The First Legislature of Quebec was summoned in 1867 when the new Canadian province of Quebec was created, as part of the new country of Canada.
The legislature had two chambers: the elected lower house, the Legislative Assembly, and the appointed upper house, the Legislative Council. The first general election for the Legislative Assembly was held in August and September, 1867, and returned a majority for the Quebec Conservative Party led by Premier Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau. The Liberal Party of Quebec formed the Official Opposition.
The Chauveau government then appointed the first members to the Legislative Council in November, 1867, who were sworn into their positions in December, 1867. The Conservatives had a strong majority in the Legislative Council.
The first session of the legislature was called on December 27, 1867. The legislature had four annual sessions, until its dissolution on May 27, 1871, triggering the second general election.
Creation of the Legislature
The province of Quebec was created on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act, 1867 came into force, splitting the old Province of Canada into the new provinces of Quebec (formerly Lower Canada) and Ontario (formerly Upper Canada).British North America Act, 1867 [now known as the Constitution Act, 1867], s. 6. That Act also created the Legislature of Quebec, composed of the Lieutenant Governor, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.British North America Act, 1867, s. 71.
The Act provided that the Lieutenant Governor was to be appointed by the Governor General of Canada for a term of five years, subject to dismissal for cause.British North America Act, 1867, s. 58. The Legislative Assembly was to consist of sixty-five members, elected in single-member constituencies.British North America Act, 1867, s. 80. The Legislative Assembly was to last for four years, subject to being dissolved earlier by the Lieutenant Governor.British North America Act, 1867, s. 85. The Legislative Council was to consist of twenty-four members, appointed for life.British North America Act, 1867, s. 72. Each Legislative Councillor was appointed to represent one of the twenty-four divisions which had formerly been used in the Legislative Council of the Province of CanadaBritish North America Act, 1867, s. 22.
Elections and Qualifications
The first election was conducted under the electoral laws of the former Province of Canada, which had been continued in force until such time as the Quebec Legislature enacted electoral laws specifically for Quebec.British North America Act, 1867, s. 84.
Right to vote
The right to vote in elections to the Legislative Assembly was not universal. Only male British subjects (by birth or naturalisation), aged 21 and older, were eligible to vote, and only if they met a property qualification. For residents of cities and towns, the qualification was being the owner, tenant or occupant of real property assessed at three hundred dollars, or at an assessed yearly value of thirty dollars. For residents of townships and parishes, the requirements were either an assessment of two hundred dollars, or an assessed yearly value of twenty dollars.An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, Consolidated Statutes of Canada, 1859, c. 6, s. 4.
Women were expressly prohibited from voting, "for any Electoral Division whatever".An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, s. 3.
Judges and many municipal and provincial officials were also barred from voting, particularly officials with duties relating to public revenue. Election officials were also barred from voting.An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, ss. 1 and 2.
Voting was done by open ballotting, where the voters publicly declared their vote to the election officials.An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, ss. 51-54.
Qualification for the Legislative Assembly
Candidates for the Legislative Assembly had to meet a significant property qualification. A candidate had to own real property in the Province of Canada, worth at least £500 in British sterling, over and above any encumbrances on the property.Act of Union 1840 (UK), c. 35, s. 27.An Act respecting Elections of Members of the Legislature, s. 36.
Qualification for the Legislative Council
The qualifications for the members of the Legislative Council were the same as for the members of the Senate of Canada.British North America Act, 1867, s. 73.
Those requirements were: Be of the full age of thirty years; Be a British subject, either natural-born or naturalised; Possess real property in Quebec worth at least $4,000, over and above any debts or incumbrances on the property; Have a net worth of at least $4,000, over and above debts and liabilities; Reside in Quebec; Reside in, or possess his qualifying real property, in the division he was named to represent.British North America Act, 1867, s. 23.
The provisions of the British North America Act, 1867 did not explicitly bar women from being called to the Senate of Canada. However, until the Persons Case in 1929, it was assumed that women could not be called to the Senate, and thus were also barred from the Legislative Council. In any event, no woman was ever appointed to the Legislative Council.Quebec National Assembly: Les membres du Conseil législatif (par divisions).
First government and election
The first Governor General of Canada, Viscount Monck, appointed Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau, a former premier of the Province of Canada, as the first Lieutenant Governor, effective July 1, 1867.Quebec National Assembly: Lieutenants-gouverneurs depuis 1867. Belleau in turn appointed Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau as premier on July 15, 1867.Quebec National Assembly: Cabinet Chauveau (Conservative). Chauveau had formerly been active in politics as a member of the Legislative Assembly and the Cabinet of the Province of Canada, but he had been out of electoral politics since 1855.Quebec National Assembly: Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau. He was appointed as a compromise candidate to begin the government of the new province.Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Chauveau, Pierre-Joseph-Olivier.
The first general election for the Legislative Assembly was held in August and September 1867.Quebec National Assembly: Les élections générales. Chauveau and the Conservatives won a strong majority of fifty-one seats in the sixty-five seat Assembly. The Chaveau government then appointed the twenty-four members of the Legislative Council. Twenty-one of the appointed members supported the Conservative party.
