1935 Quebec general election

1935 Quebec general election
← outgoing members elected members →
89 seats in the 19th Legislative Assembly of Quebec ; 45 seats were needed for a majority
Premier before election; Louis-Alexandre Taschereau; Liberal	Premier after election ; Louis-Alexandre Taschereau; Liberal

The 1935 Quebec general election was held on November 25, 1935, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party led by Louis-Alexandre Taschereau was re-elected, defeating the Action libérale nationale, led by Paul Gouin, and the Quebec Conservative Party, led by Maurice Duplessis.

It was the fourth and final general election victory in a row for Taschereau, who had held office since 1920. He resigned less than seven months later due to a scandal.

The Action libérale nationale (ALN) was a newly formed party led by the son of former Liberal premier Lomer Gouin. It was established by former Liberals who had become dissatisfied with the party. The ALN and Conservatives formed an alliance, the Union Nationale, to contest this election. They merged after the election to become a single party, which soon became a dominant political force.

Campaign

Nominations

There were 208 candidates nominated,^[1] of which five subsequently withdrew:^[2]

Wilfrid Bullock (Ind-Liberal, Shefford)
Wilfrid Labelle (ALN, Iberville), thus allowing Lucien Lamoureux (Liberal) to be reelected by acclamation
Roy Sasseville and René Mercier (Ind-Liberals, Gaspé-Nord)
Arthur Arcand (Ind-Liberal, Montréal–Sainte-Marie), in favour of Gaspard Fauteux (Liberal)

All three candidates returned by acclamation were incumbents:

Lucien Lamoureux (Lib, Iberville)
Peter Bercovitch (Lib, Montréal–Saint-Louis)
Avila Turcotte (Lib, Richelieu)

Distribution of candidates

Riding contests, by number of candidates (1935)^[3]
Candidates	Lib	Ind-G	ALN	Con	Ind-Lib	Ind-Con	Lib-Opp	Ind-Opp	Lab	Lib-Lab	Total
Acclaimed	3										3
2	64		40	23			1				128
3	19	2	11	8	14	1			1	1	57
4	4	1	3	1	5			1	1		16
Total	90	3	54	32	19	1	1	1	2	1	204

Controversy in Terrebonne

In Terrebonne, the election of Athanase David was contested on the ground that the ballot papers were not printed in the form prescribed under the Election Act. At the subsequent hearing, the judge ruled that all cast ballots were declared void. Immediately afterwards, the returning officer announced that, as this resulted in a 0-0 tie, he cast his deciding vote in favour of David.^[4]^[5]

Votes cast in Terrebonne (1935)
Candidate			Initial count^[6]	As determined by Returning Officer^[7]
	Liberal	Athanase David	4,893	1
	Conservative	Hermann Barrette	4,170	–
Majority			720	1

The returning officer's action was considered to have been without precedent anywhere in the world in countries with parliamentary-style legislatures.^[8] The Conservatives lodged an appeal,^[8] but the result was upheld by the Quebec Court of Appeal in April 1936.^[9] David would become the only member of the Assembly in Quebec history to be elected on only one cast vote.^[10]

Results

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1935)^[3]
Political party		Party leader	MLAs				Votes
Political party		Party leader	Candidates	1931	1935	±	#	±	%	± (pp)
	Government candidates
	█ Liberal	Louis-Alexandre Taschereau	90	79	47	5	249,586	19,146	46.53	8.35
	█ Independent	–	3	–	–	–	615	2,172	0.11	0.46
	Union Nationale alliance
	█ Action libérale nationale	Paul Gouin	53	–	26	26	162,205	New	30.24	New
	█ Conservative	Maurice Duplessis	33	11	16	5	97,469	115,754	18.17	25.37
	Opposition candidates
	█ Liberal	–	1	–	–	–	1,532	New	0.29	New
	█ Independent	–	1	–	–	–	94	12	0.02	–
	Other candidates
	█ Independent-Liberal	–	19	–	1	1	21,587	20,522	4.02	3.80
	█ Labour	–	2	–	–	–	2,238	1,757	0.42	0.32
	█ Liberal–Labour	–	1	–	–	–	998	New	0.19	New
	█ Independent-Conservative	–	1	–	–	–	37	547	–	0.12
Total			204	90			536,361		100%
Rejected ballots							15,232	11,042
Voter turnout							551,593	57,708	76.16	0.85
Registered electors (contested ridings only)							724,260	82,936
Candidates returned by acclamation					3	3

