1867 Canadian federal election

Election rules

The first Canadian election took place without a uniform set of election laws to govern the election of members to the House of Commons, an interim measure until Parliament could pass its own election laws, which did not come until 1885. Instead, the election was contested under the rules set by each individual province prior to Confederation, and future elections were to be contested under provincial rules until a time when federal parliament set their own rules. Because of this, rules governing having the right to voting were inconsistent, as was the method of casting a ballot.

The BNA Act did stipulate that in the district of Algoma any male British subject of 21 years of age or older, "being a householder," would have the right to vote.

The election took place over a six-week period from August 7 to September 20, with electoral district polls closing at different dates throughout the period. Under the system each electoral district was required to be polled in one day, but the day did not have to be the same across all electoral districts. The exception to the extended polling period (often called "polling circuits") being Nova Scotia which abolished the practice of polling different districts on different days after excessive violence was reported in the 1843 election.

The election in Kamouraska, Quebec was delayed due to rioting.

Halifax was a two-member riding at the time of the election. The City of Saint John and the County of Saint John was represented by just one district.

Franchise

The basic general requirement to vote across provinces was the requirement to be a male British subject 21 years of age or older. Voting was conducted in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia through oral vote which required an eligible elector to declare their choice. New Brunswick had adopted a form of secret ballot in 1855, where electors write the name of a candidate on a piece of paper and deposit the vote in a ballot box.

In all provinces, women and government employees including civil servants, judges, police and prosecutors were not permitted to vote. Indigenous individuals who met property criteria were excluded from voting eligibility in most provinces if they received a benefit paid by the government.

The Ontario elections laws were updated in 1866, with electors required to meet a property qualification of being an owner or tenant with a property value listed on the assessment roll of $600 in a city, $400 in a town, $300 in an incorporated village, and $100 in a township or police village. Furthermore, urban residents must prove an annual income of at least $250. An estimated 16.5 per cent of the population of Ontario was enfranchised for the 1867 election. In Quebec, the property qualification for being an owner was $300 in urban areas and $200 in rural areas, and a tenant required a rent of $30 in an urban area or $20 in a rural area. Nova Scotia's election laws were passed in 1863, and had a property qualification for owners or tenants of $150, and enfranchised persons with $300 of personal property. while New Brunswick had a property qualification for owners of $100 and an annual income of $400, but also gave the vote to anyone who owned real or personal property with a total value of $400 or more.

Electoral system, Representation by population

The number of members in each province in Confederation was set by the Constitution Act, 1867 on the principle of representation by population. The Act provided Quebec a minimum of 65 seats, and seat allotment for the remainder of the country was based by dividing the population of Quebec by 65 and then using it as a base to determine the number of seats for each of the other provinces. The Act also specified that redistribution and boundary reviews should occur after each 10 year census.

Thus there were 181 MPs in the first House of Commons – 82 from Ontario, 65 from Quebec, 19 from Nova Scotia, and 15 from New Brunswick. Each was elected in a single-member district, except there were two elected in the Halifax riding. Each voter could cast one vote as under first past the post, except Halifax voters who cast up to two votes (Plurality block voting).

Results

Acclamations

The following MPs were acclaimed:

• Ontario: 3 Conservative, 3 Liberal-Conservatives, 9 Liberals
• Quebec: 14 Conservatives, 5 Liberal-Conservatives, 4 Liberals
• New Brunswick: 1 Conservative, 3 Liberals
• Nova Scotia: 4 Anti-Confederates

Vacancy

The election in Kamouraska, Quebec, was cancelled due to rioting at the polling places. No member was elected for the riding until a by-election in 1869.

Results by province

By district

Nova Scotia

Western Nova Scotia

Eastern Nova Scotia

New Brunswick

Northern New Brunswick

Southern New Brunswick

Quebec

Eastern Quebec

Quebec City area and Saguenay

Central Quebec

Eastern Townships

Montérégie Est

Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent

Hochelaga Archipelago

Laurentides & Outaouais

Ontario

Ottawa Valley

St. Lawrence Valley

Central Ontario

Greater Toronto Area

Georgian Bay

Niagara Peninsula

Midwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario

References

Notes

Citations

References

1. "Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums".
2. {{Cite canlaw. (1866)
3. {{Cite canlaw. (1863)
4. BNA Act, 1867 https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/constitution/lawreg-loireg/p1t11.html
5. The BNA Act https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/constitution/lawreg-loireg/p1t11.html
6. Parliamentary Guide 1969, p. 333-334
7. "Profile – 1867-08-07".
8. [https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/FederalRidingsHistory/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Det&Include=Y&rid=323 Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Kamouraska.]