Legislative Assembly
Party standings
The 1867 elections returned a majority in the Legislative Assembly for the Conservative Party, led by Premier Chauveau.Quebec National Assembly: La répartition des sièges aux élections générales.
+ 1867 Election Results Party Members Conservatives 51 Liberals 12 Independent 1 Vacant(1) Total65 Government Majority38
Members of the Legislative Assembly
The following candidates were elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1867 election.Quebec National Assembly: Les résultats électoraux depuis 1867. The Premier of Quebec is indicated by Bold italics. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is indicated by small caps. Cabinet Ministers are indicated by Italics.
NamePartyRidingFirst electedNo. of termsSydney Robert BellinghamConservativeArgenteuil18671st termPierre-Samuel GendronConservativeBagot1867 1st termChristian Henry PozerLiberalBeauce1867 1st termCélestin BergevinConservativeBeauharnois18671st termOnésime PelletierLiberalBellechasse18671st termLouis-Joseph MollConservativeBerthier1867 1st termClarence HamiltonLiberalBonaventure18671st termChristopher DunkinConservativeBrome18671st termJean-Baptiste JodoinConservativeChambly18671st termJohn Jones RossConservativeChamplain18671st termJean-Charles Chapais (1867)Conservative18671st termLéon-Charles ClémentConservativeCharlevoix 18671st termÉdouard LabergeLiberalChâteauguay18671st termPierre-Alexis TremblayIndependentChicoutimi et Saguenay1867 1st termJames RossConservativeCompton1867 1st termGédéon OuimetConservativeDeux-Montagnes18671st termHector-Louis LangevinConservativeDorchester18671st termEdward John HemmingConservativeDrummond et Arthabaska 18671st termPierre-Étienne FortinConservativeGaspé1867 1st termLouis BeaubienConservativeHochelaga18671st termJulius ScriverConservativeHuntingdon18671st term William Cantwell (1869) Conservative18691st termLouis MolleurLiberalIberville18671st termPamphile-Gaspard VerreaultConservativeIslet18671st termNarcisse LecavalierConservativeJacques Cartier 18671st termVincent-Paul LavalléeConservativeJoliette1867 1st termVacant (until 1869)Election delayed due to riots: Norman Ward, "Early Electioneering in Canada" (1951), 31:1 Dalhousie Review 65. –Kamouraska Charles-François RoyConservative18691st termCésaire ThérienConservativeLaprairie18671st termÉtienne MathieuConservativeL'Assomption 18671st termJoseph-Hyacinthe BelleroseConservativeLaval18671st termJoseph-Godric BlanchetConservativeLévis18671st termHenri-Gustave Joly de LotbinièreLiberalLotbinière1867 1st termAlexis Lesieur DesaulniersConservativeMaskinongé1867 1st termGeorge IrvineConservativeMégantic1867 1st termJosiah Sandford BrighamConservativeMissisquoi18671st termFirmin DugasConservativeMontcalm18671st termLouis-Henri BlaisLiberalMontmagny18671st termJoseph-Édouard CauchonConservativeMontmorency 18671st termEdward Brock CarterConservativeMontréal Centre 18671st termGeorge-Étienne CartierConservativeMontréal Est1867 1st termAlexander Walker OgilvieConservativeMontreal Ouest18671st termPierre BenoitLiberalNapierville18671st termLaurent-David Lafontaine (1870)Liberal18701st termJoseph GaudetConservativeNicolet1867 1st termLevi Ruggles ChurchConservativeOttawa18671st termJohn PouporeConservativePontiac 18671st termPraxède LarueConservativePortneuf18671st termPierre-Joseph-Olivier ChauveauConservativeQuébec-Comté 18671st termGeorges-Honoré SimardConservativeQuébec-Centre 18671st termJacques-Philippe RhéaumeConservativeQuébec-Est 18671st termJohn HearnConservativeQuébec-Ouest 18671st termJoseph BeaudreauConservativeRichelieu 18671st termPierre Gélinas (1869)Conservative18691st termJacques PicardConservativeRichmond et Wolfe18671st termJoseph GaronConservativeRimouski18671st term Victor RobertLiberalRouville 18671st termPierre BachandLiberalSt. Hyacinthe 18671st termFélix-Gabriel MarchandLiberalSt. Jean18671st termAbraham Lesieur DesaulniersConservativeSt. Maurice 18671st termMichel-Adrien BessetteConservateurShefford 18671st termJoseph Gibb RobertsonConservativeSherbrooke 18671st termDominique-Amable CoutléeConservativeSoulanges18671st termThomas LockeConservativeStanstead 18671st termÉlie MaillouxConservativeTémiscouata18671st termJoseph-Adolphe ChapleauConservativeTerrebonne1867 1st termLouis-Charles Boucher de NivervilleConservativeTrois-Rivières18671st term Sévère Dumoulin (1868) Conservative18681st term Charles-Borromée Genest (1869) Conservative18691st termAntoine-Chartier de Lotbinière HarwoodConservativeVaudreuil1867 1st termAndré-Boniface CraigConservativeVerchères18671st termLouis-Adélard SénécalLiberalYamaska 18671st term
Reasons for Vacancies
By-elections
There were eight by-elections during the term of the First Legislature.Quebec National Assembly: Les élections partielles.