1948 Quebec general election

The 1948 Quebec general election was held on July 28, 1948, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.

1948 Quebec general election

← 1944 July 28, 1948 1952 →

92 seats in the 23rd Legislative Assembly of Quebec
47 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
UdÉ
Leader Maurice Duplessis Adélard Godbout P. Ernest Grégoire
Party Union Nationale Liberal Union des électeurs
Leader since June 20, 1936 June 11, 1936 June 11, 1936
Leader's seat Trois-Rivières L'Islet (defeated)
Last election 48 seats, 38.02% 37 seats, 39.35% New
Seats won 82 8 0
Seat change Increase 34 Decrease 29 Steady
Popular vote 775,747 547,478 123,508
Percentage 51.24% 36.17% 9.25%
Swing Increase 13.22% Decrease 3.18% New

Premier before election

Maurice Duplessis
Union Nationale

Premier after election

Maurice Duplessis
Union Nationale

This was the third time (and the second in a row) that Duplessis led his party to a general election victory.

It was Godbout's third (and final) loss to Duplessis in a general election, and the second in a row. He had won one victory against Duplessis years earlier in the 1939 election. In this election, the Liberals fared particularly poorly, reduced to only 8 seats, although their share of the popular vote was around 36%.

Adjustment of representation

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The Legislative Assembly was expanded from 91 to 92 members, as a consequence of Charlevoix—Saguenay no longer returning a joint member, separate members being elected from Charlevoix and Saguenay.[1]

Campaign

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The Union des électeurs fielded candidates in all 92 ridings, with 71 becoming, at minimum, three-way contests between them, the UN and the Liberals:

Riding contests, by number of candidates (1948)[2]
Candidates UN Lib UdE CCF Ind I-UN Lab-Pr I-Lib Lab I-CCF Total
3 70 71 71 1 213
4 13 13 13 3 6 3 1 52
5 4 4 4 1 3 3 1 20
6 2 2 2 1 3 1 1 12
7 2 2 2 1 3 2 1 1 14
Total 91 92 92 6 16 3 1 8 1 1 311

Results

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Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (1948)[2]
Political party Party leader MLAs Votes
Candidates 1944 1948 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Union Nationale Maurice Duplessis 91 48 82 34  775,747 270,086  51.25 13.22 
Liberal Adélard Godbout 92 37 8 29  547,478 24,162  36.16 3.19 
Union des électeurs P. Ernest Grégoire 92 140,050 123,508  9.25 8.01 
Co-operative Commonwealth   7 1 1  9,016 24,970  0.60 1.96 
Bloc populaire   4 4  did not campaign
  Other candidates
 Independent[a 1][a 2] 11 2 2  23,956 11,190  1.58 0.62 
 Independent-Nationalist[a 1] 1 1  did not campaign
 Independent-Unionist 8 8,649 1,874  0.57 0.06 
 Labor–Progressive 1 4,899 2,974  0.32 0.27 
 Independent-Liberal 7 2,968 7,868  0.20 0.45 
 Labour 1 1,098 7,257  0.07 0.56 
 Independent-CCF 1 110 2,905  0.23 
 Candidat du peuple did not campaign
 Independent-Bloc
Total 311 91 92 1,513,971 100%
Rejected ballots 17,928 2,376 
Voter turnout 1,531,899 186,388  75.22 3.24 
Registered electors 2,036,576 167,180 
  1. ^ a b René Chaloult was reelected as an Independent in Québec-Comté, the only riding in which the UN did not field a candidate
  2. ^ Frank Hanley was elected in Montréal–Sainte-Anne
Popular vote
UN
51.24%
PLQ
36.17%
UdÉ
9.25%
Others
3.34%
Seats summary
UN
89.13%
PLQ
8.70%
Others
2.17%

Synopsis of results

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Results by riding - 1948 Quebec general election[2][3]
Riding Winning party Turnout
[a 1]
Votes
Name 1944 Party Votes Share Margin
#
Margin
%
UN Lib UdE CCF Ind I-UN Lab-Pr I-Lib Lab I-CCF Total
 
