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

[Hatman 🍁]

The first two years of the Coldwell presidency were marred by a very hostile congress. The Liberals and the Conservatives worked together under Liberal Speaker Ian Alistair Mackenzie. The Commonwealth Party had no allies to work with in Congress to pass the agenda of President Coldwell. He was in effect, a lame duck President. The Liberals and Conservatives weren't able to unite themselves to introduce legislation, and so there was a huge deadlock in Congress.

The war waged on in Europe. Demands from English Canada to conscript soldiers fell on deaf ears in Congress.

Nonetheless, Germany surrendered on August 28, 1945 just before the mid term elections. Canadians were overjoyed and this helped the Commonwealth Party. Canadians were angered at both the Liberals and Conservatives for their lack of co-operation with the Presidency.

1945 mid-terms

House Results
Alberta
Social Credit: 9
Commonwealth: 8

British Columbia
Commonwealth: 15
Progressive Conservative: 1

Manitoba
Commonwealth: 14
Progressive Conservative: 3

New Brunswick
Liberal: 7
Progressive Conservative: 3

Nova Scotia
Progressive Conservative: 5
Liberal: 4
Commonwealth: 3

Ontario
Progressive Conservative: 34
Liberal: 28
Commonwealth: 20

Prince Edward Island
Liberal: 2
Progressive Conservative: 2

Quebec
Liberal: 51
Progressive Conservative: 4
Commonwealth: 2
Bloc Populaire: 2
Independent: 6


Saskatchewan
Commonwealth: 21

Yukon
Commonwealth: 1

TOTALS
Liberal: 92 (-12)
Commonwealth: 84 (+15)
Progressive Conservative: 52 (-5)
Social Credit: 9 (-)
Bloc Populaire: 2
Independent: 6

The Liberals still maintain a majority of the seats. However, they are humbled and vow to work with the President in a bipartisan manor for fear they will suffer more in the next election.

Senate results
British Columbia
One Commonwealth member was elected as well as one "Coalition" member, representing anti-Commonwealth Party forces in the province. This is done successfully preventing the Commonwealth Party from winning a second seat. The B.C. delegation is now split 3-3 (2 Liberals, 1 Coalition).

Alberta
The Commonwealth Party picks up their first ever Senate seat in Alberta. The other goes to Social Credit. Social Credit thus has 4 seats in Alberta, one for the Commonwealth Party and one for the "Coalition" (which was originally anti-Social Credit)

Saskatchewan
The Commonwealth Party wins both seats, taking one from the Liberals. This splits the delegation 3-3.

Manitoba
The Commonwealth Party and the Liberals split the seats. The Liberals now have 3 seats, the Commonwealth Party 2 and the Conservatives 1.

Ontario
The Commonwealth Party and the Conservatives both win 3 seats, the Liberals 2. This brings the Tories to 10 seats, the Liberals 8 and the Commonwealth Party 6.

Quebec
After this election, the Liberals hold a slight edge over Union Nationale 12-11 with Bloc Populaire getting 1 seat.

Nova Scotia
The Commonwealth Party picks up a seat. Delegation is now Liberals 6, Tories 3, Commonwealth 1.

New Brunswick
Delegation is now 6-4 Liberals

P.E.I.
Delegation is 3-1 Liberals

Senate composition
Liberals: 43 (-4)
Progressive Conservatives: 19 (-2)
Commonwealth: 16 (+5)
Union Nationale: 11 (+1)
Social Credit: 4 (-)
Bloc Populaire: 1 (-)
Coalition: 2 (-)

[Hatman 🍁]

Who will run for President for the Liberals in 1947?

Let's look at the candidates...



Senator Louis St-Laurent of Quebec



Senator (and former Governor) James Garfield Gardiner of Saskatchewan



Senator Charles Gavan Power of Quebec



Former House Speaker Ian Alistair Mackenzie of British Columbia

and what about the Tories?



