Temporary North-West Council
Encyclopedia
The Temporary North-West Council more formally known as the Council of the Northwest Territories and by its short name as the North-West Council lasted from the creation of Northwest Territories
, Canada
, in 1870 until it was dissolved in 1876. The council was mostly made up of members of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly and members of the Parliament of Canada who were appointed to serve on the council.
No members appointed were allowed to sit on the council until December 28, 1872. The council ran the territories under the Temporary Government of Rupert's Land Act and the Manitoba Act. The council's mandate was renewed every year by the federal government until it was dissolved in 1876, to make way for the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories
.
and the North-Western Territory
were sold to the Government of Canada by the Hudson's Bay Company
on November 19, 1869. The two territories were amalgamated to form the Northwest Territories
. The creation of a government for the territories was delayed by Louis Riel
, who led the Red River Rebellion
, ultimately leading to the creation of the province of Manitoba.
The Northwest Territories joined confederation with Manitoba on July 5, 1870. Despite the provisions in law for setting up a council under the Temporary Government Act, 1870, the first council appointments by the Governor General of Canada would not take place until November 28, 1872. The first attempt at creating the council came with the appointment of Francis Godschall Johnson
by Lieutenant Governor Adams George Archibald
on October 21, 1870. Johnson lost his appointment after it was overturned by the federal government. The federal government ruled Archibald had exceeded his powers in creating the council.
The first session of the Council began on March 8, 1873. The Council session was short sitting only two days. The Lieutenant Governor of the territory acted as Speaker, presiding over the Council. All acts of the Council had to be sent to Ottawa for approval by the Governor General.
The Council had a poor relationship with the press of the day. Appointments to the Council after 1872 were generally made in secret without official notification in some places and major publications were forbidden from covering early council proceedings. The Council met for meetings while it was in session at Early Government House in Fort Garry.
The Temporary North-West Council existed in law for a total of six years. An attempt was made to set up the council and appoint the first member by Lieutenant Governor Archibald on October 21, 1870. The federal government told Archibald that he overstepped his bounds and the appointment of Johnson was revoked days later. After the council was officially set up there were two main sets of appointments made, both of them by Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris
.
The first batch of appointments came on December 28, 1872. That date Morris would appoint a total of eleven members to the council. This was the single biggest number of appointments in the history of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.
Less than a full calendar year later and despite only being allowed up to fifteen seats, appointments to the council exceeded that limit during the second round in October 1873. All but two members of the Council held on to their seat until it was dissolved in 1876. William J. Christie resigned his seat in 1873 and Robert Cunningham was the only member of the council to die in office on July 4, 1874. In addition to the death of Cunningham, the first secretary of the North-West Council William T. Urquhart died at his home on September 24, 1874.
The Council was equally responsive in establishing social policy. Welfare programs for native populations was established. This included negotiating the first treaties to bring in the reserve system. Legislation regulating how masters treat their servants was also implemented.
In regards to infrastructure, the Council passed regulations securing public right of ways including roads and waterways. Legislation was also implemented to send out survey parties to various parts of the territory. Resource management was also practiced with the limitation of the buffalo hunt, and regulations on other hunts including banning poisons for use in hunting practices.
was the driving force for the council to implement prohibition and recommend a police force.
The Council also set regulations in the final session to limit the Buffalo Hunt; this was a measure to address the sharp decline in the Buffalo population. This was also a further measure to encourage native populations to adopt agricultural practices using programs that had been previously implemented by the Government.
was founded in 1887. This court system played a major role in the development and history of the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories
.
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...
, in 1870 until it was dissolved in 1876. The council was mostly made up of members of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly and members of the Parliament of Canada who were appointed to serve on the council.
No members appointed were allowed to sit on the council until December 28, 1872. The council ran the territories under the Temporary Government of Rupert's Land Act and the Manitoba Act. The council's mandate was renewed every year by the federal government until it was dissolved in 1876, to make way for the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories
1st Council of the Northwest Territories
This is a list of appointed and elected members of the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories in Canada from November 7, 1876 to 1888. Prior to 1876, members were appointed to the Temporary North-West Council....
.
Early history
The territory formally known as Rupert's LandRupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
and the North-Western Territory
North-Western Territory
The North-Western Territory was a region of British North America until 1870. Named for where it lay in relation to Rupert's Land, the territory at its greatest extent covered what is now Yukon, mainland Northwest Territories, northwestern mainland Nunavut, northwestern Saskatchewan, northern...
were sold to the Government of Canada by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
on November 19, 1869. The two territories were amalgamated to form the Northwest Territories
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...
