Liberal–Labour (Canada)

The Liberal–Labour banner has been used several times by candidates in Canadian elections:

In the early twentieth century when the idea of trade unionists running for elected office under their own banner gained ground, several working class candidates on the provincial or federal level were elected on a Labour ticket. Once elected, in the absence of an organized Labour Party, an MP elected on a Labour ticket would often support, or join, the Liberal Party of Canada and would often be described as "Liberal–Labour"

At other times, the Liberal Party, particularly under William Lyon Mackenzie King would try to co-opt the trade union vote by running Liberal supporters as Labour or Liberal–Labour candidates. These would be official or unofficial "fusion" candidates who would run in the absence of a straight Liberal candidate.

Benidickson was succeeded in that riding by John Mercer Reid, who was elected as a "Liberal" in 1965 but then sat as a "Liberal–Labour" MP from the 1968 federal election until the 1972 federal election, when he changed his designation back to "Liberal". In the 1988 federal election, Liberal candidate Bob Nault identified himself as "Liberal–Labour" on some of his literature (particularly those distributed at plant gates) in his successful attempt to defeat NDP incumbent John Parry who had defeated Reid in 1984. Nault was officially listed as a straight Liberal on the ballot and in his official designation when he became an MP.

  • In the 1935 federal election, three candidates ran in Quebec ridings, placing last in each case, and drawing no more than 1.5% of the vote in each case. In all three ridings, at least one other candidate ran as a "Liberal".
  • In the 1945 federal election, one candidate ran as a "Liberal Labour" candidate in the Quebec riding of Mercier, placing last in a field of seven, with 345 votes, 1.0% of the total.
  • In the 1949 federal election, one candidate ran as a "Liberal Labour" candidate in the Quebec riding of Stanstead, placing last in a field of four, with 433 votes, 2.6% of the total.