2 New Brunswick, 1; Quebec remained the same.1 On the admission of Manitoba, 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, 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.6 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 1 35 Vict., c. 13, s. 1, Dom. Stat. 2 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. FRANCHISE UNDER THE DOMINION ACT OF 1885. TITLE OF VOTERS.* Real Property Franchise. (1) Owner (a) in his own right.... (b) in right of wife..... (c) his wife owner...... (2) Occupant (a) in his own right...... (a) Father owner.... (a) Father owner........ (5) Tenant (6) Tenant-Farmer's Son (a) Father tenant...... (b) Mothertenant.. (7) Fisherman (owner). (8) Indian.. Income Franchise. (9) Income (10) Annuitant . This table is taken from the Manual on the Franchise Act by Mr. Thomas Hodgins, Q.C., as it gives in a very small compass the main features of the law regulating the dominion franchise. The Canadian Statutes regulating the trial of controverted elections, and providing for the prevention of corrupt practices at elections, have closely followed the English law on the subject, and in some respects are even more rigid. The first effort to refer contested elections to the judicial tribunals was made by the statute of 1873; but more ample and satisfactory provision was made in the act of 1874, which is now, with a few subsequent amendments, the law on the subject.1 The law providing for the independence of parliament and the prevention of corruption at elections is very strict. 2 The provisions respecting the election of speaker, quorum, privileges, elections, money votes, royal assent and reserved bills, oath of allegiance, use of the French language, will be found in the British North America Act, 1867, given in the appendix to this work. Parlia ment has full control of all dominion revenues and duties, which form one consolidated revenue fund, to be appropriated for the public service in the manner, and subject to the charges provided in the Act of Union. The first charge thereon is the cost incident to the collection and management of the fund itself; the second charge is the annual interest on the public debts of the several provinces; the third charge is the salary of the governorgeneral, fixed at ten thousand pounds sterling. A bill 1 Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 9. See Bourinot's Parliamentary Practice, pp. 117-121. 2 Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 10. 3 lb., c. 11. Ss. 102-126. Rev. Stat. of Can., c. 29, respecting the consolidated revenue fund, collection and management of the revenue and auditing of public accounts. was passed in the first session, reducing this salary to six thousand five hundred pounds, but it was reserved, and subsequently disallowed on the ground "that a reduction in the salary of the governor, would place the office, as far as salary is a standard of recognition, in the third class among colonial governments."1 1 Dom. Sess. P., 1869, No. 73. |