1935 Prince Edward Island general election
Canadian provincial election
The 1935 Prince Edward Island general election was held in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island on 23 July 1935. The Liberal Party led by Walter Lea swept the board by winning every seat in every constituency. This was the first time that a government in the British Commonwealth would face no opposition in an elected chamber. To date, this feat has only been accomplished one other time in Canadian history, the 1987 New Brunswick election.
Background
The 1935 election took place in the shadow of the Great Depression. In 1931, the Conservative Party, then under James David Stewart, defeated the incumbent Liberal government, installing Stewart as Premier. As Premier, Stewart worked to get federal assistance in combating the Depression, but stress caused him to die in office in 1933.
When Stewart's health was failing, he was replaced by Acting Premier William J. P. MacMillan, who took over for Stewart upon his death. MacMillan continued Stewart's policies of increased economic spending and government assistance, until the election in 1935.
Walter Lea, a farmer by trade, had been elected to the Legislature in 1915, and had been Premier before Stewart from 1930–31.
The public source identifies “1935 Prince Edward Island general election” as canadian provincial election. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Prince, Edward and Island.
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