The Liberal Party had governed Canada since 1935, winning five consecutive elections.
The Liberals won the last four national elections, governing Canada for 13 years - as the party did for three-quarters of the past century.
It also had power to govern French Canada.
The Liberal Party has governed Canada on the federal level since 1993, largely because conservatives have been split along regional lines.
It governed Canada from 1 May to 8 July 1896.
To govern Canada without offending and violating its divergent elements is the major concern of politics at the summit.
It governed Canada from 4 June 1979 to 3 March 1980, including all of the 31st Canadian Parliament.
It governed Canada from 3 March 1980 to 30 June 1984, including most of the 32nd Canadian Parliament.
The federal Tories governed Canada for over forty of the country's first seventy years of existence.
It governed Canada from 17 September 1984 to 25 June 1993, including the 33rd Canadian Parliament and most of the 34th.