Canadian federal election, 1968

Canadian federal election, 1968

1965 ← June 25, 1968 → 1972

outgoing members ← → elected members

264 seats in the 28th Canadian Parliament 133 seats needed for a majority Turnout 75.7% (0.9pp)   First party Second party   Leader Pierre Trudeau Robert Stanfield Party Liberal Progressive Conservative Leader since April 6, 1968 September 9, 1967 Leader's seat Mount Royal Halifax Last election 131 seats, 40.18% 97 seats, 32.41% Seats before 128 94 Seats won 154 72 Seat change 26 22 Popular vote 3,686,801 2,554,397 Percentage 45.37% 31.43% Swing 5.18pp 0.98pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Tommy Douglas Réal Caouette Party New Democratic Ralliement créditiste Leader since August 3, 1961 September 1, 1963 Leader's seat Burnaby—Coquitlam ran in Burnaby—Seymour (lost) Témiscamingue Last election 21 seats, 17.91% 9 seats, 4.66% Seats before 22 8 Seats won 22 14 Seat change 0 6 Popular vote 1,378,263 360,404 Percentage 16.96% 4.43% Swing 0.95pp 0.22pp

Prime Minister before election Pierre Trudeau Liberal Prime Minister-designate Pierre Trudeau Liberal

Pierre Trudeau
Liberal

Pierre Trudeau
Liberal

The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party won a majority government under its new leader, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

This was the last federal election in which some provinces (specifically Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan) had fewer seats they had been allocated in the previous election due to a redistribution. The 1966 census, for example, revealed that Alberta had a population about 50% greater than Saskatchewan's even though both provinces had the same number of seats at the time (17). Saskatchewan was the only province to lose multiple seats in the redistribution (4). It was also the only election in Canadian history where fewer total seats were contested compared to the previous vote (264 instead of 265). Changes to the Constitution enacted since that time have rendered the prospect of similar reductions far less likely.

Trudeau, who was a relative unknown until he was appointed to the cabinet by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, had won a surprise victory over Paul Joseph James Martin, Paul Hellyer and Robert Winters in the party's leadership election earlier in 1968. The charismatic, intellectual, handsome, single, and fully bilingual Trudeau soon captured the hearts and minds of the nation, and the period leading up to the election saw such intense feelings for him that it was dubbed "Trudeaumania." At public appearances, he was confronted by screaming girls, something never before seen in Canadian politics.

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Wikipedia