on account of the comparatively permanent character of its population, and from its having neither the largest nor the least number of inhabitants." Hence the danger of an inconvenient increase, when the representation is reviewed after each decennial census, has been practically reduced to a minimum.

The question of the duration of parliament also obtained much consideration when the Quebec resolutions were under deliberation; and it was finally decided to follow the example of New Zealand and give the Canadian parliament a constitutional existence of five years' "from the day of the return of the writs for choosing the house," subject, of course, to be sooner dissolved by the governor-general, acting under the advice of the privy council. In this connection it is interesting to note that in 1867, the writs for the dominion elections were issued on the 7th of August, and made returnable on the 24th of September, except those for Gaspé, and Chicoutimi, and Saguenay, which were to be returned on the 24th of October.3 The first parliament actually assembled in the month of November, 1867, and lasted until the 8th of July, 1872, when it was formally dissolved, having completed its constitutional limit of five years, less a few weeks. from the return of all the writs. In 1872, the writs were made returnable on the 3rd of September, except those for Gaspé, Chicoutimi and Saguenay, Manitoba and British Columbia, which were to be returned on the 12th of October, but parliament

2

1 Sir J. A. Macdonald, Confed. Deb., 1865, p. 38.

Sir J. A. Macdonald, Confed. Deb., 1865, p. 39.

Jour. [1867-8.] vii-x.

Jour. [1873.] vi-xi.

did not actually assemble until the 5th of March, 1873. The second parliament continued in existence only until the 2nd of January, 1874, when it was dissolved, the writs being generally made returnable on the 21st of February, with the exception of those for the districts and provinces just named, which had to be returned on the 12th of March.1 The third parliament assembled on the 26th of March and lasted until the 17th of August, 1878, when it was dissolved,2 having sat in five sessions of an average duration of nearly ten weeks, and its constitutional existence having been about seven months less than five years from the date of the return of all the writs in 1874. In 1878 the writs generally were returnable on the 21st of November, but parliament did not actually assemble until the 13th of February, 1879. Only four sessions were held of the fourth parliament, which was dissolved in the month of May, 1882, having been less than four years in existence since the dissolution of 1878. The fifth parliament assembled on the 8th of February, 1883, and lasted until the 15th of January, 1887, when it was dissolved after a constitutional existence of about four years and five months from the date of the return of the writs in 1882.3

In 1867 the house consisted of 181 members in all, who were distributed as follows: 4

1 Jour. [1874] Proclamations v-ix. A separate proclamation had to be issued for Algoma, writ also returnable on the 12th of March. 2 Ibid [1879] vii-x.

3 Jour. [1883], vi. ; Ib. [1887], ix.

4 B. N. A. Act, 1867, s. 37.

But the British North America Act, 1867, provides1 for additional representation under certain conditions. Quebec shall have the fixed number of 65 members. Each of the other provinces shall be assigned such a number of members as will bear the same proportion to the number of its population (ascertained at each decennial census) as the number 65 bears to the number of the population of Quebec. Only a fractional part exceeding one-half of the whole number requisite to entitle the province to a member shall be regarded in computing the members for a province-such fractional part being considered equivalent to the whole number. In case of readjustment after a decennial census the number of members for a province shall not be reduced "unless the proportion which the number of the population of the province bore to the number of the aggregate population of Canada at the then last preceding readjustment of the number of members for the province is ascertained at the then latest census to be diminished by one-twentieth part or upwards." Such readjustment, however, "shall not take effect until the termination of the then existing parliament." It is also provided that the number of members may be from time to time increased provided that the proportionate representation prescribed in the act is not thereby disturbed.2

In accordance with section 51, the representation of the people in the House of Commons was rearranged in 1872, after the taking of the decennial census of 1871. Ontario received 6 additional members; Nova Scotia, 2;

3 B. N. A. Act, s. 51.

4 Ib. s. 52.

New Brunswick, 1; Quebec remained the same.1 On the admission of Manitoba,2 she received 4 members; British Columbia, 63; Prince Edward Island, 6. Consequently until 1882 the total number of members in the House of Commons was 206. In the session of 1882 the representation was again readjusted,5 and the province of Ontario received 4 additional members, and the province of Manitoba one. In 1886 provision was made for the representation of the North-West Territories in the House of Commons.

In the session of 1885 Parliament, after a remarkably prolonged debate in the House of Commons, passed an act providing a uniform franchise for the dominion." Previous to that act all persons qualified to vote for members of the legislative assemblies of the several

135 Vict., c. 13, s. 1, Dom. Stat.

'See Ib. s. 1; 33 Vict., c. 3, s. 4, Dom. Stat.

3 Can. Com. J. [1871], 195; Dom. Stat. 1872, Order in Council lxxxviii.

* Can. Com. J. [1873], 402; also, Order in Coun., Dom. Stat. 1873, xxiii.

5 45 Vict., c. 3. The readjustment of the Ontario constituencies was opposed in the Commons. See Hansard [1882], 1356 et seq. A great number of amendments were proposed at various stages, Journals, pp. 410-412. By this legislation the old boroughs of Niagara and Cornwall were attached to the electoral districts of Lincoln and Stormont respectively, s. 2, sub-ss. 1 and 19. See Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 6.

• 49 Vict., c. 24; Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 7. Members of both Houses receive $1,000 for a session of over 30 days; $10 a day, under 30 days; and mileage, 10c. a mile coming and going. Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 11, ss. 25-31.

"Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 5.

provinces of Canada voted for members of the House of Commons. The franchise now established for the dominion is extremely wide and liberal in its provisions. Every male person registered in accordance with the statute, of the full age of twenty-one years, a British subject by birth or naturalization, and not disqualified by any law of the dominion, can vote on qualifications, of which a tabular analysis is given on page 87.

The representation under the statutes as given on pages 84, 85, is now distributed as follows:

1 This is a large representation for a population of 4,324,810 as compared with the 225 members who represent over 50,000,000 in Congress. The census of 1881 gave Ontario 1,923,218 souls; Quebec 1,359,027; Nova Scotia, 440,572; New Brunswick, 321,223; Manitoba, 65,954; British Columbia (including In、 dians), 49,459; Prince Edward Island, 108,891; N. W. T., 56,446.