The 1st North-West Legislative Assembly lasted from 1888 to 1891. This Assembly was the third in the history of the Northwest Territories. The Assembly marked a huge milestone bringing responsible government

Responsible government

Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...

 to the territory for the first time.

Background

The 1st Northwest Territories Council was dissolved after reaching the quota of elected members prescribed under the Northwest Territories Act. This precipitated the 1888 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1888

The Northwest Territories general election of 1888 was the first general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Elections were held in various districts between 20 June and 30 June 1888...

.

Despite being an elected body, there were three remaining appointed members left to serve in the Assembly. The three appointees were Legal Advisers they could actively participate in debates and move motions, but did not have a vote.

1st Session

The 1st Session of the 1st North-West Legislative Assembly began on October 31, 1888. The festivities began in the morning, with music provided by the North-West Mounted Police Band. The session began at 3:00pm with Lieutenant Governor Joseph Royal

Joseph Royal

Joseph Royal was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician, businessman, and Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories.-Early life and career:...

 entering the chamber escorted by Mounties.

The Council opened by electing the first speaker in Northwest Territories history. Herbert Charles Wilson was nominated in a motion moved by Hugh Cayley. Wilson was acclaimed with the unanimous consent of the Assembly. The election for speaker was decided in a caucus meeting prior to the opening of the Assembly. There were to candidates for speaker presented. The first vote resulted in an 11 to 11 tie between James Ross and Wilson. Ross asked that his name be withdrawn but his supporters refused. After two more tie votes, Ross withdrew and Wilson was acclaimed as the choice for speaker.

Lieutenant Governor Advisory Council
Frederick Haultain
David Jelly
Hilliard Mitchell
William Sutherland

The throne speech outlined five main areas of concern. The first was the need for provisions to deal with and prevent Prairie Fires. The Lieutenant Governor then called for the repeal of the liquor laws passed by the Temporary North-West Council. The speech also announced the introduction of a bill to provide provisions for collecting vital statistics. Royal also reported on the efforts of his legal committee to consolidate the legislation of the Northwest Territories. The last major portion of the speech outlined the upcoming budgetary estimates to be provided to members from the Lieutenant Governor advisory Council.

