The 1st Canadian Parliament was summoned in November 1867, following the election of the members of the House of Commons in the 1867 federal election. It lasted until dissolution in 1872, prior to the 1872 election (four years and 252 days). It met in five different sessions from 1867 to 1872, and was prorogued between the sessions.
The House of Commons was controlled by a majority coalition between the Conservative Party and the Liberal-Conservative Party under Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and the 1st Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party, but there was not yet a Leader of the Official Opposition during the 1st Parliament.
James Cockburn, M.P., was the Speaker of the House of Commons for the term of the Parliament. Senator Joseph-Édouard Cauchon was the Speaker of the Senate for the term of the Parliament.
Creation of the Parliament of Canada
Confederation
thumb|Sir John A. MacDonald, first Prime Minister of Canada
Canada was created on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act, 1867 (now the Constitution Act, 1867) was brought into force by royal proclamation of Queen Victoria. That was the culmination of Canadian Confederation, which united the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into a new federation, with the Province of Canada split into two new provinces, Ontario and Quebec.
The act created a new federal parliament, the Parliament of Canada. It was composed of the monarch, represented by the Governor General of Canada, the appointed Senate, and the elected House of Commons. The Parliament operates on a similar basis as the British Parliament, with the government of Canada headed by the Prime Minister of Canada, who holds office based on controlling a majority in the House of Commons.
Based on the political situation leading up to July 1, 1867, it was generally expected that John A. Macdonald, one of the co-premiers of the Province of Canada, would be the first prime minister of Canada. This was confirmed by Governor General Viscount Monck, who appointed Macdonald as prime minister in May 1867. Macdonald then appointed the cabinet ministers for the new federal government, which took office on July 1, in the run-up to the first elections for the House of Commons, which occurred in August and September, 1867.
House of Commons
The seats in the House of Commons were allocated to the four provinces, based on population: Ontario had 82 seats, Quebec had 65, Nova Scotia had 19, and New Brunswick had 15. Most of the electoral districts, also called ridings, were single-member districts, but there were some multi-member districts. Voting was done by open ballots, with members elected on a first-past-the-post system.
In the first general elections in 1867, Macdonald's supporters, an informal coalition of Conservatives and Liberal-Conservatives, won a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, confirming him and the cabinet in office. The Parliament was then summoned for November 7, 1867.
Senate
The Senate is an appointed body, not elected. Seats are allocated on regional representation, not provincial equality.
The Senate in 1867 was composed of three divisions: the Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime divisions. Each division had twenty-four seats, for a total of seventy-two seats in all. The seats of the Maritime division were allocated equally between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with twelve senators from each of those provinces.
The proclamation of Confederation on May 22 had named the 72 men (24 each for Quebec and Ontario, 12 each for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) who would sit in the Senate.
The province of Quebec has 24 Senate divisions which are constitutionally mandated. In all other provinces, a Senate division is strictly an optional designation of the senator's own choosing, and has no real constitutional or legal standing. A senator who does not choose a special senate division is designated a senator for the province at large.
Addition of Manitoba, British Columbia, and the North-West Territories
thumb|Map of Canada in 1871
Canada expanded westward during the term of the first Parliament, with the addition of the provinces of Manitoba and British Columbia. That resulted in the expansion of both the House of Commons and the Senate.
On July 15, 1870, Canada acquired Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory. That same date, Parliament created the province of Manitoba, a small province centred on Winnipeg. Manitoba was the fifth Canadian province and was allotted two seats in the Senate and four in the House of Commons. By-elections were held to elect the four Manitoba MPs in March 1871. Three members were elected because a tie was declared in one riding (Marquette). The outcome of the disputed election was not resolved prior to the 1872 election so neither candidate took the seat in the House of Commons. With the two added Manitoba Senate seats, the number of seats in the Senate rose to 74. Manitoba's Senate seats were filled in December 13, 1871, when Governor General Lord Lisgar, on the advice of Prime Minister Macdonald, filled the seats.
