{"id":341045,"date":"2021-09-18T03:56:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-18T00:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/"},"modified":"2021-09-18T03:56:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T00:56:58","slug":"if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/","title":{"rendered":"#If this election is the &#8216;most important,&#8217; which one was the least?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3558d94d6ab\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3558d94d6ab\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/#1940_Another_majority_for_William_Lyon_Mackenzie_Kings_Liberals_up_six_seats_Robert_Manions_%E2%80%9CConservatives%E2%80%9D_stay_flat\" >1940: Another majority for William Lyon Mackenzie King\u2019s Liberals, up six seats. Robert Manion\u2019s \u201cConservatives\u201d stay flat.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/#1965_A_second_minority_Lester_B_Pearsons_Liberals_up_three_seats_Tories_up_4_NDP_up_4_Social_Credit_down_19\" >1965: A second minority Lester B. Pearson\u2019s Liberals, up three seats. Tories up 4, NDP up 4, Social Credit down 19.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/#2000_A_third_majority_for_Jean_Chretiens_Liberals_up_11_seats_Canadian_Alliance_up_six_Bloc_Quebecois_down_six\" >2000: A third majority for Jean Chretien\u2019s Liberals, up 11 seats. Canadian Alliance up six, Bloc Qu\u00e9becois down six.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/#2008_A_second_minority_for_Stephen_Harpers_Conservatives_up_16_seats_Liberals_down_18_seats_Bloc_up_one_NDP_up_seven\" >2008: A second minority for Stephen Harper\u2019s Conservatives, up 16 seats, Liberals down 18 seats, Bloc up one, NDP up seven.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/#1953_A_fourth_successive_majority_for_Liberals_under_Louis_St_Laurent_Liberals_down_22_seats_Progressive_Conservatives_up_10_Cooperative_Commonwealth_Federation_CCF_up_10\" >1953: A fourth successive majority for Liberals under Louis St. Laurent. Liberals down 22 seats, Progressive Conservatives up 10, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) up 10.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-this-election-is-the-most-important-which-one-was-the-least\/#1979_Pierre_Trudeaus_Liberals_defeated_Joe_Clarks_Tories_win_up_38_seats_Liberals_down_19_NDP_up_9\" >1979: Pierre Trudeau\u2019s Liberals defeated; Joe Clark\u2019s Tories win, up 38 seats. Liberals down 19, NDP up 9.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#If this election is the &#8216;most important,&#8217; which one was the least?<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                                                                        This is, in the view (primarily) of politicians trying to get their voters to vote, the most important election of our lives. To the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/liberal.ca\/forward-for-everyone\/\">guy who called the election<\/a>, this moment is the \u201cmaybe the most important since 1945 and certainly in our lifetimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Voters seem to agree that this election is at least more important than the previous one, an Angus Reid Institute poll <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/angusreid.org\/federal-election-top-issues\/\">found in August.<\/a>\u00a0However, the pollster noted, Canadians thought the same thing in 2019, as well as in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Federal elections are the hinge on which democracy and government turn, each one holding massive potential influence (for better or worse) over Canada\u2019s trajectory, and offering significant policy reforms. In the thick of a campaign, even the relatively dullish ones seem to brim with intensity and possibility, birthing endless what-if outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>But rhetoric be damned, they can\u2019t <em>all<\/em> be the most important election ever. Which prompts <em>Maclean\u2019s <\/em>to ask: What would be the <em>least<\/em> important election of our lifetime?<\/p>\n<p>To help us search for Canada\u2019s less consequential elections, the dramatic duds and showdowns that hardly qualify as show-stoppers, we put this question to some political historians and other veteran campaign watchers. There was only one election to get multiple votes from our experts\u2014one that elected a new Prime Minister, to boot. But there were several potential candidates for this dull crown. And it was with some trepidation our experts weighed in, given that their careers have revolved around decoding the fascination with and meaningfulness of each and every election.