# 31st Canadian Parliament

The 31st Canadian Parliament was a briefly lived parliament in session from October 9 until December 14, 1979. The membership was set by the 1979 federal election on May 22, 1979, and it was dissolved after the minority government of Joe Clark failed to pass a Motion of Confidence on December 13, 1979. The dissolution of parliament led to the 1980 federal election. Lasting only 66 days from first sitting to dissolution, and only nine months from election to election, the 31st was the shortest parliament in Canadian history.
The 31st Parliament was controlled by a Progressive Conservative Party minority led by Prime Minister Joe Clark and the 21st Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party, led by former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
The Speaker was James Jerome. See also List of Canadian electoral districts 1976-1987 for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
There was only one session of the 31st Parliament:
| Session | Start | End |
| 1st | October 9, 1979 | December 14, 1979 |

## Party standings

The party standings as of the election and as of dissolution were as follows:
| Affiliation | Affiliation | House members | House members | Senate members | Senate members |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | 1979 election results | At dissolution | On election day 1979 | At dissolution |
| | Progressive Conservative | 136 | 136 | 18 | 28 |
| | Liberal | 114 | 114 | 73 | 71 |
| | New Democratic | 26 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| | Social Credit | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| | Independent Liberal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total members | Total members | 282 | 282 | 92 | 103 |
| | Vacant | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Total seats | Total seats | 282 | 282 | 104 | 104 |

## Members of the House of Commons

Members of the House of Commons in the 31st parliament arranged by province.

### Newfoundland

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Bonavista—Trinity—Conception | Dave Rooney | Liberal |
| Burin—St. George's | Donald Jamieson | Liberal |
| Burin—St. George's | Roger Simmons* | Liberal |
| Gander—Twillingate | George Baker | Liberal |
| Grand Falls—White Bay—Labrador | Bill Rompkey | Liberal |
| Humber—Port au Port—St. Barbe | Fonse Faour | New Democrat |
| St. John's East | James McGrath | Progressive Conservative |
| St. John's West | John Crosbie | Progressive Conservative |
    * Donald Jamieson resigned from parliament and was replaced by Roger Simmons in a September 19, 1979, by-election

### Prince Edward Island

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Cardigan | Wilbur MacDonald | Progressive Conservative |
| Egmont | David MacDonald | Progressive Conservative |
| Hillsborough | Thomas McMillan | Progressive Conservative |
| Malpeque | Melbourne Gass | Progressive Conservative |

### Nova Scotia

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Annapolis Valley—Hants | Pat Nowlan | Progressive Conservative |
| Cape Breton Highlands—Canso | Allan MacEachen | Liberal |
| Cape Breton—East Richmond | Andrew Hogan | New Democrat |
| Cape Breton—The Sydneys | Russell MacLellan | Liberal |
| Central Nova | Elmer MacKay | Progressive Conservative |
| Cumberland—Colchester | Robert Coates | Progressive Conservative |
| Dartmouth—Halifax East | Michael Forrestall | Progressive Conservative |
| Halifax | George Cooper | Progressive Conservative |
| Halifax West | Howard Crosby | Progressive Conservative |
| South Shore | Lloyd Crouse | Progressive Conservative |
| South Western Nova | Charles Haliburton | Progressive Conservative |

### New Brunswick

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Carleton—Charlotte | Fred McCain | Progressive Conservative |
| Fundy—Royal | Robert Corbett | Progressive Conservative |
| Gloucester | Herb Breau | Liberal |
| Madawaska—Victoria | Eymard Corbin | Liberal |
| Moncton | Gary McCauley | Liberal |
| Northumberland—Miramichi | Maurice Dionne | Liberal |
| Restigouche | Maurice Harquail | Liberal |
| Saint John | Eric Ferguson | Progressive Conservative |
| Westmorland—Kent | Roméo LeBlanc | Liberal |
| York—Sunbury | J. Robert Howie | Progressive Conservative |

