1953 Canadian federal election explained

Election Name:	1953 Canadian federal election
Country:	Canada
Flag Year:	1921
Type:	parliamentary
Ongoing:	no
Party Colour:	no
Party Name:	no
Previous Election:	1949 Canadian federal election
Previous Year:	1949
Next Election:	1957 Canadian federal election
Next Year:	1957
Majority Seats:	133
Turnout:	67.5%^[1] (6.3pp)
Election Date:	August 10, 1953
Elected Members:	22nd Canadian Parliament
Outgoing Members:	21st Canadian Parliament
Image1:	Louis St. Laurent portrait.jpg
Leader1:	Louis St. Laurent
Leader Since1:	August 7, 1948
Leaders Seat1:	Quebec East
Last Election1:	191
Seats1:	169
Seat Change1:	22
Popular Vote1:	2,731,633
Percentage1:	48.43%
Swing1:	0.72pp
Leader2:	George A. Drew
Leader Since2:	October 2, 1948
Leaders Seat2:	Carleton
Last Election2:	41
Seats2:	51
Seat Change2:	10
Popular Vote2:	1,749,579
Percentage2:	31.02%
Swing2:	1.37pp
Image4:	Major James Coldwell (cropped).jpg
Leader4:	Major James Coldwell
Leader Since4:	March 22, 1942
Leaders Seat4:	Rosetown—Biggar
Last Election4:	13
Seats4:	23
Seat Change4:	10
Popular Vote4:	636,310
Percentage4:	11.28%
Swing4:	2.14pp
Image5:	File:Solon Earl Low (cropped2).jpg
Leader5:	Solon Earl Low
Leader Since5:	April 6, 1944
Leaders Seat5:	Peace River
Last Election5:	10
Seats5:	15
Seat Change5:	5
Popular Vote5:	304,553
Percentage5:	5.40%
Swing5:	3.09pp
Map Size:	350px
Prime Minister
Posttitle:	Prime Minister after election
Before Election:	Louis St. Laurent
After Election:	Louis St. Laurent
Map2 Image:	Chambre des Communes 1953.png
Map2 Caption:	The Canadian parliament after the 1953 election

The 1953 Canadian federal election was held on August 10, 1953, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 22nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent led his Liberal Party of Canada to its second consecutive majority government, although the party lost seats to the other parties.

The Progressive Conservative Party, led by former Premier of Ontario, George Drew, formed the official opposition, but for the last time until 1993, the party was unable to win the popular vote in any of Canada's provinces or territories.

This was the last election until 1988 in which any party won back-to-back majorities, and the last until 1997 in which the Liberals would accomplish this feat. This election is the last time that the Liberals would win more seats in Alberta than the largest right-of-centre party in Canada, and the last time they would win more seats than the Tories in Alberta until 1993.

National results

See also Results of the 1953 Canadian federal election

Party	Party leader	of candidates	Seats			Popular vote
1949			Elected	% Change		%	pp Change		Louis St. Laurent	262	191	169	align="right"	-11.5%	2,731,633	48.43%	align="right"	-0.72		George Drew	248	41	51	+24.4%	1,749,579	31.02%	+1.37		M.J. Coldwell	170	13	23	+76.9%	636,310	11.28%	align="right"	-2.14	Solon Low	71	10	15	+50%	304,553	5.40%	+3.09	Independent		14	4	3	align="right"	-25.0%	58,458	1.04%	align="right"	-1.01	Independent Liberal		19	1	2	+100%	68,506	1.21%	+0.69	Liberal-Labour^1		1	1	1	align="right"	-	11,380	0.20%	align="right"	-		1	1	1	align="right"	-	8,958	0.16%	align="right"	-	Tim Buck	100	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	59,622	1.06%	+0.50	Nationalist	Adrien Arcand	1		align="right"	-		7,496	0.13%		Independent Progressive Conservative		3	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	1,636	0.03%	align="right"	-0.11			1		align="right"	-		1,505	0.03%		Independent Social Credit		1	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	422	0.01%	align="right"	-0.07	Locataire (candidat)		1		align="right"	-		417	0.01%				1		align="right"	-		333	0.01%				1	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	130	x	x
Total	897	262	265	+1.1%	5,640,938	aligh=right	100%
Sources: http://www.elections.ca History of Federal Ridings since 1867

Notes:

* - not applicable - the party was not recognized in the previous election

x - less than 0.005% of the popular vote

¹ The Liberal-Labour MP sat with the Liberal caucus.