On July 20, 1871, British Columbia became the sixth Canadian province and was allotted six seats in the House of Commons (elected in by-elections in November and December 1871) and three seats in the Senate, bringing the total number of seats in the Senate to 77. On December 13, 1871, Lord Lisgar, on the advice of Macdonald, appointed three persons to fill those seats.
Also on July 15, 1870, the federal Parliament created the North-West Territories, which included all of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory (other than Manitoba). The North-West Territories did not receive any representation in the House of Commons or the Senate until 1886.
Throne speeches of the first Parliament
Each new session of the Canadian Parliament opens with the Throne Speech from the Governor General. Although delivered by the governor general, the throne speech is drafted by the government and sets out the legislative agenda of the government for the upcoming session.
1867: First Session
thumb|Governor General Monck, who summoned the 1st Parliament after the federal election in 1867
Governor General Monck opened the first Parliament with the throne speech on November 7, 1867.
Monck commented on the enactment of the British North America Act, 1867, stating that while passed by the Imperial Parliament, it had been the product of careful negotiations between the British government and the delegates of the British North American provinces. While the British government saw the creation of the new country as advantageous to the Empire, the provincial delegates had been given every freedom in the design of the new constitution. He trusted that the new country would soon extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
He stated that it now fell to the representatives of the people of Canada to create the institutions and laws necessary to put into practice the principles set out in the constitution. He stated that some of the objectives for the government in the upcoming session would be:
- financial matters, such as currency, customs, excise, and federal revenue generally;
- the adoption of a uniform postal system;
- management and maintenance of federal public works and properties;
- militia organization and defence;
- administration of Indian affairs;
- uniform laws respecting patents of invention and discovery;
- naturalization of aliens;
- criminal law;
- laws relating to bankruptcy and insolvency.
Monck also stated a proposal would be introduced for the immediate construction of the Intercolonial Railway, as required by the constitution, and assisted by the financial guarantee given by the British government. Measures would also be introduced for the protection of fisheries and marine interests, as well as uniform laws regarding federal elections.
He also specifically advised the members of the House of Commons that the financial needs for operation of the government since July 1 had been undertaken on the authority of the ministers, who would account to the House of Commons for their expenditures during that period.
1869: Second Session
thumb|Sir John Young, Bt. (later Lord Lisgar), governor general of Canada, 1869–1872
thumb|Flag of the [[Hudson's Bay Company, which controlled Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory prior to 1870]]
The second session of the Parliament opened on April 15, 1869. The throne speech was given by the new Governor General, Sir John Young.
The governor general commented that the federal government, the Hudson's Bay Company and the Colonial Secretary had been engaged in negotiations for the HBC to surrender Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to Canada, and that the transfer seemed likely. He also announced that the governor of Newfoundland had communicated with him on the possibility of admitting Newfoundland into Confederation. He mentioned that with the assistance of the British government, measures had been undertaken to resolve Nova Scotia's objections to aspects of the new federal system.
He announced that bills would be introduced in the session for the following purposes:
- the assimilation of provincial criminal laws into federal criminal law;
- uniform federal elections law;
- uniform bankruptcy and insolvency law;
- uniform laws relating to patents of invention and discovery.
He also mentioned that the charters of several banks would be up for renewal, which would be a very important measure for the sound commerce of the country.
1870: Third Session
thumb|Provisional government of Assiniboia in the North-West Territories, June 1870
thumb|[[Battle of Eccles Hill, Quebec, to repel Fenian raiders, May 1870]]
The third session opened on February 15, 1870, with a throne speech by the governor general, Sir John Young.
After complimentary opening remarks about the economy, the governor general commented on the political unrest in the North-West Territories, which he attributed to misapprehensions about the intentions of the Canadian government in acquiring the territory. He stated that the government had responded with conciliation measures, which he hoped would lead to a peaceful and equitable settlement of the difficulties and the incorporation of the North-West Territories into Canada. He advised that since the existing act for the temporary government of the North-West Territories was due to expire, a new measure would be introduced in the session.
