- The Saskatchewan Act
"The Saskatchewan Act" is an Act of the
Canadian Parliament establishing the new province ofSaskatchewan , effectiveSeptember 1 ,1905 . Itslong title is "An Act to establish and provide for the government of the Province of Saskatchewan". The Act was published in chapter 42, pages 201-215 of the "Statutes of Canada 1905". The Act received royal assent onJuly 20 ,1905 .ections of the Act
The act consists of the following sections (paraphrased):
# Provides the shortened name of the act.
# Describes the physical boundaries of the province.
# "British North America Act (1867)" applies to Saskatchewan.
# Four members appointed to theSenate of Canada .
# Current representation in the House of Commons will remain in effect until the next election.
# Sets the number of parliament members based on population.
# Election guidelines of theNorthwest Territories applies to the province until amended by Parliament.
#Lieutenant governor determines members of theExecutive Council .
# Seat of government is Regina.
# Powers of the lieutenant governor of the Northwest Territories shall be same as those of the lieutenant governor in Saskatchewan.
# Lieutenant governor shall provide a Great Seal for the new province.
# The single house of the provincial legislature to be named theLegislative Assembly of Saskatchewan .
# Initially 25 members of the provincial legislature until changed by said legislature. A schedule followed the main body of the act that defined the initialelectoral division s for the province.
# Current laws of the Northwest Territories shall apply to Saskatchewan.
# The firstgeneral election must be called within six months¹.
# Laws and courts: Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories may be abolished in Saskatchewan if replaced by a similar court.
# Section 93 override of the "British North America Act, 1867": rights ofRoman Catholic s to separate schools continued.
# Subsidies from the federal government based on a fixed amount and population size.
# Annual payments of $405 375 to Saskatchewan from the federal government.
# Compensation for use of public lands by the federal government.
# Existing federal lands, mines and minerals will remain the property of the federal government.
# Properties and assets of the Northwest Territories to be divided equally between Saskatchewan andAlberta ².
# Preserves the rights of theHudson's Bay Company with respect to land surrendered to the Crown.
# Provisions for theCanadian Pacific Railway .
# Act comes into effect onSeptember 1 ,1905 .¹ First general election was held on
December 13 ,1905 .
² "The Alberta Act" was passed at the same time.Original Electoral Divisions
The original 25 electoral divisions were defined in a schedule following the main body of the act. These 25 divisions were:
# Souris
# Cannington
# Moosomin
# Whitewood
# Grenfell
# Wolseley
# Saltcoats
# Yorkton
#South Qu'Appelle
# North Qu'Appelle
# South Regina
# Regina City
# Lumsden
# Moose Jaw
# Moose Jaw City
# Maple Creek
# Humboldt
# Kinistino
# Prince Albert
#Prince Albert City
# Batoche
# Saskatoon
# Rosthern
# Redberry
# BattlefordExternal links
* [http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/history/18/h18-2215.823.1-e.html National Library of Canada document]
* [http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/sa_1905.html A more readable copy]
* [http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/aa_1905.html The Alberta Act 1905]
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