Popular vote

PLQ			46.53%
ALN			29.48%
PCQ			18.93%
Others			5.06%

Seats summary

PLQ			52.81%
ALN			28.09%
PCQ			19.10%

Synopsis of results

Results by riding - 1935 Quebec general election^[3]^[11]
Riding	Winning party								Turnout ^{[a 1]}	Votes^{[a 2]}
Name	1931		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %		Lib	ALN	Con	I-Lib	Lib-O	Lab	Other	Total
Name	1931		Party		Votes	Share	Margin #	Margin %									Total

Abitibi		Lib		Lib	6,088	55.78%	1,261	11.55%	80.85%	6,088	–	4,827	–	–	–	–	10,915
Argenteuil		Lib		Lib	2,412	51.31%	123	2.62%	77.61%	2,412	2,289	–	–	–	–	–	4,701
Arthabaska		Lib		Lib	4,143	69.36%	2,313	38.72%	84.12%	4,143	–	1,830	–	–	–	–	5,973
Bagot		Lib		Lib	2,386	57.98%	657	15.97%	89.06%	2,386	1,729	–	–	–	–	–	4,115
Beauce		Lib		ALN	6,862	80.41%	5,190	60.82%	83.45%	1,672	6,862	–	–	–	–	–	8,534
Beauharnois		Lib		Con	2,706	53.38%	343	6.77%	82.16%	2,363	–	2,706	–	–	–	–	5,069
Bellechasse		Lib		Lib	2,483	54.08%	375	8.17%	83.22%	2,483	2,108	–	–	–	–	–	4,591
Berthier		Lib		Lib	2,897	58.77%	865	17.55%	91.58%	2,897	2,032	–	–	–	–	–	4,929
Bonaventure		Lib		Lib	4,507	62.56%	1,810	25.12%	81.86%	4,507	2,697	–	–	–	–	–	7,204
Brome		Lib		Lib	1,999	57.28%	508	14.56%	82.19%	1,999	–	1,491	–	–	–	–	3,490
Chambly		Con		Lib	3,023	54.95%	545	9.91%	71.87%	3,023	–	2,478	–	–	–	–	5,501
Champlain		Lib		ALN	3,257	56.20%	719	12.41%	76.09%	2,538	3,257	–	–	–	–	–	5,795
Charlevoix—Saguenay		Lib		Lib	5,220	65.57%	2,479	31.14%	76.76%	5,220	2,741	–	–	–	–	–	7,961
Châteauguay		Lib		Lib	1,967	58.04%	545	16.08%	86.26%	1,967	1,422	–	–	–	–	–	3,389
Chicoutimi		Lib		ALN	7,484	72.60%	4,659	45.19%	76.25%	2,825	7,484	–	–	–	–	–	10,309
Compton		Lib		Con	2,803	52.27%	243	4.53%	83.19%	2,560	–	2,803	–	–	–	–	5,363
Deux-Montagnes		Con		Lib	1,848	50.19%	14	0.38%	92.53%	1,848	–	1,834	–	–	–	–	3,682
Dorchester		Lib		ALN	3,661	55.94%	777	11.87%	84.37%	2,884	3,661	–	–	–	–	–	6,545
Drummond		Lib		Lib	3,245	47.57%	20	0.29%	79.71%	3,245	–	3,225	351	–	–	–	6,821
Frontenac		Lib		ALN	3,310	62.19%	1,298	24.39%	84.57%	2,012	3,310	–	–	–	–	–	5,322
Gaspé-Nord		Lib		Lib	1,228	44.27%	96	3.46%	83.41%	1,228	414	–	1,132	–	–	–	2,774
Gaspé-Sud		Lib		Lib	3,019	50.42%	1,281	21.39%	86.10%	3,019	–	660	2,309	–	–	–	5,988
Gatineau		Lib		Lib	2,793	57.95%	766	15.89%	63.66%	2,793	2,027	–	–	–	–	–	4,820
Hull		Con		Lib	3,053	48.93%	795	12.74%	59.29%	3,053	–	2,258	928	–	–	–	6,239
Huntingdon		Con		Con	1,750	54.79%	306	9.58%	83.59%	1,444	–	1,750	–	–	–	–	3,194
Iberville		Lib		Lib	acclaimed (opponent withdrew)
Îles-de-la-Madeleine		Lib		Lib	1,358	67.29%	963	47.72%	87.20%	1,358	395	–	265	–	–	–	2,018
