The 1st North-West Legislative Assembly lasted from 1888 to 1891. This Assembly was the third in the history of the North-West Territories. It marked a huge milestone, bringing
responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...
to the territory for the first time.
Background
The 1st North-West Territories Council was dissolved after reaching the quota of elected members prescribed under the ''North-West Territories Act''. This precipitated the
1888 North-West Territories general election
The 1888 North-West Territories general election elected members of the 2nd Legislative Council of the North-West Territories. The 2nd Legislative Council of the North-West Territories replaced the 1st Council of the North-West Territories. The ...
.
Despite being an elected body, there were three remaining appointed members left to serve in the Assembly. The three appointees were legal advisers; they could actively participate in debates and move motions, but did not have a vote.
1st Session
The 1st Session of the 1st North-West Legislative Assembly began on 31 October 1888.
The festivities began in the morning, with music provided by the
North-West Mounted Police
The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...
Band.
The session began at 3:00pm with Lieutenant Governor
Joseph Royal
Joseph Royal (7 May 1837 – 23 August 1902) was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician, businessman, and Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories.
Early life and career
Royal studied at St. Mary's Jesuit college in Montreal. ...
entering the chamber escorted by Mounties.
The Council opened by electing the first speaker in North-West Territories history. Herbert Charles Wilson was nominated in a motion moved by Hugh Cayley. Wilson was acclaimed with the unanimous consent of the Assembly.
The election for speaker was decided in a caucus meeting prior to the opening of the Assembly.
There were two candidates for speaker presented. The first vote resulted in an 11 to 11 tie between James Ross and Wilson. Ross asked that his name be withdrawn but his supporters refused. After two more tie votes, Ross withdrew and Wilson was acclaimed as the choice for speaker.
The throne speech outlined five main areas of concern. The first was the need for provisions to deal with and prevent prairie fires. The Lieutenant Governor then called for the repeal of the liquor laws passed by the Temporary North-West Council. The speech also announced the introduction of a bill to provide provisions for collecting vital statistics. Royal also reported on the efforts of his legal committee to consolidate the legislation of the North-West Territories. The last major portion of the speech outlined the upcoming budgetary estimates to be provided to members from the Lieutenant Governor advisory Council.
Members
References
Further reading
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External links
Election Results and Dates 1876 - 1905 from Saskatchewan Archives
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1888 in Canada
1889 in Canada
1888 establishments in the Northwest Territories