### Quebec

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Abitibi | Armand Caouette | Social Credit |
| Argenteuil | Robert Gourd | Liberal |
| Beauce | Fabien Roy | Social Credit |
| Beauharnois—Salaberry | Gérald Laniel | Liberal |
| Bellechasse | Joseph Lambert | Social Credit |
| Berthier—Maskinongé | Antonio Yanakis | Liberal |
| Blainville—Deux-Montagnes | Francis Fox | Liberal |
| Bonaventure—Îles-de-la-Madeleine | Rémi Bujold | Liberal |
| Bourassa | Carlo Rossi | Liberal |
| Chambly | Raymond Dupont | Liberal |
| Champlain | Michel Veillette | Liberal |
| Charlesbourg | Pierre Bussières | Liberal |
| Charlevoix | Charles Lapointe | Liberal |
| Châteauguay | Ian Watson | Liberal |
| Chicoutimi | Marcel Dionne | Liberal |
| Dollard | Louis Desmarais | Liberal |
| Drummond | Yvon Pinard | Liberal |
| Duvernay | Yves Demers | Liberal |
| Frontenac | Léopold Corriveau | Liberal |
| Gamelin | Arthur Portelance | Liberal |
| Gaspé | Alexander Cyr | Liberal |
| Gatineau | René Cousineau | Liberal |
| Hochelaga—Maisonneuve | Serge Joyal | Liberal |
| Hull | Joseph Isabelle | Liberal |
| Joliette | Roch La Salle | Progressive Conservative |
| Jonquière | Gilles Marceau | Liberal |
| Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup | Rosaire Gendron | Liberal |
| Labelle | Maurice Dupras | Liberal |
| Lac-Saint-Jean | Marcel Lessard | Liberal |
| Lachine | Roderick Blaker | Liberal |
| Langelier | J. Gilles Lamontagne | Liberal |
| La Prairie | Pierre Deniger | Liberal |
| Lasalle | John Campbell | Liberal |
| Laurier | David Berger | Liberal |
| Laval | Marcel-Claude Roy | Liberal |
| Laval-des-Rapides | Jeanne Sauvé | Liberal |
| Lévis | Raynald Guay | Liberal |
| Longueuil | Joseph Mario Jacques Olivier | Liberal |
| Lotbiniere | Richard Janelle | Social Credit |
| Lotbiniere | Richard Janelle | Progressive Conservative |
| Louis-Hébert | Dennis Dawson | Liberal |
| Manicouagan | André Maltais | Liberal |
| Matapédia—Matane | Pierre de Bané | Liberal |
| Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead | Claude Tessier | Liberal |
| Mercier | Céline Hervieux-Payette | Liberal |
| Missisquoi | Heward Grafftey | Progressive Conservative |
| Montmorency | Louis Duclos | Liberal |
| Mount Royal | Pierre Trudeau | Liberal |
| Notre-Dame-de-Grâce | Warren Allmand | Liberal |
| Outremont | Marc Lalonde | Liberal |
| Papineau | André Ouellet | Liberal |
| Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle | Thomas Lefebvre | Liberal |
| Portneuf | Rolland Dion | Liberal |
| Québec-Est | Gérard Duquet | Liberal |
| Richelieu | Jean-Louis Leduc | Liberal |
| Richmond | Alain Tardif | Liberal |
| Rimouski | Eudore Allard | Social Credit |
| Roberval | Charles-Arthur Gauthier | Social Credit |
| Rosemont | Claude-André Lachance | Liberal |
| Saint-Denis | Marcel Prud'homme | Liberal |
| Saint-Henri—Westmount | Donald Johnston | Liberal |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | Marcel Ostiguy | Liberal |
| Saint-Jacques | Jacques Guilbault | Liberal |
| Saint-Jean | Paul-André Massé | Liberal |
| Saint-Léonard—Anjou | Monique Bégin | Liberal |
| Saint-Maurice | Jean Chrétien | Liberal |
| Saint-Michel | Marie Thérèse Killens | Liberal |
| Sainte-Marie | Jean-Claude Malépart | Liberal |
| Shefford | Jean Lapierre | Liberal |
| Sherbrooke | Irénée Pelletier | Liberal |
| Témiscamingue | Henri Tousignant | Liberal |
| Terrebonne | Joseph-Roland Comtois | Liberal |
| Trois-Rivières | Claude G. Lajoie | Liberal |
| Vaudreuil | Harold Herbert | Liberal |
| Verchères | Bernard Pierre Loiselle | Liberal |
| Verdun | Pierre Savard | Liberal |