The governor general then mentioned several other proposed bills for the session, to deal with:
- banking regulation, to balance the financial security of Canadians with the business structures of the banks;
- a uniform electoral franchise and federal election laws;
- regulation of the local coasting trade, failing which an Imperial statute would apply;
- creation of a federal court of appeal, which would also have some original jurisdiction;
- a uniform census law, to meet the constitutional requirement for a census in 1871, which would be important for the readjustment of seats in the House of Commons. He hoped that similar rules could be adopted for censuses in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, to assist in uniform data tables.
The governor general noted with satisfaction the strong turn-out by the militia, ready to repeal the threat of Fenian raids. He also commented on the attempts made by the provinces to encourage immigration and the improvement of public works.
He closed by referring to his visits to all the provinces, including his role in welcoming Prince Arthur on his visit to Canada. He was happy to report to the Imperial government the general satisfaction that Canadians in all parts of the country had with their ability to create their own institutions, governed by their own laws.
4th Session
On Wednesday February 15, 1871. The 4th session of the 1st parliament of the Dominion of Canada opened with a speech from the throne by the governor general, John Young (The Lord Lisgar).
In the speech, he highlights the menace of invasion from the United States. He also celebrates the creation of the province of Manitoba and looks forward to the same from British Columbia. On that topic, he speaks on the importance of the interoceanic railway to be created. He encourages more immigration to these new territories. He recommends the swift standardization of currency to not fall into the divisiveness seen in Europe. He says the census will occur on April 3, 1871. He briefly touches on some future bills pertaining to Parliamentary Elections, Weights and Measures, Insurance Companies, Savings Banks, and for the Consolidation and amendment of the Inspection Laws.
5th Session
On Thursday April 11, 1872. The 5th session of the 1st parliament of the Dominion of Canada opened with a speech from the throne by the governor general, John Young (The Lord Lisgar).
In the speech, he highlights the threat of invasion of Manitoba from the United States. He remarks on a conference held in Ottawa in September 1871 on the subject of immigration. He recognizes the adoption of British Columbia into the union and the continuation of the railway project. He encourages the development of canals and a direct water communication between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy. He notes that the census has taken place. He briefly mentions future bills pertaining to Judges of Superior Courts-to the regulation and management of the Public Lands and Mines of the Dominion in Manitoba and the North West Territories, aid for the amendment of the laws relating to the Public Health.
Party standings at opening of Parliament, 1867
Although there were changes to the House of Commons and the Senate during the term of the 1st Parliament, due to by-elections and new appointments to the Senate, Prime Minister Macdonald and the 1st Canadian ministry retained their majorities in both chambers throughout.
House of Commons
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="7"|Seats in the House of Commons by party and province
|-
! colspan="2"|Party
! New Brunswick
! Nova Scotia
! Ontario
! Quebec
! Totals
|-
| Conservative
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|33
| align="center"|36
| align="center"|71
|-
| Liberal-Conservative
| align="center"|2
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|16
| align="center"|11
| align="center"|29
|-
| Liberal
| align="center"|12
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|33
| align="center"|17
| align="center"|62
|-
| Anti-Confederation
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|18
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|18
|-
| |
| Vacant
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|1
|-
| colspan ="2"|Totals:
| align="center"|15
| align="center"|19
| align="center"|82
| align="center"|65
| align="center"|181
|-
|}
Senate
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6"|Seats in the Senate by party and Senate division
|-
! colspan="2"|Party
! Ontario
! Quebec
! Maritime
! Totals
|-
| Conservative
| align="center"|13
| align="center"|15
| align="center"|10
| align="center"|38
|-
| Liberal-Conservative
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|4
| align="center"|6
|-
| Liberal
| align="center"|10
| align="center"|8
| align="center"|8
| align="center"|26
|-
| |
| Vacant
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|2
| align="center"|2
|-
| colspan="2"|Totals:
| align="center"|24
| align="center"|24
| align="center"|24
| align="center"|72
|-
|}
Maritime Senate seats by province
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6"|Seats in the Maritime division by province
|-
! colspan="2"|Party
! New Brunswick
! Nova Scotia
! Totals
|-
| Conservative
| align="center"|5
| align="center"|5
| align="center"|10
|-
| Liberal-Conservative
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|3
| align="center"|4
|-
| Liberal
| align="center"|4
| align="center"|4
| align="center"|8
|-
| |
| Vacant
| align="center"|2
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|2
|-
| colspan="2"|Totals:
| align="center"|24
| align="center"|24
| align="center"|24
|-
|}
House of Commons
Following is a full list of members of the House of Commons in the first Parliament, organised by province,
John A. Macdonald was the Prime Minister of Canada throughout the term of the 1st Parliament, and appointed the members of the federal Cabinet.
