On what date did Canada's first federal election begin after Confederation?

Canada’s first federal election after Confederation began on August 7, 1867.

The election was held to choose members of the House of Commons for Canada’s first Parliament. Because electoral districts voted on different days, it was not a single-day national poll: voting continued through September 20, 1867.

The contest took place in the four provinces that formed the new Dominion—Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Manitoba and British Columbia did not yet exist as provinces, joining Canada later in the first Parliament’s term.

John A. Macdonald’s Conservative, or more precisely Liberal-Conservative, coalition won enough seats to form the government. A common mix-up is to use July 1, 1867, the date Confederation took effect, as the election date. The election began more than a month later, on August 7.