Canada under a US style presidential system (1867-present)

[Hatman 🍁]

World War I breaks out in 1914.

President Laurier was caught between a rock and a hard place. English Canadians wanted involvement with the war, while French Canadians did not.

Laurier vetoed a bill brought on by the Conservative congress that would've given money to the British Royal Navy. This angered many English Canadians.

However, Laurier did declare war on Germany, and promised the British volunteer recruitments. He signed the War Measures Act passed by Congress in 1914. This was not so popular in Quebec.

Laurier was in a difficult spot trying to get re-elected for the 1915 race. Despite being a war time President, his inner conflictions made him unpopular, and Canadians seemed eager to give him the boot.

Coming up next... the 1915 election.

[Hatman 🍁]

1915

Laurier has not been handling this war well. And to make it worse, the Conservatives chose Boer War hero and Senator, Sam Hughes as their candidate for President. Hughes had a firm plan to deal with the war, and promised to use conscription if necessary. As his VP pick, he chose the Governor of British Columbia, Richard McBride.

Hughes won the biggest ladnslide in Canadian history, pickup up all but three provinces, and a resounding 58% of the vote. His victory however, stirred up nationalist sentiments in Quebec, as Hughes was an orangeman, and often anti-French. Obviously, Laurier took Quebec easily.

[Hatman 🍁]

August 6, 1917 - Vice President McBride dies. He is replaced by Secretary of State Arthur Meighen.

[Hatman 🍁]

In 1917, President Hughes faced Canada's conscription crisis.  Congress passed the Military Service Act, which acted to conscript Canadian men to serve in the War. The Liberals however were divided on the issue, with the French Liberals (loyalists of former President Laurier) against it and those who favoured it. The issue divided the party during the war period.  Opponents of conscription were led by Quebec Congressman, Henri Bourassa.

In an aim to modernize the party, and give its memebrship a voice, the Party adopted a nationwide primary for the first time in 1919:

Candidates:


Former Vice President William Stevens Fielding of Nova Scotia


Senator George Perry Graham of Ontario


Former Secretary of Labour William Lyon Mackenzie King of Ontario


House Minority Leader Daniel Duncan Mackenzie of Nova Scotia

The race quickly became a battle between King and Fielding. Despite being Laurier's Vice President, Fielding was an ardent supporter of conscription. King on the other hand, was against it.

Primaries were held in each province, electing delegates. King won by winning Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and PEI, while Fielding won BC, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Yukon.

King chose Daniel Duncan Mackenzie as his VP. 

[Hatman 🍁]

For those of you keeping score at home...

List of Ontario Governors:

John Sandfield Macdonald, C (1867-1871)
Archibald McKellar, L (1871-1875)
Oliver Mowat, L (1875-1899)
George William Ross, L (1899-1907)
James Whitney, C (1907-1914)
William Howard Hearst, C (1914- )

List of Quebec Governors:
Pierre-Joseph-Olivier-Chauveau, C (1867-1875)
Charles-Eugene Boucher de Boucherville, C (1875-1879)
Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, C (1879-1887)
Honore Mercier, L (1887-1894)
Felix-Gabriel Marchand, L (1894-1895)
Edmund James Flynn, C (1895-1899)
Simon-Napoleon Parent, L (1899-1907)
Lomer Gouin, L (1907-)

List of Nova Scotia Governors:
William Anand, L (1867-1875)
Phillip Carteret Hill, L (1875-1879)
Simon Hugh Colmes, C (1879-1883)
William Thomas Pipes, L (1883-1891)
William Stevens Fielding, L (1891-1895)
George Henry Murray, L (1895- )

List of New Brunswick Governors:
Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, C (1867-1870)
George Edwin King, C (1870-1871)
George Luther Hathaway, C (1871-1872)
John James Fraser, C (1872-1883)
Andrew George Blair, L (1883-1895)
James Mitchell, L (1895-1897)
Henry Emmerson, L (1897-1899)
Lemuel John Tweedie, L (1899-1907)
John Douglas Hazen, C (1907-1911)
James Kidd Flemming, C (1911-1914)
George Clarke, C (1914-1915)
Walter Edward Foster, L (1915-

[Хahar 🤔]

Does Laurier break 80% in Quebec?

[Hatman 🍁]

Does Laurier break 80% in Quebec?

Not quite

[k-onmmunist]

Bump

[Hatman 🍁]

Hughes was Canada's War President, and that helped him immensely in getting re-elected in 1919. However, he would be credited with a number of scandals during the war, which would make the election closer than it should have been.

Hughes was adamant over the Canadian military using Canadian equipment, which proved to be inadequate for battle. One such piece of equipment was the "Ross Rifle", which was notorious for jamming.  By the time the war ended, Hughes had been under tremendous pressure to replace the rifle, but had never wavered.