Abitibi-Est Lib UN 8,373 42.23% 2,233 11.26% 81.88% 8,373 5,313 6,140 19,826
Abitibi-Ouest UN UN 5,669 50.90% 2,497 22.42% 87.56% 5,669 2,196 3,172 100 11,137
Argenteuil Lib UN 5,488 48.47% 433 3.82% 82.88% 5,488 5,055 779 11,322
Arthabaska Lib UN 8,368 54.83% 3,222 21.11% 88.03% 8,368 5,146 1,749 15,263
Bagot Lib UN 5,220 59.53% 1,925 21.95% 88.78% 5,220 3,295 254 8,769
Beauce BP UN 12,571 58.94% 8,012 37.57% 88.57% 12,571 4,559 4,197 21,327
Beauharnois BP UN 9,929 63.35% 5,923 37.79% 82.02% 9,929 4,006 1,738 15,673
Bellechasse Lib UN 5,027 48.48% 781 7.53% 83.49% 5,027 4,246 1,096 10,369
Berthier Lib UN 5,952 51.49% 410 3.55% 89.11% 5,952 5,542 66 11,560
Bonaventure UN UN 8,384 50.99% 715 4.35% 84.86% 8,384 7,669 137 252 16,442
Brome UN UN 3,977 60.09% 1,484 22.42% 83.39% 3,977 2,493 148 6,618
Chambly Lib UN 12,197 52.04% 3,499 14.93% 73.78% 12,197 8,698 869 661 1,014 23,439
Champlain UN UN 11,465 68.52% 7,332 43.82% 86.46% 11,465 4,133 1,135 16,733
Charlevoix New UN 6,078 54.45% 2,014 18.04% 84.80% 6,078 4,064 961 59 11,162
Châteauguay Lib UN 4,277 54.46% 803 10.23% 83.82% 4,277 3,474 102 7,853
Chicoutimi UN UN 23,602 57.82% 13,806 33.82% 85.69% 23,602 7,424 9,796 40,822
Compton Lib UN 5,593 53.21% 1,987 18.90% 82.05% 5,593 3,606 1,312 10,511
Deux-Montagnes UN UN 5,638 62.64% 2,431 27.01% 83.52% 5,638 3,207 155 9,000
Dorchester UN UN 9,345 61.53% 4,504 29.65% 87.45% 9,345 4,841 1,002 15,188
Drummond UN UN 10,016 55.09% 5,289 29.09% 79.24% 10,016 4,727 3,438 18,181
Frontenac UN UN 6,948 56.30% 3,898 31.59% 88.13% 6,948 3,050 2,343 12,341
Gaspé-Nord UN Lib 3,572 44.95% 213 2.68% 91.81% 3,359 3,572 97 918 7,946
Gaspé-Sud UN UN 8,002 60.98% 3,034 23.12% 83.12% 8,002 4,968 152 13,122
Gatineau Lib UN 6,649 52.34% 1,104 8.69% 78.56% 6,649 5,545 510 12,704
Hull UN UN 12,036 65.60% 6,499 35.42% 78.23% 12,036 5,537 774 18,347
Huntingdon Lib UN 3,453 56.54% 879 14.39% 83.64% 3,453 2,574 80 6,107
Iberville UN UN 3,369 59.55% 1,344 23.76% 86.71% 3,369 2,025 228 35 5,657
Îles-de-la-Madeleine UN UN 2,442 58.14% 723 17.21% 91.59% 2,442 1,719 39 4,200
Jacques-Cartier Lib Lib 14,524 49.59% 4,074 13.91% 66.06% 10,450 14,524 1,088 3,225 29,287
Joliette UN UN 10,482 64.99% 5,030 31.19% 86.46% 10,482 5,452 195 16,129
Kamouraska Lib UN 5,519 49.89% 454 4.10% 83.56% 5,519 5,065 479 11,063
L'Assomption UN UN 5,971 62.32% 2,729 28.48% 84.56% 5,971 3,242 233 135 9,581
L'Islet Lib UN 4,374 45.04% 40 0.41% 85.92% 4,374 4,334 1,004 9,712
Labelle UN UN 6,694 64.07% 4,127 39.50% 86.60% 6,694 2,567 1,187 10,448
Lac-Saint-Jean Lib UN 6,277 55.12% 1,661 14.59% 93.33% 6,277 4,616 494 11,387
Laval Lib UN 29,043 63.36% 15,582 33.99% 67.94% 29,043 13,461 3,033 300 45,837
Laviolette UN UN 8,612 54.05% 4,466 28.03% 79.84% 8,612 4,146 3,176 15,934
Lévis UN UN 10,322 52.41% 4,512 22.91% 85.06% 10,322 5,810 3,561 19,693
Lotbinière Lib UN 5,900 49.22% 668 5.57% 89.78% 5,900 5,232 854 11,986
Maisonneuve UN UN 18,493 52.70% 5,128 14.61% 66.51% 18,493 13,365 2,744 486 35,088
Maskinongé UN UN 5,184 55.68% 1,124 12.07% 91.60% 5,184 4,060 67 9,311
Matane UN UN 9,405 57.40% 3,069 18.73% 87.73% 9,405 6,336 643 16,384
Matapédia UN UN 6,039 47.00% 776 6.04% 87.62% 6,039 5,263 1,547 12,849
Mégantic UN UN 9,787 51.04% 3,110 16.22% 89.39% 9,787 6,677 2,710 19,174
Missisquoi Lib UN 5,899 53.75% 1,086 9.90% 82.83% 5,899 4,813 263 10,975
Montcalm UN UN 4,645 59.04% 1,466 18.63% 86.12% 4,645 3,179 43 7,867
Montmagny Lib UN 5,284 49.81% 702 6.62% 85.41% 5,284 4,582 742 10,608
Montmorency Lib UN 4,018 43.88% 245 2.68% 87.87% 4,018 3,773 1,365 9,156
Montréal–Jeanne-Mance Lib UN 21,456 55.28% 6,491 16.72% 62.55% 21,456 14,965 1,424 970 38,815
Montréal-Laurier BP UN 17,234 58.65% 7,176 24.42% 65.40% 17,234 10,058 1,236 855 29,383