. The creation of a government for the territories was delayed by Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
, who led the Red River Rebellion
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
, ultimately leading to the creation of the province of Manitoba.
The Northwest Territories joined confederation with Manitoba on July 5, 1870. Despite the provisions in law for setting up a council under the Temporary Government Act, 1870, the first council appointments by the Governor General of Canada would not take place until November 28, 1872. The first attempt at creating the council came with the appointment of Francis Godschall Johnson
Francis Godschall Johnson
Sir Francis Godschall Johnson was a Canadian office holder. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on April 9, 1872, but had his commission revoked before he was officially sworn in. In 1889, he was appointed the 4th Chief Justice of the Province of Quebec.-Early life:Born New Year's...
by Lieutenant Governor Adams George Archibald
Adams George Archibald
Sir Adams George Archibald, KCMG, PC was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though he also served as 1st Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1870 to 1872.Archibald was born in Truro to a prominent family in Nova...
on October 21, 1870. Johnson lost his appointment after it was overturned by the federal government. The federal government ruled Archibald had exceeded his powers in creating the council.
The first session of the Council began on March 8, 1873. The Council session was short sitting only two days. The Lieutenant Governor of the territory acted as Speaker, presiding over the Council. All acts of the Council had to be sent to Ottawa for approval by the Governor General.
The Council had a poor relationship with the press of the day. Appointments to the Council after 1872 were generally made in secret without official notification in some places and major publications were forbidden from covering early council proceedings. The Council met for meetings while it was in session at Early Government House in Fort Garry.
Council members
| Members by date | 1870 | 1872 | 1873 | 1874 | 1876 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | Unknown | Nov 28 | Unknown | Oct 30 | Unknown | Mar 26 | Jul 7 | Nov 7 | |
| Andrew Bannatyne Andrew Bannatyne Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne was a Canadian politician, fur trader and leading citizen of Winnipeg, Manitoba.... |
|||||||||
| Alfred Boyd Alfred Boyd Alfred Boyd was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is usually considered to have been the first Premier of Manitoba , but he was not recognized by that title at the time and was not the real leader of the government. He is more correctly referred to as the first Provincial Secretary of Manitoba... |
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| Walter Robert Bown Walter Robert Bown Walter Robert Bown was a man of many vocations. He was a dentist, businessman, journalist, publisher, politician, and office holder.... |
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| Patrice Breland | |||||||||
| William J. Christie William J. Christie William Joseph Christie was an early Canadian politician and prominent Hudson's Bay Company employee. He served as a Councilor on the Temporary North-West Council from 1872 to 1873.-Hudson Bay career:... |
|||||||||
| Henry Clarke Henry Joseph Clarke Henry Joseph Clarke , who sometimes used the middle names Hynes and O'Connell, was a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, Canada.... |
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| Robert Cunningham Robert Cunningham (Canadian politician) Robert Cunningham was a Canadian journalist and Member of Parliament.Cunningham was born in Stewarton, Scotland. He studied at Glasgow College and the University of London. Cunningham moved to Toronto, Canada in 1868 where he began work as a journalist... |
|||||||||
| Pierre Delorme Pierre Delorme Pierre Delorme was a Métis fur trader, businessman, farmer and political figure. He represented Provencher in the Canadian House of Commons during the 1st Canadian Parliament as a Conservative member from 1871 to 1872. He also represented St. Norbert South in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba... |
|||||||||
| Joseph Dubuc Joseph Dubuc Sir Joseph Dubuc , was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge who was born in Lower Canada and became an important political figure from Manitoba.-Early life:... |
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| William Fraser William Fraser (Canadian politician) William Fraser was a farmer, bureaucrat and politician from Manitoba, Canada.... |
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| Marc-Amable Girard Marc-Amable Girard Marc-Amable Girard was the second Premier of the Western Canadian province of Manitoba, and the first Franco-Manitoban to hold that post. The Canadian Parliamentary Guide lists Girard as having been Premier from 1871 to 1872, but he did not have this title at the time and was not the government... |
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| Robert Hamilton Robert Hamilton (politician) Robert Hamilton was a pioneer, politician and immigration agent. He served as an appointed member of the Council of the Northwest Territories from 1872 to 1876.... |
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| Francis Johnson Francis Godschall Johnson Sir Francis Godschall Johnson was a Canadian office holder. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on April 9, 1872, but had his commission revoked before he was officially sworn in. In 1889, he was appointed the 4th Chief Justice of the Province of Quebec.-Early life:Born New Year's... |
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| William Kennedy William Nassau Kennedy William Nassau Kennedy was the second Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1875 – 1876. He was the first commander of The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.... |
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| James McKay | |||||||||
| John McTavish | |||||||||
| Joseph Royal Joseph Royal Joseph Royal was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician, businessman, and Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories.-Early life and career:... |
|||||||||
| John Schultz John Christian Schultz Sir John Christian Schultz, KCMG was a Manitoba politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1882, a Senator from 1882 to 1888, and the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba from 1888 to 1895.Schultz was born in Amherstburg, Upper Canada... |
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| Donald Smith | |||||||||
| William Tait William Auld Tait William Auld Tait was a Canadian pioneer and politician. He served as a member of the Temporary North-West Council from March 26, 1874 to November 7, 1876.-External links:*... |
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| Vacancies | 14 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 4 | |
The Temporary North-West Council existed in law for a total of six years. An attempt was made to set up the council and appoint the first member by Lieutenant Governor Archibald on October 21, 1870. The federal government told Archibald that he overstepped his bounds and the appointment of Johnson was revoked days later. After the council was officially set up there were two main sets of appointments made, both of them by Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris, PC was a Canadian politician. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald , and was the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba...
