Quebec general election, 1878

The Quebec general election of 1878 was held on May 1, 1878 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly for the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, "defeated" the Quebec Conservative Party led by Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau.

Joly de Lotbinière was the incumbent, since he had become premier two months earlier when the previous Conservative premier Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville had resigned or was deposed by the Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor had refused to approve railway legislation that had been passed by the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council, i.e., by both houses of the Quebec legislature.

Joly de Lotbinière did not quite win the election: the Conservatives won 32 seats to the Liberals' 31 (and there were two "Independent Conservatives"). However, four Conservatives supported him, allowing him to form a minority government. However, the Legislative Council pushed him to resign on October 31, 1879, and the Conservative Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau then took office.

• Election results

See also

• List of Quebec premiers
• Politics of Quebec
• Timeline of Quebec history