Montréal-Mercier Lib UN 17,844 57.71% 6,444 20.84% 60.23% 17,844 11,400 1,347 331 30,922
Montréal–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Lib Lib 18,834 76.13% 13,237 53.50% 53.01% 5,597 18,834 309 24,740
Montréal-Outremont Lib Lib 15,115 70.29% 9,137 42.49% 49.32% 5,978 15,115 412 21,505
Montréal–Saint-Henri UN UN 17,754 53.83% 6,340 19.22% 68.85% 17,754 11,414 1,625 1,779 166 246 32,984
Montréal–Saint-Jacques UN UN 12,328 60.56% 6,404 31.46% 61.71% 12,328 5,924 1,008 1,098 20,358
Montréal–Saint-Louis Lib Lib 11,032 38.37% 646 2.25% 49.83% 10,386 11,032 845 1,593 4,899 28,755
Montréal–Sainte-Anne Lib Ind 8,216 42.10% 1,771 9.07% 56.27% 2,632 6,445 556 366 8,398 1,120 19,517
Montréal–Sainte-Marie UN UN 16,108 55.48% 7,793 26.84% 61.51% 16,108 8,315 1,639 1,873 1,101 29,036
Montréal-Verdun Lib Lib 12,639 52.74% 6,017 25.11% 57.26% 6,622 12,639 1,052 3,544 110 23,967
Napierville-Laprairie UN UN 7,080 65.01% 3,389 31.12% 87.67% 7,080 3,691 119 10,890
Nicolet UN UN 6,810 49.72% 207 1.51% 83.88% 6,810 6,603 285 13,698
Papineau UN UN 10,129 61.93% 6,149 37.59% 82.86% 10,129 3,980 2,247 16,356
Pontiac Lib UN 4,723 56.03% 1,346 15.97% 76.61% 4,723 3,377 329 8,429
Portneuf UN UN 10,506 55.55% 5,224 27.62% 85.44% 10,506 5,282 3,123 18,911
Québec-Centre Lib UN 8,174 47.66% 404 2.36% 73.52% 8,174 7,770 1,208 17,152
Québec-Comté Nat Ind 11,807 49.49% 4,261 17.86% 81.97% 7,546 4,503 11,807 23,856
Québec-Est Lib UN 14,998 54.17% 6,004 21.68% 80.48% 14,998 8,994 3,696 27,688
Québec-Ouest Lib UN 7,034 50.35% 844 6.04% 74.43% 7,034 6,190 747 13,971
Richelieu Lib UN 6,647 47.86% 377 2.71% 84.48% 6,647 6,270 970 13,887
Richmond UN UN 7,135 50.00% 2,784 19.51% 84.70% 7,135 4,351 2,783 14,269
Rimouski UN UN 7,819 44.81% 1,439 8.25% 85.62% 7,819 6,380 3,252 17,451
Rivière-du-Loup Lib UN 9,391 56.90% 2,582 15.64% 89.63% 9,391 6,809 305 16,505
Roberval UN UN 9,695 55.02% 3,782 21.46% 89.83% 9,695 5,913 2,013 17,621
Rouville UN UN 4,946 54.78% 992 10.99% 88.04% 4,946 3,954 129 9,029
Rouyn-Noranda CCF UN 5,245 41.73% 1,183 9.41% 81.09% 5,245 3,263 4,062 12,570
Saguenay New UN 4,726 41.11% 2,207 19.20% 75.15% 4,726 2,519 1,274 264 2,713 11,496
Saint-Hyacinthe UN UN 7,973 49.20% 1,206 7.44% 79.41% 7,973 6,767 1,465 16,205
Saint-Jean UN UN 7,535 65.27% 3,948 34.20% 82.78% 7,535 3,587 423 11,545
Saint-Maurice UN UN 11,830 53.40% 5,491 24.79% 84.98% 11,830 3,983 6,339 22,152
Saint-Sauveur Lib UN 10,149 46.48% 3,261 14.93% 83.66% 10,149 6,888 4,799 21,836
Shefford UN UN 9,375 52.28% 2,578 14.38% 83.20% 9,375 6,797 1,760 17,932
Sherbrooke UN UN 13,818 57.26% 8,307 34.42% 77.15% 13,818 5,511 4,525 278 24,132
Stanstead BP UN 6,869 53.57% 2,597 20.25% 71.41% 6,869 4,272 1,681 12,822
Témiscamingue UN UN 3,374 43.95% 858 11.18% 86.54% 3,374 2,516 1,787 7,677
Témiscouata UN UN 4,779 45.24% 894 8.46% 87.41% 4,779 3,885 1,900 10,564
Terrebonne UN UN 16,805 59.94% 7,911 28.22% 83.33% 16,805 8,894 2,337 28,036
Trois-Rivières UN UN 16,097 76.91% 12,261 58.58% 81.12% 16,097 3,836 997 20,930
Vaudreuil-Soulanges Lib UN 6,272 55.29% 1,359 11.98% 82.22% 6,272 4,913 158 11,343
Verchères Lib Lib 3,796 49.97% 346 4.55% 86.48% 3,450 3,796 351 7,597
Westmount–Saint-Georges Lib Lib 13,947 75.87% 9,879 53.74% 47.94% 4,068 13,947 367 18,382
Wolfe UN UN 4,205 52.44% 905 11.29% 91.53% 4,205 3,300 513 8,018
Yamaska UN UN 4,326 62.24% 1,954 28.11% 83.33% 4,326 2,372 253 6,951
  1. ^ including spoilt ballots
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
  = incumbent had switched allegiance
  = incumbency arose from byelection gain
  = previously incumbent in another riding
  = other incumbents renominated
  = multiple candidates

