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1908 Canadian federal election

← 1904 October 26, 1908 1911 →
← outgoing memberselected members →
221 seats in the House of Commons 111 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	70.3% (1.3pp)
First party Second party   Leader Wilfrid Laurier Robert Borden Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 1887 1901 Leader's seat Quebec East Halifax Last election 137 seats, 50.9% 75 seats, 45.9% Seats won 133 85 Seat change 4 10 Popular vote 570,311 539,374 Percentage 48.9% 46.2% Swing 2.0% 0.3%
The Canadian parliament after the 1908 election
Prime Minister before election Wilfrid Laurier Liberal Prime Minister after election Wilfrid Laurier Liberal

The 1908 Canadian federal election was held on Monday October 26, 1908 to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 11th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal Party of Canada was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in government with a majority government. The Liberals lost four seats and a small share of the popular vote.

Sir Robert Borden's Conservatives and Liberal-Conservatives won ten additional seats.

This was the first election in which Alberta and Saskatchewan voted as provinces. Following their creation in 1905, the two new provinces continued to be represented by MP's initially elected under the old Northwest Territories riding boundaries, some of which straddled the new provincial border. The remainder of the Northwest Territories that previously had Parliamentary representation lost it, although parts of the NWT would gain or re-gain representation after being added to Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in 1912. A seat would not be created for the NWT itself again (which then contained the modern NWT and Nunavut) until 1949.

This is the most recent election in which a prime minister was able to lead their party to a fourth consecutive mandate.

National results

Results by province

See also

• List of Canadian federal general elections
• List of political parties in Canada
• 11th Canadian Parliament

Notes

1. Laurier was also elected in Ottawa (City of); he chose to sit for Quebec East instead, and resigned as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa (City of).
2. Borden was also elected in Carleton, which he represented during the previous Parliament; he chose to sit for Halifax instead, and resigned as the Member of Parliament for Carleton.

References

1. "Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums". Retrieved March 10, 2019.

Further reading

• Hopkins, J. Castell (1909). The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs, 1908. Toronto: The Annual Review Publishing Company.

• 1908 Canadian federal election
• 1908 elections in Canada
• Canadian federal elections by year
• October 1908 events