Elections in Canada in the 1970s
Elections in Canada during the 1970s were marked by significant political shifts and economic challenges. The decade began with the Liberal Party, led by Pierre Trudeau, in power since 1963. Trudeau's leadership initially secured a large majority in the 1968 election, but by 1972, a struggling economy characterized by high unemployment and inflation led to a contentious electoral battle against the Progressive Conservative Party, headed by Robert Stanfield. The 1972 election resulted in a narrow victory for the Liberals, who formed a minority government despite winning more seats than their opponents.
In 1974, bolstered by improved popularity, the Liberals aimed for a majority and successfully increased their seat count, even amid ongoing economic concerns. However, the latter part of the decade proved tumultuous for the Trudeau government as economic difficulties persisted, compounded by rising oil prices and a separatist movement in Quebec. By delaying the election until 1979, Trudeau sought to navigate these challenges, but the Conservatives, led by Joe Clark, capitalized on public discontent and won more seats, forming a minority government. This election cycle illustrated the complexities of Canadian politics, where economic issues and regional concerns played crucial roles in shaping electoral outcomes.
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Subject Terms
Elections in Canada in the 1970s
The Event Canadian politicians run for office
Date 1972, 1974, and 1979
Canada experienced three significant elections in the 1970’s that influenced both the internal and external development of the country.
As the 1970’s began, Canada had been governed by the Liberal Party since 1963. In 1968, the party selected a cabinet minister from Quebec, Pierre Trudeau, as its new leader, and he promptly won a large majority government. Although the timing of elections is up to the discretion of individual governments, under the Canadian parliamentary form of government, it is the general custom to hold elections every four years. In 1972, the Trudeau government elected to go to the polls in an effort to win reelection for another term. Its chief opposition came from the Progressive Conservative Party under the leadership of Robert Lorne Stanfield, a former premier of the Province of Nova Scotia.
Confident of victory, the Liberals campaigned on the slogan The Land Is Strong. However, the slogan did not address domestic problems, including rising unemployment and inflation—part of a general economic malaise that also gripped the United States. In the end, the poor economic environment, coupled with a strong Conservative campaign, led to a much closer election than the government had anticipated. For a period on election night, it even appeared that the Liberals had lost. However, when the final count came in, the Liberals had won 109 seats in the Canadian federal parliament to 107 for the Conservatives. The social democratic New Democratic Party, under the leadership of David Lewis, finished third with 31 seats. Although the Liberals won the most seats, they were forced to form a minority government because the party had not won more than half of the seats in the Canadian parliament.
1974 Elections
Although the Liberal Party lacked a majority government in the aftermath of the 1972 election, it struck a deal to gain the support of the New Democratic Party in parliamentary votes in order to prevent the defeat of government bills in the legislature. In 1974, with its increased popularity, it went to the polls in an effort to win power again, this time with a majority government. Again, economic issues, including continuing high levels of inflation, dominated the summer campaign. The Progressive Conservatives, led again by Stanfield, pledged to deal with the problem through wage and price controls in an effort to rein in inflation. Trudeau and the Liberals seized upon this issue and repeatedly ridiculed the Conservatives’ promise. In turn, he emphatically pledged that his party would not adopt similar measures should it be victorious. The inflation issue, coupled with a reinvigorated Trudeau, led to a total vote increase of 5 percent for the Liberals, which equaled 141 seats and a majority government. The Conservative vote also grew slightly, and the party remained strong in Atlantic and Western Canada, but the Liberals picked up enough seats in Central Canada to win a decisive victory. Ironically, fifteen months after the election, the Liberal Party introduced a form of wage and price controls that it had promised during the election campaign not to introduce.
1979 Elections
The second half of the 1970’s proved troublesome for the Trudeau government. The economic problems continued, made worse by rising oil prices and a mounting national debt. The government also faced a growing crisis over the Province of Quebec, where a separatist party took power in a 1976 provincial election. Efforts to curtail the separatist threat led to illegal activities by Canada’s national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and growing scandal. Cumulatively, these factors contributed to making the federal government increasingly unpopular with the Canadian public. Because of its electoral weakness, the government avoided calling an election after four years and instead delayed it until 1979. Avoiding the issues surrounding the economy, the Liberal campaign emphasized Trudeau’s strong leadership and the government’s plan to amend the Canadian constitution. Its opponents, the Progressive Conservatives, under the leadership of Joe Clark, emphasized the poor economy during the decade.
The election result proved to be an upset. The Liberals saw their total of elected members drop to 114, while the Conservatives won 136 seats. Despite the seat totals, the Liberals actually won more votes overall than did the Conservatives. This fact led to suggestions that the Liberals could try to form a government, but in the end, Clark and his party formed a minority government. His government would be one of the shortest in Canadian history, lasting only nine months before Trudeau and the Liberals defeated Clark in a 1980 rematch.
Impact
The Canadian election results of the 1970’s demonstrated the continuing domination of Canadian politics by the Liberal Party and Pierre Trudeau, and the impact of domestic issues, particularly the economy and national unity, helped to determine the election outcomes. In general, the Canadian populace was dissatisfied with the Liberals, but that dissatisfaction did not translate into providing their opponents with a convincing mandate to govern.
Bibliography
Clarkson, Stephen, and Christina McCall. Trudeau and Our Times: Vol. 1—The Magnificent Obsession. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1990. Biography of Trudeau that covers his political career.
Morton, Desmond. A Short History of Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 2001. Accessible historical examination that includes Canadian politics in the 1970’s.
Simpson, Jeffrey. Discipline of Power: The Conservative Interlude and the Liberal Restoration. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1984. A journalist’s account of the 1979 election and its aftermath.
Stewart, Walter. Divide and Con: Canadian Politics at Work. Toronto: New Press, 1973. A look at the 1972 Canadian election by a veteran Canadian journalist.
Young, Lisa, and Keith Archer, eds. Regionalism and Party Politics in Canada. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2002. An examination of the significance of regionalism in Canadian federal elections.