From Confederation
to the 45th Parliament.

General elections

45 elections,
16 minority governments.

Canada elects its House of Commons by first past the post, so a party can win a majority of seats on well under half the vote — and often has. 29 elections returned a majority government and 16 a minority, most recently in 2008, 2019, 2021, 2025.

Secondary source: seats and vote shares by party for all 45 elections come from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); election dates and turnout from Elections Canada; the 2025 count matches Elections Canada's official result.

Table All 45 general elections

No.	Date	Government	Type	Won	Seats	Majority	Turnout	Prime Minister
45	2025-04-28	Liberal	minority	169	343	172	69.0%	Mark Carney
44	2021-09-20	Liberal	minority	160	338	170	62.6%	Justin Trudeau
43	2019-10-21	Liberal	minority	157	338	170	67.0%	Justin Trudeau
42	2015-10-19	Liberal	majority	184	338	170	68.3%	Justin Trudeau
41	2011-05-02	Conservative	majority	166	308	155	61.1%	Stephen Harper
40	2008-10-14	Conservative	minority	143	308	155	58.8%	Stephen Harper
39	2006-01-23	Conservative	minority	124	308	155	64.7%	Stephen Harper
38	2004-06-28	Liberal	minority	135	308	155	60.9%	Paul Martin
37	2000-11-27	Liberal	majority	172	301	151	64.1%	Jean Chrétien
36	1997-06-02	Liberal	majority	155	301	151	67.0%	Jean Chrétien
35	1993-10-25	Liberal	majority	177	295	148	69.6%	Jean Chrétien
34	1988-11-21	Progressive Conservative	majority	169	295	148	75.3%	Brian Mulroney
33	1984-09-04	Progressive Conservative	majority	211	282	142	75.3%	Brian Mulroney
32	1980-02-18	Liberal	majority	147	282	142	69.3%	Pierre Trudeau
31	1979-05-22	Progressive Conservative	minority	136	282	142	75.7%	Joe Clark
30	1974-07-08	Liberal	majority	141	264	133	71.0%	Pierre Trudeau
29	1972-10-30	Liberal	minority	109	264	133	76.7%	Pierre Trudeau
28	1968-06-25	Liberal	majority	154	264	133	75.7%	Pierre Trudeau
27	1965-11-08	Liberal	minority	131	265	133	74.8%	Lester B. Pearson
26	1963-04-08	Liberal	minority	128	265	133	79.2%	Lester B. Pearson
25	1962-06-18	Progressive Conservative	minority	116	265	133	79.0%	John Diefenbaker
24	1958-03-31	Progressive Conservative	majority	208	265	133	79.4%	John Diefenbaker
23	1957-06-10	Progressive Conservative	minority	112	265	133	74.1%	John Diefenbaker
22	1953-08-10	Liberal	majority	169	265	133	67.5%	Louis St. Laurent
21	1949-06-27	Liberal	majority	191	262	132	73.8%	Louis St. Laurent
20	1945-06-11	Liberal	minority	118	245	123	75.3%	William Lyon Mackenzie King
19	1940-03-26	Liberal	majority	179	245	123	69.9%	William Lyon Mackenzie King
18	1935-10-14	Liberal	majority	173	245	123	74.2%	William Lyon Mackenzie King
17	1930-07-28	Conservative	majority	137	245	123	73.5%	R. B. Bennett
16	1926-09-14	Liberal	minority	116	245	123	67.7%	William Lyon Mackenzie King
15	1925-10-29	Liberal	minority	100	245	123	66.4%	William Lyon Mackenzie King
14	1921-12-06	Liberal	majority	118	235	118	67.7%	William Lyon Mackenzie King
13	1917-12-17	Unionist	majority	153	235	118	75.0%	Robert Borden
12	1911-09-21	Conservative	majority	132	221	111	70.2%	Robert Borden
11	1908-10-26	Liberal	majority	133	221	111	70.3%	Wilfrid Laurier
10	1904-11-03	Liberal	majority	137	214	108	71.6%	Wilfrid Laurier
9	1900-11-07	Liberal	majority	128	213	107	77.4%	Wilfrid Laurier
8	1896-06-23	Liberal	majority	117	213	107	62.9%	Wilfrid Laurier
7	1891-03-05	Conservative	majority	117	215	108	64.4%	John A. Macdonald
6	1887-02-22	Conservative	majority	123	215	108	70.1%	John A. Macdonald
5	1882-06-20	Conservative	majority	133	211	106	70.3%	John A. Macdonald
4	1878-09-17	Conservative	majority	134	206	104	69.1%	John A. Macdonald
3	1874-01-22	Liberal	majority	129	206	104	69.6%	Alexander Mackenzie
2	1872-10-12	Conservative	minority	100	200	101	70.3%	John A. Macdonald
1	1867-09-20	Conservative	majority	100	181	91	73.1%	John A. Macdonald

The right to vote · le droit de vote

Who gained
the vote, and when.

In 1867 the vote belonged to men who owned property, on rules each province set. It took until 1960 for every racial and religious exclusion to go, and until 2019 for the courts and Parliament to settle the votes of prisoners and Canadians abroad. Each entry links to Elections Canada's own history.