### Ontario

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Algoma | Maurice Foster | Liberal |
| Beaches | Robin Richardson | Progressive Conservative |
| Brampton—Georgetown | John McDermid | Progressive Conservative |
| Brant | Derek Blackburn | New Democrat |
| Broadview—Greenwood | Bob Rae | New Democrat |
| Bruce—Grey | Gary Gurbin | Progressive Conservative |
| Burlington | Bill Kempling | Progressive Conservative |
| Cambridge | Chris Speyer | Progressive Conservative |
| Cochrane | Keith Penner | Liberal |
| Davenport | Charles Caccia | Liberal |
| Don Valley East | Sam Wakim | Progressive Conservative |
| Don Valley West | John Bosley | Progressive Conservative |
| Durham—Northumberland | Allan Lawrence | Progressive Conservative |
| Eglinton—Lawrence | Roland de Corneille | Liberal |
| Elgin | John Wise | Progressive Conservative |
| Erie | Girve Fretz | Progressive Conservative |
| Essex—Kent | Robert Daudlin | Liberal |
| Essex—Windsor | Eugene Whelan | Liberal |
| Etobicoke Centre | Michael Wilson | Progressive Conservative |
| Etobicoke North | Roy MacLaren | Liberal |
| Etobicoke—Lakeshore | Ken Robinson | Liberal |
| Glengarry—Prescott—Russell | Denis Éthier | Liberal |
| Grey—Simcoe | Gus Mitges | Progressive Conservative |
| Guelph | Albert Fish | Progressive Conservative |
| Haldimand—Norfolk | Bud Bradley | Progressive Conservative |
| Halton | Otto Jelinek | Progressive Conservative |
| Hamilton East | John Carr Munro | Liberal |
| Hamilton Mountain | Duncan Beattie | Progressive Conservative |
| Hamilton—Wentworth | Geoffrey Scott | Progressive Conservative |
| Hamilton West | Lincoln Alexander | Progressive Conservative |
| Hastings—Frontenac | William Vankoughnet | Progressive Conservative |
| Huron—Bruce | Robert McKinley | Progressive Conservative |
| Kenora—Rainy River | John Mercer Reid | Liberal |
| Kent | John Holmes | Progressive Conservative |
| Kingston and the Islands | Flora MacDonald | Progressive Conservative |
| Kitchener | John Reimer | Progressive Conservative |
| Lambton—Middlesex | Sidney Fraleigh | Progressive Conservative |
| Lanark—Renfrew—Carleton | Paul Dick | Progressive Conservative |
| Leeds—Grenville | Thomas Cossitt | Progressive Conservative |
| Lincoln | Kenneth Higson | Progressive Conservative |
| London East | Charles Turner | Liberal |
| London West | Judd Buchanan | Liberal |
| London—Middlesex | Nelson Elliott | Progressive Conservative |
| Mississauga North | Alex Jupp | Progressive Conservative |
| Mississauga South | Donald Blenkarn | Progressive Conservative |
| Nepean—Carleton | Walter Baker | Progressive Conservative |
| Niagara Falls | Jake Froese | Progressive Conservative |
| Nickel Belt | John Rodriguez | New Democrat |
| Nipissing | Jean-Jacques Blais | Liberal |
| Northumberland | George Hees | Progressive Conservative |
| Ontario | Thomas Fennell | Progressive Conservative |
| Oshawa | Ed Broadbent | New Democrat |
| Ottawa—Carleton | Jean-Luc Pépin | Liberal |
| Ottawa Centre | John Evans | Liberal |
| Ottawa West | Kenneth Binks | Progressive Conservative |
| Ottawa—Vanier | Jean-Robert Gauthier | Liberal |
| Oxford | Bruce Halliday | Progressive Conservative |
| Parkdale—High Park | Jesse Flis | Liberal |
| Parry Sound—Muskoka | Stan Darling | Progressive Conservative |
| Perth | William Jarvis | Progressive Conservative |
| Peterborough | Bill Domm | Progressive Conservative |
| Prince Edward—Hastings | Jack Ellis | Progressive Conservative |
| Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke | Len Hopkins | Liberal |
| Rosedale | David Crombie | Progressive Conservative |
| Sarnia | Bill Campbell | Progressive Conservative |
| Sault Ste. Marie | Cyril Symes | New Democrat |
| Scarborough Centre | Diane Stratas | Progressive Conservative |
| Scarborough East | Gordon Gilchrist | Progressive Conservative |
| Scarborough West | William Wightman | Progressive Conservative |
| Simcoe North | Doug Lewis | Progressive Conservative |
| Simcoe South | Ronald Stewart | Progressive Conservative |
| Spadina | Peter Stollery | Liberal |
| St. Catharines | Joseph Reid | Progressive Conservative |
| St. Paul's | Ron Atkey | Progressive Conservative |
| Stormont—Dundas | Ed Lumley | Liberal |
| Sudbury | James Jerome | Liberal |
| Thunder Bay—Atikokan | Paul McRae | Liberal |
| Thunder Bay—Nipigon | Robert Andras | Liberal |
| Timiskaming | Arnold Peters | New Democrat |
| Timmins—Chapleau | Ray Chénier | Liberal |
| Trinity | Aideen Nicholson | Liberal |
| Victoria—Haliburton | William Scott | Progressive Conservative |
| Waterloo | Walter Maclean | Progressive Conservative |
| Welland | Gilbert Parent | Liberal |
| Wellington—Dufferin—Simcoe | Perrin Beatty | Progressive Conservative |
| Willowdale | Bob Jarvis | Progressive Conservative |
| Windsor West | Herb Gray | Liberal |
| Windsor—Walkerville | Mark MacGuigan | Liberal |
| York Centre | Bob Kaplan | Liberal |
| York East | Ron Ritchie | Progressive Conservative |
| York North | John Gamble | Progressive Conservative |
| York—Scarborough | Paul McCrossan | Progressive Conservative |
| York South—Weston | Ursula Appolloni | Liberal |
| York—Peel | Sinclair Stevens | Progressive Conservative |
| York West | James Fleming | Liberal |