Senator George A. Drew of Ontario



Former Congressman John Diefenbaker of Saskatchewan



Congressman Donald Fleming of Ontario



Congressman W. Garfield Case of Ontario

[Hatman 🍁]

Liberal primaries

The Liberal racequickly became a battle between Senator Gardiner and Senator St. Laurent. Mackenzie entered the race vowing to oppose the Commonwealth Party with every step, as he did before the Liberal Party removed him as party House leader before the 1945 midterms. Mackenzie subsequently lost his seat.

Gavan ran a pacifist isolationist campaign. With the war recently over in Europe (and in Asian), he opposed any involvement of Canada's in International Affairs. He gave St-Laurent a fight in his home province.

Gardiner had the support of the rural base of the Liberals, promising to help out farmers. He ran a very populist campaign.

St-Laurent was however, the natural candidate for the Liberals. Fluently bilingual, he was half French, half Irish, and appealed to the French and English alike.

Mackenzie was able to win B.C. and Alberta (narrowly edging Gardiner there, splitting the delegates). Gardiner won Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia while St-Laurent won Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI. He won enough delegates in the primaries to claim victory. He chose Gardiner to be his running mate.


The Tories meanwhile also had an east vs. west split. Diefenbaker had lost his House seat in the 1945 midterms, but he was still very active politically in the province.  His main competitor was Senator Drew. After losing to Ted Joliffe in the 1943 Ontario gubernatorial race, Drew was elected to the Canadian Senate in 1945. He was very active in provincial politics before that.

Fleming and Case were both new upstart congressmen.

Diefenbaker won the western provinces, while Drew won the more populous eastern provinces giving him the victory. Drew asked Diefenbaker to run as his running mate, but he declined.

Drew had little choice but to pick another Ontarian to run as his VP. He chose Fleming. 

[Hatman 🍁]

The Liberals decision to work with the Commonwealth Party payed off, as it increased their popularity going into the 1947 election, marginalizing the Tories.

The Congress nationalized a number of services, such as electricity, and made it legal for the public service to unionize. The Congress also passed a Bill of Rights, modeled after the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights passed earlier in Saskatchewan. However, major social democratic reforms such as universal health care that Coldwell wanted had to be put on hold due to a hostile congress. However, there were some improvements to the health care system .

Coldwell remained popular in the provinces with Commonwealth governors, however, he was unable to hold his support in Nova Scotia or Alberta, and couldn't make inroads into the other provinces.

The Social Credits saw a Quebec wing of their party spring up, called the "Ralliement créditiste". In order to unite the party, Social Credit perennial presidential candidate Solon Low chose Quebecer Real Caouette as his VP candidate.

Coldwell finished third in the popular vote, but held the presidency by keeping the major provinces. Drew finished second despite not winning any provinces. His support was too spread out. St. Laurent's support was concentrated heavily in Quebec and the Maritimes, allowing him to with the popular vote.

[Hatman 🍁]

1947 House results
Liberals 146 (+54)
Commonwealth 49 (-35)
Progressive Conservatives 31 (-21)
Social Credit 9 (-)
Independents 3


The Liberal leadership in congress was popular enough to get a majority in the House.

Senate composition
Liberal: 39 (-4)
Commonwealth: 21 (+5)
Progressive Conservatives: 17 (-2)
Union Nationale: 12 (+1)
Social Credit: 5 (+1)
Coalition: 2
Bloc Populaire: 1

Despite losing seats in the House, the Commonwealth Party gained seats in the Senate as old Liberal seats in Commonwealth Provinces came up for re-election.

[Hatman 🍁]

The Liberals team up with the Conservatives in Congress and pass veto-proof legislature to the chagrin on President Coldwell. Congress uses anti-communist sympathies that have developed across Canada and the United States to paint the Commonwealth Party as communists. It works, and the Commonwealth Party is hit hard at the polls in the mid terms.

Lib 173 (+27)
Progressive Conservatives 41 (+10)
Commonwealth 34 (-15)
Social Credit 10 (+1)
Independents 4

(The size of the House was increased substantially)

[Hatman 🍁]

Going back in time a bit, I forgot one important event.

