The ultimate reference on elections in Canada

by Maurice Y. Michaud (he/him)

You have reached what is without any doubt the largest and most complete reference on all federal and provincial or territorial general elections, by-elections and referendums ever held in Canada. Whether you are an historian, a political or social scientist, a teacher, a student, a politician, a statistical “quant jock,” a journalist, or a citizen who like me admits to being a fan of Canadian or Quebec politics, this website is sure to engage you in hours of exploration — or will quickly give you the answer to that nagging question that brought you here in the first place, like: “When, where and for which party did Uncle Charlie run and didn’t only get defeated but was completely humiliated ?” (True story, by the way...)

A quick note before you dive in... In spite of its name, PoliCan is focused on the history of the electoral process in Canada rather than on politics itself. While obviously linked, these are two distinct concepts. The first — process — is the apparatus that allows people to choose the individuals who will represent them in the legislatures. The second — politics — is the manner in which those who have been elected propose and enact policies and legislation affecting the people they represent. Since PoliCan focuses on process, it is meant to be a non-partisan resource for everyone.
 

What you can find in PoliCan

Although PoliCan is still a work in progress as of 2026, it already contains a wealth of information such as:

✓ The electoral record of anyone who ever ran in a federal, provincial or territorial election since 1865.

✓ The list of anyone currently in office at the federal, provincial or territorial level, by name or by riding.

✓ The composition of each current legislature, by size of government and opposition or by represented parties.

✓ A detailed profile on anyone who has been elected at the federal, provincial or territorial level since 1865, like this one.

✓ The full lists of everyone who has been elected to Parliament or each provincial or territorial legislature since 1865.

✓ Detailed or compact summaries, or all the details, of all the general elections held at the federal, provincial or territorial level since 1865.

✓ The detailed results of a general election or by-election held in any federal, provincial or territorial riding since 1865, like this one.

And much, much more! You simply need to explore.

PoliCan started in different forms decades ago in an attempt to answer all sorts of questions about our electoral system, like:

So now that you have arrived here, go on! Go find what you came here to find. It shouldn’t take you too long.

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