1940 Canadian Federal Election

March 26, 1940 · The King–St. Laurent ascendancy · 245 seats, 123 for a majority

King sought and won a wartime mandate with 179 seats, the largest majority to that date, after Ontario Premier Mitchell Hepburn's condemnation of his war effort handed him the pretext for dissolution.

Prime Minister before

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Liberal

Prime Minister (continued)

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Liberal

Government formed

Liberal

majority government

Turnout

69.9%

The result

Sort by

Liberal

W. L. Mackenzie King · +6 seats · 51.3%

179

seats

National Government

Robert Manion · 0 seats · 29.2%

seats

New Democracy

William D. Herridge · -7 seats · 2.6%

seats

CCF

J. S. Woodsworth · +1 seats · 8.4%

seats


Liberal	W. L. Mackenzie King	179	+6	2,365,979	51.3%	+6.6
National Government	Robert Manion	39	0	1,348,260	29.2%	-0.6
New Democracy	William D. Herridge	10	-7	119,354	2.6%	-1.5
CCF	J. S. Woodsworth	8	+1	392,615	8.4%	-1.1

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

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.

Sort by

Liberal

BC 10 (37.4%)AB 7 (37.9%)SK 12 (43.0%)MB 13 (43.5%)ON 56 (50.3%)QC 62 (64.4%)NB 5 (54.6%)NS 10 (50.4%)PE 4 (55.3%)YT 0 (46.4%)

179

seats

National Government

BC 4 (28.8%)AB 0 (13.0%)SK 2 (14.1%)MB 1 (26.2%)ON 22 (40.2%)QC 0 (18.0%)NB 5 (43.4%)NS 1 (40.1%)PE 0 (44.7%)YT 1 (53.6%)

seats

Conservative

SK 0 (0.2%)MB 0 (1.7%)ON 3 (2.2%)QC 0 (1.1%)

seats

Co-operative Commonwealth

BC 1 (28.4%)AB 0 (13.0%)SK 5 (28.7%)MB 1 (19.6%)ON 0 (3.8%)QC 0 (0.7%)NB 0 (0.4%)NS 1 (6.0%)

seats

Social Credit

AB 7 (16.5%)MB 0 (0.6%)

seats

New Democracy

BC 0 (0.1%)AB 3 (18.0%)SK 0 (3.3%)MB 0 (0.4%)QC 0 (0.9%)

seats

Liberal-Progressive

MB 2 (4.7%)ON 1 (0.8%)

seats

Independent Liberal

BC 0 (<0.1%)ON 0 (1.0%)QC 2 (10.2%)NB 0 (1.6%)NS 0 (3.3%)

seats

Independent

BC 1 (3.0%)AB 0 (0.2%)SK 0 (1.0%)MB 0 (3.4%)ON 0 (0.4%)QC 0 (2.1%)NS 0 (0.2%)

seats

United Reform Movement

SK 1 (3.7%)

seats

Unity

SK 1 (3.3%)

seats

Independent Conservative

QC 1 (0.9%)

seats

Show all 13 parties

Total seats

245


Liberal	1037.4%	737.9%	1243.0%	1343.5%	5650.3%	6264.4%	554.6%	1050.4%	455.3%	046.4%	17951.3%
National Government	428.8%	013.0%	214.1%	126.2%	2240.2%	018.0%	543.4%	140.1%	044.7%	153.6%	3630.0%
Conservative			00.2%	01.7%	32.2%	01.1%					31.2%
Co-operative Commonwealth	128.4%	013.0%	528.7%	119.6%	03.8%	00.7%	00.4%	16.0%			88.6%
Social Credit		716.5%		00.6%							71.0%
New Democracy	00.1%	318.0%	03.3%	00.4%		00.9%					31.6%
Liberal-Progressive				24.7%	10.8%						30.6%
Independent Liberal	0<0.1%				01.0%	210.2%	01.6%	03.3%			23.3%
Independent	13.0%	00.2%	01.0%	03.4%	00.4%	02.1%		00.2%			11.3%
United Reform Movement			13.7%								10.3%
Unity			13.3%								10.3%
Independent Conservative						10.9%					10.2%
Total seats	16	17	21	17	82	65	10	12	4	1	245