1872 Canadian Federal Election

July 20–October 12, 1872 · Macdonald's Canada · 200 seats, 101 for a majority

Macdonald hung on with a bare working majority against Blake and Mackenzie's Liberals, the campaign financed by railway promoter Hugh Allan's money, the seed of the Pacific Scandal that destroyed the government within a year.

Prime Minister before

John A. Macdonald

Conservative

Prime Minister (continued)

John A. Macdonald

Conservative

Government formed

Conservative

minority government

Turnout

70.3%

The result

Conservative
John A. Macdonald · 0 seats · 38.7%
100
seats
Liberal
Edward Blake (unofficial) · +32 seats · 34.7%
94
seats

6 further seats went to parties and independents outside the main contenders listed above.

Elections before 1874 were held over several weeks of open (non-secret) voting, and many seats went uncontested, so vote totals understate real support.

The result by province & territory

Seats won and vote share in each province and territory. Blank cells mean the party did not contest the province; the results table splits allied labels (Liberal-Conservatives, farmers' candidates, independents) that the headline figures group together.

Conservative
BC 1 (4.5%)MB 1 (29.7%)ON 26 (25.9%)QC 25 (31.5%)NB 2 (8.4%)NS 7 (23.5%)
62
seats
Liberal-Conservative
BC 3MB 1ON 12 (11.9%)QC 12 (10.5%)NB 3 (17.8%)NS 6 (19.8%)
37
seats
Liberal
BC 2 (83.7%)MB 1 (35.6%)ON 48 (35.3%)QC 26 (32.6%)NB 9 (46.8%)NS 8 (28.1%)
94
seats
Conservative Labour
ON 1 (0.9%)
1
seats
Unknown
BC 0 (11.8%)MB 0 (14.9%)ON 0 (23.4%)QC 0 (21.5%)NB 0 (26.9%)NS 0 (16.4%)
0
seats
Independent
ON 0 (0.8%)QC 1 (1.7%)NB 1NS 0 (6.1%)
2
seats
Independent Liberal
ON 1 (1.7%)NB 1NS 0 (6.1%)
2
seats
Independent Conservative
MB 1 (19.8%)QC 1 (2.2%)
2
seats
Total seats
200