The 20th Canadian Parliament was in session from September 6, 1945 until April 30, 1949. The membership was set by the 1945 federal election on June 11, 1945, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1949 election.
It was controlled by a Liberal Party minority first under Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and the 16th Canadian Ministry, and later a majority under Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and the 17th Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the newly named Progressive Conservative Party, led first by John Bracken and later by George Drew.
The Speaker was Gaspard Fauteux. See also List of Canadian electoral districts 1933-1947 for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
In this parliament, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, led by M.J. Coldwell, overtook the Social Credit as third largest party.
There were five sessions of the 20th Parliament:
| Session | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | September 6, 1945 | December 18, 1945 |
| 2nd | March 14, 1946 | August 31, 1946 |
| 3rd | January 30, 1947 | July 17, 1947 |
| 4th | December 5, 1947 | June 30, 1948 |
| 5th | January 29, 1949 | April 30, 1949 |
Read more about 20th Canadian Parliament: List of Members, By-elections
Famous quotes containing the words canadian and/or parliament:
“We’re definite in Nova Scotia—’bout things like ships ... and fish, the best in the world.”
—John Rhodes Sturdy, Canadian screenwriter. Richard Rossen. Joyce Cartwright (Ella Raines)
“The war shook down the Tsardom, an unspeakable abomination, and made an end of the new German Empire and the old Apostolic Austrian one. It ... gave votes and seats in Parliament to women.... But if society can be reformed only by the accidental results of horrible catastrophes ... what hope is there for mankind in them? The war was a horror and everybody is the worse for it.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)