1874 Canadian Federal Election

January 22, 1874 · Macdonald's Canada · 206 seats, 104 for a majority

Alexander Mackenzie's Liberals, in office three months after the Pacific Scandal toppled Macdonald, won a decisive mandate in the first election held on a single day with secret ballots.

Prime Minister before

Alexander Mackenzie

Liberal

Prime Minister (continued)

Alexander Mackenzie

Liberal

Government formed

Liberal

majority government

Turnout

69.6%

The result

Liberal
Alexander Mackenzie · +35 seats · 39.5%
129
seats
Conservative
John A. Macdonald · -35 seats · 30.1%
65
seats

12 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.

Liberal
BC 3 (34.1%)MB 1 (47.0%)ON 61 (39.6%)QC 34 (34.8%)NB 10 (47.1%)NS 15 (38.1%)PE 5 (56.8%)
129
seats
Conservative
BC 1 (4.5%)MB 1 (13.8%)ON 15 (19.5%)QC 17 (17.6%)NB 2 (6.8%)NS 2 (17.8%)PE 1 (17.5%)
39
seats
Liberal-Conservative
BC 1 (16.9%)ON 10 (10.4%)QC 12 (14.9%)NB 1 (8.6%)NS 2 (19.2%)PE 0 (15.4%)
26
seats
Conservative Labour
ON 0 (0.9%)
0
seats
Unknown
BC 0 (29.2%)MB 0 (13.8%)ON 0 (27.2%)QC 0 (27.5%)NB 0 (19.9%)NS 0 (9.0%)PE 0 (10.3%)
24.0%
Independent
MB 1 (9.5%)ON 0 (0.8%)QC 0 (2.3%)NB 2 (17.6%)NS 1 (7.7%)
4
seats
Independent Liberal
BC 1 (15.4%)ON 2 (1.7%)NB 1NS 1 (8.2%)
5
seats
Independent Conservative
MB 1 (15.9%)QC 2 (2.9%)
3
seats
Total seats
206