1st Manitoba Legislature
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The members of the 1st Manitoba Legislature were elected in the Manitoba general election held in December 1870, the first general election for the new province. The legislature sat from March 15, 1871, to December 16, 1874.[1]
September 1870 - December 1871
OppositionEdward Hay
1871-1874
AssemblyJoseph Royal
1871 - 1872
| 1st Manitoba Legislature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 15, 1871 – Dec. 16, 1874 | |||
| |||
| Parliament leaders | |||
| Premier | Alfred Boyd September 1870 - December 1871 | ||
| Marc-Amable Girard December 1871 - March 1872 | |||
| Henry Joseph Clarke March 1872 - July 1874 | |||
| Leader of the Opposition | Edward Hay 1871-1874 | ||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | Non-partisan | ||
| Legislative Assembly | |||
| Speaker of the Assembly | Joseph Royal 1871 - 1872 | ||
| Curtis James Bird 1873 | |||
| Members | 24 MLA seats | ||
| Legislative Council | |||
| Speaker of the Council | James McKay Mar. 15, 1871 – Jul. 22, 1874 | ||
| Counsellors | 7 counsellor seats | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Queen Victoria 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901 | ||
| Lieutenant governor | Adams George Archibald May. 20, 1870 – Dec. 2, 1872 | ||
| Alexander Morris Dec. 2, 1872 – Oct. 7, 1877 | |||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session March 15, 1871 – May 3, 1871 | |||
| 2nd session January 16, 1872 – February 21, 1872 | |||
| 3rd session February 3, 1873 – July 22, 1873 | |||
| 4th session November 4, 1873 – July 22, 1874 | |||
| |||
Lieutenant Governor Adams George Archibald's "Government party" held the balance of power in the assembly with 17 seats. The Canadian Party, also known as the "Loyal party", led by John Christian Schultz, won 5 seats; they demanded swift punishment for the leaders of the Red River Rebellion. Henry Joseph Clarke served as government house leader in the assembly but Lieutenant Governor Archibald performed the functions of Premier.[2] In December 1872, Alexander Morris replaced Archibald as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.[3]
In July 1874, a government led by Henry Joseph Clarke[1] was defeated by a motion of non-confidence. Marc-Amable Girard was asked to form a government and was allowed to select the members of his cabinet, thus introducing responsible government to the province. On December 1, 1874, all but one member of the Girard cabinet resigned due to ethnic tensions. Robert Atkinson Davis was asked to form a new government which went to the polls later that month.[4]
Joseph Royal served as speaker for the assembly from 1871 to 1872. Curtis James Bird was speaker from 1873 to 1874.[1]
There were four sessions of the 1st Legislature:[1]
| Session | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | March 15, 1871 | May 3, 1871 |
| 2nd | January 16, 1872 | February 21, 1872 |
| 3rd | February 3, 1873 | July 22, 1873 |
| 4th | November 4, 1873 | July 22, 1874 |
Members of the Assembly
The following members were elected to the assembly in 1870:[1][5]
| Member | Electoral district | Affiliation[6] | First elected | No.# of term(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Dubuc | Baie St. Paul | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| John Taylor[nb 1][7] | Headingly | Opposition | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| James Cunningham | Government | 1871 | 1st term | |||
| John Norquay | High Bluff | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| John Sutherland | Kildonan | Opposition | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Angus McKay | Lake Manitoba | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| David Spence | Poplar Point | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Frederick Bird | Portage la Prairie | Opposition | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Alfred Boyd | St. Andrews North | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Edward Hay | St. Andrews South | Opposition | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Marc-Amable Girard | St. Boniface East | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Louis Schmidt | St. Boniface West | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Henry Joseph Clarke | St. Charles | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Thomas Bunn | St. Clements | Independent | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Pascal Breland | St. Francois Xavier East | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Joseph Royal | St. Francois Xavier West | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Edwin Bourke | St. James | Opposition | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Joseph Lemay | St. Norbert North | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Pierre Delorme | St. Norbert South | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Curtis Bird | St. Pauls | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Thomas Howard | St Peters | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| André Beauchemin | St. Vital | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| George Klyne | Ste. Agathe | Independent | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| John McTavish | Ste. Anne | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Donald Alexander Smith[nb 2][8] | Winnipeg and St. John | Government | 1870 | 1st term | ||
| Robert Atkinson Davis (1874) | Opposition | 1874 | 1st term |
Notes:
- Taylor's election was later overturned and Government supporter James Cunningham was declared elected
- Smith was forced to resign when serving in both provincial and federal legislatures became illegal in May 1873
By-elections
By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
| Electoral district | Member elected | Affiliation | Election date | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg and St. John | Robert Atkinson Davis[9] | Opposition | April 1874 | DA Smith resigned after dual representation abolished[8] |
Notes: