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The 1917 Canadian election was held on December 17, 1917. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1917). The election resulted in Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden's Unionist government elected with a strong majority.

The previous election had been held in 1911, and was won by Borden's Conservatives. Under the elections law, Canada should have had an election in 1916. However citing the emergency of the First World War, the government postponed the election, largely in hope that a coalition government could be formed, as was the case in Britain.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, head of the Liberal Party of Canada, refused to join the coalition over the issue of conscription. Conscription was strongly opposed in the Liberal heartland of Quebec. Laurier worried that agreeing to Borden's coalition offer would cause that province to abandon the Liberals, and perhaps Canada as well. Borden proceeded to form a "Unionist" government, and the Liberal Party split over the issue. Many English Canadian Liberal MPs and provincial Liberal parties in English Canada supported the new Unionist government.

To ensure victory for conscription, Borden introduced two laws to skew the voting towards the government. The first of these, the Wartime Elections Act, disenfranchised conscientious objectors and Canadian citizens who were born in enemy countries who had arrived after 1902. The law also gave female relatives of servicemen the vote. Thus, the 1917 election was the first federal election in which some women were allowed to vote. The other new law was the Military Voters Act that allowed soldiers serving abroad to choose which riding their vote would be counted in. This allowed government officials to guide the strongly pro-conscription soldiers into voting in those ridings where the government felt they would be most useful.

Soon after these measures were passed, Borden convinced a faction of Liberals (using the name Liberal-UnionistLiberal-Unionists were supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada who, as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917 rejected Sir Wilfrid Laurier's leadership and supported the coalition Unionist government of Sir Robert Borden. Much of the Ontario Liberas) along with Gideon Decker RobertsonGideon Decker Robertson ( August 26 1874 August 5 1933) was a Canadian Senator and Canadian Cabinet minister. Robertson was a telegrapher by profession and had links with conservatives in the labour movement. In January 1917 he was appointed to the Senate who was described as a "Labour" SenatorThe Senate of Canada is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. The senate has 105 members who are appointed by the Governor General on advice from the Prime Minister and serve until the age of 75. 24 from Ontario; 24 from Quebec; 24 are from the Mar (but was unaffiliated with any Labour Party) to join with them, forming the Unionist government in October 1917. He then dissolved parliament to seek a mandate in the election which pitted "Government" candidates, running as the Unionist Party, against the anti-Conscription faction of the Liberal Party which ran under the name Laurier LiberalsLaurier Liberals was the name used in the 1917 Canadian election by the wing of the Liberal Party of Canada led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier that opposed conscription of soldiers to support Canada's involvement in World War I. These Liberals declined to join Si.

The divisive debate ended with the country divided on linguistic lines. The Liberals won 82 seats, 62 of which were in Quebec. The Unionists won 183, the three seats they won in Quebec were all in mainly anglophoneAn anglophone is someone who speaks English natively or by adoption. As an adjective, it means English-speaking, whether referring to individuals, groups or places. In Quebec and Canada, this term is widely used to designate someone whose everyday languag ridings.

See also: Conscription crisis of 1917