Although the Liberal Party formed the Official Opposition, the party did not yet have a leader, so there was no Leader of the Official Opposition.
Key:
- Party leaders are italicized.
- Cabinet ministers are in boldface.
- The Prime Minister is both.
- The Speaker is indicated by "()".
Electoral districts denoted by an asterisk (*) indicates that district was represented by two members.
Members elected in 1867
Nova Scotia
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!
!Electoral district
!Name
!Party
!First elected
!No. of terms
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Annapolis
|rowspan=2|William Hallett Ray
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Antigonish
|rowspan=2|Hugh McDonald
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Cape Breton
|rowspan=2|James Charles McKeagney
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=4|Colchester
|rowspan=2|Archibald McLelan (to June 21, 1869) (appointed to Senate)
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|Adams George Archibald (from September 9, 1869, to May 19, 1870)<br />(named Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|Frederick M. Pearson (from November 8, 1870)
|Liberal
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|Cumberland
|Charles Tupper
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Digby
|rowspan=2|Alfred William Savary
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Guysborough
|rowspan=2|Stewart Campbell
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=4|Halifax*
|rowspan=2|Alfred Gilpin Jones
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Independent
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Patrick Power
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Hants
|rowspan=2|Joseph Howe
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Inverness
|rowspan=2|Hugh Cameron
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=3|Kings
|rowspan=2|William Henry Chipman to (April 9, 1870) (death)
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|Leverett de Veber Chipman (from June 23, 1870)
|Liberal
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Lunenburg
|rowspan=2|Edmund Mortimer McDonald
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Pictou
|rowspan=2|James William Carmichael
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Queens
|rowspan=2|James Fraser Forbes
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=3|Richmond
|rowspan=2|William Croke (to March 11, 1869) (death)
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|Isaac Le Vesconte (from April 20, 1869)
|Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Shelburne
|rowspan=2|Thomas Coffin
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal-Conservative<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Victoria
|rowspan=2|William Ross
|Anti-Confederate
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal<sup>1</sup>
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Yarmouth
|Thomas Killam (to December 15, 1868) (death)
|Anti-Confederate
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Frank Killam (from April 20, 1869)
|Liberal
|1868
|1st term
|}
Note:
<sup>1</sup> – The Anti-Confederate Party dissolved after failing to secure Nova Scotia's secession from Confederation. In 1869 its members joined other parties, or in one case sat as an independent.
New Brunswick
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!
!Electoral district
!Name
!Party
!First elected
!No. of terms
|-
||
|Albert
|John Wallace
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Carleton
|Charles Connell
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Charlotte
|John Bolton
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|City and County of Saint John
|John Hamilton Gray
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|City of Saint John
|Samuel Leonard Tilley
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Gloucester
|Timothy Warren Anglin
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Kent
|Auguste Renaud
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|King's
|George Ryan
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Northumberland
|John Mercer Johnson (to September 8, 1868) (death)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Richard Hutchison (from December 24, 1868)
|Liberal
|1868
|1st term
|-
||
|Queen's
|John Ferris
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=3|Restigouche
|John McMillan (to February 15, 1868) (appointed Inspector of Post Offices)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|William Murray Caldwell (from March 13, 1868, to September 29, 1870) (death)
|Liberal
|1868
|1st term
|-
||
|George Moffat (from November 29, 1870)
|Conservative
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|Sunbury
|Charles Burpee
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Victoria
|John Costigan
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Westmorland
|Albert James Smith
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|York
|Charles Fisher (to October 3, 1868) (appointed to the Supreme Court of New Brunswick)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|John Pickard (from October 28, 1868)
|Independent Liberal
|1868
|1st term
|}
Quebec
{| class="wikitable sortable" width=95%
!
