Canadian general election, 1917

Canadian federal election, 1917

← 1911 December 17, 1917 1921 →
← outgoing members
235 seats in the 13th Canadian Parliament 118 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Robert Borden Wilfrid Laurier Party Government (Unionist) Opposition (Laurier Liberals) Leader since 1901 1887 Leader's seat Halifax candidate in Kings (electoral district) Quebec East Last election 132 85 Seats won 153 82 Seat change 21 3 Popular vote 1,070,694 729,756 Percentage 56.93% 38.80% Swing 8.38pp 7.02pp
Prime Minister before election Robert Borden Government (Unionist) Prime Minister-designate Robert Borden Government (Unionist)

Robert Borden
Government (Unionist)

Robert Borden
Government (Unionist)

The 1917 Canadian federal election (sometimes referred to as the khaki election) was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1917). The election resulted in Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden's Unionist government elected with a strong majority and the largest percentage of the popular vote for any party in Canadian history.

The previous election had been held in 1911 and was won by Borden's Conservatives. Under the law, Canada should have had an election in 1916. However, citing the emergency of the First World War, the government postponed the election largely in hope that a coalition government could be formed, as existed in Britain.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, head of the Liberal Party of Canada, refused to join the coalition over the issue of conscription, which was strongly opposed in the Liberal heartland of Quebec. Laurier worried that agreeing to Borden's coalition offer would cause that province to abandon the Liberals and perhaps even Canada. Borden proceeded to form a "Unionist" government, and the Liberal Party split over the issue. Many English Canadian Liberal MPs and provincial Liberal parties in English Canada supported the new Unionist government.

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