2004 Canadian federal election

2004 Canadian federal election

← 2000 June 28, 2004 (2004-06-28) 2006 →

308 seats in the House of Commons
155 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout60.9% (Decrease3.2pp)
  First party Second party
 
Paul Martin in 2006 (3x4).jpg
Stephen Harper G8 2007 (cropped2).jpg
Leader Paul Martin Stephen Harper
Party Liberal Conservative
Leader since November 14, 2003 March 20, 2004
Leader's seat LaSalle—Émard Calgary Southwest
Last election 172 seats, 40.85% 78 seats, 37.68%1
Seats before 168 72
Seats won 135 99
Seat change Decrease33 Increase27
Popular vote 4,982,220 4,019,498
Percentage 36.73% 29.63%
Swing Decrease4.12pp Decrease8.05pp

  Third party Fourth party
 
Gilles Duceppe 2011-04-01 (cropped).jpg
Jack Layton-cr bl (cropped).jpg
Leader Gilles Duceppe Jack Layton
Party Bloc Québécois New Democratic
Leader since March 15, 1997 January 24, 2003
Leader's seat Laurier Toronto—Danforth
Last election 38 seats, 10.72% 13 seats, 8.51%
Seats before 33 14
Seats won 54 19
Seat change Increase21 Increase5
Popular vote 1,680,109 2,127,403
Percentage 12.39%[i] 15.68%
Swing Increase1.67pp Increase7.17pp


The Canadian parliament after the 2004 election

Prime Minister before election

Paul Martin
Liberal

Prime Minister after election

Paul Martin
Liberal

The 2004 Canadian federal election was held on June 28, 2004, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority but was able to continue in office as a minority government after the election. This was the first election contested by the newly amalgamated Conservative Party of Canada, after it was formed by the two right-of-centre parties, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance.

On May 23, 2004, the governor general, Adrienne Clarkson, on the advice of Martin, ordered the dissolution of the House of Commons, triggering an early election despite the Liberals being only three and a half years into their five-year mandate. Earlier, the election result was widely expected to be a fourth consecutive majority government for the Liberals, but early in 2004 Liberal popularity fell sharply due to the emerging details of the sponsorship scandal. Polls even started to indicate the possibility of a Conservative minority government. In the end, the Liberals won a minority government, though they were well short of a majority and lost nearly three dozen seats.

On election day, polling times were arranged to allow results from most provinces to be announced more or less simultaneously, with the exception of Atlantic Canada, whose results were known before the close of polling in other provinces due to the British Columbia Supreme Court's decision in R v Bryan.
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