2nd Manitoba Legislature

The members of the 2nd Manitoba Legislature were elected in the Manitoba general election held in December 1874. The legislature sat from March 31, 1875 to November 11, 1878.[1]

Premier Robert Atkinson Davis with the support of Joseph Royal was able to form a minority government. Davis offered a cabinet seat to John Norquay, which won him the support of moderate English-speaking members.[2]

The Legislative Council of Manitoba was abolished. In 1874, representatives of the provincial government requested additional funding from the federal government in Ottawa. The federal cabinet agreed on the condition that the legislative council be abolished. The council itself rejected two bills calling for its abolition. Finally, in 1876, a sufficient number of members of the council were persuaded by the lieutenant-governor to support the bill.[3]

Joseph Dubuc served as speaker for the assembly.[1]

There were four sessions of the 2nd Legislature:[1]

Session Start End
1st March 31, 1875 May 14, 1875
2nd January 18, 1876 February 4, 1875
3rd January 30, 1877 February 28, 1877
4th January 10, 1878 February 2, 1878

Alexander Morris was Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba until October 8, 1877, when Joseph Édouard Cauchon became lieutenant governor.[4]

Members of the Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1874:[1]

Member Electoral district Affiliation[5]
Felix Chenier Baie St. Paul Independent
John Taylor Headingly Independent
James Cowan High Bluff Opposition
John Sutherland Kildonan Opposition
Angus McKay Lake Manitoba Independent
Francis Evans Cornish Poplar Point Opposition
Kenneth McKenzie Portage La Prairie Opposition
William Fisher Luxton Rockwood Opposition
John Gunn St. Andrews North Independent
John Norquay St. Andrews South Government
Marc-Amable Girard St. Boniface Government
Alexander Murray St. Charles Independent
Thomas Howard St. Clements Independent
Maxime Lépine St. Francois Xavier East Government
Joseph Royal St. Francois Xavier West Government
Edwin Bourke St. James Government
Joseph Dubuc St. Norbert Government
Curtis Bird St. Pauls Independent
Joseph Lemay St. Vital Government
Alphonse-Fortunat Martin Ste. Agathe Opposition
Charles Nolin Ste. Anne Government
William Dick Springfield Independent
Corydon Partlow Brown Westbourne Independent
Robert Atkinson Davis Winnipeg Government

Notes:

    By-elections

    By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:

    Electoral district Member elected Affiliation Election date Reason
    Kildonan John Sutherland Opposition April 1875 New Writ issued to due to a tie.[6]
    St. Pauls Alexander Black[7] Government November 25, 1876 CJ Bird died on June 13, 1876[8]
    Lake Manitoba James McKay[9] Opposition January 17, 1877 A McKay resigned in December 1876[10]

    Notes:

      References

      1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Second Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (1875-1878)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
      2. ↑ Swan, Ruth (1994). "Davis, Robert Atkinson". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
      3. ↑ Donnelly, Murray S (April 1959). "Manitoba's Legislative Council". Manitoba Pageant. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
      4. ↑ "Past lieutenant governors". Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
      5. ↑ "Historical Summaries". Elections Manitoba. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
      6. ↑ "MLA Biographies - Deceased". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
      7. ↑ Mackintosh, CH (1877). The Canadian parliamentary companion and annual register. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
      8. ↑ "Curtis James Bird (1838-1876)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
      9. ↑ "James McKay (1828-1879)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
      10. ↑ "Angus McKay (1836-?)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-09-23.