Editing John Diefenbaker (section)

==== 1958 election ====
The [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 election]] campaign saw a huge outpouring of public support for the Progressive Conservatives. At the opening campaign rally in [[Winnipeg]] on February 12 voters filled the hall until the doors had to be closed for safety reasons. They were promptly broken down by the crowd outside.{{sfn|Smith|1995|p=279}} At the rally, Diefenbaker called for "<nowiki>[a]</nowiki> new vision. A new hope. A new soul for Canada."{{sfn|Nash|1990|p=49}} He pledged to open the Canadian North, to seek out its resources and make it a place for settlements.{{sfn|Smith|1995|p=279}} The conclusion to his speech expounded on what became known as "The Vision",

<blockquote>This is the vision: One Canada. One Canada, where Canadians will have preserved to them the control of their own economic and political destiny. Sir [[John A. Macdonald]] saw a Canada from east to west: he opened the west. I see a new Canada—a Canada of the North. This is the vision!{{sfn|Smith|1995|p=280}}</blockquote>

[[Pierre Sévigny (politician)|Pierre Sévigny]], who would be elected an MP in 1958, recalled the gathering, "When he had finished that speech, as he was walking to the door, I saw people kneel and kiss his coat. Not one, but many. People were in tears. People were delirious. And this happened many a time after."{{sfn|Stursberg|1975|p=98}} When Sévigny introduced Diefenbaker to a Montreal rally with the words ''"Levez-vous, levez-vous, saluez votre chef!"'' (Rise, rise, salute your chief!) according to [[Postmaster General of Canada|Postmaster General]] [[William McLean Hamilton|William Hamilton]] "thousands and thousands of people, jammed into that auditorium, just tore the roof off in a frenzy."{{sfn|Stursberg|1975|p=94}} Michael Starr remembered, "That was the most fantastic election&nbsp;... I went into little places. [[Smoky Lake, Alberta]], where nobody ever saw a minister. [[Canora, Saskatchewan]]. Every meeting was jammed&nbsp;... The halls would be filled with people and sitting there in the front would be the first Ukrainian immigrants with shawls and hands gnarled from work&nbsp;... I would switch to Ukrainian and the tears would start to run down their faces&nbsp;... I don't care who says what won the election; it was the emotional aspect that really caught on."{{sfn|Stursberg|1975|p=95}}

Pearson and his Liberals faltered badly in the campaign. The Liberal Party leader tried to make an issue of the fact that Diefenbaker had called a winter election, generally disfavoured in Canada due to travel difficulties. Pearson's objection cut little ice with voters, and served only to remind the electorate that the Liberals, at their convention, had called for an election.{{sfn|English|1992|pp=201–202}} Pearson mocked Diefenbaker's northern plans as "igloo-to-igloo" communications, and was assailed by the Prime Minister for being condescending.{{sfn|English|1992|p=203}} The Liberal leader spoke to small, quiet crowds, which quickly left the halls when he was done.{{sfn|English|1992|pp=201–202}} By election day, Pearson had no illusions that he might win the election, and hoped only to salvage 100 seats. The Liberals would be limited to less than half of that.{{sfn|English|1992|pp=201–202}}

On March 31, 1958, the Tories won what is still the largest majority (in terms of percentage of seats) in Canadian federal political history, winning 208 seats to the Liberals' 48, with the CCF winning 8 and Social Credit wiped out. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority of the votes and of the seats in every province except British Columbia (49.8%) and Newfoundland. Quebec's ''[[Union Nationale (Quebec)|Union Nationale]]'' political machine had given the PC party little support, but with Quebec voters minded to support Diefenbaker, ''Union Nationale'' boss [[Maurice Duplessis]] threw the machinery of his party behind the Tories.{{sfn|Smith|1995|p=282}}