Region of Canada
This article is about the grouping of all provinces east of Manitoba; not to be confused with Canada East , an administrative division of the Province of Canada. For the grouping of the Maritime provinces with Newfoundland and Labrador, see Atlantic Canada .
Region in Canada
Eastern Canada (French : Est du Canada , also known as the Eastern provinces , Canadian East or the East ) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of Hudson Bay /Hudson Strait and east of Manitoba , consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrador , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island , New Brunswick , Quebec and Ontario .
Eastern Canada overlaps into other geographic regions; Ontario and Quebec , Canada’s two largest provinces, define Central Canada , while the other provinces in Eastern Canada constitute Atlantic Canada . New Brunswick , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are also known as the Maritime provinces .[ 1]
Capitals
Ottawa , Canada’s capital, is located in Eastern Canada, within the province of Ontario.
The capitals of the provinces are in the list below:
Definitions
Historical map of Eastern Canada (1884)
The Canadian Press defines Eastern Canada as everything east of and including Thunder Bay , Ontario.[ 2] This definition excludes from Eastern Canada the sparsely populated section of Northwest Ontario that is west of Thunder Bay, that section including Rainy River District and the most populated part of Kenora District .
Population
The total population of this region is about 25,135,649 in 2021,[ 3] or about 70% of Canada’s population. Most of the population resides in Ontario and Quebec. The region contains three of Canada’s five largest metropolitan areas, Toronto being the fourth largest municipality in North America.
Canada population density map (2014)Top left: The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor is the most densely inhabited and heavily industrialized region accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total population[ 4]
Largest metropolitan areas
Toronto , Ontario – 6,254,191
Montreal , Quebec – 4,098,927
National Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario-Quebec) – 1,568,381
Quebec City , Quebec – 807,200
Hamilton , Ontario – 536 917
London , Ontario – 474 786
St. Catharines-Niagara , Ontario – 447,888
Kitchener , Ontario – 441 380
Halifax , Nova Scotia – 403,131
Windsor , Ontario – 329,144
Barrie , Ontario – 212,667
Sherbrooke , Quebec – 212,105
St. John’s , Newfoundland and Labrador – 205,955
The population of each province in 2016, from greatest to least is here:
Politics
Eastern Canada is represented by 232 Members of Parliament out of the 338 (122 in Ontario, 78 in Quebec, and 32 in the Atlantic Provinces ) and 78 senators out of 105.[ 5]
2025 Federal Election Results for Eastern Canada[ 6]
Party name
ON
QC
NB
NS
PE
NL
Total
Liberal
Seats:
70
44
6
10
4
4
138
Vote:
49.0
42.6
53.4
57.2
57.5
54.0
–
Conservative
Seats:
52
11
4
1
–
3
71
Vote:
43.8
23.3
40.8
35.2
36.9
39.7
–
Bloc Québécois
Seats:
–
22
–
–
–
–
22
Vote:
–
27.7
–
–
–
–
–
New Democratic Party
Seats:
–
1
–
–
–
–
1
Vote:
4.9
4.5
2.9
5.2
2.5
5.5
–
Green
Seats:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Vote:
1.2
0.9
1.7
0.9
2.2
0.1
–
Total seats
122
78
10
11
4
7
232
2025 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 6]
138
71
22
1
Liberal
Conservative
Bloc
N
2021 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 6]
137
55
32
6
1
Liberal
Conservative
Bloc Québécois
N
G
2019 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 7]
140
50
32
8
1
Liberal
Conservative
Bloc Québécois
ND
G
2015 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 8]
152
45
24
10
Liberal
Conservative
NDP
BQ
2011 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 9]
92
87
30
4
Conservative
New Democratic
Liberal
B
2008 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 10]
71
69
49
22
2
Conservative
Liberal
Bloc Québécois
NDP
I
2006 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 11]
87
59
51
15
1
Liberal
Conservative
Bloc Québécois
NDP
I
2004 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 12]
118
54
31
10
Liberal
Bloc Québécois
Conservative
NDP
2000 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 13]
155
38
10
5
2
Liberal
Bloc Québécois
PC
N
C
1997 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 13]
138
44
19
8
1
Liberal
Bloc Québécois
PC
ND
I
1993 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 14]
148
54
2
1
1
Liberal
Bloc Québécois
P
R
I
1988 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 14]
121
75
10
Progressive Conservative
Liberal
NDP
1984 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 14]
150
38
13
1
Progressive Conservative
Liberal
NDP
I
1980 Federal Election Seat Results for Eastern Canada[ 14]
145
52
5
Liberal
Progressive Conservative
N
See also
References
^ “Maritime Provinces” . The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved 8 November 2015 .
^ Canadian Press Style Guide. Canadian Press. 1995. p.471
^ “Population Counts, Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2021 and 2016 Censuses – 100% Data” (PDF) . Newfoundland & Labrador Statistics Agency, Department of Finance. 2022-02-09.
^ McMurry, Peter H.; Shepherd, Marjorie F.; Vickery, James S. (2004). Particulate Matter Science for Policy Makers: A NARSTO Assessment . Cambridge University Press. p. 391. ISBN 978-0-521-84287-7 .
^ “Election Results” . enr.elections.ca . August 18, 2025. Retrieved 29 Oct 2025 .
^ a b c “Official Voting Results” .
^ “Official Voting Results” .
^ “Official Voting Results” .
^ “OVR / ROS” .
^ “OVR / ROS” .
^ “OVR / ROS” .
^ “OVR / ROS” .
^ a b “Past elections – Elections Canada” .
^ a b c d Parliament, Library of. “History of the Federal Electoral Ridings, 1867-2010 – Open Government Portal” . open.canada.ca .
External links
Links to related articles
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