1991 New Brunswick general election
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox election
The 1991 New Brunswick general election was held on September 23, 1991, to elect 58 members to the 52nd New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada.
As expected, the Liberal Party won a large majority. Many were surprised that the Confederation of Regions Party formed the official opposition.<ref>Cox, K. (1991, Sep 24). Liberals take N.B. as CoR surprises new party wins official opposition. The Globe and Mail </ref> Though they ran even with the PCs in popular vote, their concentration of support in rural anglophone ridings gave them considerably more seats. Weir's personal popularity and name recognition was not enough to give her party more seats as she, and the Tories, had votes relatively evenly spread around the province.
Background
Though Frank McKenna's Liberals were expected to win a second term after sweeping all 58 seats in 1987, any of the other three parties were considered contenders for official opposition.
The New Democratic Party was led by Elizabeth Weir, who had been the strongest and most consistent voice of opposition to the Liberals since her election as party leader in 1988. In the ensuing three years, thanks to the lack of opposition members in the legislature (MLAs), her firebrand style had made her a well-known name in New Brunswick politics.
The fledgling Confederation of Regions Party had been created out of the ashes of the Hatfield Tories when the latter went from majority government to zero seats in 1987. CoR was running numerous former Tory MLAs and candidates, and even some former Tory cabinet ministers. Its base of support was in English-speaking regions of New Brunswick, where many conservatives had become alienated by Hatfield's close relationship with Acadians.
The Progressive Conservatives had been in power for the majority of years since confederation, and 17 straight years before 1987. Even so, the scandals of the final Hatfield years and the growing unpopularity of the federal Progressive Conservatives hindered their success. Additionally they had perceived internal problems having gone through four leaders since the last election: Hatfield, then two-year interim leader Malcolm MacLeod then Barbara Baird, and then Dennis Cochrane.
Opinion polls
| Polling firm | Last day of survey |
Source | NBLA | CoR | NBPC | NBNDP | Other | Template:Abbr | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:Template:Canadian party colour;" data-sort-type="number"| | style="background:Template:Canadian party colour;" data-sort-type="number"| | style="background:Template:Canadian party colour;" data-sort-type="number"| | style="background:Template:Canadian party colour;" data-sort-type="number"| | style="background:Template:Canadian party colour;" data-sort-type="number"| | |||||
| Election 1991 | September 23, 1991 | 47.11 | 21.18 | 20.69 | 10.78 | 0.24 | |||
| Baseline Research | August 1991 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 51 | 15 | 19 | 13 | Template:N/A | 4 | 350 |
| Baseline Research | August 1991 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 51 | 15 | 22 | 10 | Template:N/A | 4 | 350 |
| Baseline Research | July 1991 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 53<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:N/A | 18 | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | 350 |
| Omnifacts | June 1991 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 37 | Template:N/A | 8 | 17 | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | Template:N/A |
| Baseline Research | January 1991 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 58 | 15 | 8 | 19 | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | 350 |
| Baseline Research | March 1990 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 58 | 12 | 17 | 13 | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | Template:N/A |
| Baseline Research | January 1990<ref name="GlobeFeb1990"/> | <ref name="Cox1990">Template:Cite news</ref> | 58 | 12 | 17 | 13 | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | 358<ref name="GlobeFeb1990">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Baseline Research | June 1989 | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 63 | 9 | 17 | Template:N/A | Template:N/A | 6 | Template:N/A |
| New Brunswick Confederation of Regions Party founded (1989) | |||||||||
| Election 1987 | October 13, 1987 | 60.39 | - | 28.59 | 10.55 | 0.47 | |||
Close results
A number of races were close 2 or 3 way contests with only a small fraction of votes separating the winner from the losers. The tables below highlight the seats that the three major parties missed by less than 10 percentage points (pp) and the margins between them and the winner.
