Provincial Game Changers
This fall, five provinces and two territories will head to the polls. Residents of Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Saskatchewan are already in full election mode. Election signs are on lawns, tv ads are airing and mealtimes are being interrupted by canvassers. With millions of Canadians focused on electing their provincial or territorial government, we thought we would take a look back at some notable elections in their history.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be writing about election “game changers.” From history-making political leaders to nail-biting elections to landslide victories, we’ll look at some of the most exciting moments in provincial political history.
You can also visit this virtual exhibit from the Canadian Museum of Civilization — “A History of the Vote in Canada.” The exhibit is based on a book of the same name, published by Elections Canada. For all you political junkies out there, the book can also be read online here.
The first province to head to the polls will be Prince Edward Island on October 3. With small constituencies and some of the most engaged voters in the country, governments tend to be elected by narrow margins. Click here to read about one of their most historic elections.
While the Northwest Territories now has many of the powers and responsibilities that provinces have, it wasn’t always that way. This timeline looks at the evolution of the landscape and government of the Northwest Territories.
The premier Manitobans elected on July 11, 1888 quickly hurled the province into the national spotlight and created a controversy that is still studied in our schools today.
In Ontario’s 1919 general election, the province's first non-traditional third party was elected to the Legislature — and without having a designated party leader.
From its early days as a British colony, through its time as an independent dominion, and up until it joined Canadian Confederation in 1949, Newfoundland has had a tumultuous political history. Perhaps no more dramatic and significant were the riots of 1861.
For a long time, the Yukon was governed by federally-appointed commissioners. In 1978, however, candidates were running under political party banners for the first time and vying to become the territory's first elected leader.
As Saskatchewan heads to the polls today, our choice for their most "game-changing" election should come as no surprise. It is, of course, the 1944 election when Tommy Douglas led the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation to its historic win.