Jacques-Cartier		Lib		ALN	4,909	56.84%	1,182	13.69%	73.16%	3,727	4,909	–	–	–	–	–	8,636
Joliette		Lib		Lib	3,484	53.32%	434	6.64%	86.80%	3,484	–	3,050	–	–	–	–	6,534
Kamouraska		Lib		Lib	2,918	57.27%	741	14.54%	83.99%	2,918	2,177	–	–	–	–	–	5,095
L'Assomption		Lib		ALN	1,969	50.80%	62	1.60%	89.29%	1,907	1,969	–	–	–	–	–	3,876
L'Islet		Lib		Lib	2,454	59.32%	771	18.64%	81.33%	2,454	1,683	–	–	–	–	–	4,137
Labelle		Lib		ALN	2,604	62.93%	1,070	25.86%	80.81%	1,534	2,604	–	–	–	–	–	4,138
Lac-Saint-Jean		Lib		Con	2,255	50.59%	53	1.19%	86.90%	2,202	–	2,255	–	–	–	–	4,457
Laval		Lib		Con	10,125	53.62%	2,412	12.77%	69.50%	7,713	–	10,125	1,044	–	–	–	18,882
Laviolette		Lib		ALN	3,497	61.00%	1,261	22.00%	72.64%	2,236	3,497	–	–	–	–	–	5,733
Lévis		Lib		ALN	3,346	42.33%	595	7.53%	86.19%	1,808	3,346	–	2,751	–	–	–	7,905
Lotbinière		Lib		Lib	4,088	80.58%	3,103	61.17%	77.67%	4,088	985	–	–	–	–	–	5,073
Maisonneuve		Lib		Con	9,408	56.34%	2,757	16.51%	65.26%	6,651	–	9,408	–	–	639	–	16,698
Maskinongé		Lib		Lib	2,319	64.20%	1,026	28.41%	78.04%	2,319	1,293	–	–	–	–	–	3,612
Matane		Lib		Lib	2,780	57.53%	728	15.07%	72.12%	2,780	2,052	–	–	–	–	–	4,832
Matapédia		Lib		Lib	2,809	50.86%	95	1.72%	86.71%	2,809	2,714	–	–	–	–	–	5,523
Mégantic		Lib		ALN	4,480	59.06%	1,375	18.13%	84.61%	3,105	4,480	–	–	–	–	–	7,585
Missisquoi		Lib		Con	2,686	53.23%	481	9.53%	83.64%	2,205	–	2,686	–	–	–	155	5,046
Montcalm		Lib		Lib	1,763	52.77%	185	5.54%	85.17%	1,763	–	1,578	–	–	–	–	3,341
Montmagny		Lib		ALN	2,340	52.51%	224	5.03%	83.87%	2,116	2,340	–	–	–	–	–	4,456
Montmorency		Lib		Lib	2,196	56.26%	489	12.53%	90.42%	2,196	1,707	–	–	–	–	–	3,903
Montréal-Dorion		Lib		ALN	4,979	56.17%	1,094	12.34%	66.99%	3,885	4,979	–	–	–	–	–	8,864
Montréal-Laurier		Lib		ALN	2,471	35.00%	872	12.35%	60.15%	1,594	2,471	–	1,397	–	1,599	–	7,061
Montréal-Mercier		Lib		Lib	9,071	50.05%	776	4.28%	71.30%	9,071	8,295	–	757	–	–	–	18,123
Montréal–Saint-Georges		Con		Con	1,414	55.54%	282	11.08%	49.90%	1,132	–	1,414	–	–	–	–	2,546
Montréal–Saint-Henri		Lib		ALN	2,418	35.03%	128	1.85%	67.09%	2,290	2,418	–	2,194	–	–	–	6,902
Montreal–Saint-Jacques		Lib		Con	3,036	50.38%	46	0.76%	72.49%	2,990	–	3,036	–	–	–	–	6,026
Montréal–Saint-Laurent		Lib		Lib	3,351	76.72%	2,334	53.43%	94.25%	3,351	–	1,017	–	–	–	–	4,368
Montréal–Saint-Louis		Lib		Lib	acclaimed (receiving officer not available to receive opponent's nomination papers)^[12]
Montreal–Sainte-Anne		Lib		I-Lib	1,541	46.25%	550	16.51%	65.12%	991	716	–	1,541	–	–	84	3,332
Montréal–Sainte-Marie		Lib		ALN	4,782	49.92%	361	3.77%	66.11%	4,421	4,782	–	–	–	–	376	9,579
Montréal-Verdun		Con		Con	6,518	49.06%	3,017	22.71%	58.53%	3,501	–	6,518	3,268	–	–	–	13,287
