Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island


The Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island, sometimes House of Assembly of Vancouver Island, was the colonial parliamentary body that was elected to represent voters in the Colony of Vancouver Island. It was created in 1856 after a series of petitions were sent to the Colonial Office in London protesting the Hudson's Bay Company's proprietary rule over the colony. It was the first elected assembly in British North America west of Ontario. Although at first only handful of colonists met the voting requirement, and most of those that did were tied to the HBC, the franchise was gradually extended, and the assembly began to assert demands for more control over colonial affairs, as well as criticize colonial governor Sir James Douglas's inherent conflict of interest as both governor and Hudson Bay Company's chief factor.

History

In an attempt to minimize the influence of the assembly he had been ordered to establish, Governor James Douglas, who described himself as "utterly averse to universal suffrage, or making population the basis of representation," set an unusually high property requirement of for voters.
At first the island was divided into four districts, and the assembly consisted of eight members: one from each of Nanaimo and Sooke, two from Esquimalt, two from Metchosin and three from Victoria. In the election on July 22, 1856, Victoria, which had the greatest number of qualified voters at five, was the only district contested.
The 1860 election used nine districts with the Victoria Town having two members and Victoria District having three members.
The 1863 election also used nine districts but Victoria city had four and Victoria District had three members.
The power of the Assembly was severely limited. Despite the protests of newspapermen such as Amor de Cosmos, Douglas appointed the members of his government according to his own agenda, regardless of who dominated the Assembly. The governor also maintained control over the legislative process through the Legislative Council, an upper house of a sort that had its members appointed directly. However, the Assembly did have one significant power: it had to approve any use of public funds.
The colonies of Vancouver Island and [Colony of Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)|British Columbia (1858–1866)|British Columbia] were joined into a new single colony, the Colony of British Columbia, in 1866, and the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island ceased to exist. Its role was filled in the new colony by the Legislative Council of British Columbia.

Leaders and parties

Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, chosen as the first Speaker of the Assembly, would remain in that role until British Columbia joined Canadian Confederation in 1871. He was Douglas's son-in-law, and like his fellow assemblymen Surveyor-General Joseph Despard Pemberton and HBC company-man Joseph McKay, was considered part of what Amor De Cosmos termed the "family-company compact". John Muir, a sawmill-owner and coalmaster who represented Sooke, had also recently been in the employ of Douglas. James Yates, the Victoria publican, and Thomas Skinner, the farmer, were the voices of dissent in the assembly, always at odds with the company and its men.
As franchise widened and the assembly became more influential, this division remained. Reformers such as Amor de Cosmos and Leonard McClure, who began to truly challenge the power of Douglas and his successor Arthur Edward Kennedy, continued to butt heads with establishment supporters such as George Hunter Cary, Henry Pering Pellew Crease and Robert Burnaby and William Fraser Tolmie.

Members of the Legislative Assembly

Members 1856-1860: 1st Session
NameDistrictFirst electedNotes
John Sebastian HelmckenEsquimalt District1856Speaker
Thomas James SkinnerEsquimalt District1856
Dr. John Frederick KennedyNanaimo District1856
John MuirSooke District1856resigned 5 May 1857
Edward Edwards LangfordVictoria District1856election contested and he was removed 26 August 1856
Joseph Despard PembertonVictoria District1856
James YatesVictoria District1856
Joseph McKay Victoria District1856elected on December 3, 1856

Members 1860-1863: 2nd Session
NameDistrictFirst electedNotes
John Sebastian HelmckenEsquimalt County1860Speaker
James CooperEsquimalt County1860resigned
Robert Burnaby Esquimalt County1860elected on July 27, 1860
George Tomline GordonEsquimalt Town1860resigned
Thomas Harris Esquimalt Town1862elected on March 31, 1862 and resign
William Cocker Esquimalt Town1862elected on September 9, 1862
George Foster FosterLake District1860
Augustus Rupert GreenNanaimo District1860resigned on February 6, 1861
David Babington Ring Nanaimo District1861elected on November 4, 1861
Joseph Johnson SouthgateSaltspring and Chemainus District1860
John ColesSaanich1860
William John McDonaldSooke District1860
William Fraser TolmieVictoria District1860
Henry Pering Pellew CreaseVictoria District1860resigned on October 18, 1861
Joseph William Trutch Victoria District1861elected on November 26, 1861
Alfred Pendrell WaddingtonVictoria District1860resigned on October 15, 1861
James Trimble Victoria District1861elected on November 26, 1861
George Hunter CaryVictoria Town1860
Selim FranklinVictoria Town1860

Members 1863-1866:: 3rd Session
NameDistrictFirst elected / previously electedNotes
John Sebastian HelmckenEsquimalt and Metchosin District1856Speaker
Robert BurnabyEsquimalt and Metchosin District1860resigned
John Ash Esquimalt and Metchosin District1865elected on November 28, 1865
George Foster FosterEsquimalt Town1863
Joseph Johnson Southgate Esquimalt Town1864
Edward Stamp Esquimalt Town1866
James CarswellLake District1863
Charles Alfred BayleyNanaimo District1863resigned
Thomas Cunningham Nanaimo District1866elected on January 5, 1866
John Trevasso PidwellSaltspring and Chemainus District1863resigned
George Edgar Dennes Saltspring and Chemainus District1863elected on October 13, 1863 and resigned
John Trevasso Pidwell Saltspring and Chemainus District1863, 1866re-elected on May 30, 1866
James CarswellSooke District1863
William Alexander George YoungVictoria City1863resigned
Charles Bedford Young Victoria City1864elected on October 25, 1864 and resigned
Leonard McClure Victoria City1864elected on February 14, 1865
Amor De CosmosVictoria City1863
Israel Wood Powell (British Columbia politician)Victoria City1863
Joseph Charles RidgeVictoria City1863resigned
Selim Franklin Victoria City1864elected on February 1, 1864
Charles Bedford Young Victoria City1864, 1866
William Fraser TolmieVictoria District1860
Edward Henry JacksonVictoria District1863resigned
James Dickson Victoria District1864elected on September 22, 1864
James TrimbleVictoria District1861

Elections to the Vancouver Island House of Assembly