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 Parliament of Canada
Elections and Ridings Section
Federal Election Trivia Members of Parliament



Who was the oldest sitting Member of Parliament?

William Anderson Black was still a Member of Parliament when he died at the age of 86 years, 10 months and 22 days.

Who is the oldest sitting M.P. of the 39th Parliament?

Joseph R.(Joe) Comuzzi was elected in the January 23, 2006 general election at the age of 72 years.

Who was the youngest sitting Member of Parliament?

Claude-André Lachance was first elected in the July 8, 1974 general election at the age of 20 years and 3 months.

Carole Jacques was first elected in the September 4, 1984 general election at the age of 24 years and 2 months; she is the youngest woman ever elected.

Who is the youngest sitting M.P. of the the 39th Parliament?

Pierre Poilievre was elected in the January 23, 2006 general election at the age of 26 years.

Who served as a Member of Parliament for the longest period of time?

The Rt. Hon. Wilfrid Laurier was a member for 44 years and 11 months from January 22, 1874 to February 17, 1919. He also served for the longest consecutive time: 41 years and 2 1/2 months from November 28, 1877 to February 17, 1919.

Who is the Member of Parliament who has currently served for the longest period of time?

The Hon. William Alexander (Bill) Blaikie has been Member of Parliament for more than 26 years; He was first elected in the May 22, 1979 general election.

In 1867 and 2006, what were the top 10 professions of elected candidates?

1867 (total of 180 MPs)

Lawyer 58
Merchant 42
Farmer 24
Physician 17
Businessman 12
Editor 12
Author 12
Lumber merchant 12
Contractor 9
Miller 8

2006 (total of 308 MPs)

Businessman / Businesswoman 73
Lawyer 49
Consultant 40
Teacher 31
Manager 29
Administrator 24
Professor 21
Farmer 20
Political assistant 15
Director 14

ELECTION - PERSONAL MAJORITY:

Since 1867, how many candidates have been elected by acclamation?

Since 1867, 622 candidates have been elected by acclamation, either in general elections or in by-elections.

Joseph-Aldéric Ouimet, (MP for Laval, Quebec between 1873-1896) was elected 5 times by acclamation: 1873 (by-election), 1874 (general election), 1878 (general election), 1882 (general election) and 1892 (by-election).

Who holds the largest personal majority in the history of federal elections?

Maurizio Bevilacqua was elected for York North, Ontario with a majority of 51,389 votes in the October 25, 1993 general election.

Who holds the smallest personal majority?

January 22, 1874 general election:

John A. Dawson (Pictou, Nova Scotia)

The constituency of Pictou, Nova Scotia had two members from 1872 to 1896. In 1874, Dawson had the second highest number of votes, which gave him a majority of 1 vote over the third candidate.

February 22, 1887 general election:

Édouard Guilbault (Joliette, Québec)

He won by 1 vote. The election was declared void on November 6, 1888. Guilbault was defeated in the January 16, 1889 by-election by 147 votes.

Charles Langelier (Montmorency, Québec)

He won by 1 vote.

Walter H. Montague (Haldimand, Ontario)

He won by 1 vote. The election was declared void. Montague won the November 12, 1887 by-election by 17 votes, which was also declared void. Charles W. Coulter won the January 30, 1889 by-election by 46 votes, but again the election was declared void. Montague won the February 20, 1890 by-election with a majority of 227 votes.

March 5, 1891 general election:

Franklin M. Carpenter (Wentworth South, Ontario)

He won by 1 vote.

Joseph Hector Leduc (Nicolet, Québec)

In the original count his majority was 5, a recount gave him a majority of 1.

June 23, 1896 general election:

John A. MacDonnell (Selkirk, Manitoba)

John A. McGillivray (Ontario North, Ontario)

He won by 1 vote. The election was declared void December 24, 1896. McGillivray was defeated in the February 4, 1897 by-election by 17 votes.

November 7, 1900 general election:

William F. McCreary (Selkirk, Manitoba)

He won by 1 vote.

Alex McNeill (Bruce North, Ontario)

He won by 1 vote.

July 28, 1930 general election:

Aimé Boucher (Yamaska, Quebec)

He won by 1 vote. He was unseated by a Supreme Court decision on December 23, 1932. Boucher won the October 23, 1933 by-election by 84 votes.

Has there been any instances were a tie was broken by the Returning Officer?

February 22, 1887 general election:

Édouard Guilbault (Joliette, Quebec)

June 23, 1896 general election:

Nicholas F. Davin (West Assiniboia, Northwest Territories)

The first count gave Davin a majority of 5 votes; a recount showed a tie and the Returning Officer cast the deciding vote.

April 8, 1963 general election:

Paul Martineau (Pontiac-Témiscamingue, Quebec)

ABORIGINALS

Who was the first Inuit elected to the House of Commons?

Peter Ittinuar (Nunatsiaq, Northwest Territories) was the first Inuit elected to the House of Commons in the May 22, 1979 general election.

Who was the first North American Indian elected to the House of Commons?

Errick French Willis (Boissevain, Manitoba) was the first North American Indian elected to the House of Commons in the July 28, 1930 general election.

Who was the first Métis elected to the House of Commons?

Angus Mckay (Marquette, Manitoba) was the first Métis elected to the House of Commons in the March 2, 1871 by-election.

In what year was full federal voting rights given to Canada’s Native peoples?

Full federal voting rights were granted to Canada's Native peoples in 1960.

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© Library of Parliament
PARLINFO v.2.01
Updated on: 2007.01.15

Revised on: 2007.01.15