### Manitoba

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Brandon—Souris | Walter Dinsdale | Progressive Conservative |
| Churchill | Rodney Murphy | New Democrat |
| Dauphin | William Gordon Ritchie | Progressive Conservative |
| Lisgar | Jack Murta | Progressive Conservative |
| Portage—Marquette | Charles Mayer | Progressive Conservative |
| Provencher | Jake Epp | Progressive Conservative |
| Selkirk—Interlake | Terry Sargeant | New Democrat |
| St. Boniface | Robert Bockstael | Liberal |
| Winnipeg North | David Orlikow | New Democrat |
| Winnipeg North Centre | Stanley Knowles | New Democrat |
| Winnipeg—Assiniboine | Dan McKenzie | Progressive Conservative |
| Winnipeg—Birds Hill | Bill Blaikie | New Democrat |
| Winnipeg—Fort Garry | Lloyd Axworthy | Liberal |
| Winnipeg—St. James | Bob Lane | Progressive Conservative |

### Saskatchewan

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Assiniboia | Leonard Gustafson | Progressive Conservative |
| Humboldt—Lake Centre | George Richardson | Progressive Conservative |
| Kindersley—Lloydminster | Bill McKnight | Progressive Conservative |
| Mackenzie | Stanley Korchinski | Progressive Conservative |
| Moose Jaw | Douglas Neil | Progressive Conservative |
| Prince Albert | John Diefenbaker* | Progressive Conservative |
| Prince Albert | Stan Hovdebo | New Democrat |
| Qu'Appelle—Moose Mountain | Alvin Hamilton | Progressive Conservative |
| Regina East | Simon De Jong | New Democrat |
| Regina West | Leslie Benjamin | New Democrat |
| Saskatoon East | Robert Ogle | New Democrat |
| Saskatoon West | Ray Hnatyshyn | Progressive Conservative |
| Swift Current—Maple Creek | Frank Hamilton | Progressive Conservative |
| The Battlefords—Meadow Lake | Terry Nylander | Progressive Conservative |
| Yorkton—Melville | Lorne Nystrom | New Democrat |
    *John Diefenbaker died on August 16, 1979; Stan Hovdebo won the following November 19th by-election to fill his seat

