Canadian federal election, 1974

Infobox Election
election_name = Canadian federal election, 1974
country = Canada
type = parliamentary
ongoing =no
party_colour =
previous_election = Canadian federal election, 1972
previous_year = 1972
next_election = Canadian federal election, 1979
next_year = 1979
seats_for_election = 264 seats in the 30th Canadian Parliament
election_date = July 8, 1974
next_mps = 31st Canadian Parliament
previous_mps = 29th Canadian Parliament

colour1 =
leader1 = Pierre Trudeau
leader_since1 = 1968
party1 = Liberal Party of Canada
leaders_seat1 = Mount Royal
last_election1 = 109
seats1 = 141
seat_change1 =+32
popular_vote1 =4,102,853
percentage1 =43.15%
swing1 =+4.73%

colour2 =
leader2 =Robert Stanfield
leader_since2 =1967
party2 =Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
leaders_seat2 =Halifax
last_election2 =107
seats2 =95
seat_change2 =-12
popular_vote2 =3,371,319
percentage2 =35.46%
swing2 =+0.44%

colour4 =
leader4 =David Lewis
leader_since4 =1971
party4 =New Democratic Party
leaders_seat4 =York South (lost)
last_election4 =31
seats4 =16
seat_change4 =-15
popular_vote4 =1,467,748
percentage4 =15.44%
swing4 =-2.40%

colour5 =
leader5 =Réal Caouette
leader_since5 =1971
party5 =Social Credit Party of Canada
leaders_seat5 =Témiscamingue
last_election5 =15
seats5 =11
seat_change5 =-4
popular_vote5 =481,231
percentage5 =5.06%
swing5 =-2.49%

map_

map_size =
map_caption =

title = PM
before_election = Pierre Trudeau
before_party = Liberal Party of Canada
after_election = Pierre Trudeau
after_party = Liberal Party of Canada

The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term. The Progressive Conservatives, led by Robert Stanfield, did well in the Atlantic provinces, and in the West, but the Liberal support in Ontario and Quebec ensured a majority Liberal government.

A key issue in the election was controlling spiralling inflation. Stanfield had proposed a "90-day wage and price freeze" to break the momentum of inflation. Trudeau had ridiculed this policy as an intrusion on the rights of businesses and employees to set or negotiate their own prices and wages with the catch-phrase, "Zap! You're frozen!" In 1975, Trudeau introduced his own wage and price control system under the auspices of the "Anti-Inflation Board".

The New Democratic Party, led by David Lewis, lost less than two-and-a-half percentage points in popular vote, but almost half of their seats in the House of Commons.

The Social Credit Party of Canada, led by Real Caouette, continued to lose ground, and fell to 11 seats, one short of the number required to be recognized as a party in the House of Commons (and therefore qualify for research funds and parliamentary committee memberships). This status was nonetheless extended to the party by the governing Liberals, who believed that Social Credit's support came primarily at the expense of the Tories.

One seat was won in New Brunswick by independent candidate Leonard Jones. Jones, the former mayor of Moncton, had secured the Progressive Conservative nomination, but PC leader Stanfield refused to sign Jones' nomination papers because he was a vocal opponent of official bilingualism, which the PC Party supported. Jones had opposed providing services in French in the City of Moncton even though 30% of the city's population was francophone. Jones ran and won as an independent. After the election, Social Credit leader Caouette invited Jones to join the Socred caucus, which would have given that party enough members for official status. Caouette justified the invitation on the basis that Jones agreed with providing bilingual education at the primary school level. Jones declined Caouette's invitation, and sat as an independent.

National results

xx - less than 0.05% of the popular vote.

Notes

* Number of parties: 6
** First appearance: Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada
** Final appearance: "none"