.40%
|align="right"|+1.44pp
{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}}
| [[Liberal-Conservative]]
|align="right"| 17
|align="right"|20
|align="right"| '''15'''
|align="right"| -25%
|align="right"|36,541
|align="right"| 3.77%
|align="right"|-1.85pp
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Nationalist
| 
|align="right"| 5
|align="right"|1
|align="right"| -
|align="right"|-100%
|align="right"| 14,121
|align="right"| 1.46%
|align="right"|+1.46pp
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| colspan=2| Independent Conservative
|align="right"| 4
|align="right"|3
|align="right"| '''4'''
|align="right"|+33.3%
|align="right"| 12,209
|align="right"| 1.26%
|align="right"|-0.68pp
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Patrons of Industry|row-name}}
| 
|align="right"| 31
|align="right"|*
|align="right"| '''2'''
|align="right"|*
|align="right"| 38,275
|align="right"| 3.94%
|align="right"|*
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| [[McCarthyite candidates 1896|McCarthyite]]
| [[Dalton McCarthy]]
|align="right"| 11
|align="right"|*
|align="right"| '''2'''
|align="right"|*
|align="right"| 12,861
|align="right"| 1.33%
|align="right"|*
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| colspan=2| Independent
|align="right"| 18
|align="right"|2
|align="right"| '''1'''
|align="right"|-50%
|align="right"| 13,870
|align="right"| 1.43%
|align="right"| +0.61pp
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| colspan=2| Independent Liberal
|align="right"| 1
|align="right"|1
|align="right"| '''1'''
|align="right"|-
|align="right"| 2,353
|align="right"| 0.24%
|align="right"|-0.48pp

{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| colspan=2| [[Nationalist Conservative]]
|align="right"| -
|align="right"|1
|align="right"| -
|align="right"|-100%
|align="right"| -
|align="right"| -
|align="right"| -

{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| [[Protestant Protective Association|Protestant Protective]]
| 
|align="right"| 5
|align="right"|*
|align="right"| -
|align="right"|*
|align="right"| 6,233
|align="right"| 0.64%
|align="right"|*
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| colspan=2| Unknown
|align="right"| 1
|align="right"|-
|align="right"| -
|align="right"|-
|align="right"| 1,622
|align="right"| 0.17%
|align="right"|-2.01pp
|-
! colspan=3 |Total
!align="right"| 473
!align="right"| 215
!align="right"|213
!align="right"| +7.0%
!align="right"|970,384
!align="right"| 100%
!align="right"| 
|-
| align="center" colspan=10|'''Sources:''' http://www.elections.ca -- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090609211221/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E History of Federal Ridings since 1867]
|-
|}

'''Note:'''

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

'''Acclamations:'''

The following Members of Parliament were elected by acclamation;
* Ontario: 1 Patron of Industry
* Quebec: 1 Conservative, 2 Liberals