### Alberta

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Athabasca | Paul Yewchuk | Progressive Conservative |
| Bow River | Gordon Taylor | Progressive Conservative |
| Calgary Centre | Harvie Andre | Progressive Conservative |
| Calgary East | John Kushner | Progressive Conservative |
| Calgary North | Eldon Woolliams | Progressive Conservative |
| Calgary South | John Thomson | Progressive Conservative |
| Calgary West | Jim Hawkes | Progressive Conservative |
| Crowfoot | Arnold Malone | Progressive Conservative |
| Edmonton East | William Yurko | Progressive Conservative |
| Edmonton North | Steve Paproski | Progressive Conservative |
| Edmonton South | Douglas Roche | Progressive Conservative |
| Edmonton West | Marcel Lambert | Progressive Conservative |
| Edmonton—Strathcona | David Kilgour | Progressive Conservative |
| Lethbridge—Foothills | Blaine Thacker | Progressive Conservative |
| Medicine Hat | Bert Hargrave | Progressive Conservative |
| Peace River | Ged Baldwin | Progressive Conservative |
| Pembina | Peter Elzinga | Progressive Conservative |
| Red Deer | Gordon Towers | Progressive Conservative |
| Vegreville | Don Mazankowski | Progressive Conservative |
| Wetaskiwin | Kenneth Schellenberger | Progressive Conservative |
| Yellowhead | Joe Clark | Progressive Conservative |

### British Columbia

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Burnaby | Svend Robinson | New Democrat |
| Capilano | Ron Huntington | Progressive Conservative |
| Cariboo—Chilcotin | Lorne Greenaway | Progressive Conservative |
| Comox—Powell River | Raymond Skelly | New Democrat |
| Cowichan—Malahat—The Islands | Don L. Taylor | Progressive Conservative |
| Esquimalt—Saanich | Donald Munro | Progressive Conservative |
| Fraser Valley East | Alexander Patterson | Progressive Conservative |
| Fraser Valley West | Robert Wenman | Progressive Conservative |
| Kamloops—Shuswap | Don Cameron | Progressive Conservative |
| Kootenay East—Revelstoke | Stan Graham | Progressive Conservative |
| Kootenay West | Robert Brisco | Progressive Conservative |
| Mission—Port Moody | Mark Rose | New Democrat |
| Nanaimo—Alberni | Edward Miller | New Democrat |
| New Westminster—Coquitlam | Pauline Jewett | New Democrat |
| North Vancouver—Burnaby | Chuck Cook | Progressive Conservative |
| Okanagan North | George Whittaker | Progressive Conservative |
| Okanagan—Similkameen | Frederick King | Progressive Conservative |
| Prince George—Bulkley Valley | Robert McCuish | Progressive Conservative |
| Prince George—Peace River | Frank Oberle | Progressive Conservative |
| Richmond—South Delta | Tom Siddon | Progressive Conservative |
| Skeena | James Fulton | New Democrat |
| Surrey—White Rock—North Delta | Benno Friesen | Progressive Conservative |
| Vancouver Centre | Arthur Phillips | Liberal |
| Vancouver East | Margaret Ann Mitchell | New Democrat |
| Vancouver Kingsway | Ian Waddell | New Democrat |
| Vancouver Quadra | Bill Clarke | Progressive Conservative |
| Vancouver South | John Fraser | Progressive Conservative |
| Victoria | Allan McKinnon | Progressive Conservative |

### Northern Territories

| Riding | Member | Political party |
| Nunatsiaq | Peter Ittinuar | New Democrat |
| Western Arctic | Dave Nickerson | Progressive Conservative |
| Yukon | Erik Nielsen | Progressive Conservative |

## By-elections

| By-election | Date | Incumbent | Party | Party | Winner | Party | Party | Cause | Retained |
| Prince Albert | November 19, 1979 | John Diefenbaker | | Progressive Conservative | Stan Hovdebo | | New Democratic | Death (heart attack) | No |
| Burin—St. George's | September 19, 1979 | Don Jamieson | | Liberal | Roger Simmons | | Liberal | Resignation | Yes |