Members

District of Alberta District of Alberta The District of Alberta was one of four districts of the Northwest Territories created in 1882. It was styled the Alberta Provisional District to distinguish it from the District of Keewatin which had a more autonomous relationship from the NWT administration...		District of Saskatchewan District of Saskatchewan The District of Saskatchewan was a regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories. Much of the area was incorporated into the province of Saskatchewan. The western part became part of Alberta, and the eastern part is now part of Manitoba. Its capital was Prince Albert...
District	Member	District	Member
Calgary Calgary (N.W.T. electoral district) Calgary was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1884.The riding was split into East Calgary, West Calgary and High River in 1894....	John Lineham John Lineham John Lineham was a former territorial-level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada.Lineham was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in the 1888 Northwest Territories general election. He won the top place in the two-man district of Calgary. There were three...	Batoche Batoche (N.W.T. electoral district) Batoche was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories that existed from 1888 to 1905.- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-1888 election:-1891 election:...	Hilliard Mitchell Hilliard Mitchell Hilliard "Hillyard" Mitchell was a politician from the Canadian prairies.Hillyard was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories in the 1888 Northwest Territories general election...
	Hugh Cayley Hugh Cayley Hugh St. Quentin Cayley was a Canadian lawyer, news reporter and politician.-Early life:Hugh St. Quentin Cayley was born on November 19, 1857 in Toronto. He was raised in Upper Canada and one of eleven children fathered by William Cayley...	Battleford Battleford (N.W.T. electoral district) Battleford was a territorial electoral district mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. The electoral district came into existence with the passage of the North-West Representation Act in 1888 and was abolished in 1905 when Alberta and...	James Clinkskill James Clinkskill James Clinkskill was a Canadian politician and engineer, merchant, author and justice of the peace.-Early life:...
Edmonton Edmonton (N.W.T. electoral district) Edmonton was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1883 and abolished in 1905. In 1888 the riding returned the top two candidates after it was merged with the St. Albert electoral district. The...	Herbert Charles Wilson Herbert Charles Wilson Herbert Charles Wilson was a Canadian politician and physician. He served as mayor of the Town of Edmonton and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories....	Kinistino Kinistino (N.W.T. electoral district) Kinistino was a former territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada. The electoral district was mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from its creation in 1888 until it was abolished when Alberta and Saskatchewan were created...	James Hoey James Hoey (politician) James Hoey was an Irish-born farmer and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Kinistino in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 to 1891.-Biography:...
	Frank Oliver	Moose Jaw Moose Jaw (N.W.T. electoral district) Moose Jaw was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1883 and abolished in 1905 when Alberta and Saskatchewan were created....	James Hamilton Ross James Hamilton Ross James Hamilton Ross was a Canadian politician, the Yukon Territory's third Commissioner, and an ardent defender of territorial rights...
Macleod Macleod (N.W.T. electoral district) Macelod was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, Canada.The riding was created by royal proclamation in 1885 and abolished in 1905 when the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created....	Frederick Haultain Frederick W. A. G. Haultain Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain was a lawyer and a long serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades...	Moosomin Moosomin (N.W.T. electoral district) Moosomin was a territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada that came into existence by Royal Proclamation in 1885 and was abolished when Alberta and Saskatchewan were created in 1905.-History:...	John Ryerson Neff John Ryerson Neff John Ryerson Neff was a farmer and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Moosomin in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 to 1898....
Medicine Hat Medicine Hat (N.W.T. electoral district) Medicine Hat was a former territorial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada. The electoral district was created with the passage of the North-West Representation Act of 1888. The primary population center and the districts name sake was the city of Medicine Hat...	Thomas Tweed Thomas Tweed Thomas Andrew Tweed was a merchant and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Medicine Hat in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 to 1894 as a Conservative....	North Qu'Appelle North Qu'Appelle North Qu'Appelle is a former provincial electoral division for the Legislative Assembly of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The district was created before the 1st Saskatchewan general election in 1905, and abolished before the 8th Saskatchewan general election in 1934. It is now part of Last...	William Sutherland William Sutherland (N.W.T. politician) William Sutherland was a general merchant and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Qu'Appelle in the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories from 1887 to 1888 and North Qu'Appelle in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 to 1898 as a...
Red Deer	Robert Brett Robert Brett Robert George Brett was a politician and physician in the North-West Territories and later Alberta, Canada....	North Regina	David Jelly David Jelly David Finlay Jelly was an educator, farmer and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada...
Appointed Legal Advisors		Prince Albert	William Plaxton William Plaxton William Plaxton was a Canadian politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.Plaxton ran for election for the first time in the 1888 Northwest Territories general election in the Prince Albert electoral district. During that election Prince Albert was a...
James Macleod James Macleod Lieutenant-Colonel James Farquharson Macleod , born in Drynoch, Isle of Skye, Scotland, was a militia officer, lawyer, NWMP officer, magistrate, judge, and politician in Alberta. He served as the second Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, from July 22, 1876, to October 31, 1880...			John Betts
Hugh Richardson		Souris	John Gillanders Turriff John Gillanders Turriff John Gillanders Turriff was a Canadian parliamentarian.Born in Petit-Métis, Canada East, Turriff as a young man settled in Western Canada, first in Manitoba, where he established himself as a farmer, and subsequently in that part of the North-West Territories which corresponds to the modern...
Charles Rouleau Charles Rouleau Charles Borromée Rouleau was a 19th-century Canadian politician, lawyer, judge and writer...		South Qu'Appelle South Qu'Appelle South Qu'Appelle is a former provincial electoral division for the Legislative Assembly of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The district was created before the 1st Saskatchewan general election in 1905, and abolished before the 8th Saskatchewan general election in 1934...	George Davidson George Davidson (politician) George Senze Davidson was a hotel owner, farmer and politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada.He came to Perth County in Canada West with his parents in 1852. From 1870 to 1876, Davidson was printer and publisher of the Listowel Banner...
Composition		South Regina	John Secord John Secord John Secord was a lawyer and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Regina in the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories from 1885 to 1888 and South Regina in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 to 1891 as a Liberal-Conservative.He was...
Elected	22	Wallace	Joel Reaman Joel Reaman Joel Reaman was a farmer, miller and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Wallace in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 to 1894 as a Conservative....
Appointed	3	Whitewood Whitewood (N.W.T. electoral district) Whitewood, was a territorial electoral district in the Northwest Territories of Canada from 1887 to 1905. The district was created from the former district of Broadview, prior to the 1888 general election....	Alexander Thorburn Alexander Thorburn Alexander "Alex" Gibbon "Gillion" "Gillan" Thorburn was a real-estate agent, merchant and former Canadian politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1888 until 1891. Prior to that he was a school trustee.-Early life:Thorburn was born on December...
Total	25	Wolseley	Benjamin Parkyn Richardson Benjamin Parkyn Richardson Benjamin Parkyn Richardson was a member of the first North-West Legislative Assembly in Northwest Territories, Canada, from 20 June 1888 until 10 October 1891...

External links

• Election Results and Dates 1876 - 1905 from Saskatchewan Archives