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In the summer of 1930, Richard Bedford Bennett’s Conservatives were elected to a sweeping majority government, capturing almost 48 per cent of the vote and ousting Mackenzie King’s Liberals. It was a historic triumph for the Tories, who had languished in opposition for 24 of the previous 34 years.

It also might have been the best thing to happen the Liberals. Bennett’s failures during the Great Depression helped establish the Liberals as the natural governing party of the 20th century. King won again five years later and the Conservatives didn’t regain power until 1957.

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The 1930 election made history for another reason: Bennett was four years older than King. It was the first time that Canadian voters chose a new prime minister who was born before his predecessor. It has happened only once since, when Jean Chrétien defeated Kim Campbell in 1993.

There have been five other times when power shifted from a younger prime minister to an older one, but two were internal transitions when the new leader was chosen without an election, both during the 1890s.