Napierville-Laprairie		Lib		Lib	2,641	58.74%	1,158	25.76%	88.68%	2,641	1,483	–	372	–	–	–	4,496
Nicolet		Lib		Lib	3,427	54.41%	556	8.83%	79.82%	3,427	–	2,871	–	–	–	–	6,298
Papineau		Lib		ALN	4,075	56.72%	966	13.45%	73.11%	3,109	4,075	–	–	–	–	–	7,184
Pontiac		Lib		Lib	1,779	44.31%	62	1.54%	67.79%	1,779	1,717	–	519	–	–	–	4,015
Portneuf		Lib		ALN	4,502	56.32%	1,047	13.10%	84.49%	3,455	4,502	–	–	–	–	37	7,994
Québec-Centre		Lib		ALN	3,824	52.74%	398	5.49%	80.81%	3,426	3,824	–	–	–	–	–	7,250
Québec-Comté		Lib		Lib	3,987	48.07%	234	2.82%	91.36%	3,987	3,753	–	554	–	–	–	8,294
Québec-Est		Lib		ALN	5,629	57.61%	1,487	15.22%	84.13%	4,142	5,629	–	–	–	–	–	9,771
Québec-Ouest		Lib		Lib	1,894	58.44%	547	16.88%	81.71%	1,894	–	1,347	–	–	–	–	3,241
Richelieu		Lib		Lib	acclaimed (opponent withdrew)
Richmond		Lib		Con	3,170	55.58%	637	11.17%	83.23%	2,533	–	3,170	–	–	–	–	5,703
Rimouski		Lib		Lib	3,055	53.49%	399	6.99%	79.54%	3,055	2,656	–	–	–	–	–	5,711
Rivière-du-Loup		Lib		Lib	3,866	59.26%	1,208	18.52%	84.53%	3,866	2,658	–	–	–	–	–	6,524
Roberval		Lib		ALN	3,768	60.56%	1,611	25.89%	81.59%	2,157	3,768	–	297	–	–	–	6,222
Rouville		Con		Con	1,938	53.08%	225	6.16%	87.16%	1,713	–	1,938	–	–	–	–	3,651
Saint-Hyacinthe		Lib		Lib	3,381	53.68%	463	7.35%	86.13%	3,381	2,918	–	–	–	–	–	6,299
Saint-Jean		Lib		Lib	2,626	63.16%	1,094	26.31%	79.55%	2,626	–	–	–	1,532	–	–	4,158
Saint-Maurice		Lib		ALN	4,219	59.72%	1,373	19.43%	82.05%	2,846	4,219	–	–	–	–	–	7,065
Saint-Sauveur		Con		Con	4,184	50.51%	1,082	13.06%	85.80%	3,102	–	4,184	–	–	–	998	8,284
Shefford		Lib		ALN	3,708	53.30%	459	6.60%	85.29%	3,249	3,708	–	–	–	–	–	6,957
Sherbrooke		Lib		ALN	4,777	60.68%	1,681	21.35%	75.06%	3,096	4,777	–	–	–	–	–	7,873
Soulanges		Lib		Lib	1,287	57.66%	342	15.32%	85.75%	1,287	–	945	–	–	–	–	2,232
Stanstead		Lib		ALN	2,871	52.98%	323	5.96%	77.22%	2,548	2,871	–	–	–	–	–	5,419
Témiscamingue		Lib		ALN	2,929	53.63%	1,343	24.59%	70.10%	1,586	2,929	–	853	–	–	94	5,462
Témiscouata		Lib		Lib	2,112	53.25%	258	6.51%	87.03%	2,112	1,854	–	–	–	–	–	3,966
Terrebonne		Lib		Lib	Returning officer cast sole ballot (all others declared void)
Trois-Rivières		Con		Con	4,873	57.03%	1,202	14.07%	86.70%	3,671	–	4,873	–	–	–	–	8,544
Vaudreuil		Lib		Lib	1,120	37.35%	65	2.17%	84.65%	1,120	–	824	1,055	–	–	–	2,999
Verchères		Lib		Lib	2,077	64.50%	934	29.01%	90.87%	2,077	1,143	–	–	–	–	–	3,220
Westmount		Con		Con	8,288	55.75%	1,709	11.50%	46.39%	6,579	–	8,288	–	–	–	–	14,867
Wolfe		Lib		Lib	2,023	51.89%	147	3.77%	88.27%	2,023	1,876	–	–	–	–	–	3,899
Yamaska		Con		Con	2,080	52.39%	190	4.79%	91.93%	1,890	–	2,080	–	–	–	–	3,970