!Electoral district
!Name
!Party
!First elected
!No. of terms
|-
||
|Argenteuil
|John Abbott
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Bagot
|Pierre-Samuel Gendron
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Beauce
|Christian Pozer
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Beauharnois
|Michael Cayley
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Bellechasse
|Louis Napoléon Casault (to May 26, 1870) (appointed to Superior Court of Quebec)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Télesphore Fournier (from August 15, 1870)
|Liberal
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|Berthier
|Anselme Pâquet
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Bonaventure
|Théodore Robitaille
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Brome
|Christopher Dunkin<sup>4</sup> (to October 24, 1871) (appointed to Superior Court of Quebec)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Edward Carter (from November 17, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Chambly
|Pierre Benoit
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Champlain
|John Jones Ross
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Charlevoix
|Simon Xavier Cimon
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Châteauguay
|Luther Holton
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Chicoutimi—Saguenay
|Pierre Alexis Tremblay
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Compton
|John Henry Pope<sup>5</sup>
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Dorchester
|Hector-Louis Langevin
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Drummond—Arthabaska
|Louis Adélard Sénécal
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Gaspé
|Pierre Fortin
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Hochelaga
|Antoine Dorion
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Huntingdon
|John Rose<sup>2</sup> (to September 29, 1869) (resigned)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Julius Scriver (from October 30, 1869)
|Liberal
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|Iberville
|François Béchard
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Jacques Cartier
|Guillaume Gaucher
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Joliette
|François Benjamin Godin
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
|
|rowspan=2|Kamouraska
|colspan=4|no election in 1867 due to rioting
|-
||
|Charles Pelletier (from February 17, 1869)
|Liberal
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|Laprairie
|Alfred Pinsonneault
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|L'Assomption
|Louis Archambeault
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Laval
|Joseph Bellerose
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Lévis
|Joseph Blanchet
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|L'Islet
|Barthélemy Pouliot<sup>3</sup>
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Lotbinière
|Henri Joly De Lotbinière
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Maskinongé
|George Caron
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Mégantic
|George Irvine
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Missisquoi
|Brown Chamberlin (to June 6, 1870) (resigned to become Queen's Printer)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|George Baker (from July 5, 1870)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Montcalm
|Joseph Dufresne (to July 13, 1871) (resigned)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Firmin Dugas (from September 15, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Montmagny
|Joseph-Octave Beaubien
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Montmorency
|Joseph-Édouard Cauchon (to November 1, 1867)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Jean Langlois (from December 11, 1867)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Montreal Centre
|Thomas Workman
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Montreal East
|George-Étienne Cartier
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Montreal West
|Thomas D'Arcy McGee (to April 7, 1868) (assassinated)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Michael Patrick Ryan (from April 20, 1868)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1868
|1st term
|-
||
|Napierville
|Sixte Coupal dit la Reine
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Nicolet
|Joseph Gaudet
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Ottawa (County of)
|Alonzo Wright
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Pontiac
|Edmund Heath
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Portneuf
|Jean Brousseau
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Quebec-Centre
|Georges-Honoré Simard
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Quebec County
|Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Quebec East
|Pierre Huot (to June 14, 1870) (resigned to become Postmaster of Quebec)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Adolphe Guillet dit Tourangeau (from July 18, 1870)
|Conservative
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|Quebec West
|Thomas McGreevy
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Richelieu
|Thomas McCarthy (to September 23, 1870) (death)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Georges Isidore Barthe (from November 18, 1870)
|Independent Conservative
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|Richmond—Wolfe
|William Hoste Webb
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Rimouski
|George Sylvain
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Rouville
|Guillaume Cheval dit St-Jacques
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Saint Maurice
|Louis Léon Lesieur Desaulniers (to September 29, 1868) (resigned)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Élie Lacerte (from October 30, 1868)
|Conservative
|1868
|1st term
|-
||
|Shefford
|Lucius Huntington
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Town of Sherbrooke
|Alexander Galt
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Soulanges
|Luc Masson
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|St. Hyacinthe
|Alexandre Kierzkowski (to August 4, 1870) (death)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Louis Delorme (from September 1, 1870)
|Liberal
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|St. John's
|François Bourassa
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Stanstead
|Charles Colby
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Témiscouata
|Charles Bertrand
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Terrebonne
|Louis Masson
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Three Rivers
|Louis Boucher De Niverville (to September 30, 1868) (resigned)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|William McDougall (from October 17, 1868)
|Conservative
|1868
|1st term
|-
||
|Two Mountains
|Jean-Baptiste Daoust
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Vaudreuil
|Donald McMillan
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Verchères
|Félix Geoffrion
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Yamaska
|Moïse Fortier
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|}
Four Quebec members recontested their seats in byelections, and were re-elected:
<sup>2</sup> – John Rose was reelected in Huntingdon on November 28, 1867, after being named Minister of Finance.