Hughes also made many patronage appointments in the military which were seen as abusing his powers.

The election was a fairly close affair, but in the end, Hughes had only surrendered New Brunswick to King.

[Hatman 🍁]

President Hughes dies!

In his second term as President, Hughes fell quite ill. Controversies surrounding the war and some of his actions as President negatively affected his health. He was ill for much of his term, and was bedridden upon his death of pernicious anaemia in 1921.  Vice President Meighen who had been running things for the most part in the wake of the ailing president, assumed the Presidency.

Hugh Guthrie would be appointed Vice President.

Meanwhile, there was much rift among the Conservative Party, as new farmers groups and Progressive groups emerged across the country. Thomas Crerar, who had been Hughes' Agriculture Secretary in his first term, formed the Progressive Party of Canada, a coalition of Farmers groups, progressive groups, women's suffrage groups, prohibitionists, etc. Crerar planned to stand for election for President in the 1923 election.

[Hatman 🍁]

1923 election candidacies.

Meighen and Guthrie would of course run for election under the Conservative banner.

The Liberals would hold their second convention.

The candidates were


Former Vice President William Stevens Fielding of Nova Scotia


Former Secretary of Labour William Lyon Mackenzie King of Ontario


Former Quebec Governor Lomer Gouin

King proved to be successful once again, winning in a landslide. He picked Gouin to be his running mate.

The Progressives also held a convention, and selected Former Agriculture Secretary Thomas Crerar as their Presidential candidate. He selected Ontario state Senator Ernest Drury to be his running mate. Drury had nearly been elected as Governor in 1919 under the United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) banner.

In addition to the Progressives, the Labour Party who had just been running candidates for congressional offices, fielded their first presidential candidate. They selected J.S. Woodsworth to run for President. He selected William Irvine to be his running mate.

[Hatman 🍁]

1923 election

Meighen had found himself fairly unpopular among Labour and Farmer groups, which lost him a lot of support in Western Canada. He could only hold on to Ontario, BC and the Yukon. Meanwhile, the very popular Mackenzie King was able to win in Quebec and in Atlantic Canada. Crerar won the farmers of Western Canada, and swept the Canadian prairies, enough to send this election to the House. Meanwhile Woodsworth could only muster 3% of the vote, doing the best in the West. Rampant fear of Socialism hurt his candidacy.



And so this one will be sent to the House...

[Hatman 🍁]

Composition of the House of Representatives

British Columbia
Conservatives: 8
Liberals: 3
Progressives: 2

Alberta
Progressives: 6
United Farmers of Alberta: 2
Liberals: 2
Conservatives: 1
Labour: 1

Saskatchewan
Progressives: 9
Liberals: 7

Manitoba
Progressives: 9
Conservatives: 3
Liberals: 2
Labour: 1

Ontario
Conservatives: 52
Liberals: 17
Progressives: 11
Others: 2

Quebec
Liberals: 62
Conservatives: 2
Others: 1

New Brunswick
Conservatives: 7
Liberals: 3
Progressives: 1

Nova Scotia
Liberals: 10
Conservatives: 6

Prince Edward Island
Liberals: 3
Conservatives: 1

Yukon
Conservatives: 1

Senate

Ontario
Conservatives: 11
Liberals: 6
United Farmers of Ontario: 6
Labour: 1

Quebec
Liberals: 12
Conservatives: 6
Others: 6

New Brunswick
Liberals: 5
Conservatives: 5

Nova Scotia
Liberals: 6
Conservatives: 4

PEI
Liberals: 3
Conservatives: 1

Alberta
Liberals: 3
United Farmers of Alberta: 2
Conservatives: 1

British Columbia
Liberals: 3
Conservatives: 3

Manitoba
Liberals: 3
Conservatives: 2
United Farmers of Manitoba: 1

Saskatchewan
Liberals: 5
Conservatives: 1

[Hatman 🍁]

Senate voting

Ontario: Guthrie
Quebec: Gouin
New Brunswick: Gouin
Nova Scotia: Gouin
PEI: Gouin
Alberta: Gouin
British Columbia: Guthrie
Manitoba: Gouin
Saskatchewan: Gouin

Lomer Gouin is elected Vice President

House voting

British Columbia: Meighen
Alberta: Crerar
Saskatchewan: Crerar
Manitoba: Crerar
Ontario: Meighen
Quebec: King
New Brunswick: Meighen
PEI: King
Nova Scotia: King
Yukon: Meighen

No one is elected.

The Progressives agree to back King as long as he appoints high profile Progressives to the Cabinet. This is enough to give King the Presidency.

