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The 3rd Parliament of Ontario was in session from 18 January 1875 until 25 April 1879, following the 1875 general election in which the Liberal Party was returned as the majority party. Oliver Mowat was again the province's Premier.
The Ontario Liquor Licence Act, 1876 (often referred to as the Crooks Act), which transferred control of licenses for the sale of alcohol from individual municipalities to commissioners appointed by the province, was passed.
Rupert Mearse Wells served as speaker for the assembly.
Members of the Assembly
Western Ontario
Central and Northern Ontario
Riding | Member | Party | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Algoma | Simon James Dawson | Liberal | Member until 26 August 1878. Resigned to enter federal politics. |
Robert Adam Lyon | Liberal | Won byelection, was member from 16 September 1878. | |
Cardwell | John Flesher | Conservative | |
Dufferin | John Barr | Conservative | |
Durham East | John Rosevear | Conservative | |
Durham West | John McLeod | Liberal | |
Halton | William Barber | Liberal | Member until 30 June 1875 after he was unseated in election trial. |
William Durie Lyon | Liberal | Won byelection and was member from 15 November 1875 until end of Parliament session. | |
Hamilton | James Miller Williams | Liberal | |
Lincoln | Sylvester Neelon | Liberal | |
Monck | Henry Ryan Haney | Liberal | Member until 18 November 1878, having died in office. |
Richard Harcourt | Liberal | Won byelection and was in the Legislature as of January 1879 until the end of the Parliament session. | |
Muskoka and Parry Sound | John Classon Miller | Liberal | |
Northumberland East | James Marshall Ferris | Liberal | |
Northumberland West | William Hargraft | Liberal | |
Ontario North | Thomas Paxton | Liberal | |
Ontario South | Nicholas W. Brown | Conservative | |
Peel | Kenneth Chisholm | Liberal | |
Peterborough East | John C. O'Sullivan | Conservative | Although unseated by election trial on 2 August 1875, he retained this riding. |
Peterborough West | George Albertus Cox | Liberal | Unseated in election trial 2 August 1875. |
William Hepburn Scott | Conservative | Won byelection and was member from December 1875. | |
Simcoe East | John Kean | Conservative | |
Simcoe South | D'Arcy Edward Boulton | Conservative | Died in office 16 February 1875. |
William McDougall | Independent-Liberal | Won byelection and was member from 1 June 1875 to 9 September 1878. Resigned early to seek seat in federal House of Commons. | |
William James Parkhill | Conservative | Won by-election and was member from 1 October 1878. | |
Simcoe West | Thomas Long | Conservative | |
Toronto East | Matthew Crooks Cameron | Conservative | Leader of the Opposition until c. 1878. Served as member of legislative assembly until 9 January 1879 when he retired from politics. |
Alexander Morris | Conservative | Won byelection and was member from January 1879 until the end of Parliament session. | |
Toronto West | Robert Bell | Conservative | |
Victoria North | John David Smith | Liberal | Was member until 27 August 1875, after being unseated in election trial. |
Duncan McRae | Conservative | Won byelection. | |
Victoria South | Samuel Casey Wood | Liberal | Retained seat in August 1875 byelection. Commissioner of Agriculture in Mowat ministry after July 23, 1875: Treasurer in Mowat ministry after March 19, 1877 |
Welland | James George Currie | Liberal | |
Wentworth North | Thomas Stock | Conservative | Disqualified in September 1875. Was Conservative member until 30 June 1875. |
James McMahon | Liberal | Won byelection and was in the Legislature as of December 1875 until the end of the Parliament session. | |
Wentworth South | William Sexton | Liberal | |
York East | John Lane | Liberal | |
York North | Joseph Henry Widdifield | Liberal | |
York West | Peter Patterson | Liberal |
Eastern Ontario
Election trials
The early months of this Parliament were marred by election trials in many ridings. Most of these cases challenged the validity of the election results on such charges as bribery or corruption. A common accusation was that of "treating", where candidates or their agents would buy potential electors alcohol or other favours.