| align=center Template:Canadian party colour|Liberal | align=center Template:Canadian party colour|Confederation of Regions | align=center Template:Canadian party colour|Progressive Conservative |
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|
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Results
Results by party
Template:Election table
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC"
!rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Party
!rowspan="2"|Party leader
!rowspan="2"|# of
candidates
!colspan="4"|Seats
!colspan="3"|Popular vote
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC"
| style="text-align:center;" |1987
| style="text-align:center;font-size:75%;"|Dissolution
| style="text-align:center;" |Elected
| style="text-align:center;" |% Change
| style="text-align:center;" |#
| style="text-align:center;" |%
| style="text-align:center;" |Change
Template:Canadian party colour
| style="text-align:left;" |Frank McKenna
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |46
| style="text-align:right;" |-20.7%
| style="text-align:right;" |193,890
| style="text-align:right;" |47.11%
| style="text-align:right;" |-13.28%
Template:Canadian party colour
| style="text-align:left;" |Arch Pafford
| style="text-align:right;" |48
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |0
| style="text-align:right;" |8
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |87,256
| style="text-align:right;" |21.18%
| style="text-align:right;" |-
Template:Canadian party colour
| style="text-align:left;" |Dennis Cochrane
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |0
| style="text-align:right;" |0
| style="text-align:right;" |3
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |85,210
| style="text-align:right;" |20.69%
| style="text-align:right;" |-7.89%
Template:Canadian party colour
| style="text-align:left;" |Elizabeth Weir
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |0
| style="text-align:right;" |0
| style="text-align:right;" |1
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |44,384
| style="text-align:right;" |10.78%
| style="text-align:right;" |+0.23%
Template:Canadian party colour
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |2
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |
| style="text-align:right;" |850
| style="text-align:right;" |0.21%
| style="text-align:right;" |-0.26%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="3" |Total
| style="text-align:right;" |224
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |58
| style="text-align:right;" |-
| style="text-align:right;" |411,590
|colspan="2"|100%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="11" |Source: http://www.gnb.ca/elections
|-
|}
Template:Bar boxTemplate:Bar box
Results by region
| Party Name | North | Central | South West | South East | Total | Liberal | Seats: | 15 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 46 | Popular Vote: | 57.0 | 40.1 | 39.8 | 51.4 | 47.1 | Confederation of Regions | Seats: | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 | Popular Vote: | 5.8 | 35.4 | 25.6 | 17.8 | 21.2 | Progressive Conservative | Seats: | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Popular Vote: | 23.6 | 19.2 | 21.3 | 18.6 | 20.7 | New Democratic | Seats: | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Popular Vote: | 13.0 | 5.2 | 13.3 | 12.1 | 10.8 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total seats: | 16 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results by riding
Legend
- bold denotes party leader
- † denotes an incumbent who is not running for re-election
North
Consisting of Victoria, Madawaska, Restigouche and Gloucester county ridings.
Template:Canadian politics/candlist header |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Victoria-Tobique |Template:Canadian party colour| |Larry R. Kennedy 2,854 | |Carl Skaarup 1,580 | |Neville J. Crabbe 1,664 | |Cheryl Ann Elizabeth Pelkey 308 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Larry Kennedy |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Grand Falls |Template:Canadian party colour| |Paul Duffie 3,617 | |Roy Simon Dee 197 | |Léo R. Thériault 1,209 | |Clyde Winchester 207 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Paul Duffie |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Madawaska-les-Lacs |Template:Canadian party colour| |Georges Corriveau 2,906 | | | |Raout Cyr 2,211 | |Gérard Caron 601 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Georges Corriveau |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Madawaska Centre |Template:Canadian party colour| |Gérald Clavette 2,942 | | | |Don Marmen 1,706 | |Jean-Marie St-Onge 412 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Gérald Clavette |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Edmundston |Template:Canadian party colour| |Roland Beaulieu 3,686 | | | |Patrick Dalpé 1,156 | |Réal Couturier 719 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Roland Beaulieu |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Madawaska South |Template:Canadian party colour| |Pierrette Ringuette 2,843 | | | |Théo Poitras 1,715 | |Julien Tardif 209 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Pierrette Ringuette |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Restigouche West |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jean Paul Savoie 3,922 | |Robert A. Boudreau 517 | |Félix J. Dubé 2,524 | |Rino Pelletier 302 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jean Paul Savoie |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Campbellton |Template:Canadian party colour| |Edmond Blanchard 3,599 | |Ronald Rioux 1,062 | |Bill Ferguson 934 | |Douglas Gordon Kingston 593 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Edmond Blanchard |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Dalhousie |Template:Canadian party colour| |Allan Maher 2,804 | |Isabelle Ann Culverwell Davis 451 | |Scott Chedore 608 | |Aurele Ferlotte 1,927 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Allan Maher |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Restigouche East |Template:Canadian party colour| |Rayburn Doucett 3,023 | |Norman Shea 381 | |Richard Lapointe 294 | |Walter Gauthier, Jr. 1,241 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Rayburn Doucett |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Nigadoo-Chaleur |Template:Canadian party colour| |Albert Doucet 4,732 | | | |David Boudreau 466 | |Raoul Charest 1,696 | |Ulric DeGrace (Ind.) 714 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Albert Doucet |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Nepisiguit-Chaleur |Template:Canadian party colour| |Frank Branch 3,752 | |Laurie Alan Daley 760 | |Robert Hornibrook 616 | |Karen Ann McCrea 1,172 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Frank Branch |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bathurst |Template:Canadian party colour| |Marcelle Mersereau 4,047 | |Laurie Joseph Robichaud 1,280 | |Claire Wilt 1,025 | |Colette Buttimer 832 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Paul Kenny† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Caraquet |Template:Canadian party colour| |Bernard Thériault 5,298 | | | |Gilbert Godin 2,279 | |Roger Duguay 2,167 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Bernard Thériault |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Shippagan-les-Îles | |Aldéa Landry 4,831 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jean Gauvin 4,881 | |John Gagnon 128 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Aldéa Landry |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Tracadie |Template:Canadian party colour| |Denis Losier 6,374 | | | |Colette McGraw 2,103 | |Pierre Cousineau 1,427 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Denis Losier |}
Central
Consisting of Carleton, York, Sunbury and Northumberland county ridings.