Newfoundland becomes Canada's 10th province in 1949, after petitioning the government for entry following 2 referendums.

First referendum

June 3, 1948

Independence: 43.5%
Join Canada: 39.1%
Join USA: 10%
Status quo: 7.3%


On July 2, 1948, Newfoundland voted to join Canada in the subsequent run off:

Join Canada: 50.3%
Independence: 49.7%

The race was close, but the British government decided to give the colony to Canada.

The winning side was championed by Joey Smallwood, who would be elected the Province's first governor in 1949.

President Coldwell welcomed the province, but was disappointed at Smallwood's choice to form the Newfoundland Liberal Party. The Commonwealth Party was without representation in the province.

Swallwood defeated Progressive Conservative Harry Mews by 45,000 votes.

[Hatman 🍁]

The Party conventions of 1951 were not particularly notable.  Donald Fleming of Ontario was the only serious candidate for the Tories. He was able to convince John Diefenbaker to be his Veep, as Diefenabker was preparing for a more serious run in 1955.

The Liberals had a contested race


Governor Angus Lewis Macdonald of Nova Scotia


Senator Douglas Abbott of Quebec


Senator Louis Saint-Laurent of Quebec

Saint-Laurent was seen as the man to go with, having been deprived of the 1947 election despite winning the popular vote. He won every province outside of Canada, while Macdonald won the Atlantic provinces. St-Laurent chose Macdonald to be his Veep.

[Hatman 🍁]

Meanwhile, Social Credit once again nominated Solon Low.  His party had moved decidedly to the right, trying to paint the Commonwealth Party as Communists, much more blatantly than the Liberals. A Social Credit movement had sprung up in Ontario in the meantime, led by Ron Gostick. Gostick was on the far right of the party, supporting red-baiting and anti-semetism. Low took a risk, and he picked Gostick as his VP.

1951

Saint-Laurent, riding the wave of the red scare, kicks Coldwell out of office in a landslide.

[Hatman 🍁]

Meanwhile, three Commonwealth Party governors are booted from office. Ted Jolliffe loses re-election to Tory Leslie Frost in Ontario; in British Columbia SoCred (union of Liberals and Tories in BC) candidate W.A.C. Bennett defeats Governor Winch; In Manitoba, Governor Farmer died earlier in the year, and was replaced by Edwin Hansford. Hansford lost to a coalition candidate, Douglas Campbell in his bid for election.

Meanwhile, Tommy Douglas remained the only Commonwealth Governor, being re-elected in Saskatchewan.

[Hatman 🍁]

House results

Liberals: 180 (+7)
Tories: 46 (+5)
Commonwealth: 23 (-11)
Social Credit: 13 (+3)
Independents: 3 (-1)

Fast forward, 1953 midterms

Liberals: 172
Tories: 51
Commonwealth: 24
Social Credit: 15
Independents: 3

[Hatman 🍁]

First term of President St-Laurent

President St-Laurent ran the country in a fiscally responsible way, but also socially progressive. During the race for Rideau Hall (where the President lives in this timeline, btw), St-Laurent gained the nickname "Uncle Louis".

Under St-Laurent, Canada became a "middle power" in the world. One of his first priorities was joining NATO, which President Coldwell had been hesitant about. He also sent troops to fight in the Korean War, which Coldwell was also hesitant about. (Both these things St-Laurent campaigned in favour of, accusing Colwell's opposition to it as "communist).

With the help of a Liberal congress, St-Laurent was able to pay back in full Canada's debts accrued during the First World War, the Great Depression and World War II.  Despite running an anti-communist campaign, St-Laurent did not roll back any of Coldwell's social programs, as they had become quite popular. He in fact used much of the new revenues to expand the program in hopes to keep the more moderate Commonwealth supporters voting for him.