<sup>3</sup> – Barthélemy Pouliot was unseated on petition, but was reelected in L'Islet on July 14, 1869.
<sup>4</sup> – Christopher Dunkin was reelected in Brome on November 29, 1869, after being named Minister of Agriculture.
<sup>5</sup> – John Henry Pope was reelected in Compton on November 11, 1871, after being named Minister of Agriculture following Dunkin's resignation from Parliament.
Ontario
{| class="wikitable sortable" width=95%
!
!Electoral district
!Name
!Party
!First elected
!No. of terms
|-
||
|Addington
|James Lapum
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Algoma
|Wemyss Mackenzie Simpson (to April 26, 1871) (appointed Indian Commissioner for Rupert's Land)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Frederick William Cumberland (from June 30, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Bothwell
|David Mills
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Brant North
|John Young Bown
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Brant South
|Edmund Burke Wood
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Brockville
|James Crawford
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Bruce North
|Alexander Sproat
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Bruce South
|Francis Hurdon
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Cardwell
|Thomas Roberts Ferguson
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Carleton
|John Holmes
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Cornwall
|John Sandfield Macdonald
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Dundas
|John Sylvester Ross
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Durham East
|Francis H. Burton
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Durham West
|Edward Blake
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Elgin East
|Thomas William Dobbie
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Elgin West
|John H. Munroe
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Essex
|John O'Connor
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Frontenac
|Thomas Kirkpatrick (to March 26, 1870) (death)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|George Airey Kirkpatrick (from April 27, 1870)
|Conservative
|1870
|1st term
|-
||
|Glengarry
|Donald Alexander Macdonald
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Grenville South
|Walter Shanly
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Grey North
|George Snider
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Grey South
|George Jackson
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Haldimand
|David Thompson
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Halton
|John White
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Hamilton
|Charles Magill
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Hastings East
|Robert Read (to February 24, 1871) (appointed to Senate)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|John White (from March 20, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Hastings North
|Mackenzie Bowell
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Hastings West
|James Brown
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Huron North
|Joseph Whitehead
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Huron South
|Malcolm Colin Cameron
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Kent
|Rufus Stephenson
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Kingston
|The Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Lambton
|Alexander Mackenzie
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Lanark North
|William C.B. McDougall
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Lanark South
|Alexander Morris<sup>6</sup>
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Leeds North and Grenville North
|Francis Jones
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Leeds South
|John Willoughby Crawford
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Lennox
|rowspan=2|Richard John Cartwright
|Conservative
|rowspan=2|1867
|rowspan=2|1st term
|-
||
|Liberal
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Lincoln
|James Rea Benson (to March 14, 1868) (appointed to the Senate)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Thomas Rodman Merritt (from April 13, 1868)
|Liberal
|1868
|1st term
|-
||
|London
|John Carling
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Middlesex East
|Crowell Willson
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Middlesex North
|Thomas Scatcherd
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Middlesex West
|Angus Peter McDonald
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Monck
|Lachlin McCallum
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Niagara
|Angus Morrison
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Norfolk North
|Aquila Walsh
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Norfolk South
|Peter Lawson
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Northumberland East
|Joseph Keeler
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Northumberland West
|James Cockburn
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Ontario North
|John Hall Thompson
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Ontario South
|Thomas Nicholson Gibbs
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Ottawa (City of)
|Joseph Merrill Currier
