4th Quebec Legislature

The Legislature of Quebec was created by the British North America Act, 1867. It consisted of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-71.html#h-12 British North America Act, 1867 [now known as the Constitution Act, 1867], s. 71.] The Lieutenant Governor was appointed by the Governor General of Canada for a term of five years.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-58.html#h-12 British North America Act, 1867, s. 58.] The Legislative Assembly consisted of sixty-five members, elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post elections.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-80.html#h-12 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.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-85.html#h-12 British North America Act, 1867, s. 85.] The Legislative Council consisted of twenty-four members, appointed for life by the Government of Quebec.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-72.html#h-12 British North America Act, 1867, s. 72.]

The right to vote in elections to the Legislative Assembly was not universal. Only male British subjects (by birth or naturalisation), aged 21 or older, were eligible to vote, and only if they met a property qualification. For residents of larger cities, the qualification was being the owner or occupant of real property assessed at three hundred dollars or more, or for tenants, an annual rent of thirty dollars or more. For any other municipality, the qualification was being an owner or occupant of real property assessed at two hundred dollars or more, or twenty dollars in annual value. For tenants in smaller centers, the qualification was paying an annual rent of twenty dollars or more.The Quebec Election Act, RSQ 1875, c. 7, s. 8.

Women were completely barred from voting.

Judges and many municipal and provincial officials were also barred from voting, particularly officials with law enforcement duties, or duties relating to public revenue.The Quebec Election Act, s. 11. The Returning Officer in each riding was also barred from voting, except when needed to give a casting vote in the event of a tie vote.The Quebec Election Act, s. 205.

Candidates for election to the Legislative Assembly had to meet stricter qualifications than voters. In addition to being male, twenty-one or older, and a subject of Her Majesty (by birth or naturalisation), a candidate had to be free from all legal incapacity, and be the proprietor in possession of lands or tenements worth at least $2,000, over and above all encumbrances and charges on the property.The Quebec Election Act, s. 124.

Women were completely barred from membership in the Assembly.

The qualifications for the members of the Legislative Council were the same as for the members of the Senate of Canada.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-73.html#h-12 British North America Act, 1867, s. 73.] Those requirements were:

1. Be of the full age of thirty years;
2. Be a British subject, either natural-born or naturalised;
3. Possess real property in Quebec worth at least $4,000, over and above any debts or incumbrances on the property;
4. Have a net worth of at least $4,000, over and above debts and liabilities;
5. Reside in Quebec;
6. Reside in, or possess his qualifying real property, in the division he was named to represent.[https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-2.html#h-5 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, it was assumed that women could not be called to the Senate, and were thus also barred from the Legislative Council. In any event, no woman was ever appointed to the Legislative Council.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/patrimoine/conslegdiv.html Quebec National Assembly: Les membres du Conseil législatif (par divisions).]

The initial lack of a clear majority in the Legislative Assembly for either party led to political instability for the first eighteen months of the term of the Fourth Legislature. The Liberal government of Premier Joly de Lotbinière depended on the support of the two Independent Conservatives. The Liberals agreed to elect one of the two independents, Arthur Turcotte, as Speaker of the Assembly, a highly coveted position. Given the narrow majority and factiousness within the Liberal caucus itself, Joly de Lotbinière's government was uncertain of support from vote to vote in the Assembly, which affected his ability to implement major legislation. Several times, his government only stayed in office by a vote from Turcotte as Speaker.{{cite DCB |first=Marcel |last=Hamelin |title=Joly de Lotbinière, Sir Henri-Gustave |volume=13 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/joly_de_lotbiniere_henri_gustave_13E.html}} Joly de Lotbinière's government was also supported from time to time by William Evan Price, who was nominally a Conservative but often voted in support of the government.{{cite DCB |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/price_william_evan_10E.html |first=Victor |last=Tremblay |title=Price, William Evan |volume=10}}

On the Conservative side, the former house leader of the party in the Legislative Assembly, Auguste-Réal Angers, lost his seat in the general election. This event badly weakened the authority of the leader of the party, former premier Boucher de Boucherville, who sat in the unelected Legislative Council. He was forced to cede the leadership of the party to Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, who became the Leader of the Opposition.{{cite DCB |first=Kenneth |last=Munro |title=Boucher de Boucherville, Sir Charles |volume=14 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/boucher_de_boucherville_charles_14E.html}}

The next event was the dismissal of Lieutenant Governor Luc Letellier de Saint-Just by the new federal Conservative government of Sir John A. Macdonald. Conservatives in Quebec, led by Chapleau, had been pressuring Macdonald to dismiss Letellier de Saint-Just as soon as the Macdonald government had defeated Alexander Mackenzie's Liberal government in the 1878 federal election.{{cite DCB |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/chapleau_joseph_adolphe_12E.html |first=Andrée |last=Désilets |title=Chapleau, Sir Joseph-Adolphe |volume=12}} Macdonald replaced Letellier de Saint-Just with an equally partisan Conservative, Théodore Robitaille.{{cite DCB |first=Marc |last=Desjardins |title=Robitaille, Théodore |volume=12 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/robitaille_theodore_12E.html}}