Template:Canadian politics/candlist header |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carleton North |Template:Canadian party colour| |Fred Harvey 2,163 | |Jack Salmon 857 | |Dale Graham 2,032 | |Anna Marie Kilfoil 84 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Fred Harvey |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carleton Centre |Template:Canadian party colour| |Allison DeLong 2,087 | |Lois M. Clark 1,281 | |Mary Hatfield 1,387 | |Linda Marie Lawrence 104 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Allison DeLong |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Carleton South |Template:Canadian party colour| |Bruce Smith 2,462 | |Jerry Covey 2,036 | |Bill Hamilton 890 | |Arthur L. Slipp 254 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Bruce Smith |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|York North | |Bob Simpson 3,825 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Gregory James Hargrove 5,463 | |Mark A. Moir 1,174 | |Chris Orenstein 450 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Bob Simpson |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|York South | |Al Lacey 4,754 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Danny Cameron 5,607 | |Marven Grant 1,797 | |Rita Hurley 602 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Al Lacey |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fredericton South |Template:Canadian party colour| |Russ King 4,584 | |Meryl Sarty 3,295 | |Jamie Henderson 2,575 | |Pauline MacKenzie 1,463 | |Henry John Marshall (Ind.) 136 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Russ King |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Fredericton North | |Jim Wilson 3,864 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Ed Allen 6,052 | |Donald H. Parent 1,810 | |Richard Stephen DeSaulniers 553 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jim Wilson |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Sunbury | |Shawn Perry 2,616 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Max White 3,935 | |Keith Ashfield 799 | |Barbara Ann Fairley 306 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Doug Harrison† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Oromocto | |Tom Gilbert 2,036 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Albert Rector 2,197 | |Joe Mombourquette 939 | |Alton Shears 297 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Tom Gilbert |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Southwest Miramichi | |Claude Stewart 2,798 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Brent Taylor 2,954 | |Donald Long 701 | |Larry Lynch 193 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Morris Green† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Miramichi-Newcastle |Template:Canadian party colour| |John McKay 2,583 | |Arch Pafford 2,252 | |Paul Dawson 2,573 | |Liane Tiboudeau-Doucet 315 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |John McKay |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Chatham |Template:Canadian party colour| |Frank McKenna 3,147 | |Jim West 1,563 | |Richard Hilchey 598 | |Wera Baldwin 383 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Frank McKenna |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bay du Vin |Template:Canadian party colour| |Reg MacDonald 2,834 | |John J. Keating 604 | |Muriel Lamkey 1,608 | |Jeanne Thériault 220 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Reg MacDonald |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Miramichi Bay |Template:Canadian party colour| |Danny Gay 3,940 | |James Grant MacIntosh 638 | |Emilien LeBreton 2,117 | |Norman A. Richardson 493 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Danny Gay |}
South West
Consisting of Queens, Kings, Saint John and Charlotte county ridings.
