# By-elections to the 2nd Canadian Parliament

By-elections to the 2nd Canadian Parliament were held to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada between the 1872 federal election and the 1874 federal election. The Conservative Party of Canada led a majority government for most of the 2nd Canadian Parliament.
The list includes Ministerial by-elections which occurred due to the requirement that Members of Parliament recontest their seats upon being appointed to Cabinet. These by-elections were almost always uncontested. This requirement was abolished in 1931.
| By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Winner | Party | Cause | Retained |
| Victoria | December 20, 1873 | William Ross | Liberal | William Ross | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Militia | Yes |
| Antigonish | December 20, 1873 | Hugh McDonald | Liberal-Conservative | Angus McIsaac | Liberal | Appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia | No |
| West Toronto | December 18, 1873 | John Willoughby Crawford | Conservative | Thomas Moss | Liberal | Death | No |
| Bruce South | December 14, 1873 | Edward Blake | Liberal | Edward Blake | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister without portfolio | Yes |
| Shelburne | December 9, 1873 | Thomas Coffin | Liberal-Conservative | Thomas Coffin | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Receiver-General of Canada | No |
| Lennox | December 3, 1873 | Richard John Cartwright | Liberal | Richard John Cartwright | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Finance | Yes |
| Queen's County | December 3, 1873 | David Laird | Liberal | David Laird | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of the Interior | Yes |
| City of St. John | December 1, 1873 | Samuel Leonard Tilley | Liberal-Conservative | Jeremiah Smith Boies De Veber | Liberal | Appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick | No |
| City and County of St. John | December 1, 1873 | Isaac Burpee | Liberal | Isaac Burpee | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Customs | Yes |
| Westmorland | November 28, 1873 | Albert James Smith | Liberal | Albert James Smith | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Marine and Fisheries | Yes |
| Bellechasse | November 27, 1873 | Télesphore Fournier | Liberal | Télesphore Fournier | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Inland Revenue | Yes |
| Napierville | November 27, 1873 | Antoine-Aimé Dorion | Liberal | Antoine-Aimé Dorion | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Justice | Yes |
| Glengarry | November 26, 1873 | Donald Alexander Macdonald | Liberal | Donald Alexander Macdonald | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Postmaster-General | Yes |
| Lambton | November 25, 1873 | Alexander Mackenzie | Liberal | Alexander Mackenzie | Liberal | Recontested upon appointment as Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works | Yes |
| Laval | October 28, 1873 | Joseph-Hyacinthe Bellerose | Conservative | Joseph-Aldric Ouimet | Liberal-Conservative | Called to the Senate | Yes |
| Provencher | October 13, 1873 | George-Étienne Cartier | Liberal-Conservative | Louis Riel | Independent | Death | No |
| Prince County | September 29, 1873 | New seat | | James Colledge Pope and James Yeo | Conservative and Liberal | Held as a result of Prince Edward Island joining Confederation. Elected 2 MPs. | NA |
| Queen's County | September 29, 1873 | New seat | | David Laird and Peter Sinclair | Liberal | Held as a result of Prince Edward Island joining Confederation. Elected 2 MPs. | NA |
| King's County | September 29, 1873 | New Seat | | Daniel Davies and Augustine Colin Macdonald | Conservative and Liberal-Conservative | Held as a result of Prince Edward Island joining Confederation. Elected 2 MPs. | NA |
| Carleton | September 18, 1873 | Charles Connell | Liberal | Stephen Burpee Appleby | Liberal | Death | Yes |
| Antigonish | July 7, 1873 | Hugh McDonald | Liberal-Conservative | Hugh McDonald | Liberal-Conservative | Recontested upon appointment as President of the Privy Council | Yes |
| Ontario South | July 7, 1873 | Thomas Nicholson Gibbs | Liberal-Conservative | Thomas Nicholson Gibbs | Liberal-Conservative | Recontested upon appointment as Secretary of State for the Provinces and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs | Yes |
| Hants | July 5, 1873 | Joseph Howe | Liberal-Conservative | Monson Henry Goudge | Liberal | Appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. | No |
| Durham West | April 10, 1873 | Edward Blake | Liberal | Edmund Burke Wood | Liberal | Chose to sit for Bruce South. | Yes |
| Quebec County | March 28, 1873 | Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau | Conservative | Adolphe-Philippe Caron | Conservative | Called to the Senate | Yes |
| Bonaventure | February 15, 1873 | Théodore Robitaille | Conservative | Théodore Robitaille | Conservative | Recontested upon appointment as Receiver-General | Yes |
| Welland | November 23, 1872 | Thomas Clark Street | Conservative | William Alexander Thomson | Liberal | Death | No |