[Hatman 🍁]

Out of office now, the Conservatives decide to follow the route of the Liberals and begin holding primaries. The field for the 1927 Primary is a large one.

The candidates are as follows:



Senator R. B. Bennett of New Brunswick



Congressman Charles Cahan of Nova Scotia

(no picture available)

Senator Henry Lumley Drayton of Ontario



Former Vice President Hugh Guthrie of Ontario



Senator Robert James Manion of Ontario



Senator Robert Rogers of Manitoba

[Hatman 🍁]

Bennett would prove to be the front runner. Bennett would win his home province of New Brunswick, plus the western provinces, including the province he represented in the Senate, Alberta. Bennett would also carry the few Conservatives remaining in Quebec. Guthrie won the second most amount of delegates, mostly from Ontario, the only province he won. Cahan took the remaining two provinces, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Bennett chooses Manion to be his Vice Presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, the Progressives choose Congressman Robert Forke as their candidate. He chose Joseph Tweed Shaw as his VP candidate.

Once again, J.S. Woodsworth ran for the Labour Party. He selected fellow Winnipeger Abraham Albert Heaps to be his running mate. 

[Hatman 🍁]

1927 election.

President King has been marred by scandal, as a member of his cabinet has been accused of taking bribes.

Voters were also not happy with the fragmentation of the last election, and the Progressive vote suffered significantly, and Forke was unable to win any provinces. King took Saskatchewan away from them, while Alberta and Manitoba were taken by Bennett.

And so, that was enough to give Bennett the victory. Woodsworth also lost votes from the last election.

[k-onmmunist]

1927 election.

President King has been marred by scandal, as a member of his cabinet has been accused of taking bribes.

Voters were also not happy with the fragmentation of the last election, and the Progressive vote suffered significantly, and Forke was unable to win any provinces. King took Saskatchewan away from them, while Alberta and Manitoba were taken by Bennett.

And so, that was enough to give Bennett the victory. Woodsworth also lost votes from the last election.

Interesting... Will Nunavut still separate from the NW Territories in this TL?

[Hatman 🍁]

1927 election.

President King has been marred by scandal, as a member of his cabinet has been accused of taking bribes.

Voters were also not happy with the fragmentation of the last election, and the Progressive vote suffered significantly, and Forke was unable to win any provinces. King took Saskatchewan away from them, while Alberta and Manitoba were taken by Bennett.

And so, that was enough to give Bennett the victory. Woodsworth also lost votes from the last election.

Interesting... Will Nunavut still separate from the NW Territories in this TL?

Probably, but that's a long time from now. (1999)

[k-onmmunist]

Ah, ok.

Good TL, looking forward to seeing more.

[Hatman 🍁]

List of Ontario Governors:

John Sandfield Macdonald, C (1867-1871)
Archibald McKellar, L (1871-1875)
Oliver Mowat, L (1875-1899)
George William Ross, L (1899-1907)
James Whitney, C (1907-1914)
William Howard Hearst, C (1914-1923)
Howard Ferguson, C (1923-

List of Quebec Governors:
Pierre-Joseph-Olivier-Chauveau, C (1867-1875)
Charles-Eugene Boucher de Boucherville, C (1875-1879)
Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, C (1879-1887)
Honore Mercier, L (1887-1894)
Felix-Gabriel Marchand, L (1894-1895)
Edmund James Flynn, C (1895-1899)
Simon-Napoleon Parent, L (1899-1907)
Lomer Gouin, L (1907-1923)
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, L (1923-

List of Saskatchewan Governors:
Thomas Walter Scott, L (1905-1917)
William Melville Martin, L (1917-1925)
Charles Avery Dunning, L (1925-

List of Manitoba Governors:
Alfred Boyd, NP (1870-1871)
Marc-Amable Girard, NP (1871-1874)
Robert Atkinson Davis, NP (1874-1878)
John Norquay, NP (1878-1889)
David Howard Harrison, NP (1889-1890)
Thomas Greenway, L (1890-1902)
Rodmond Roblin, C (1902-1915)
Hugh Armstrong, C (1915-1918)
Tobias Norris, L (1918-1926)
John Bracken, P (1926-

[Hatman 🍁]

List of Alberta Governors

Alexander Cameron Rutherford, L (1905-1910)
Arthur Lewis Sifton, L (1910-1917)
Charles Stewart, L (1917-1925)
John Edward Brownlee, UFA (1925- )

List of BC Governors
John Foster McCreight, NP (1871-1875)
George Anthony Walkem, NP (1875-1883)
Robert Beaven, NP (1883-1887)
Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, NP (1887-1889)
John Robson, NP (1889-1892)
Theodore Davie, NP (1892-1895)
John Herbert Turner, NP (1895-1899)
Charles Augustus Semlin, NP (1899-1903)
Richard McBride, C (1903-1915)
Harlan Carey Brewster, L (1915-1918)
John Oliver, L (1918-1927)
John Duncan MacLean, L (1927)
Simon Fraser Tolmie, C (1927-

[Hatman 🍁]

Midway through Bennett's first term, the Great depression hits Canada, and it hits hurt.

