2nd Alberta Legislature
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
| 2nd George Hedley Vicars Bulyea September 1, 1905 – October 20, 1915 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session February 10, 1910 – May 26, 1910 | |||
| 2nd session November 10, 1910 – December 11, 1910 | |||
| 3rd session November 30, 1911 – February 16, 1912 | |||
| 4th session February 11, 1913 – March 25, 1913 | |||
| |||
The 2nd Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from March 23, 1909, to April 17, 1913, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1909 Alberta general election which was held on March 22, 1909. The Legislature officially resumed on March 23, 1909, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued and dissolved on March 25, 1913, prior to the 1913 Alberta general election.[1]
Alberta's second government was controlled by the
The total number of seats in the assembly was increased from 25 contested in the 1905 election to 41.
Bills
The Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Prior to the 1913 election, the Liberal government introduced An Act to amend the Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta which increased the number of seats in the Alberta Legislature from 41 to 56 and redistributed the boundaries of several constituencies.[2]
The Direct Legislation Act
Following pressure from the growing
Scandals
The Alberta and Great Waterways Railway Scandal was a political scandal in 1910, which forced the resignation of the
The scandal split the Liberal Party: Rutherford's Minister of Public Works,
The royal commission reported months after Rutherford had already resigned. The majority did not find Rutherford or his cabinet guilty of any wrongdoing, but criticized them for poor judgment, both in relation to the loan guarantees and in relation to the exemptions the A&GW received from provincial legislation; a minority report was more sympathetic, and declared the allegations against them "disproved". James Cornwall, a Liberal backbencher who supported Rutherford, fared somewhat worse: his personal financial involvement in the railway gave rise to "suspicious circumstances", but he too was not proven guilty of any wrongdoing.
Besides provoking Rutherford's resignation, the scandal opened rifts in the Liberal Party that took years to heal. Sifton eventually smoothed over most of these divisions, but was frustrated in his railway policy by legal defeats. He ultimately adopted a similar policy to Rutherford's, and the A&GW was eventually built by private interests using the money raised from provincial loan guarantees. The Liberals went on to be re-elected in 1913 and 1917.
Party composition
| Affiliation | 1st Assembly dissolution | Elected in 1909 | Standings at dissolution | |
| Liberal | 22 | 36 | 33 | |
| Conservative | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Socialist | 1 | 1 | ||
| Independent | 1 | 1 | ||
| Independent Liberal | 1 | |||
| Labour | 1 | |||
| Total |
25 | 41 | 41 | |
| Government Majority |
20 | 31 | 25 | |
Members elected during the 1909 Alberta Provincial Election
For complete electoral history, see individual districts
July 15, 1909
| District | Member | Party | First elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athabasca | Jean Côté | Liberal | 1909 |
Standings changes after election
By-elections
By-elections are only shown if new members were elected
| District | Member | Party | Reason for By-Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Hat | Charles R. Mitchell
|
Liberal | June 29, 1910—Resignation of William Finlay | |
| Vermilion | Arthur Sifton | Liberal | June 29, 1910—Resignation of Archie Campbell to provide seat for Premier Arthur Sifton | |
| Gleichen | Archibald J. McArthur | Liberal | October 3, 1910—Resignation of Ezra Riley in protest against Liberal Party Leadership | |
| Macleod | Robert Patterson | Farmers | October 3, 1910—Death of Colin Genge | |
Calgary #2
|
Thomas Tweedie | Conservative | October 31, 1911—Resignation of Richard Bennett to run for House of Commons | |
| Gleichen | Harold Riley | Conservative | October 31, 1911—Death of Archibald John McArthur | |
| Lethbridge City | John Smith Stewart | Conservative | October 31, 1911—Resignation of Mr. William Buchanan to run for House for Commons | |
| Pincher Creek | John Kemmis | Conservative | October 31, 1911—Resignation of David Warnock to run for House of Commons | |
| Cardston | Martin Woolf | Liberal | May 27, 1912—Resignation of Mr. John Woolf |
Floor crossings
- June 22, 1910—Archibald McLean crossed the floor to the Liberal Party to accept a cabinet portfolio, he was acclaimed in a by-election
- Date Unknown—James Cornwall leaves the Liberal Party and becomes an Independent
References
Citations
- ISBN 0-9689217-3-6. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ An Act to amend the Act respecting the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, S.A. 1913, c. 2
- ^ The Direct Legislation Act, S.A. 1913, c. 3
- ^ a b c Thomas 1959, p. 136.
Bibliography
- Thomas, Lewis Gwynne (1959). The Liberal Party in Alberta. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. OL 18824816M.
Further reading
- OCLC 266967058. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ISBN 0-9689217-8-7. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- Perry, Sandra E.; Footz, Valerie L. (2006). Massolin, Philip A. (ed.). A Higher Duty: Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies. Edmonton, AB: Legislative Assembly of Alberta. ISBN 0-9689217-3-6. Retrieved August 9, 2020.