[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 (1925-1934)
Richard Gavin Reid, UFA (1934-1937)
William Aberhart, SC (1937-1943)
Ernest Manning, SC (1943-

[Hatman 🍁]

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 (1923-1935)
Adélard Godbout, L (1935-1947)
Maurice Duplessis, UN (1947-

[Hatman 🍁]

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 (1895-1923)
Edgar Nelson Rhodes, C (1923-1931)
Angus Lewis Macdonald, L (1931-1939)
Alexander Stirling MacMillan, L (1939-1943)
Angus Lewis Macdonald, L (1943-1951)
Robert Stanfield, PC (1951-

[Hatman 🍁]

April 11, 1954

Vice President Macdonald dies due to a heart attack. Congress convenes, and confirms the appointment of Secretary C.D. Howe as Vice President of Canada.

[Hatman 🍁]

Litst of VPs

George-Etienne Cartier, Cons (1867-1871)
Akexander Mackenzie, L (1871-1879)
Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Cons (1879-1891)
John Abbott, Cons (1891-1892)
John Thompson, Cons (1892-1894)
Mackenzie Bowell, Cons (1894-1899)
Andrew George Blair, L (1899-1907)
William Stevens Fielding, L (1907-1915)
Richard McBride, Cons (1915-1917)
Arthur Meighen, Cons (1917-1921)
Hugh Guthrie, Cons (1921-1923)
Lomer Gouin, L (1923-1927)
Robert James Manion, Cons (1927-1931)
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, L (1931-1943)
Clarence Gillis, Com'th (1943-1951)
Angus Lewis Macdonald, L (1951-1954)
C. D. Howe, L (1954- )

[Hatman 🍁]

Commonwealth Party Presidential Primaries.

For the first time in party history, the Commonwealth Party has a contested presidential race.


Former Vice President Clarence Gillis of Nova Scotia


Party chairman F.R. Scott of Quebec


Senator David Lewis of Ontario


Former Governor Ted Jolliffe of Ontario


With no candidates from the delegate rich west, the provinces there stuck with what they knew, and backed Gillis. Ontario supported Joliffe and Quebec voted for Scott. Atlantic Canada of course went for Gillis as well. Gillis thus won the race, and chose Jolliffe to run as his VP.

Progressive Conservative Presidential Primaries


Congressman John Diefenbaker of Saskatchewan


Congressman Davie Fulton of British Columbia

Diefenbaker ran again for President, this time he was seen as the front runner as he spent many years planning for the right time, which he felt was now, for a Conservative breakthrough. He pledged to rebuild the Conservatives in this race, win or lose and keep fighting until he wins the Presidency.  His only competition was Davie Fulton, a fellow Congressman from B.C. Diefenbaker chose him as his VP after defeating him.

[Hatman 🍁]

1955

The Tories make a come back, winning their first electoral votes in years. Diefenbaker focused much of his effort in Ontario which started to vote for Conservative Governors. It worked giving him the province, but the only other province he won was P.E.I.  The election was very close in many provinces. Manitoba was decided by a quarter of a percent. The SoCreds made some inroads in BC, thanks to having a Social Credit governor in WAC Bennett. The province was literally a four way fight, with all candidates receiving support in the mid 20s.

[Hatman 🍁]

House results
Liberals: 137
Conservatives: 80
Commonwealth Party: 24
Social Credit: 17

By 1957, the Tories had overtaken the Senate..
Senate standings
Conservatives: 32
Liberals: 30
Union Nationale (Quebec): 19
Social Credit: 11
Commonwealth: 7

The Tories formed a majority with their alliance with the UN. This created difficulty for Congress and President St. Laurent.

[Hatman 🍁]

In 1956, the Liberal House passes a bill to allow an American company to build a gas pipeline from Alberta to eastern Canada. This is heavily supported by the St. Laurent administration. However, in the Senate, all the other parties shoot it down. This really hurt the Liberals going into the 1957 midterms. Minority leader Howard Charles Green leads the Tories to victory in the 1957 midterms.

