What counts in Canadian elections?

Swinging policy postures explain Liberal dominance since 1896.
Joe Clark, left, Kim Campbell, Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Justin Trudeau, John Turner, Jean Chrétien, Mark Carney, and Stephen Harper. There's an old maxim in politics: parties do not get elected, governments get defeated, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Jake Wright, and Kate Malloy/illustration by Joey Sabourin
Opinion
BY NELSON WISEMAN
June 8, 2026

TORONTO—There is an old maxim in politics: parties do not get elected, governments get defeated. Elections are usually referendums on incumbency. 

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