- Northwest Territories general election, 1891
-
Northwest Territories general election, 1891 
1888 ←
members7 November 1891
members→ 1894
members25 seats in the North-West Legislative Assembly
Chairman
before election
Chairman
after election
The Northwest Territories general election of 1891 was held on 7 November 1891 to elect twenty five members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was the second general election in the Northwest Territories' history. The legislature gained three seats, and six new elected members. The three appointed "at large" legal advisors who sat in the assembly in the first legislature were no longer needed. Frederick W. A. G. Haultain was the government leader.
The key issue in this election was the French language question. Politicians had spent the previous three years divided on the issues of eliminating the status of the French language as an official language of the territory, and of assimilation of the French-speaking population. The appointed government made French an official language in Section 11 of the Northwest Territories Act of 1877 that gained Royal Assent 28 April 1877. Prior to that, French was an official language while the Northwest Territories was administered under the Manitoba Act from 1870 to 1875.
The issue was ignited by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Royal reading the Speech from the Throne in French on 31 October 1888. The outcry caused Royal to read his second throne speech in English only. On 28 October 1889, the issue was made dormant when a Record Division was taken on the "Language Resolution", a motion that stated the assembly did not need official recognition of languages. The vote was 17 for 2 against. But this did not last, because the federal government got involved, and warned the Lt. Governor Royal to start making speeches in French again, and tried to legislate official bilingualism back in the territory, through the Canadian House of Commons. The bill was defeated on second reading, however.
The interference by the Government of Canada resulted in members being elected to the assembly who favoured English as the only official language. On 19 January 1892 Haultain made a motion that English would only be used in the Assembly. The motion passed on division: 20 for, 4 against.
Election results
The turnout can not be established as no voters lists were in use. Candidates were elected as part of a consensus government, i.e., without political parties.
Election summary # of candidates Popular vote Incumbent New # % Elected candidates 7 7 2,500 53.88% Acclaimed candidates 7 4 - - Defeated candidates 5 10 2,140 46.12% Total 47 4,640 100% Note: No vote returns, are currently available from the Batoche, St. Albert and Souris districts
Members of the Legislative Assembly elected
For complete electoral history, see individual districts
2nd North-West Legislative Assembly District Member Banff Robert Brett Batoche Charles Nolin* Battleford James Clinkskill Cannington Samuel Page Cumberland John Betts Calgary #1 John Lineham Calgary #2 Hugh Cayley Edmonton Frank Oliver Kinistino William Frederick Meyers Lethbridge Charles Alexander Magrath Macleod Frederick Haultain Medicine Hat Thomas Tweed Mitchell Hilliard Mitchell Moose Jaw James Hamilton Ross Moosomin John Ryerson Neff North Qu'Appelle William Sutherland North Regina David Jelly Prince Albert Thomas McKay Red Deer Francis Wilkins Souris George Knowling South Qu'Appelle George Davidson South Regina Daniel Mowat St. Albert Antonio Prince Wallace Joel Reaman Whitewood Daniel Campbell Wolseley James Dill Note: *in 1892 Charles Boucher was appointed by judicial order, and Charles Nolin was forced to step down.
External links
- Personnel of the Northwest Territories Assembly 1888 - 1905
- Justifying the End of Official Bilingualism in the Northwest Territories
General elections Referendums 1982 · 1992Categories:- Northwest Territories elections
- 1891 elections in Canada
- 1891 in Canada
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