The 1988 Canadian federal election was held on November 21, 1988, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 34th Parliament of Canada following the dissolution of the House on October 1. It was an election largely fought on a single issue, the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA); the Progressive Conservative Party campaigned in favour of it, whereas the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) campaigned against it.

The incumbent Progressive Conservative Party, led by Brian Mulroney, was reelected with a second majority government, although based on less than half the votes cast. Mulroney was the party's first leader since John A. Macdonald to win a second consecutive majority government. Additionally, this election was the last election in which the Progressive Conservatives would poll over 40 per cent of the vote, as this would not recur until 2025, under the banner of the Conservative Party of Canada.

The Liberal Party experienced a recovery after its 1984 wipeout, more than doubling its seat count. The New Democratic Party won its largest number of seats up to the time (they would beat the 1988 record in 2011). The election was the last won by the Progressive Conservatives, the last until 2011 in which a right-of-centre party formed a majority government, and the last where a right-of-centre party won the most seats in Quebec during a federal election. It was also the last election in Canadian history in which only three parties would be elected to Parliament. With Mulroney winning a majority, the agreement was passed into law, even though a majority of the voters had voted for parties opposing free trade.

Background

Brian Mulroney led the Progressive Conservative Party to a landslide majority government victory in the 1984 federal election. In subsequent years, scandals and patronage damaged his polling numbers. However, in his fourth year in office in 1988, his popularity began to recover; a poll a few days before the election call showed the Progressive Conservatives ahead of the Liberal Party and New Democratic Party.

The Liberal Party led by John Turner suffered a heavy defeat in the 1984 election. Despite this, Turner stayed on as leader and was preparing to campaign for the second election. However, the Liberal Party was in financial and political disarray; by 1986 the party was heavily in debt. Turner's office experienced significant staff turnover, and some former aides were willing to recount stories of the office's disfunction to the press, resulting in one journalist referring to Turner's leadership as a "reign of error". Some pundits believed the Liberals would permanently drop to third place.

In 1987, Mulroney reached an agreement on free trade with the United States. Turner's Liberal Party and Ed Broadbent's New Democratic Party opposed the agreement; Turner believed that the agreement would Americanize Canada. Mulroney used his large majority to pass the bill through the House of Commons; however, the Liberal-dominated Senate demanded an election before they would pass it. The election was called on October 1.

Campaign

The Liberals had some early struggles, notably during one day in Montreal where three different costs were given for the proposed Liberal daycare program. When asked by reporters about the incident, Turner's chief of staff responded using vulgar language. The campaign was also hampered by a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) report that stated there was a movement in the backroom to replace Turner with Jean Chrétien, even though Turner had passed a leadership review in 1986 with 76.3 per cent of delegates rejecting a leadership convention.

Turner strongly campaigned against free trade, arguing that it would cost many Canadian jobs. His October 24 and 25 debate performances led to growing Liberal support, with polls suggesting a Liberal government; a week after the debate, the Liberals were six points ahead of the PCs. The Liberal surge prompted the PCs to stop the relatively calm campaign they had been running and instead run a more negative campaign, capitalizing on the perceived lack of public confidence in Turner and his perceived inability to lead the Liberal Party, arguing that he only opposed free trade because of political opportunism. The PCs' poll numbers started to rebound.

Opinion polling

National results The Progressive Conservatives won a reduced but strong majority government with 169 seats, and the free trade agreement would go into effect on January 1, 1989. Mulroney was the first Conservative prime minister since John A. Macdonald to win more than one majority. In an ironic reversal of most prior federal elections, the PCs owed their majority to their success in Quebec, where they achieved the best result in party history by winning 63 of 75 seats.

Despite the Liberals more than doubling their seat count from 38 to 83, the results were considered a disappointment for Turner, after polls in mid-campaign predicted a Liberal victory. This second election loss sealed Turner's fate; he would resign in 1990 and was succeeded by Jean Chrétien, who proved to be a more effective leader and when in government, accepted free trade with the United States and did not overturn CUSFTA.

Despite the New Democratic Party enjoying their best result at the time (winning 43 seats), Ed Broadbent resigned as leader in 1989. Some NDP members were disappointed by the fact that they did not become the Official Opposition.

PartyParty leader# ofcandidatesSeatsPopular vote1984Dissol.Elected% change#%Change Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney295211203169-19.9% 5,667,543 43.02%-7.02pp Liberal John Turner294403883+107.5% 4,205,072 31.92%+3.89pp New Democratic Party Ed Broadbent295303243+34.4% 2,685,26320.38%+1.57pp Preston Manning72*--*275,7672.09%* Ed Vanwoudenberg63*--* 102,533 0.78%* Cornelius the First74---- 52,1730.40%-0.39pp Seymour Trieger68---- 47,228 0.36% +0.14pp Elmer Knutson51---- 41,342 0.31%-0.68pp Dennis Corrigan88---- 33,135 0.25% +0.06ppNo affiliation100--- 24,5160.19%-0.12ppIndependent5514--22,9820.17%-0.01pp Gilles Gervais58---- 7,467 0.06%-0.21pp George Hewison51--- - 7,066 0.05%-0.01pp Harvey Lainson9----3,4070.03%-0.10pp    Vacant5 Total1,573282282295+4.6%13,175,494100% 

Note:

"% change" refers to change from previous election

Vote and seat summaries

A number of unregistered parties also contested the election. The Western Canada Concept party, led by Doug Christie, fielded three candidates in British Columbia. The Western Independence Party ran one candidate in British Columbia, seven in Alberta, and three in Manitoba (although one of the Manitoba candidates appears to have withdrawn before election day).

The Liberal candidate in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Emmanuel Feuerwerker, withdrew from the race, resulting in the Liberals not running a candidate in all 295 ridings during this election.

The Marxist–Leninist Party fielded candidates in several ridings.

The moribund Social Credit Party fielded nine candidates, far short of the 50 required for official recognition. However, the Chief Electoral Officer allowed the party's name to appear on the ballot by virtue of its half-century history as a recognized party. It would be the last time that the party, which had been the third-largest in Canada at its height, would fight an election under its own name. The party was deregistered before the 1993 election after it failed to nominate enough candidates to keep its registration.

Seats which changed hands

Defeated MPs

PartyRidingMPFirst electedDefeated byPartyBurin—St. George'sJoe Price1984Roger SimmonsCardiganPat Binns1984Lawrence MacAulayCharlottetownThomas McMillan1979George ProudCape Breton Highlands—CansoLawrence O'Neil1984Francis LeBlancDartmouthMichael Forrestall1965Ron MacDonaldHalifaxStewart McInnes1984Mary ClancySouth West NovaGerald Comeau1984Coline CampbellMiramichiBud Jardine1984Maurice DionneMonctonDennis Cochrane1984George RideoutRestigouche—ChaleurAl Girard1984Guy ArseneaultGatineau—La LièvreClaudy Mailly1984Mark AssadLasalle (contested LaSalle—Émard)Claude Lanthier1984Paul MartinCharlevoix (contested Laurier—Sainte-Marie)Charles Hamelin1984Jean-Claude MalepartEssex-KentJames Eber Caldwell1984Jerry PickardEtobicoke NorthBob Pennock1984Roy MacLarenHaldimand—NorfolkBud Bradley1979Bob SpellerHamilton WestPeter Peterson1984Stan KeyesKentElliott Hardey1984Rex CrawfordKingston and the IslandsFlora MacDonald1972Peter MillikenLambton—MiddlesexSidney Fraleigh1984Ralph FergusonLeeds—GrenvilleJennifer Cossitt1982 by-electionJim JordanLondon EastJim Jepson1984Joe FontanaNepean—Carleton (contested Nepean)William Tupper1984Beryl GaffneyNipissingMoe Mantha Sr.1984Bob WoodOttawa—Carleton (contested Ottawa South)Barry Turner1984John ManleyOttawa WestDavid Daubney1984Marlene CatterallParkdale—High ParkAndrew Witer1984Jesse FlisSault Ste. MarieJim Kelleher1984Steve ButlandScarborough WestReg Stackhouse1984Tom WappelYork—Scarborough (contested Scarborough—Agincourt)Paul McCrossan1984Jim KarygiannisTimmins—ChapleauAurèle Gervais1984Cid SamsonWelland (contested Welland—St. Catharines—Thorold)Allan Pietz1984Gilbert ParentWillowdaleJohn Oostrom1984Jim PetersonSaint BonifaceLéo Duguay1984Ron DuhamelMackenzieJack Scowen1984Vic AlthouseSaskatoon West (contested Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing)Ray Hnatyshyn1974Chris AxworthyThe Battlefords—Meadow LakeJohn Kenneth Gormley1984Len TaylorEdmonton EastWilliam Lesick1984Ross HarveyKootenay EastStan Graham1984Sid ParkerKootenay West (contested Kootenay West—Revelstoke)Robert Brisco1984 (1974)Lyle KristiansenMission—Port Moody (contested Mission—Coquitlam)Gerry St. Germain1983 by-electionJoy LanganNanaimo—Alberni (contested Nanaimo—Cowichan)Ted Schellenberg1984David StupichOkanagan—Similkameen (contested Okanagan—Similkameen—Merritt)Fred King1979Jack WhittakerEsquimalt—Saanich (contested Saanich—Gulf Islands)Patrick Crofton1984Lynn HunterWestern ArcticDave Nickerson1984Ethel BlondinSt. John's EastJack Harris1987 by-electionRoss ReidBroadview—GreenwoodLynn McDonald1982 by-electionDennis MillsHamilton MountainMarion Dewar1987 by-electionBeth PhinneyKenora—Rainy RiverJohn Edmund Parry1984Bob NaultOttawa CentreMike Cassidy1984Mac HarbThunder Bay—NipigonErnie Epp1984Joe ComuzziWinnipeg North CentreCyril Keeper1984David WalkerWinnipeg NorthDavid Orlikow1962Rey PagtakhanOutremontLucie Pépin1984Jean-Pierre Hogue

Open seats that changed hands

PartyCandidateIncumbent retiring from the HouseRidingWon byPartyMorrissey JohnsonMorrissey JohnsonBonavista—Trinity—ConceptionFred MifflinGordon LankMelbourne GassMalpequeCatherine CallbeckJean GauvinRoger ClinchGloucesterDoug YoungReg JewellGeorge HeesNorthumberlandChristine StewartJack ArthurJack EllisPrince Edward—HastingsLyle VancliefEric J. CameronNorman WarnerStormont—DundasBob KilgerSedluk Bryan PearsonThomas SulukNunatsiaqJack Iyerak AnawakValerie KordybanLorne McCuishPrince George—Bulkley ValleyBrian GardinerGeoff YoungAllan McKinnonVictoriaJohn F. BrewinN/ATony RomanYork NorthMaurizio Bevilacqua

New seats Old ridingNew ridingNew seat won byPartyMississauga NorthMississauga EastAlbina GuarnieriMississauga NorthMississauga WestRobert Horner

Results by province