.
Less than a full calendar year later and despite only being allowed up to fifteen seats, appointments to the council exceeded that limit during the second round in October 1873. All but two members of the Council held on to their seat until it was dissolved in 1876. William J. Christie resigned his seat in 1873 and Robert Cunningham was the only member of the council to die in office on July 4, 1874. In addition to the death of Cunningham, the first secretary of the North-West Council William T. Urquhart died at his home on September 24, 1874.
Legislation
Over the course of three legislative sessions the Council adopted legislation that formed the basis of Northwest Territories law. The legislation covered a wide variety of issues. The measures related to law and justice included customs duties, prohibition on liquor along with the establishment of a police force, the establishment of the Stipendiary Magistrate system.The Council was equally responsive in establishing social policy. Welfare programs for native populations was established. This included negotiating the first treaties to bring in the reserve system. Legislation regulating how masters treat their servants was also implemented.
In regards to infrastructure, the Council passed regulations securing public right of ways including roads and waterways. Legislation was also implemented to send out survey parties to various parts of the territory. Resource management was also practiced with the limitation of the buffalo hunt, and regulations on other hunts including banning poisons for use in hunting practices.
Prohibition
The most notable legislation the council produced came out of the second legislative session that began on March 11, 1874. The council banned the importation and manufacture of spirituous liquors and passed a motion to recommend the creation of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. The purpose behind the ban was to prevent settlers from trading alcohol to native populations, with the North-West Mounted Police created to enforce the prohibition. The only liquor allowed in the territory was brought in with special permission by the Lieutenant Governor. The Cypress Hills massacreCypress Hills massacre
The Cypress Hills massacre occurred on June 1, 1873, in the Cypress Hills region of Battle Creek, North-West Territories , involving a group of American Bison hunters, American wolf hunters or 'wolfers', American and Canadian whiskey traders, Métis cargo haulers or 'freighters', and a camp of...
was the driving force for the council to implement prohibition and recommend a police force.
Natives
The Council implemented legislation to provide training programs and equipment to teach native people agricultural practices. This legislation included providing cattle and other livestock. Members of the council also proposed and negotiated the first treaties, creating the reserve system in Canada.The Council also set regulations in the final session to limit the Buffalo Hunt; this was a measure to address the sharp decline in the Buffalo population. This was also a further measure to encourage native populations to adopt agricultural practices using programs that had been previously implemented by the Government.
Justice
The Council also proposed the appointment of Stipendiary Magistrates to the North-West Council to deal with most legal cases in the territory. Each appointed Magistrate would take up residence in a certain area and be responsible for all legal cases. The Magistrates were given the option of referring cases of an unusual nature to the Court of Queen's Bench in Manitoba. This would become the prominent justice system of the territory until the Supreme Court of the Northwest TerritoriesSupreme Court of the Northwest Territories
The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories is the name of two different superior courts for the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories, which have existed at different times.The first Supreme Court of the North-West Territories was created in 1885...
was founded in 1887. This court system played a major role in the development and history of the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories
1st Council of the Northwest Territories
This is a list of appointed and elected members of the 1st Council of the Northwest Territories in Canada from November 7, 1876 to 1888. Prior to 1876, members were appointed to the Temporary North-West Council....
.