<\/p>\n<p>Here they are, from the fewest seat flips to the most:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1940_Another_majority_for_William_Lyon_Mackenzie_Kings_Liberals_up_six_seats_Robert_Manions_%E2%80%9CConservatives%E2%80%9D_stay_flat\"><\/span><strong>1940<\/strong>: <em>Another majority for William Lyon Mackenzie King\u2019s Liberals, up six seats. Robert Manion\u2019s \u201cConservatives\u201d stay flat.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Why it\u2019s unimportant:<\/em> \u201cThe outcome was not in doubt. Canada was at war and the Conservatives had no chance of winning,\u201d says Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> ant University of Toronto. With the Second World War well under way, and Canadians rallying behind three-time winner King, the Conservative leader didn\u2019t even run under its own banner\u2014Robert Manion temporarily rebranded his party \u201cNational Government\u201d with a promise to run a coalition government. He lost his own Northern Ontario seat, and King triumphed with 179 of 245 seats, a record-busting Liberal finish that followed one nearly as good in 1935. Wartime government marched on.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1965_A_second_minority_Lester_B_Pearsons_Liberals_up_three_seats_Tories_up_4_NDP_up_4_Social_Credit_down_19\"><\/span><strong>1965<\/strong>: <em>A second minority Lester B. Pearson\u2019s Liberals, up three seats. Tories up 4, NDP up 4, Social Credit down 19.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Why it\u2019s unimportant:<\/em> This may sound familiar today\u2014Pearson dissolved Parliament 2\u00bd years after beginning his term hoping for a majority that he failed to secure, notes U of T\u2019s Wiseman. Tommy Douglas\u2019 NDP remained strong enough to prop up his government for another three years. \u201cA consequence of the 1965 election was John Diefenbaker\u2019s demise as Conservative leader, but the election itself didn\u2019t change parliamentary dynamics,\u201d he notes. With that status-quo House of Commons makeup, the Pearson government passed major legislation such as Medicare, though he\u2019d promised major health reform back in 1963.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2000_A_third_majority_for_Jean_Chretiens_Liberals_up_11_seats_Canadian_Alliance_up_six_Bloc_Quebecois_down_six\"><\/span><strong>2000<\/strong>: <em>A third majority for Jean Chretien\u2019s Liberals, up 11 seats. Canadian Alliance up six, Bloc Qu\u00e9becois down six.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Why it\u2019s unimportant:<\/em> Chr\u00e9tien called an election early, barely three years into his term, to catch new Opposition leader Stockwell Day off guard. It worked with predictable effect. There may have been memorably goofy Day moments like his wielding a \u201cNo two-tier heath care\u201d sign during the debate. But the incumbent was forgettably capable. \u201cChr\u00e9tien was utterly unsurprising, deliberately so, with no ambition grander than muddling along,\u201d says Susan Riley, a veteran political columnist formerly with the <em>Ottawa Citizen. <\/em>It again seemed like more of an opposition slugfest amid a split between conservative parties and the Quebec nationalists skating on their own. \u201cDuring the Chr\u00e9tien decade, it often felt like the country was on cruise control and elections were only brief interruptions,\u201d Riley says.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2008_A_second_minority_for_Stephen_Harpers_Conservatives_up_16_seats_Liberals_down_18_seats_Bloc_up_one_NDP_up_seven\"><\/span><strong>2008<\/strong>: <em>A second minority for Stephen Harper\u2019s Conservatives, up 16 seats, Liberals down 18 seats, Bloc up one, NDP up seven.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Why it\u2019s unimportant:<\/em> For Harper, this was shades of Pearson\u2019s 1965, Wiseman says. \u201cIn both cases, prime ministers (Pearson and Harper respectively) led minority governments. They dissolved Parliament in search of a majority. In both cases, they failed.\u201d Most of the excitement came after the election, with Liberal leader Stephane Dion bidding to cobble together a coalition with the NDP and support from the Bloc. But that attempt collapsed and the Conservatives continued apace.