Niagara (Province of Canada electoral district)
 Province of Canada electoral district | |
|---|---|
| Defunct pre-Confederation electoral district | |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada |
| District created | 1841 |
| District abolished | 1867 |
| First contested | 1841 |
| Last contested | 1863 |
Niagara was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada West (now Ontario). It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Niagara was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly. It was abolished in 1867, upon the creation of Canada and the province of Ontario.
Boundaries[edit]
Niagara electoral district was based largely on the municipal boundaries of the town of Niagara, located at the mouth of the Niagara River where it flows into Lake Ontario. Niagara was the major centre of the electoral district.
The Union Act, 1840 had merged the two provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada, with a single Parliament. The separate parliaments of Lower Canada and Upper Canada were abolished.[1] The Union Act provided that the town of Niagara would constitute one electoral district in the Legislative Assembly of the new Parliament,[2] but gave the Governor General of the Province of Canada the power to draw the boundaries for the electoral district.[3]
The first Governor General, Lord Sydenham, issued a proclamation shortly after the formation of the Province of Canada in early 1841, establishing the boundaries for the electoral district:
Members of the Legislative Assembly[edit]
Niagara was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly.[2] The following were the members for Niagara.
| Parliament | Years | Members[5] | Party[6] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Parliament 1841–1844 |
1841 Election overturned[a]
|
Edward C. Campbell | Unionist; Moderate Tory | |
1841–1844
|
Henry John Boulton | Unionist; Ultra Reformer | ||
Notes[edit]
- ^ Election of Edwards overturned by the Legislative Assembly on an election petition, September 26, 1842; Campbell removed from office and Boulton installed as member.[7]
Abolition[edit]
Niagara electoral district was abolished on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act, 1867 came into force, creating Canada and splitting the Province of Canada into Quebec and Ontario.[8] It was succeeded by the electoral districts of Niagara in both the House of Commons of Canada[9] and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ Union Act, 1840, 3 & 4 Vict. (UK), c. 35, s. 2.
- ^ a b Union Act, 1840, s. 17.
- ^ Union Act, 1840, s. 21.
- ^ Proclamation of Governor General Sydenham, February 27, 1841. Reproduced in the Journal of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, 1841, pp. ix–xi.
- ^ J.O. Côté, Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada, 1841 to 1860, (Quebec: St. Michel and Darveau, 1860), pp. 43-58.
- ^ For party affiliations, see Paul G. Cornell, Alignment of Political Groups in Canada, 1841-67 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962; reprinted in paperback 2015), pp. 93-111.
- ^ Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, from the 8th day of September to the 12th day of October, in the year of Our Lord 1842, pp. 37–38 (September 26, 1842).
- ^ British North America Act, 1867 (now the Constitution Act, 1867), s. 6.
- ^ Constitution Act, 1867, s. 40, para. 2
- ^ Constitution Act, 1867, s. 70.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Proclamation, Governor General Lord Sydenham, February 27, 1841. Reproduced in the Journal of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, First Parliament of the Province of Canada, First Session, 1841, pp. ix–xi.