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Oxford North
|Thomas Oliver
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Oxford South
|Ebenezer Vining Bodwell
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Peel
|John Hillyard Cameron
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Perth North
|James Redford
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Perth South
|Robert MacFarlane
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Peterborough East
|Peregrine Maitland Grover
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Peterborough West
|Charles Perry
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Prescott
|Albert Hagar
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Prince Edward
|Walter Ross
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Renfrew North
|John Rankin (to October 12, 1869) (resigned)
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Francis Hincks (from November 13, 1869)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Renfrew South
|Daniel McLachlin (to June 3, 1869) (resigned)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|John Lorn McDougall (from July 12, 1869)
|Liberal
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|Russell
|James Alexander Grant
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Simcoe North
|Thomas David McConkey
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Simcoe South
|William Carruthers Little
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Stormont
|Samuel Ault
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Toronto East
|James Beaty
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
| |
|Toronto West
|Robert Alexander Harrison
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Victoria North
|John Morison
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Victoria South
|George Kempt
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Waterloo North
|Isaac Erb Bowman
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Waterloo South
|James Young
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Welland
|Thomas Clark Street
|Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Wellington Centre
|Thomas Sutherland Parker (to October 24, 1868) (death)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|James Ross (from January 18, 1869)
|Liberal
|1869
|1st term
|-
||
|Wellington North
|George Alexander Drew
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Wellington South
|David Stirton
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Wentworth North
|James McMonies
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Wentworth South
|Joseph Rymal
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|York East
|James Metcalfe
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|York North
|James Pearson Wells
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|York West
|William Pearce Howland (to July 14, 1868) (appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1867
|1st term
|-
||
|Amos Wright (from August 14, 1868)
|Liberal
|1867
|1st term
|}
Note:
<sup>6</sup> – One Ontario MP, Alexander Morris, recontested his seat in a byelection. He was reelected in Lanark South on November 29, 1869, after being appointed Minister of Inland Revenue.
Manitoba
Manitoba joined Confederation in 1870. Byelections to choose Manitoba's representatives were held on March 2 and March 3, 1871.
{| class="wikitable sortable" width=95%
!
!Electoral district
!Name
!Party
!First elected
!No. of terms
|-
||
|Lisgar
|John Christian Schultz (from March 2, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Marquette*<br />(both candidates declared elected due to a tie)
|James S. Lynch (from March 2, 1871)
|Liberal
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Angus McKay (from March 2, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Selkirk
|Donald Alexander Smith (from March 2, 1871)
|Independent Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Provencher
|Pierre Delorme (from March 3, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|}
British Columbia
British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871. Byelections to choose the province's MPs were held in November and December of that year.
{| class="wikitable sortable" width=95%
!
!Electoral district
!Name
!Party
!First elected
!No. of terms
|-
||
|Cariboo District
|Joshua Spencer Thompson (from December 19, 1871)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|New Westminster District
|Hugh Nelson (from December 13, 1871)
|Liberal-Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Vancouver
|Robert Wallace (from December 15, 1871)
|Conservative
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|rowspan=2|Victoria*
|Amor De Cosmos (from November 24, 1871)
|Liberal
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Henry Nathan, Jr. (from November 24, 1871)
|Liberal
|1871
|1st term
|-
||
|Yale District
|Charles Frederick Houghton (from December 19, 1871)
|Liberal
|1871
|1st term
|}
- Victoria was a two-seat riding.
Senate
Senators summoned to the 1st Parliament
Following is a full list of members of the Senate in the first Parliament, organised by senatorial division. Senator Joseph-Édouard Cauchon was the speaker of the Senate during the 1st Parliament, except for nine days in 1869 and two days in 1872. Names of senators who were members of the federal Cabinet are italicised.