Bennett's answer was to increase trade with the British Empire, and imposed  tariffs for imports from outside the Empire, promising that his measures would blast Canadian exports into world markets. Bennett stuck to laissez faire economics, which did nothing to help the country out of the depression. By the end of his term, he would be very unpopular. The now impoverished public saw Bennett and his wealth, and were alienated by him as a result.

Meanwhile, fueled by the beginning of the depression, and the collapse of the Progressive Party during Bennett's term (the party was depleted to just a handful of seats in the 1929 midterms), created an opening for a new leftist party.  A coalition of leftist groups got together for a meeting in 1931, and formed a new party, the Commonwealth Party. They held a quick convention to nominate a President, and J.S. Woodsworth would once again run for the top job in the country. He once again picked William Irvine (his 1924 running mate), who had at this point been a member of the United Farmers of Alberta.

Now that the Labour Party had dissolved into the Commonwealth Party, the Communist wing of the Labour Party split to form their own party. President Bennett, and ardent anti-communist, tried his best to jail the top leaders of the Communist Party, but was unable to ban party. They nominated Tim Buck to run for President, and he would run, despite being jailed by Bennett during the campaign. John Nawizowsky would be his running mate.

The Liberals, were looking more and more popular as an alternative to Bennett. Three candidates ran for President:


Former President William Lyon Mackenzie King of Ontario


Senator Charles Avery Dunning of Saskatchewan


Governor Louis-Alexandre Taschereau of Quebec

King was attempting to run for President in his fourth straight election, but Liberal voters decided to put an end to his reign as their candidate. It was a close race between King and Dunning, but Dunning's control of western Canada and mixed results in Atlantic Canada propelled him to the Presidency. He would choose Taschereau to be his running mate.

[Hatman 🍁]

1931 election



Despite the electoral vote landslide, a small % of the vote change in Ontario would have changed the outcome of the election. The Liberals win Ontario for the first time in a while by a razor thing margin. Here are the province by province results:

BC
Bennett:      46%
Dunning:      41%
Woodsworth:   13%
Buck:      1%

Alberta:      
Bennett:      40%
Dunning:      30%
Woodsworth:   29%
Buck:      1%

Saskatchewan:
Dunning:      49%
Bennett:      35%
Woodsworth:   15%
Buck:      1%

Manitoba:
Bennett:      47%
Dunning:      32%
Woodsworth:   20%
Buck:      1%

Ontario:
Dunning:      48%
Bennett:      48%
Woodsworth:   3%
Buck:      1%

Quebec:
Dunning:      63%
Bennett:      36%
Woodsworth:   0%
Buck:      0%

New Brunswick:
Bennett:      51%
Dunning:      49%

Nova Scotia:
Dunning:      58%
Bennett:      42%

Prince Edward Island
Dunning:      54%
Bennett:      46%

Yukon
Bennett:      59%
Dunning:      41%

[Hatman 🍁]

The early 1930s created for some interesting political and economic changes in Canada.  Seeing the success of the New Deal in the United States, President Dunning implements a similar system in Canada. However, the economy only becomes slightly better, and Canadians are still upset and unemployment is still rampant.

Many Canadians look to the new Commonwealth Party, since both the Conservatives and the Liberals seemed to have failed to help the economy.

Also brewing on the sidelines is the Social Credit Party which would be created in the year of the 1935 election. They advocated for the social credit theory to solve all of Canada's economic woes. Where the Commonwealth Party got support from social progressives, Social Credit got more populist support, especially from Evangelicals.

Let's look at some Presidential Primaries...

1935 Conservative Party Presidential Primary


Former Vice President Robert James Manion of Ontario


James Thomas Milton Anderson, Governor of Saskatchewan


Congressman Joseph Henry Harris of Ontario


Senator Earl Lawson of Ontario

Vice President Manion was able to secure the nomination by winning eastern Canada while Anderson won the western provinces. Harris and Lawson were unable to win any provinces.

The Social Credit Party put together a quick convention. They quickly nominated John Horne Blackmore as their Presidential candidate who picked William "Bible Bill" Aberhart to run for Vice President.

The Commonwealth Party once again selected J.S. Woodsworth who picked Angus MacInnes as his VP.