Results:
Conservatives: 112
Liberals: 105
Commonwealth: 25
Social Credit: 19

Following the midterms, the St. Laurent's popularity dropped substantially. The Conservatives and the Commonwealth Party worked together to create a new made in Canada pipe-line bill, but it was vetoed by St. Laurent.

[Hatman 🍁]

1959 Conservative Presidential Primaries


Congressman Donald Felming of Ontario


Congressman John Diefenbaker of Saskatchewan


Speaker Howard Charles Green of British Columbia


Governor Leslie Frost of Ontario


Diefenbaker had been an influential unofficial leader of the Conservatives during their rise to power, and narrowly defeated Green to be the nominee. Diefenbaker would choose Leon Balcer, a Quebecer to be his VP candidate in an effort to tap into Quebec, something the Tories were unable to do.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Party selected Congressman Hazen Argue. The party, polling low heading into the 1959 election saw no other candidates for President. Argue selected Congressman Herbert Wilfred Herridge of British Columbia as VP.

The Socreds nominated the same ticket as last time in an effort for party unity, but the party was too fractured and saw very little support.

[Hatman 🍁]

1959 election



Diefenbaker wins in a landslide. Picking a Quebec VP helps win him the province. Only Newfoundland and the Yukon hold out.

It was a landslide in the House, too:
Conservatives: 208
Liberals: 49
Commonwealth: 9
Social Credit: 0

The Socreds drop off the radar, and the Commonwealth Party is decimated. Merger talks with the Canadian Labour Congress begin.

[Hatman 🍁]

After becoming President, Diefenbaker lowered taxes, and increased old age pensions. Later in his term, he passed the Canadian Bill of Rights. He also extended the vote to all Native Canadians. However, he was unable to compromise on Quebec, and his rating there began to falter.  Diefenbaker also scrapped the Avro Arrow Program by 1960, something he had campaigned on. The planes had been fully developed at this point though, and were not destroyed.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Party formed an alliance with the Canadian Labour Congress, and its candidates would run as the "New Party" in the 1961 midterms.  The New Party was seen as a fresh face for Canada's left wing, and increased its popularity.

Mid terms:
Conservatives 148
Liberals 73
New Party 34
Social Credit 15

[Hatman 🍁]

Liberal Party primaries (1963).

Former Vice President CD Howe died in 1960, so the race was open. Three candidates declared themselves.



Senator Lester B. Pearson of Ontario, a former nobel peace prize winner.



Senator Paul Martin, also of Ontario- making his second run for the Presidency.



Mayor Harold Lloyd Henderson of Manitoba (Mayor of Portage La Prairie).


Henderson did not have much support, and won just one delegate in the primaries. The real battle was between Pearson and Martin. Pearson won every province except Quebec, which was loyal to Martin, a half French Canadian.

Preason won the Liberal Primaries, and chose Jean Lesage, Governor of Quebec to be his VP. Lesage was the first Liberal governor of Quebec in 12 years, and was seen as the future of the province, which had been ruled by the autocratic Governor Duplessis for much of that time. The election of Lesage in the 1959 Gubernatorial race saw an end to Duplessis and the beginning of a new, liberal Quebec.

Meanwhile, the "New Party" announced that they would formally become the Democratic Party at their 1963 convention. Two candidates were contesting for the Democratic nomination. Governor of Saskatchewan, Tommy Douglas and congressman Hazen Argue, also of Saskatchewan. Douglas was no longer popular in his home province, which was in the midst of a doctor's strike against his imposed medicare policies. However, Douglas was seen as a hero by partisans elsewhere.  Argue just won the Saskatchewan primary, while Douglas won all the other provinces.



Tommy Douglas chose CLC President Claude Jodoin to be his VP candidate, an act to unify the new party, and maybe even boost support in Quebec, a province which was seeing a rise in left wing intellectualism.

Finally, the SoCreds were seeing a resurgence of their own. The Social Credity Party had a disputed primary which many believed Real Caouette won, however the official winner was Robert N. Thompson, a Senator from Alberta. While the riff in the party caused by the convention was huge, Thompson selected Caouette to be the Social Credit VP once again.