Northwest Territories general election, 1951
Encyclopedia
The Northwest Territories General election of 1951 held on September 17, 1951 was the sixth general election in the Northwest Territories
, Canada
, and the first since the 1902 election
. The election came about after The Northwest Territories Act was amended to permit three elected members from the Mackenzie District to join the five appointed members on the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories. The Council, which had met in Ottawa
, Ontario
, outside of the Northwest Territories, shortly after the election, the council began to alternate sittings between Ottawa and Northwest Territories communities.
This was the first election in the Northwest Territories in which women had the right to vote. Female suffrage was permitted under the Northwest Territories Elections Ordinance of 1951, this was the last jurisdiction in Canada to grant voting rights to women. The first woman candidate in the territory's history also ran in this election: Vivian Roberts from Yellowknife
.
The writ for the election was dropped on July 3, 1951 and the nominations closed on August 20, 1951.
Note:
1 Frank Cunningham was also Deputy Commissioner
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the first since the 1902 election
Northwest Territories general election, 1902
The Northwest Territories general election of 1902, occurred on 21 May 1902 and was the fifth general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. This was the last election held until 1951,...
. The election came about after The Northwest Territories Act was amended to permit three elected members from the Mackenzie District to join the five appointed members on the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories. The Council, which had met in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, outside of the Northwest Territories, shortly after the election, the council began to alternate sittings between Ottawa and Northwest Territories communities.
Background
The bill to re initiate territorial elections in the Northwest Territories was introduced in the Canadian House of Commons by Federal Resources Minister Robert Henry Winters.Aboriginal vote
The 1951 election was the first in the territory to allow aboriginal peoples to vote and stand for election. However the electoral districts created for the election included only the west portion of the territories thus disenfranchising the prominently aboriginal eastern portion of the territory. When the nominations closed on August 20, 1951 no aboriginals stood for office.Female suffrage
Unlike the small elections in the Territories prior to the first general election in 1888, this was considered a general election, since it was based on the dissolution of the previous legislature. It was the smallest general election in Northwest Territories history.This was the first election in the Northwest Territories in which women had the right to vote. Female suffrage was permitted under the Northwest Territories Elections Ordinance of 1951, this was the last jurisdiction in Canada to grant voting rights to women. The first woman candidate in the territory's history also ran in this election: Vivian Roberts from Yellowknife
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
.
The writ for the election was dropped on July 3, 1951 and the nominations closed on August 20, 1951.
Election summary
| Election summary | # of candidates | Popular vote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | ||
| Elected candidates | 3 | 1,471 | 53.39% |
| Defeated candidates | 8 | 1,233 | 44.76% |
| Rejected ballots | 51 | 1.85% | |
| Total | 11 | 2,755 | 100% |
Appointed members
| 1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council 1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council The 1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council was the 8th assembly of the territorial government lasting from the election on September 17, 1951 to dissolution in 1954... |
|
| Member | New/Re-appointed |
|---|---|
| Louis Audette Louis Audette Louis de la Chesnaye Audette, was a Canadian lawyer, soldier, and civil servant.Born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Louis-Arthur Audette and Mary-Grace Stuart, the tenth child of Andrew Stuart, he was educated as a lawyer and practiced in Montreal during 1930s... |
Re-appointed |
| William Clements | New |
| Donald McKay | ? |
| Leonard Nicholson Leonard Nicholson Leonard Hanson Nicholson, OC, MBE served as the tenth Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, from May 1, 1951 to March 31, 1959.... |
New |
| Frank Cunningham1 | Re-appointed |
Note:
1 Frank Cunningham was also Deputy Commissioner
Elected members
For complete electoral history, see individual districts| 1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council 1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council The 1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council was the 8th assembly of the territorial government lasting from the election on September 17, 1951 to dissolution in 1954... |
|
| District | Member |
|---|---|
| Mackenzie South Mackenzie South Mackenzie South is a former territorial electoral district, that elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in Canada.The electoral district covered the communities of Fort Smith, Hay River, Pine Point, Fort Resolution, Talston River, Snowdrift, Fort Reliance and Wynn's... |
James Brodie James Brodie (politician) James Brodie was a territorial level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada.Brodie was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Council in the 1951 Northwest Territories general election. He won the new electoral district of Mackenzie South defeating candidate Robert Poritt... |
| Mackenzie West Mackenzie West Mackenzie west is a territorial electoral district, that elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in Canada.The electoral district historically covered the communities of, Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Fort Wrigley, Fort Norman, Fort Franklin, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope,... |
Frank Carmichael Frank Carmichael Frank Carmichael was a trapper and a territorial level politician in Northwest Territories, Canada.-Early life:Carmichael moved to Aklavik, Northwest Territories in 1927 and began working as a trapper.-Political career:... |
| Mackenzie North Mackenzie North Mackenzie North is a former territorial electoral district, that elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.Mackenzie North covered the communities of Yellowknife, Bathurst Inlet, Fort Providence, Fort Rae, Snare River, Outpost Island, Hottah Lake, Port Radium, Coppermine,... |
Mervyn Arthur Hardie Mervyn Arthur Hardie Mervyn Arthur Hardie was a politician, buisness man and bush pilot from Northwest Territories, Canada. He served as a Member of the Northwest Territories Council from 1951 to 1953 and as a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 until his death in 1961.-Early life:Hardie... |
See also
- List of Northwest Territories general elections
- 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories2nd Council of the Northwest TerritoriesThe 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories known formally as the Council of the Northwest Territories lasted from 1905 to 1951. In 1905 when Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved out the Northwest Territories, the remaining population was too small to legally hold elections. The Northwest...