23rd Canadian Parliament
| 23rd Canadian Parliament | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Minority parliament | |||
| Oct. 14, 1957 – Feb. 1, 1958 | |||
| Parliament leaders | |||
| Prime minister | John Diefenbaker Jun. 21, 1957 – Apr. 22, 1963 | ||
| Cabinet | 18th Canadian Ministry | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | Louis St. Laurent June 21, 1957 – January 16, 1958 | ||
| Lester B. Pearson January 16, 1958 – April 22, 1963 | |||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | Progressive Conservative Party | ||
| Opposition | Liberal Party | ||
| Crossbench | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | ||
| Social Credit Party | |||
| House of Commons | |||
Seating arrangements of the House of Commons | |||
| Speaker of the Commons | Roland Michener October 14, 1957 – September 26, 1962 | ||
| Government House leader | Howard Charles Green October 14, 1957 – July 18, 1959 | ||
| Opposition House leader | Lionel Chevrier October 14, 1957 – February 5, 1963 | ||
| Members | 265 MP seats List of members | ||
| Senate | |||
| Speaker of the Senate | Mark Robert Drouin October 4, 1957 – September 23, 1962 | ||
| Government Senate leader | John Thomas Haig October 9, 1957 − May 11, 1958 | ||
| Opposition Senate leader | William Ross Macdonald June 21, 1957 – April 22, 1963 | ||
| Senators | 102 senator seats List of senators | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II February 6, 1952 – September 8, 2022 | ||
| Governor general | Vincent Massey 28 February 1952 – 15 September 1959 | ||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session October 14, 1957 – February 1, 1958 | |||
| |||

The 23rd Canadian Parliament was in session from October 14, 1957, until February 1, 1958. The membership was set by the 1957 federal election on June 10, 1957, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1958 election.
It was the first parliament opened by the Monarch of Canada, and the only parliament formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II herself, rather than her formal representative, the governor general. In 2025, King Charles III opened the 45th Canadian Parliament, marking the second time any monarch has opened parliament.[1]
It was controlled by a Progressive Conservative Party minority under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and the 18th Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party, led first by Louis St. Laurent, and then by Lester B. Pearson.
It was the second shortest parliament in Canadian history.
The Speaker was Roland Michener. See also List of Canadian electoral districts 1952–1966 for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
There was only one session of the 23rd Parliament.
List of members
Following is a full list of members of the twenty-third Parliament listed first by province or territory, then by electoral district.
Key:
- Party leaders are italicized.
- Parliamentary assistants is indicated by "‡".
- Cabinet ministers are in boldface.
- The Prime Minister is both.
- The Speaker is indicated by "(†)".
Electoral districts denoted by an asterisk (*) indicates that district was represented by two members.
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon—Souris | Walter Dinsdale ‡ | Progressive Conservative | 1951 | 3rd term | |
| Churchill | Robert Simpson | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Dauphin | Fred Zaplitny | C.C.F. | 1945, 1953 | 3rd term* | |
| Lisgar | George Muir | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Marquette | Nick Mandziuk | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Portage—Neepawa | George Fairfield | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Provencher | Warner Jorgenson | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Selkirk | William Bryce | C.C.F. | 1954 | 2nd term | |
| Springfield | Jacob Schulz | C.C.F. | 1957 | 1st term | |
| St. Boniface | Louis Deniset | Liberal | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Winnipeg North | Alistair Stewart | C.C.F. | 1940 | 5th term | |
| Winnipeg North Centre | Stanley Knowles | C.C.F. | 1942 | 5th term | |
| Winnipeg South | Gordon Chown | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Winnipeg South Centre | Gordon Churchill | Progressive Conservative | 1951 | 3rd term |
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | A. Wesley Stuart | Liberal | 1945 | 4th term | |
| Gloucester | Hédard Robichaud | Liberal | 1953 | 2nd term | |
| Kent | Hervé Michaud | Liberal | 1953 | 2nd term | |
| Northumberland—Miramichi | George Roy McWilliam | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term | |
| Restigouche—Madawaska | Charles Van Horne | Progressive Conservative | 1955 | 2nd term | |
| Royal | Alfred Johnson Brooks | Progressive Conservative | 1935 | 6th term | |
| St. John—Albert | Thomas Miller Bell ‡ | Progressive Conservative | 1953 | 2nd term | |
| Victoria—Carleton | Gage Montgomery | Progressive Conservative | 1952 | 3rd term | |
| Westmorland | Henry Murphy | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term | |
| York—Sunbury | John Chester MacRae | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term |
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonavista—Twillingate | Jack Pickersgill | Liberal | 1953 | 2nd term | |
| Burin—Burgeo | Chesley William Carter | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term | |
| Grand Falls—White Bay—Labrador | Thomas G. W. Ashbourne | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term | |
| Humber—St. George's | Herman Maxwell Batten | Liberal | 1953 | 2nd term | |
| St. John's East | James McGrath | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| St. John's West | William Joseph Browne | Progressive Conservative | 1949, 1957 | 2nd term* | |
| Trinity—Conception | Leonard Stick | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term |
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mackenzie River | Merv Hardie | Liberal | 1953 | 2nd term |
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigonish—Guysborough | Angus Ronald Macdonald ‡ | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Cape Breton North and Victoria | Robert Muir | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Cape Breton South | Donald MacInnis | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Colchester—Hants | Cyril Kennedy | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Cumberland | Robert Coates | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Digby—Annapolis—Kings | George Nowlan | Progressive Conservative | 1948, 1950 | 4th term* | |
| Halifax* | Robert McCleave | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Edmund L. Morris | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | ||
| Inverness—Richmond | Allan MacEachen | Liberal | 1953 | 2nd term | |
| Pictou | Russell MacEwan | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Queens—Lunenburg | Lloyd Crouse | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Shelburne—Yarmouth—Clare | Thomas Kirk | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term |
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's | John Augustine Macdonald | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Prince | Orville Howard Phillips | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term | |
| Queen's* | Angus MacLean | Progressive Conservative | 1951 | 3rd term | |
| Heath MacQuarrie | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term |
| Electoral district | Name | Party | First elected/previously elected | No. of terms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon | James Aubrey Simmons | Liberal | 1949 | 3rd term | |
| Erik Nielsen (by-election of 1957-12-16) | Progressive Conservative | 1957 | 1st term |
By-elections
| By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | Retained | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon | December 16, 1957 | James Aubrey Simmons | Liberal | Erik Nielsen | Progressive Conservative | Election declared void | No | ||
| Hastings—Frontenac | November 4, 1957 | George Stanley White | Progressive Conservative | Sidney Earle Smith | Progressive Conservative | Called to the Senate | Yes | ||
| Lanark | August 26, 1957 | William G. Blair | Progressive Conservative | George Doucett | Progressive Conservative | Death | Yes | ||
Notes
- ^ Muskoka—Ontario
- ^ Stormont (Ontario)
- ^ Assiniboia
References
- ^ Burack, Emily (May 27, 2025). "King Charles Makes History as He Delivers Throne Speech in Canada". Yahoo News. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
External links
- Government of Canada. "18th Ministry". Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation. Privy Council Office. Retrieved November 9, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "23rd Parliament". Members of the House of Commons: 1867 to Date: By Parliament. Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "Duration of Sessions". Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "General Elections". Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "Key Dates for each Parliament". Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on September 14, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Commons". Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved May 12, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "Prime Ministers of Canada". Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2006.
- Government of Canada. "Speakers". Library of Parliament. Archived from the original on September 17, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2006.