^ including spoilt ballots
^ Affiliations without candidates gaining 1st or 2nd place results provincewide, or otherwise not receiving more than 1% of the total vote, are grouped under "I-Oth" or "Other"

= open seat

= turnout is above provincial average

= winning candidate was in previous Legislature

= incumbent had switched allegiance

= not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature

= incumbency arose from byelection gain

= previously incumbent in another riding

= other incumbents renominated

= previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada

= multiple candidates

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place^[3]^{[a 1]}
Party in 1st place		Party in 2nd place						Total
Party in 1st place		Lib	ALN	CON	Ind-Lib	Lib-Opp	Lab	Total
	Liberal		26	13	3	1		43
	Action libérale nationale	24			1		1	26
	Conservative	16						16
	Independent Liberal	1						1
Total		41	26	13	4	1	1	86

^ excluding acclamations and Terrebonne result

Candidates ranked 1st to 4th place, by party^[3]
Parties	Acclaimed	Declared	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
█ Liberal	3	1	43	41	2		90
█ Action libérale nationale			26	26	2		54
█ Conservative			16	13	2		31
█ Independent Liberal			1	4	12	2	19
█ Labour				1	1		2
█ Liberal Opposition				1			1
█ Independent Government					2	1	3
█ Liberal–Labour					1		1
█ Independent Conservative					1		1
█ Independent Opposition						1	1

Resulting composition of the 19th Quebec Legislative Assembly^[11]
Source		Party
Source		Lib	ALN	Con	Ind-Lib	Total
Seats retained	Incumbents returned	31		8		39
	Incumbents returned - acclaimed and declared	4				4
	Open seats held	9				9
Seats changing hands	Incumbents defeated - new MLAs	1	14	5		20
	Incumbents defeated - previous members returned	1		1		2
	Open seats gained	1	11	2	1	15
	Incumbent changed allegiance		1			1
Total		47	26	16	1	90

