1st Northwest Territories Legislative Council
Encyclopedia
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. This council would see elected members returned it for the first time since 1905.
from taking over the north lands.
. The inflow of cash came from government controlled liquor that netted over $150,000 to the treasury along with over $260,000 in federally collected taxes being returned to the territory. Other contributing sources were a 1 cent per gallon tax on all petroleum products, a fur export tax and various licensing fees.
A total of eight members served on the council, with five appointed and three elected. The three elected all came from the District of Mackenzie
while the five appointed members lived in Ottawa
. Previous to this council the last elected members sat in the 5th North-West Legislative Assembly
.
Two appointed members of the council were returned from the 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories
. They were Louis Audette and Deputy Commissioner Frank Cunningham who served by default as the presiding officer on the council. The Commissioner and leader of the government at the beginning of the council was Hugh Andrew Young
who had served as such since 1950. Young left office on November 15, 1953 when his replacement Robert Gordon Robertson
was appointed on the same day.
The only membership change in the council came in 1953 when Mervyn Hardie vacated his seat to run in the 1953 Canadian federal election
. He won the district of Mackenzie River
to be the first Member of Parliament for the territory since 1904. A by-election was not called to fill his seat.
Northwest Territories general election, 1951
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...
to dissolution in 1954. This council would see elected members returned it for the first time since 1905.
Powers increase
Following the 1951 election, legislation to amend the Northwest Territories Act introduced in the House of Commons to increase the powers of the council. Provisions in the legislation also allowed them to re-establish a territorial court of law, as well as provide for the appointment of a police magistrate and increase the living allowance for members of the council while it is in session to $25.00 from $15.00 a day and to keep the pay per session day at $50.00. The legislation also increased the number of elected seats to four and provided for a federally managed Reindeer Marketing Board to portion off Reindeer herds to Inuit family's to encourage establishment of Reindeer farms. The federal government passed these initiatives to help assert arctic sovereignty and prevent the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from taking over the north lands.
Financial situation
In 1953 the territory recorded a budgetary surplus along with the YukonYukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. The inflow of cash came from government controlled liquor that netted over $150,000 to the treasury along with over $260,000 in federally collected taxes being returned to the territory. Other contributing sources were a 1 cent per gallon tax on all petroleum products, a fur export tax and various licensing fees.
Membership
| District / Position | Member |
|---|---|
| Appointed Member | 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... |
| 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:... |
| Appointed Member | William Clements |
| Deputy Commissioner | Frank Cunningham |
| 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... |
| Appointed Member | Donald McKay |
| Appointed Member | 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.... |
A total of eight members served on the council, with five appointed and three elected. The three elected all came from the District of Mackenzie
District of Mackenzie
The District of Mackenzie was a regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories. The district consisted of the portion of the Northwest Territories directly north of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan on Canada's mainland....
while the five appointed members lived 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...
. Previous to this council the last elected members sat in the 5th North-West Legislative Assembly
5th North-West Legislative Assembly
The 5th North-West Legislative Assembly lasted from 1902 until dissolution in 1905. This would be the largest membership of any Assembly to date in the Northwest Territories and the only one that truly had political parties, it would also be the last one to be fully elected and have a speaker until...
.
Two appointed members of the council were returned from the 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories
2nd Council of the Northwest Territories
The 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...
. They were Louis Audette and Deputy Commissioner Frank Cunningham who served by default as the presiding officer on the council. The Commissioner and leader of the government at the beginning of the council was Hugh Andrew Young
Hugh Andrew Young
Hugh Andrew Young was Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from November 14, 1950 to November 15, 1953.In 1940, he joined the Canadian army and became a senior staff officer at the Canadian Military Headquarters in London. From 1942 to 1943, he commanded the 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade...
who had served as such since 1950. Young left office on November 15, 1953 when his replacement Robert Gordon Robertson
Robert Gordon Robertson
Robert Gordon Robertson, PC, CC, FRSC was Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from November 15, 1953 to July 12, 1963 who, having been sworn in at the age of 36, remains the youngest person to ever hold the office...
was appointed on the same day.
The only membership change in the council came in 1953 when Mervyn Hardie vacated his seat to run in the 1953 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1953
The Canadian federal election of 1953 was held on August 10 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 22nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Louis St...
. He won the district of Mackenzie River
Mackenzie River (electoral district)
Mackenzie River was a federal electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 to 1963.This riding was created in 1952 when Yukon—Mackenzie River riding was split into two...
to be the first Member of Parliament for the territory since 1904. A by-election was not called to fill his seat.