Results by province

Party name	BC	AB	SK	MB	ON	QC	NB	NS	PE	NL	NW	YK	Total	Liberal	Seats:	8 <	--BC-->	4<	--Alb-->	5 <	--Sask-->	7<	--Man-->	50 <	--Ont-->	66<	--Que-->	7 <	--NB-->	10<	--NS-->	3 <	--PEI-->	7 <	--NL-->	1 <	--NW-->	1 <	--YK-->	169<	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	30.9<	--BC-->	35.1 <	--Alb-->	37.3 <	--Sask-->	37.0 <	--Man-->	46.0 <	--Ont-->	61.0 <	--Que-->	52.7 <	--NB-->	53.0 <	--NS-->	51.1 <	--PEI-->	67.2 <	--NL-->	49.4 <	--NW-->	78.7 <	--YK-->	48.4 <	--Canada/Total-->	Progressive Conservative	Seats:	3 <	--BC-->	2 <	--Alb-->	1 <	--Sask-->	3 <	--Man-->	33 <	--Ont-->	4 <	--Que-->	3 <	--NB-->	1 <	--NS-->	1 <	--PEI-->	0 <	--NL-->	- <	--NW-->	- <	--YK-->	51 <	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	14.1 <	--BC-->	14.5 <	--Alb-->	11.7 <	--Sask-->	27.0 <	--Man-->	40.3 <	--Ont-->	29.4 <	--Que-->	41.9 <	--NB-->	40.1 <	--NS-->	48.0 <	--PEI-->	28.1 <	--NL-->	38.5 <	--NW-->	21.3 <	--YK-->	31.0 <	--Canada/Total-->	Co-operative Commonwealth	Seats:	7 <	--BC-->	align="right"	-	11 <	--Sask-->	3<	--Man-->	1<	--Ont-->	-<	--Que-->	align="right"	-	1 <	--NS-->	align="right"	-	- <	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	23<	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	26.6 <	--BC-->	6.9 <	--Alb-->	44.2 <	--Sask-->	23.6 <	--Man-->	11.1 <	--Ont-->	1.5 <	--Que-->	3.0 <	--NB-->	6.7 <	--NS-->	0.8 <	--PEI-->	0.6 <	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	11.3 <	--Canada/Total-->	Social Credit	Seats:	4 <	--BC-->	11 <	--Alb-->	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	align="right"	-	<	--Que-->	align="right"	-	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	15<	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	26.1 <	--BC-->	40.7 <	--Alb-->	5.3 <	--Sask-->	6.3 <	--Man-->	0.3 <	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	0.4 <	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	5.4 <	--Canada/Total-->	Independent	Seats:	<	--BC-->	- <	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	align="right"	-	-<	--Ont-->	3 <	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	- <	--NL-->	align="right"	-	<	--YK-->	3 <	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	0.1<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	0.2<	--Man-->	0.3<	--Ont-->	3.0 <	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	4.0 <	--NL-->	12.4 <	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	1.0 <	--Canada/Total-->	Independent Liberal	Seats:	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	align="right"	-	- <	--Ont-->	2 <	--Que-->	align="right"	-	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	2 <	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	4.0<	--Man-->	0.3<	--Ont-->	3.7<	--Que-->	1.9<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	1.2<	--Canada/Total-->		Seats:	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	1<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	1<	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	0.6<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	0.2 <	--Canada/Total-->	Liberal-Progressive	Seats:	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	1 <	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	1<	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	3.3<	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	0.2<	--Canada/Total-->
Total Seats		22 <	--BC-->	17 <	--Alb-->	17 <	--Sask-->	14 <	--Man-->	85<	--Ont-->	75 <	--Que-->		10 <	--NB-->	12 <	--NS-->	4<	--PEI-->	7 <	--NL-->	1 <	--NW-->	1 <	--YK-->	265<	--Canada/Total-->
Parties that won no seats:	Vote (%):	2.2 <	--BC-->	2.7<	--Alb-->	1.1 <	--Sask-->	2.3 <	--Man-->	1.0 <	--Ont-->	0.7 <	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	0.2 <	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	1.1<	--Canada/Total-->	Nationalist	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	0.5<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	0.1<	--Canada/Total-->	Independent PC	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	0.1<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	xx<	--Canada/Total-->	Christian Liberal	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	0.1<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	xx <	--Canada/Total-->	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	0.1<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	xx<	--Canada/Total-->	Locataire (candidat)	Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	xx<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	xx<	--Canada/Total-->		Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	<	--Ont-->	xx<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	xx <	--Canada/Total-->		Vote (%):	<	--BC-->	<	--Alb-->	<	--Sask-->	<	--Man-->	xx<	--Ont-->	<	--Que-->	<	--NB-->	<	--NS-->	<	--PEI-->	<	--NL-->	<	--NW-->	<	--YK-->	xx <	--Canada/Total-->

• xx - less than 0.05% of the popular vote

See also

• List of Canadian federal general elections
• List of political parties in Canada
• 22nd Canadian Parliament

Further reading

• Book: LeDuc . Lawrence . Pammett . Jon H. . McKenzie . Judith L. . Turcotte . André . Dynasties and Interludes: Past and Present in Canadian Electoral Politics . 2010 . Dundurn Press . Toronto . 978-1-55488-886-3 . registration.
• Book: Beck . James Murray . Pendulum of Power; Canada's Federal Elections . 1968 . Prentice-Hall of Canada . Scarborough . 978-0-13-655670-1 . registration.
• Book: Argyle . Ray . Turning Points: The Campaigns that Changed Canada 2004 and Before . 2004 . White Knight Publications . Toronto . 978-0-9734186-6-8 . registration.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums. Elections Canada. 10 March 2019.