1st Manitoba Legislature


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.
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. In December 1872, Alexander Morris replaced Archibald as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
In July 1874, a government led by Henry Joseph Clarke 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.
Joseph Royal served as speaker for the assembly from 1871 to 1872. Curtis James Bird was speaker from 1873 to 1874.
There were four sessions of the 1st Legislature:
SessionStartEnd
1stMarch 15, 1871May 3, 1871
2ndJanuary 16, 1872February 21, 1872
3rdFebruary 3, 1873July 22, 1873
4thNovember 4, 1873July 22, 1874

Members of the Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1870:
MemberElectoral districtAffiliationFirst electedNo.# of termNotes
Joseph DubucBaie St. PaulGovernment18701st term-
John TaylorHeadinglyOpposition18701st term-
James CunninghamHeadinglyGovernment18711st term-
John NorquayHigh BluffGovernment18701st term-
John SutherlandKildonanOpposition18701st term-
Angus McKayLake ManitobaGovernment18701st term-
David SpencePoplar PointGovernment18701st term-
Frederick BirdPortage la PrairieOpposition18701st term-
Alfred BoydSt. Andrews NorthGovernment18701st term-
Edward HaySt. Andrews SouthOpposition18701st term-
Marc-Amable GirardSt. Boniface EastGovernment18701st term-
Louis SchmidtSt. Boniface WestGovernment18701st term-
Henry Joseph ClarkeSt. CharlesGovernment18701st term-
Thomas BunnSt. ClementsIndependent18701st term-
Pascal BrelandSt. Francois Xavier EastGovernment18701st term-
Joseph RoyalSt. Francois Xavier WestGovernment18701st term-
Edwin BourkeSt. JamesOpposition18701st term-
Joseph LemaySt. Norbert NorthGovernment18701st term-
Pierre DelormeSt. Norbert SouthGovernment18701st term-
Curtis BirdSt. PaulsGovernment18701st term-
Thomas HowardSt PetersGovernment18701st term-
André BeaucheminSt. VitalGovernment18701st term-
George KlyneSte. AgatheIndependent18701st term-
John McTavishSte. AnneGovernment18701st term-
Donald Alexander SmithWinnipeg and St. JohnGovernment18701st term-
Robert Atkinson Davis Winnipeg and St. JohnOpposition18741st term-

Notes:

By-elections

By-elections were held to replace members for various reasons:
Electoral districtMember electedAffiliationElection dateReason
Winnipeg and St. JohnRobert Atkinson DavisOppositionApril 1874DA Smith resigned after dual representation abolished

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