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1953_A_fourth_successive_majority_for_Liberals_under_Louis_St_Laurent_Liberals_down_22_seats_Progressive_Conservatives_up_10_Cooperative_Commonwealth_Federation_CCF_up_10\"><\/span><strong>1953<\/strong>: <em>A fourth successive majority for Liberals under Louis St. Laurent. Liberals down 22 seats, Progressive Conservatives up 10, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) up 10.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Why it\u2019s unimportant:<\/em> The same result, <em>again<\/em>. \u201cThat one wasn\u2019t even a contest,\u201d says Ken Carty, former chair of Canadian studies at University of British Columbia and author of 2015\u2019s <em>Big Tent Politics: The Liberal Party\u2019s Long Mastery of Canada\u2019s Public Life. \u201c<\/em>It simply reconfirmed the long-recognized position of the Libs as Canada\u2019s natural government party.\u201d The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>ists gained seats but their popular vote declined, suggesting they wouldn\u2019t become a postwar force, Carty argues. He adds a point that may perk contemporary ears: \u201cIt was a summer election, perhaps not the best time to stir Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1979_Pierre_Trudeaus_Liberals_defeated_Joe_Clarks_Tories_win_up_38_seats_Liberals_down_19_NDP_up_9\"><\/span><strong>1979<\/strong>: <em>Pierre Trudeau\u2019s Liberals defeated; Joe Clark\u2019s Tories win, up 38 seats. Liberals down 19, NDP up 9.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Why it\u2019s unimportant:<\/em> First, why it was supposed to matter. This was a change election, with the young Clark\u2019s Tories asking Canadians, \u201cDo you want four more years like the last 11 (under Trudeau)?\u201d longtime pollster and consultant Allan Gregg recalls. This was the same time that Margaret Thatcher rose in Britain, and Ronald Reagan was about to sweep into the White House; time seemed ripe for Clark to become a big player in the new conservative decade. But he didn\u2019t. \u201cNine months later, after \u2018governing like we have a majority\u2019 the Clark government was defeated first in House, and then on the hustings, and it was like nothing ever h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened,\u201d Gregg says, with some pain\u20141979 was the first election he participated in.<\/p>\n<p>There was some agreement on the one-and-poof Clark election\u2019s relative unimportance to history. \u201cBefore anyone could blink, Pierre Trudeau was back, unchastened and not evidently interested in the job,\u201d Riley says.<\/p>\n<p>Constitutional talks resumed from the Liberals\u2019 past term, as did Trudeau\u2019s budget management style, says Penny Bryden, a history professor at University of Victoria. \u201cNone of the innovations that Clark proposed really ended up being implemented or making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, Bryden adds, 1979 did offer all those disillusioned with the first PM Trudeau a chance to vote their displeasure, even if the results didn\u2019t stick. She struggled with this exercise. \u201cThe problem is that I care about politics, so I can\u2019t think of an election that wasn\u2019t important in letting people make a decision about government,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>To some Canadians, every election might seem unimportant, Bryden reasons: \u201cJust the shift from one white man to another, one set of ideas that inevitably benefit an elite to another.\u201d But they all either changed the government, or had key policy positions fought on or vindicated. Though 1979 was her initial choice, Bryden ultimately felt stumped. \u201cEven if the timing of these elections is questionable, once you\u2019re in the middle of one, it becomes important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So whether or not the 2021 contest brings forth a new Prime Minister, it may go down as a very important election. Or an irrelevant one. Maybe ask us in 20 years.<br \/>\n<span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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To the guy who called the election, this moment is the \u201cmaybe the most important since 1945 and certainly in our&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":341046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/CHRETIEN-MARKUSOFF-SEP17-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67806,70288,109265],"class_list":["post-341045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-editors-picks","tag-elections","tag-federal-election-2021"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}