==Results by province ==
{{Main|Results of the 1896 Canadian federal election}}
{| class="wikitable"
! align="center" colspan=3|Party name
! align="center"|[[British Columbia|BC]]
! align="center"|[[Northwest Territories|NT]]
! align="center"|[[Manitoba|MB]]
! align="center"|[[Ontario|ON]]
! align="center"|[[Quebec|QC]]
! align="center"|[[New Brunswick|NB]]
! align="center"|[[Nova Scotia|NS]]
! align="center"|[[Prince Edward Island|PE]]
! align="center"|Total
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}}
| rowspan=2|[[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
| Seats:
| align="right"| 3
| align="right"| 3 
| align="right"| 2 
| align="right"| 43 
| align="right"| 49
| align="right"| 4 
| align="right"| 10 
| align="right"| 2 
| align="right"| 117
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}}
| Popular vote (%):
| align="right"| 51.2
| align="right"| 46.0
| align="right"| 31.0
| align="right"| 40.5
| align="right"| 53.8
| align="right"| 42.5
| align="right"| 31.9
| align="right"| 51.0
| align="right"| 41.4
{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}}
| rowspan=2|[[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]]
| Seats:
| align="right"| 2 
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"| 3 
| align="right"| 34
| align="right"| 16 
| align="right"| 4
| align="right"| 9 
| align="right"| 2
| align="right"| 71
{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"| 48.8
| align="right"| 43.9
| align="right"| 45.1
| align="right"| 40.9
| align="right"| 45.2
| align="right"| 31.5
| align="right"| 65.4
| align="right"| 40.5
| align="right"| 44.4
{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}}
| rowspan=2 |[[Liberal-Conservative]]
| Seats:
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"| 7
| align="right"|- 
| align="right"| 5 
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"| 15
{{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 8.0 
| align="right"| 4.0
| align="right"| 0.4 
| align="right"| 17.5
| align="right"| 2.2
| align="right"| 8.5
| align="right"| 2.2
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| rowspan=2 |Nationalist
| Seats:
| align="right"|   1* 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| -
| align="right"| -
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| -
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 3.2
| align="right"| 0.5 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 1.5
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| rowspan=2 |Independent Conservative
| Seats:
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 4
| align="right"|  
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 4 
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 3.0
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 1.3
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| rowspan=2 |[[Patrons of Industry]]
| Seats:
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 2
| align="right"|  
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 2 
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 7.6 
| align="right"| 8.3
| align="right"| 0.7 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 3.9
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| rowspan=2 |[[McCarthyite candidates 1896|McCarthyite]]
| Seats:
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"|  
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 2 
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 8.3 
| align="right"| 2.4 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 1.3 
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| rowspan=2| Independent
| Seats:
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| - 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| - 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"|- 
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 1
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 10.0 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 1.4 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 8.6 
| align="right"| 0.5 
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 1.4 
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| rowspan=2| Independent Liberal
| Seats:
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 1 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 1
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 0.6 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 0.2 
|-
| colspan=3|'''Total seats'''
| align="right"|''' 6 ''' 
| align="right"| ''' 4 ''' 
| align="right"|''' 7''' 
| align="right"| ''' 92 '''
| align="right"|''' 65''' 
| align="right"|''' 14''' 
| align="right"|''' 20''' 
| align="right"| ''' 5 '''
| align="right"| ''' 213'''
|-
|colspan=12|'''Parties that won no seats:'''
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Protestant Protective
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 1.5 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|  
| align="right"| 0.6 
{{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}}
| Unknown
| Vote (%):
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 0.4 
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"|   
| align="right"| 0.2
|}

*[[George Ritchie Maxwell]] elected in Burrard.

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Argyle |first1=Ray |title=Turning Points: The Campaigns that Changed Canada 2004 and Before |date=2004 |publisher=White Knight Publications |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-9734186-6-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/turningpointscam0000argy |url-access=registration}}
* Blake, Donald E. "1896 and All That: Critical Elections in Canada", ''Canadian Journal of Political Science'', June 1979, Vol. 12 Issue 2, pp. 259–280
* {{cite book |last1=Crunican |first1=Paul |title=Priests and Politicians: Manitoba Schools and the Election of 1896 |date=1974 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-8020-5265-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/priestspoliticia0000crun |url-access=registration}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Politics}}
*[[List of Canadian federal general elections]]
*[[List of political parties in Canada]]
*[[8th Canadian Parliament]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading ==
* Argyle, Ray. ''Turning Points : The Campaigns that Changed Canada : 2004 and before'' (2004) [https://archive.org/details/turningpointscam0000argy online] pp 91-116.

==External links==
*[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/election-1896-feature Election 1896, by Stephen Azzi]

{{election canada}}

[[Category:1896 Canadian federal election| ]]
[[Category:Canadian federal elections by year|1896]]
[[Category:June 1896 in North America]]

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1896 Canadian federal election