The following ridings and candidates were affected:
Riding | Original Candidate | Comment |
---|---|---|
Cardwell | Flesher | Retained seat. |
Cornwall | McIntyre | Unseated - election voided 8 June 1875, then defeated by Snetsinger in byelection. |
Dundas | Broder | Retained seat. |
Elgin East | Wilson | Retained seat - charges dropped 13 May 1875. |
Essex South | Wigle | Retained seat - originally unseated, but appealed. |
Elgin West | M.G. Munroe | Unseated - Hodgins declared the proper member of Legislature after 16 votes declared invalid, leaving Hodgins with a majority of 6 votes. |
Grey North | Scott | Unseated - original petition dismissed, but reversed on appeal, therefore Scott disqualified. 8-year ban from office. |
Grey South | Hunter | Retained seat - charges dismissed 2 July 1875. |
Halton | Barber | Unseated. |
Hastings West | Wills | Retained seat - charges dismissed. |
Lincoln | Neelon | Retained seat - initially unseated, but regained seat. |
London | Meredith | Retained seat. |
Middlesex North | McDougall | Retained seat - charges dismissed. |
Monck | Haney | Retained seat - election initially voided, byelection called which Haney won. |
Muskoka | Miller | Retained seat - initially unseated, but appeals on some aspects of the election trial were still in progress through November 1875. |
Northumberland East | Ferris | Retained seat. |
Ontario North | Paxton | Retained seat - charges dismissed, upheld on appeal, although the original election was still void and required byelection. |
Ontario South | Brown | Retained seat - charges dismissed, case appealed, seat retained. |
Oxford South | Oliver | Unseated - lost byelection 25 August 1875 |
Peel | Chisholm | Retained seat. |
Perth North | Hay | Retained seat. |
Peterborough East | O'Sullivan | Retained seat - although initially unseated in election trial on 2 August 1875. |
Peterborough West | Cox | Unseated - 2 August 1875. |
Russell | Baker | Retained seat - charges dismissed, byelection called in which Russell won. |
Simcoe East | Kean | Retained seat. |
Simcoe West | Long | Retained seat. |
Toronto East | Cameron | Retained seat. |
Toronto West | Bell | Retained seat. |
Victoria North | Smith | Unseated. |
Welland | Currie | Retained seat - Currie won byelection. |
Wellington West | McGowan | Unseated - byelection called, McGowan regained seat. |
Wentworth North | Stock | Unseated - 8-year ban from office. |
Source: "What have they gained by it? / Election appeals". The Globe. Toronto, Ontario. 27 September 1875. p. 2..
References
- Ontario Legislative Assembly official website Archived 16 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 March 2007
- 39 Victoria, 3. 26; R.S.O. 1877, c. 181
- "Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- Scott was banned for 8 years from holding any municipal or provincial office, or from voting in a provincial election. "North Wentworth and North Grey". The Globe. 28 September 1875. p. 2.
- "South Oxford Election Trial / Mr Oliver Unseated". The Globe. 16 July 1875. p. 1.
- "South Oxford". The Globe. 12 August 1875. p. 2.; new election called in August 1875.
- "Galt / Death of Mr. Fleming MPP". The Globe. 22 January 1877. p. 1.
- "South Waterloo Election / Recount of the Vote". The Globe. 7 March 1877. p. 1.
- ^ "The Halton Election Trial". The Globe. 17 May 1875. p. 2.
- Lyon was voted Reform candidate for this riding on 4 October 1875."Halton Reform Convention". The Globe. 11 October 1875. p. 3.
- ^ "The Peterborough Election Trials / Dr O'Sullivan unseated in the East and Mr Cox in the West". The Globe. 3 August 1875. p. 1.
- "Ontario Legislature". The Globe. 1 October 1878. p. 2.
- "North Victoria Election Case / Conclusion of the Judgment". The Globe. 20 August 1875. p. 1.
- "South Victoria / Triumphant return of Hon. S.C. Wood". The Globe. 16 August 1875. p. 2.
- ^ Stock was banned for 8 years from holding any municipal or provincial office, or from voting in a provincial election. "North Wentworth and North Grey". The Globe. 28 September 1875. p. 2.
- "Cornwall Election Case / The Election Voided Through Bribery by Agents". The Globe. 9 June 1875. p. 1., courts ordered byelection
- ""News Summary" and "The Cornwall Election / Mr. Snetsinger Returned"". The Globe. 19 July 1875. p. 1.
- "East Elgin Petition". The Globe. 13 May 1875. p. 2.
- "Legal Intelligence ... Before the Chancellor". The Globe. 14 July 1875. p. 2.
- "South Essex Election Trial / Respondent Unseated for Corrupt Practice of an Agent". The Globe. 14 July 1875. p. 4.
- "Windsor". The Globe. 15 July 1875. p. 1., noting Wigle's appeal
- "West Elgin". The Globe. 28 June 1875. p. 4.
- "West Elgin Election Case". The Globe. 9 June 1875. p. 2., reporting the judgement leaving Hodgins with majority of 6 votes.
- "South Grey Election Trial / Petition Dismissed". The Globe. 3 July 1875. p. 8.
- "The West Hastings Election Trial". The Globe. 19 June 1875. p. 8.
- ^ "Election Trials - Muskoka and Lincoln". The Globe. 18 September 1875. p. 4.
- "Legal Intelligence... Election Trial". The Globe. 28 September 1875. p. 2.
- "Monck Election Trial / Dr Haney Unseated". The Globe. 14 May 1875. p. 4.
- "Monck Elections". The Globe. 23 June 1875. p. 2., Dr Haney (Reform) re-elected.
- "Muskoka / Mr. Miller Called on to take his Seat". The Globe. 29 November 1875. p. 1.
- "The Muskoka Election Trial". The Globe. 12 August 1875. p. 2., reporting that 12 of 15 charges in the election trial were dismissed at that point.
- "South Ontario Election Court / Third Day". The Globe. 14 May 1875. p. 4.
- "Russel Election". The Globe. 5 June 1875. p. 1.
- "Russel Election". The Globe. 13 August 1875. p. 1.
- "Local Elections (editorial)". The Globe. 5 July 1875. p. 2.
- "West Wellington Election Case". The Globe. 28 June 1875. p. 4.
- "North Wellington / Return of Mr. McGowan". The Globe. 28 September 1875. p. 1., despite the title (Ontario had no North Wellington riding), the article referred to the byelection in which McGowan won.