By the fall of 1879, Joly de Lotbinère's government was badly weakened. A proposal to abolish the Legislative Council as an austerity measure resulted in a revolt in the Legislative Council. Urged by Chapleau, the Council refused to pass the provincial budget. Chapleau attracted the support of five Liberal members of the Legislative Assembly, who crossed the floor and joined the Conservatives, giving Chapleau a majority in the Assembly. On October 29, 1879, the Assembly passed a motion calling for a coalition government, essentially a motion of non-confidence, by a vote of 35 to 29.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/patrimoine/chronologie/chrono41.html#1879 Quebec National Assembly: Chronologie parlementaire depuis 1791 (1878-1879).] Joly de Lotbinière was confident that he could win an election on the issues. He advised the new lieutenant governor, Robitaille, to dissolve the Assembly and call a general election. On October 30, 1879, Robitaille refused the dissolution. Joly de Lotbinière resigned and the Lieutenant Governor called on Chapleau to form a government. The Chapleau government was sworn in on October 31, 1878. Since he now had a working majority, Chapleau did not call an election, instead leading the Conservative government for the remaining term of the legislature. Like the Conservatives the previous year, the Liberals accused the Lieutenant Governor of performing a coup d'état.

The 1878 election returned a hung parliament. Neither party initially had a majority in the Legislative Assembly. The Conservatives had one seat more than the Liberals, but there were also two independent Conservatives. With their support, Premier Joly de Lotbinière was initially able to stay in office.

The following candidates were elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1878 election.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/patrimoine/resultatselec/index.html Quebec National Assembly: Les résultats électoraux depuis 1867.] The Premiers of Quebec are indicated by Bold italics. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is indicated by small caps. Cabinet Ministers are indicated by Italics.

There were fourteen by-elections during the term of the Fourth Legislature.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/patrimoine/partielles.html Quebec National Assembly: Les élections partielles.] Premier of Quebec is indicated by bold italics. Cabinet ministers are indicated by italics.

The Conservatives had a strong majority in the Legislative Council throughout the Fourth Legislature.

The Speakers of the Legislative Council are indicated by small caps. Cabinet members are indicated by italics.

Vacancies of less than one month are not shown.

† Died in office.

There were two different ministries during the term of the Fourth Legislature, under Premiers Joly de Lotbinière (1878-1879) and Chapleau (1879-1881).

File:HenriGustaveJolydeLotbiniere23.jpg

Following the election of 1878, Joly de Lotbinière retained much of his Cabinet in the new Legislature, but carried out a Cabinet shuffle the next year, in 1879. In 1879, Joly de Lotbinière appointed Honoré Mercier to cabinet, even though Mercier did not initially have a seat in the Legislative Assembly.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/patrimoine/cabinets1.html#joly Quebec National Assembly: Cabinet Joly de Lotbinière (Liberal) (March 8, 1878 to October 31, 1879).] The resignation of Alexandre Chauveau on September 12, 1879 marked the beginning of the dissolution of the Joly de Lotbinière government. Chauveau would join the Conservatives a month later, along with four other Liberals who crossed the floor and voted to defeat the government on October 29, 1879. When the Lieutenant Governor refused a dissolution, the government resigned on October 30, 1879. The Chapleau government was sworn in the next day.

File:Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau.jpg

Following the defeat of the Joly de Lotbinière government on a confidence vote on October 29, 1879, the Chapleau government was sworn in on October 31, 1879.

There were two leaders of the Opposition during the Fourth Legislature. Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau was leader for the first eighteen months of the legislature, from May 1878 to October 1879. When Premier Joly de Lotbinière resigned and was replaced by Chapelau, Joly de Lotbinière became leader of the Opposition for the remainder of the term of the legislature, to 1882.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/patrimoine/chefoppo.html Quebec National Assembly: Les chefs de l'opposition officielle depuis 1869.]

The legislature had four annual sessions:

• First session: June 4, 1878 to July 20, 1878, with thirty-six sitting days.
• Second session: June 19, 1879 to October 31, 1879, with fifty-seven sitting days.
• Third session: May 28, 1880 to July 24, 1880 with thirty-nine sitting days.
• Fourth session: April 28, 1881 to June 30, 1881, with forty-five sitting days.

The legislature was dissolved on November 7, 1881.[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/patrimoine/datesessions.html Quebec National Assembly: Les législatures et leurs sessions depuis 1867.]

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• [http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/patrimoine/cabinets1.html List of Historical Cabinet Ministers]

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