References

^ "On compte 208 candidats en lice dans Québec" [208 candidates are in the running in Quebec]. Le Droit (in French). Ottawa. November 19, 1935. p. 1.
^ "Cinq candidats se retirent" [Five candidates withdraw]. Le Devoir (in French). November 20, 1935. p. 3.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Drouilly, Pierre (November 7, 2017). "Élections québécoises de 1935". donneesquebec.ca. Atlas des élections au Québec.
^ "M. le juge Guibeault déclare nulle l'élection de Terrebonne. L'officier-rapporteur élit M. David" [Judge Guibault voids the Terrebonne election. The Returning Officer elects David]. Le Devoir (in French). December 16, 1935. pp. 1, 3.
^ "Terrebonne votes all found illegal". Montreal Gazette. December 17, 1935. p. 6.
^ "Le juge Guibault continue le recomptage du scrutin dans le comté de Terrebonne" [Judge Guibault is continuing the recount in Terrebonne]. Le Devoir (in French). December 6, 1935. p. 1.
^ "Election results (Terrebonne)". assnat.qc.ca. National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Unionists act quickly to bar David election". Montreal Gazette. December 17, 1935. pp. 1, 6.
^ "David wins round in election fight". Montreal Gazette. April 14, 1936. p. 4.
^ "Athanase David (1882-1953)". La Revue de Terrebonne (in French). March 21, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Les membres de l'Assemblée nationale par circonscription" [National Assembly members by riding] (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
^ "L'élection dans St-Louis" [The St-Louis election]. Le Devoir (in French). November 19, 1935. p. 2.

[12] uding spoilt ballots

[13] Affiliations without candidates gaining 1st or 2nd place results provincewide, or otherwise not receiving more than 1% of the total vote, are grouped under "I-Oth" or "Other"

[15] xcluding acclamations and Terrebonne result

[1] "On compte 208 candidats en lice dans Québec" [208 candidates are in the running in Quebec]. Le Droit (in French). Ottawa. November 19, 1935. p. 1.

[2] "Cinq candidats se retirent" [Five candidates withdraw]. Le Devoir (in French). November 20, 1935. p. 3.

[EQdata-3] Drouilly, Pierre (November 7, 2017). "Élections québécoises de 1935". donneesquebec.ca. Atlas des élections au Québec.

[4] "M. le juge Guibeault déclare nulle l'élection de Terrebonne. L'officier-rapporteur élit M. David" [Judge Guibault voids the Terrebonne election. The Returning Officer elects David]. Le Devoir (in French). December 16, 1935. pp. 1, 3.

[5] "Terrebonne votes all found illegal". Montreal Gazette. December 17, 1935. p. 6.

[6] "Le juge Guibault continue le recomptage du scrutin dans le comté de Terrebonne" [Judge Guibault is continuing the recount in Terrebonne]. Le Devoir (in French). December 6, 1935. p. 1.

[7] "Election results (Terrebonne)". assnat.qc.ca. National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved October 1, 2023.

[Gazette19351217-8] "Unionists act quickly to bar David election". Montreal Gazette. December 17, 1935. pp. 1, 6.

[9] "David wins round in election fight". Montreal Gazette. April 14, 1936. p. 4.

[10] "Athanase David (1882-1953)". La Revue de Terrebonne (in French). March 21, 2014.

[MNAdata-11] "Les membres de l'Assemblée nationale par circonscription" [National Assembly members by riding] (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. Retrieved September 13, 2023.

[14] "L'élection dans St-Louis" [The St-Louis election]. Le Devoir (in French). November 19, 1935. p. 2.

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v t e Elections and referendums in Quebec
General elections	1867 1871 1875 1878 1881 1886 1890 1892 1897 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1936 1939 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1962 1966 1970 1973 1976 1981 1985 1989 1994 1998 2003 2007 2008 2012 2014 2018 2022 44th
Municipal elections	1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1983 1985 1986 1987 1989 1990 1993 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Referendums	1919 1980 1992 1995 2004
See also: List of Quebec by-elections