Five governments that fell from grace (big time)
Extracted from The Book Of Lists: The Original Compendium of Curious Information by David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace, Ira Basen & Jane Farrow. Canadian Edition Copyright © 2005 Ira Basen and Jane Farrow. Reprinted by permission of Knopf Canada.
The Progressive Conservative Government of New Brunswick – 1987
The New Brunswick Tories, led by Richard Hatfield, had been in power since 1970. In the1982 election, they had won 39 of the province’s 58 seats. But in1987, they lost every single seat to Frank McKenna and the Liberals.
The Progressive Conservative Government of Canada – 1993
The federal Tories had 169 seats and were completing their second majority mandate when Prime Minister Kim Campbell called an election for October 25, 1993. On voting day, the Conservatives were reduced to just two seats, and went from being the party with the most seats in the House, to fifth place.
The NDP Government of British Columbia – 2001
The NDP held 39 of the province’s 75 seats when the legislature was dissolved by Premier Ujjal Dosanjh. But after the votes were counted on May 16, 2001, the governing party had been reduced to just two seats, as Gordon Campbell and the Liberals swept the province.
The Conservative Government of Ontario – 1934
The 1930’s were not a good time to be in government. Voters were suffering during the Great Depression, and they took out their frustrations on whomever was in office. In Ontario, the recipient of their anger was the Conservative government of Premier George Henry. The Tories had won 90 seats in the 1929 vote, but had only 17 when the election of 1934 was over.
The Conservative Government of Prince Edward Island – 1935
Political fortunes can shift quickly in Canada’s smallest province. In the provincial election of 1931, the Conservatives won 18 of 30 seats. Four years later, the government of Premier William Macmillan met the same fate as many Depression-era governments. The Tories lost all 30 seats to the Liberals. It was the first time in the British Commonwealth that a government would face no opposition in the House.
http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/analysiscommentary/lists_govtsthatfell.html