1. 1918

   Royal assent (May 24) to the Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women: women aged 21 or older, not alien-born, meeting property rules where those existed, may vote federally. A 1919 amendment let women stand for the House.

   Elections Canada ↗
2. 1920

   The Dominion Elections Act sets one federal franchise regardless of provincial law, creates the Chief Electoral Officer and introduces advance voting — but keeps out anyone a province disqualified by race.

   Elections Canada ↗
3. 1921

   The first federal general election in which women vote on the same basis as men.

   Elections Canada ↗
4. 1940

   Women in Quebec gain the vote in provincial elections, the last province to grant it.

   Elections Canada ↗
5. 1947

   British Columbia restores the provincial vote to Chinese and South Asian Canadians, which also lifted the federal exclusion tied to it. This date is not given in Elections Canada's history.

   Secondary source ↗
6. 1948

   Parliament deletes the clause excluding people disqualified by a province for reasons of race; voting restrictions on Japanese Canadians end. (British Columbia restored their provincial vote in 1949 — secondary.)

   Elections Canada ↗
7. 1950

   Inuit have the vote restored without qualification.

   Elections Canada ↗
8. 1955

   The last religious exclusions (Doukhobors and other conscientious objectors) are removed from the federal elections act.

   Elections Canada ↗
9. 1960

   On March 10 the House votes to give First Nations people the federal vote without requiring them to give up their status under the Indian Act.

   Elections Canada ↗
10. 1970

    The voting age falls from 21 to 18; 18-year-olds first vote in the 1972 general election.

    Elections Canada ↗
11. 1982

    The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms entrenches the right to vote and to be a candidate (s.3).

    Elections Canada ↗
12. 1993

    Inmates serving less than two years, judges and certain people with mental disabilities qualify to vote; special ballots open to anyone who cannot vote on polling day, including Canadians abroad.

    Elections Canada ↗
13. 2002

    Sauvé v. Canada (Chief Electoral Officer), October 31: the Supreme Court strikes down the ban on voting by inmates serving two years or more.

    Elections Canada ↗
14. 2018–19

    Bill C-76 (December 13, 2018) removes the five-year limit on voting from abroad; in January 2019 the Supreme Court, in Frank v. Canada, holds the limit unconstitutional.

    Elections Canada ↗

Quebec · les référendums

Two referendums,
one very close.

Quebec has twice asked its voters about sovereignty. In 1980 No won by almost twenty points; in 1995 by 54,288 votes out of more than 4.6 million. The Parti Québécois, back in government since October 2026, has promised a third.

• May 20, 1980

  Non 59.56% · Oui 40.44%

  2,187,991 No to 1,485,851 Yes; turnout 85.60%; 65,012 rejected ballots. Yes carried 15 of 110 divisions.

  The question

  « Le Gouvernement du Québec a fait connaître sa proposition d’en arriver, avec le reste du Canada, à une nouvelle entente fondée sur le principe de l’égalité des peuples; cette entente permettrait au Québec d’acquérir le pouvoir exclusif de faire ses lois, de percevoir ses impôts et d’établir ses relations extérieures, ce qui est la souveraineté, et, en même temps, de maintenir avec le Canada une association économique comportant l’utilisation de la même monnaie; aucun changement de statut politique résultant de ces négociations ne sera réalisé sans l’accord de la population lors d’un autre référendum; en conséquence, accordez-vous au Gouvernement du Québec le mandat de négocier l’entente proposée entre le Québec et le Canada? »

  “The Government of Québec has made public its proposal to negotiate a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations; this agreement would enable Québec to acquire the exclusive power to make its laws, levy its taxes and establish relations abroad – in other words, sovereignty – and at the same time, to maintain with Canada an economic association including a common currency; no change in political status resulting from these negotiations will be effected without approval by the people through another referendum; on these terms, do you give the Government of Québec the mandate to negotiate the proposed agreement between Québec and Canada?”

  Closest divisions

  1. Lafontaine49.73% Yes
  2. Lévis49.57% Yes
  3. Vanier49.55% Yes
  4. Sainte-Marie50.52% Yes
  5. Laurentides-Labelle49.43% Yes

• October 30, 1995

  Non 50.58% · Oui 49.42%

  2,362,648 No to 2,308,360 Yes; turnout 93.52%; 86,501 rejected ballots. Yes carried 80 of 125 divisions.

  The question

  « Acceptez-vous que le Québec devienne souverain, après avoir offert formellement au Canada un nouveau partenariat économique et politique, dans le cadre du projet de loi sur l’avenir du Québec et de l’entente signée le 12 juin 1995? »

  “Do you agree that Québec should become sovereign, after having formally offered Canada a new economic and political partnership under the bill respecting the future of Québec and the agreement signed on June 12, 1995?”

  Closest divisions

  1. Vimont50.01% Yes
  2. Lotbinière50.10% Yes
  3. Saint-François50.16% Yes
  4. Argenteuil49.69% Yes
  5. Anjou49.51% Yes

After 1995 the Supreme Court set the terms for any future secession in the Secession Reference, and Parliament passed the Clarity Act.