Template:Canadian politics/candlist header |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Queens North |Template:Canadian party colour| |Doug Tyler 1,740 | |Constance Melissa Webber 1,654 | |Clayton Chase 256 | |Susan Barton 94 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Doug Tyler |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Queens South |Template:Canadian party colour| |Vaughn Blaney 1,543 | |Jarvis M. Ducey 1,205 | |Larry C. Black 676 | |Gordon Black 255 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Vaughn Blaney |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kings West |Template:Canadian party colour| |Laureen Jarrett 6,219 | |Glendon F. Jones 3,810 | |Nancy E. Grant 3,267 | |Roger M. Olmstead 1,494 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Laureen Jarrett |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kings Centre |Template:Canadian party colour| |Georgie Day 3,011 | |Colby Fraser 2,882 | |Charles Edward Murray 2,371 | |Marian Jefferies 1,133 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Kal Seaman† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kings East | |Tim Wilson 2,843 | |Mel Stockford 2,098 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Hazen Myers 2,871 | |Anne-Marie Dupuis 617 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Pete Dalton† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saint John Fundy |Template:Canadian party colour| |Stuart Jamieson 2,213 | |Gary William Vincent 1,868 | |Bev Harrison 2,033 | |Kathleen Fudge 907 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Stuart Jamieson |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|East Saint John |Template:Canadian party colour| |George J. Jenkins 2,785 | |Gary Ewart 2,650 | |Don Elliott 1,360 | |Ben Donaldson 1,868 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Peter Trites† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saint John Harbour |Template:Canadian party colour| |Louis Murphy 1,779 | |Marie Gerrior 844 | |Nargis Kheraj 496 | |Al Maund 968 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Louis Murphy |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saint John South | |John Mooney 1,596 | |Ray McDevitt 549 | |Paddy Addison 514 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Elizabeth Weir 1,675 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |John Mooney |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saint John Park |Template:Canadian party colour| |Shirley Dysart 1,743 | |Richard Condon Sullivan Kinsella 825 | |Shirley McAlary 733 | |Judith Meinert 777 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Shirley Dysart |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saint John North |Template:Canadian party colour| |Leo McAdam 1,892 | |Peter A. Whitebone 950 | |Doug Shippee 1,089 | |Julie Galbraith 966 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Leo McAdam |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saint John West |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jane Barry 3,527 | |Jim Webb 2,471 | |Gerry Maher 1,559 | |Robert W. Hickes 1,382 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jane Barry |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Charlotte-Fundy |Template:Canadian party colour| |Eric Allaby 1,950 | |Keith B. Guptilt 957 | |Sharon Tucker 757 | |Dorothy Matthews 183 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Eric Allaby |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Charlotte Centre |Template:Canadian party colour| |Sheldon Lee 2,195 | |Connie M. Stewart 516 | |Stanley John Smith 471 | |Jean Stewart 162 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Sheldon Lee |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Charlotte West |Template:Canadian party colour| |Reid Hurley 1,796 | |Mabel Groom 768 | |Bev Lawrence 1,077 | |Ellen Smith 281 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Reid Hurley |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|St. Stephen-Milltown |Template:Canadian party colour| |Ann Breault 1,820 | |Robert Michael Booth 798 | |Ken Stevens 1,129 | |Irene Tobin 114 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Ann Breault |}
South East
Consisting of Kent, Westmorland and Albert county ridings.
Template:Canadian politics/candlist header |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kent North |Template:Canadian party colour| |Conrad Landry 3,377 | | | |Dominique Babineau 939 | |Docile Doiron 1,011 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Conrad Landry |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kent Centre |Template:Canadian party colour| |Alan Graham 3,025 | |Percy Beers 626 | |David MacDonald 347 | |Neil Gardner 379 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Alan Graham |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kent South |Template:Canadian party colour| |Camille Thériault 5,573 | | | |Jean-Claude Cormier 2,023 | |Gérald Mazerolle 1,256 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Camille Thériault |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Shediac |Template:Canadian party colour| |Bernard Richard 7,298 | |Lester Russell Hyslop 481 | |Emile Goguen Dupré 1,240 | |Patrick Allain 830 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Azor LeBlanc† |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Tantramar |Template:Canadian party colour| |Marilyn Trenholme 3,008 | |Clarke Edgar Sheppard 1,091 | |William R. Campbell 556 | |Robert Hall 1,419 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Marilyn Trenholme |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Memramcook |Template:Canadian party colour| |Greg O'Donnell 6,393 | |Julia Elnora LeBlanc 407 | |Jean-Robert Gaudet 680 | |Martin Aubin 1,797 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Greg O'Donnell |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Moncton East |Template:Canadian party colour| |J. Raymond Frenette 4,041 | |William André Joseph LeSage 1,120 | |John Hansen 1,026 | |Mary Elizabeth McLaughlin 1,416 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Ray Frenette |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Moncton North |Template:Canadian party colour| |Mike McKee 4,797 | |Tom Taylor 1,780 | |John MacFarlane 1,262 | |J.C. Bourque 973 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Mike McKee |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Moncton West |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jim Lockyer 3,558 | |Arthur M. Hayden 1,691 | |Ben D. Stymiest 1,483 | |Stephanie Day Domingue 726 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Jim Lockyer |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Petitcodiac | |Hollis S. Steeves 4,698 | |Leona May Geldart 4,786 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Dennis Cochrane 4,879 | |Richard Hay 1,204 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Hollis Steeves |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Riverview | |Hubert Seamans 3,115 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Gordon B. Willden 3,139 | |Ross MacCallum 2,084 | |Wayne Brown 594 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Hubert Seamans |- |bgcolor=whitesmoke|Albert | |Lee Martin 1,432 |Template:Canadian party colour| |Beverly M. Brine 2,328 | |Wayne Steeves 1,641 | |Elizabeth Venart 277 | | |Template:Canadian party colour| |Harold Terris† |}