Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
1962 Canadian federal election
The 1962 Canadian federal election was held on June 18, 1962, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 25th Parliament of Canada. The governing Progressive Conservative (PC) Party won a plurality of seats in this election, and its majority government was reduced to a minority government.
When the writs were issued, PC Prime Minister John Diefenbaker had governed for four years with a 151-seat majority in the House. This election diminished the PCs to a tenuous minority government, winning 92 fewer seats than in the previous election, and losing 89 seats from its dissolution total. The PCs also only won the popular vote by 0.25%, the narrowest popular vote margin between the top two parties in Canadian federal election history. This came directly after the PCs won the largest majority government in Canadian federal election history, and the popular vote by the fourth-largest margin, in 1958. Many factors played a role in this dramatic shift, including economic difficulties such as high unemployment and a slumping Canadian dollar, as well as unpopular decisions such as the cancellation of the Avro Arrow.
Despite the Diefenbaker government's difficulties, the Liberal Party, led by Lester B. Pearson, was unable to make up enough ground in the election to defeat the government. This was also the first general election where the former Co-operative Commonwealth Federation contested under their new name, the New Democratic Party, upon affiliating with the Canadian Labour Congress. For the Social Credit Party, routed from the Commons just four years earlier, this election proved a high-water mark - though its share of the popular vote increased slightly in 1963, a split shortly thereafter marked the beginning of a steep decline in Western Canada, with Social Credit losing its last non-Quebec MPs in the 1965 election.
This was the first election in which all adult Indigenous peoples in Canada had the right to vote after the passage of a repeal of certain sections of the Canada Elections Act on March 31, 1960. First Nations and Status "Indians", which included Inuit, had been ineligible to vote under the Indian Act—considered "wards of the Crown" and excluded from full Canadian citizenship. They could not vote unless they gave up their treaty status through enfranchisement. On paper, Métis people have held the right to vote since before confederation and were not included in the Indian Act.
For the first time ever, the entire landmass of Canada was covered by federal electoral districts as the former Mackenzie River riding was expanded to cover the entire Northwest Territories, and renamed eponymously.
During its term of office, the Diefenbaker government had introduced reforms to social programs, a Canadian Bill of Rights, and other changes. The Tories tried to defend the decline in the Canadian dollar by pointing out the benefits to the tourism industry, exports, manufacturing and farming, and employment. They denied that the devaluation affected the price of bread, beef, gasoline and fruit and vegetables, saying that these prices were either set in Canada or were influenced by other factors.
The Liberals campaigned under the slogan, "Take a stand for tomorrow," and attempted to portray the Diefenbaker government as "feeble," with a divided cabinet. The Liberals criticized the PCs for their "reckless mismanagement of finances," the slowdown in the Canadian economy, a lack of confidence in government policies, job losses, and a lower standard of living than in 1956. The Liberals also argued that the steep devaluation in the Canadian dollar was increasing the cost of living for Canadians.
The 1962 election was the first contested by the social democratic New Democratic Party, which had been formed from an alliance between the old Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress. The party chose longtime Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas as its first leader. The new party recovered ground lost by the CCF in the 1958 federal election, when it was nearly wiped out. It won almost 50% more votes than the CCF had ever managed, but it failed to achieve the major breakthrough that had been hoped for when the party was created.
Hub AI
1962 Canadian federal election AI simulator
(@1962 Canadian federal election_simulator)
1962 Canadian federal election
The 1962 Canadian federal election was held on June 18, 1962, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 25th Parliament of Canada. The governing Progressive Conservative (PC) Party won a plurality of seats in this election, and its majority government was reduced to a minority government.
When the writs were issued, PC Prime Minister John Diefenbaker had governed for four years with a 151-seat majority in the House. This election diminished the PCs to a tenuous minority government, winning 92 fewer seats than in the previous election, and losing 89 seats from its dissolution total. The PCs also only won the popular vote by 0.25%, the narrowest popular vote margin between the top two parties in Canadian federal election history. This came directly after the PCs won the largest majority government in Canadian federal election history, and the popular vote by the fourth-largest margin, in 1958. Many factors played a role in this dramatic shift, including economic difficulties such as high unemployment and a slumping Canadian dollar, as well as unpopular decisions such as the cancellation of the Avro Arrow.
Despite the Diefenbaker government's difficulties, the Liberal Party, led by Lester B. Pearson, was unable to make up enough ground in the election to defeat the government. This was also the first general election where the former Co-operative Commonwealth Federation contested under their new name, the New Democratic Party, upon affiliating with the Canadian Labour Congress. For the Social Credit Party, routed from the Commons just four years earlier, this election proved a high-water mark - though its share of the popular vote increased slightly in 1963, a split shortly thereafter marked the beginning of a steep decline in Western Canada, with Social Credit losing its last non-Quebec MPs in the 1965 election.
This was the first election in which all adult Indigenous peoples in Canada had the right to vote after the passage of a repeal of certain sections of the Canada Elections Act on March 31, 1960. First Nations and Status "Indians", which included Inuit, had been ineligible to vote under the Indian Act—considered "wards of the Crown" and excluded from full Canadian citizenship. They could not vote unless they gave up their treaty status through enfranchisement. On paper, Métis people have held the right to vote since before confederation and were not included in the Indian Act.
For the first time ever, the entire landmass of Canada was covered by federal electoral districts as the former Mackenzie River riding was expanded to cover the entire Northwest Territories, and renamed eponymously.
During its term of office, the Diefenbaker government had introduced reforms to social programs, a Canadian Bill of Rights, and other changes. The Tories tried to defend the decline in the Canadian dollar by pointing out the benefits to the tourism industry, exports, manufacturing and farming, and employment. They denied that the devaluation affected the price of bread, beef, gasoline and fruit and vegetables, saying that these prices were either set in Canada or were influenced by other factors.
The Liberals campaigned under the slogan, "Take a stand for tomorrow," and attempted to portray the Diefenbaker government as "feeble," with a divided cabinet. The Liberals criticized the PCs for their "reckless mismanagement of finances," the slowdown in the Canadian economy, a lack of confidence in government policies, job losses, and a lower standard of living than in 1956. The Liberals also argued that the steep devaluation in the Canadian dollar was increasing the cost of living for Canadians.
The 1962 election was the first contested by the social democratic New Democratic Party, which had been formed from an alliance between the old Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress. The party chose longtime Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas as its first leader. The new party recovered ground lost by the CCF in the 1958 federal election, when it was nearly wiped out. It won almost 50% more votes than the CCF had ever managed, but it failed to achieve the major breakthrough that had been hoped for when the party was created.