!align=left|Name
!align=left|Party
!align=left|Province (Division)
!align=left|Date appointed
!align=left|Appointed by
!align=left|On the Advice of
!align=left|Left office
!align=left|Reason
|-
|Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
|Independent Conservative
|Quebec (Stadacona)
|November 2, 1867
|Viscount Monck
|Macdonald
|June 30, 1872
|Resignation
|Jean-Charles Chapais
|Conservative
|Quebec (De la Durantaye)
|January 30, 1868
|Viscount Monck
|Macdonald
|
|
|James Rea Benson
|Liberal-Conservative
|Ontario
|March 14, 1868
|Viscount Monck
|Macdonald
|
|
|James Dever
|Liberal
|New Brunswick
|March 14, 1868
|Viscount Monck
|Macdonald
|
|
|John Glasier
|Liberal
|New Brunswick
|March 14, 1868
|Viscount Monck
|Macdonald
|
|
|Archibald McLelan
|Liberal-Conservative
|Nova Scotia
|June 21, 1869
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Alexander Macfarlane
|Conservative
|Nova Scotia
|October 10, 1870
||Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Jeremiah Northup
|Liberal
|Nova Scotia
|October 10, 1870
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Ebenezer Perry
|Conservative
|Ontario
|February 2, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Frank Smith
|Conservative
|Ontario
|February 2, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Ezra Churchill
|Liberal-Conservative
|Nova Scotia
|February 3, 2871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Louis Panet
|Conservative
||Quebec (La Salle)
|February 10, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Robert Read
|Conservative
|Ontario
|February 24, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Robert William Weir Carrall
|Conservative
|British Columbia
|December 13, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Clement Francis Cornwall
|Conservative
|British Columbia
|December 13, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Alexandre-René Chaussegros de Léry
|Conservative
||Quebec (Lauzon)
|December 13, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Marc-Amable Girard
|Conservative
|Manitoba
|December 13, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|William John Macdonald
|Conservative
|British Columbia
|December 13, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|John Sutherland
|Independent Conservative
|Manitoba
|December 13, 1871
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|Henry Adolphus Newman Kaulback
|Conservative
|Nova Scotia
|March 27, 1872
|Baron Lisgar
|Macdonald
|
|
|}
- Senators in bold were cabinet ministers during the 1st Parliament
Parliamentary term and sessions
{| class="wikitable"
! Parliament & Session
! General Election Dates
! Return of the Writs
! Opening Date
! Last Sitting Day
! Prorogation
! Dissolution
|-
| 1st Parliament
| August 7 to September 20, 1867
| September 24, 1867
| align="center"|—
| align="center"|-
| align="center"|-
| July 8, 1872
|-
| 1st Session
| align="center"|—
| align="center"|—
| November 6, 1867
| May 22, 1868
| May 22, 1868
| align="center"|—
|-
| 2nd Session
| align="center"|—
| align="center"|—
| April 15, 1869
| June 22, 1869
| June 22, 1869
| align="center"|—
|-
| 3rd Session
| align="center"|—
| align="center"|—
| February 15, 1870
| May 12, 1870
| May 12, 1870
| align="center"|—
|-
| 4th Session
| align="center"|—
| align="center"|—
| February 15, 1871
| April 14, 1871
| April 14, 1871
| align="center"|—
|-
| 5th Session
| align="center"|—
| align="center"|—
| April 11, 1872
| June 14, 1872
| June 14, 1872
| align="center"|—
|-
! colspan="7"|Source: House of Commons Procedure and Practice
|-
|}
Pre-Confederation predecessors
{| class="wikitable"
!Colony
!Assembly
|-
|Province of Canada
|8th Parliament
|-
|Nova Scotia
|22nd General Assembly
|-
|New Brunswick
|21st Legislative Assembly
|-
|Red River Colony
|Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia
|-
|Colony of British Columbia
|Legislative Council of British Columbia
|}
By-elections to fill casual vacancies in the 1st Canadian Parliament
(This list does not include byelections held to fill new seats in Manitoba and British Columbia, as shown above)
See also
- List of current Canadian senators
References
Works cited
Further reading
External links
- Seating plan for the House of Commons, 1867