Turning Point Elections

General Editors: Gerald Baier and R. Kenneth Carty

Since Confederation, Canadians have gone to the polls over forty times in general elections. Sometimes the ruling party was re-elected, other times the government changed hands, but, more often than not, the country would carry on as if little had happened. However, some elections were different. They stirred up underlying divisions, generated debates, gave rise to influential personalities, and energized and reshaped the electorate – ultimately changing the direction the country would follow. Those elections were “turning points.” The volumes in this series tell the stories of these turning point elections, focusing on the players, the issues at stake, the campaigns, and the often surprising outcomes that would fundamentally reshape Canadian politics and society.