Analysis

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Party candidates in 2nd place[2]
Party in 1st place Party in 2nd place Total
UN Lib UDE Ind-UN
Union Nationale 76 5 1 82
Liberal 8 8
Independent 2 2
Total 8 78 5 1 92
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party[2]
Parties 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total
 Union Nationale 82 8 1 91
 Liberal 8 78 6 92
 Independent 2 1 1 3 7
 Union des électeurs 5 77 8 2 92
 Independent UN 1 3 3 7
 Co-operative Commonwealth 2 4 6
 Labor–Progressive 1 1
 Labour 1 1
 Independent Liberal 5 2 7
 Independent-CCF 1 1
Resulting composition of the 23rd Quebec Legislative Assembly[3]
Source Party
UN Lib Ind Total
Seats retained Incumbents returned 45 5 50
Incumbent changed allegiance 1 1
Open seats held 1 2 3
Seats changing hands Incumbents defeated 25 1 1 27
Open seats gained 5 5
Byelection gains held 4 4
New ridings Incumbent returned in new seat 1 1
New MLA elected 1 1
Total 82 8 2 92

See also

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References

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  1. ^ An Act to amend the Legislature Act and the Territorial Division Act, S.Q. 1945, c. 12, s. 1
  2. ^ a b c d e Drouilly, Pierre (December 4, 2017). "Élections québécoises de 1948". donneesquebec.ca. Atlas des élections au Québec.
  3. ^ 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.