The 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from November 9, 1905, to Monday, March 22, 1909, with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1905 Alberta general election which was held on November 9, 1905. The Legislature officially began on November 9, 1905, and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on February 25, 1909, and dissolved the next day on February 26, 1909, prior to the 1909 Alberta general election.[1]
Members of the 1st Alberta Legislature on March 16, 1906
The 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly came about after Alberta entered Confederation with the Alberta Act. The assembly met for the first time in 1906 under a strong Alberta Liberal Party majority. Construction of the Alberta Legislature Building would not begin until 1907, so the assembly would meet in the newly completed McKay Avenue School for the first two sessions of the First Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1906 and 1907.[2] Important bills passed in those sessions include confirming Edmonton as the provincial capital, the founding of the University of Alberta, establishment of provincial courts, and the provision of charters for several railway companies.[2]
Edmonton was designated as the temporary capital city for Alberta during its creation. One of the major debates that occurred in this assembly was the capital city debate. A number of alternative capital cities were chosen and voted on. In the end partly due to the strong representation around Edmonton and strong Liberal majority, Edmonton was chosen as the permanent capital city in Alberta.
Labor MLA Donald McNabb's by-election victory made him the first third party candidate elected to the legislature and helped raise the strength of the labour movement in the Lethbridge area that would have an effect in Alberta politics for quite some time to come.
Telephone policyedit
Liberal government would make a number of large-scale forays into government operation of utilities, the most notable of which being the creation of Alberta Government Telephones.[3] In 1906, Alberta's municipalities legislation was passed and included a provision authorizing municipalities to operate telephone companies.[4] Several, including Edmonton, did so, alongside private companies.[4] The largest private company was the Bell Telephone Company, which held a monopoly over service in Calgary.[4] Such monopolies and the private firms' refusal to extend their services into sparsely-populated and unprofitable rural areas aroused demand for provincial entry into the market, which was effected in 1907.[5] The government constructed a number of lines, beginning with one between Calgary and Banff, and it also purchased Bell's lines for $675,000.[6]
Alberta's public telephone system was financed by debt, which was unusual for a government like Rutherford's, which.was generally committed to the principle of "pay as you go".[7] Rutherford's stated rationale was that the cost of such a large capital project should not.be borne by a single generation and that incurring debt to finance a corresponding asset was, in contrast to operating deficits, acceptable.[6] Though the move was popular at the time, it would prove not to be financially astute. By focusing on areas neglected by existing companies, the government was entering into the most expensive and least profitable fields of telecommunication.[4] Such.problems would not come to fruition until Rutherford had left office, however. In the short term, the government's involvement in the telephone business helped it to a sweeping victory in the 1909 election.[8] The Liberals won 37 of 41 seats in the newly-expanded legislature.[9]
Rutherford's government legislated an eight-hour day,[10] as well, Rutherford's government also passed workers' compensation legislation designed to make such compensation automatic, rather than requiring the injured worker to sue his employer.[11] Labour representatives criticized the bill for failing to impose fines on negligent employers, for limiting construction workers' eligibility under the program to injuries sustained while they were working on buildings more than 40 feet (12 m) high, and for exempting casual labourers. It also viewed the maximum payout of $1,500 as inadequate.[12] In response to these concerns, the maximum was increased to $1,800 and the minimum building height reduced to 30 feet (9.1 m).[12] In response to farmers' concerns, farm labourers were made exempt from the bill entirely.[12]
January 8, 1909 —Resignation of Mr. William Simmons to run for House of Commons
Referencesedit
^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. p. 494. ISBN0-9689217-3-6. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
^ ab"McKay Avenue School". Heritage Resources Management Information System. Government of Alberta. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
^Chambers EJ (1908). The Canadian Parliamentary Guide and Work of General Reference for the Dominion of Canada. pp. 451–3. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
Works cited
Thomas, Lewis Gwynne (1959). The Liberal Party in Alberta. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press.
Further readingedit
Chambers, Ernest J., ed. (1909). "The Canadian Parliamentary Guide". The Canadian Parliamentary Guide = Guide Parlementaire Canadien. Ottawa: Mortimer Company Ltd. ISSN 0315-6168. OCLC 266967058. Retrieved August 9, 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. ISBN0-9689217-3-6. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
External linksedit
Alberta Legislative Assembly
Journals of the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly
January 01, 1970
alberta, legislature, alberta, legislative, assembly, session, from, november, 1905, monday, march, 1909, with, membership, assembly, determined, results, 1905, alberta, general, election, which, held, november, 1905, legislature, officially, began, november, . The 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly was in session from November 9 1905 to Monday March 22 1909 with the membership of the assembly determined by the results of the 1905 Alberta general election which was held on November 9 1905 The Legislature officially began on November 9 1905 and continued until the fourth session was prorogued on February 25 1909 and dissolved the next day on February 26 1909 prior to the 1909 Alberta general election 1 1st Alberta LegislatureMajority parliament9 November 1905 22 March 1909Parliament leadersPremierAlexander Cameron RutherfordSeptember 2 1905 May 26 1910CabinetRutherford cabinetLeader of theOppositionAlbert John RobertsonMarch 15 1906 February 25 1909Party caucusesGovernmentLiberal PartyOppositionConservative PartyCrossbenchLabour PartyLegislative AssemblySpeaker of theAssemblyCharles W FisherMarch 15 1906 May 15 1919Members25 MLA seatsSovereignMonarchEdward VIIJanuary 22 1901 May 6 1910LieutenantGovernorHon George Hedley Vicars BulyeaSeptember 1 1905 October 20 1915Sessions1st sessionMarch 15 1906 May 9 19062nd sessionJanuary 24 1907 March 15 19073rd sessionJanuary 16 1908 March 5 19084th sessionJanuary 14 1909 February 25 1909 2nd Formal opening of the Legislative Assembly March 15 1906 Alberta s first government was controlled by the majority Liberal Party led by Premier Alexander Rutherford The Official Opposition was the Conservative Party led by Albert John Robertson The Speaker was Charles W Fisher who served in the role until his death from the 1918 flu pandemic in 1919 partway through the 4th Alberta Legislature Contents 1 History of the First Legislature 1 1 Telephone policy 1 2 Labour bills 2 Party composition 3 Members of the Legislative Assembly elected 4 Member changes after the election 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory of the First Legislature edit nbsp Members of the 1st Alberta Legislature on March 16 1906 The 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly came about after Alberta entered Confederation with the Alberta Act The assembly met for the first time in 1906 under a strong Alberta Liberal Party majority Construction of the Alberta Legislature Building would not begin until 1907 so the assembly would meet in the newly completed McKay Avenue School for the first two sessions of the First Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1906 and 1907 2 Important bills passed in those sessions include confirming Edmonton as the provincial capital the founding of the University of Alberta establishment of provincial courts and the provision of charters for several railway companies 2 Edmonton was designated as the temporary capital city for Alberta during its creation One of the major debates that occurred in this assembly was the capital city debate A number of alternative capital cities were chosen and voted on In the end partly due to the strong representation around Edmonton and strong Liberal majority Edmonton was chosen as the permanent capital city in Alberta Labor MLA Donald McNabb s by election victory made him the first third party candidate elected to the legislature and helped raise the strength of the labour movement in the Lethbridge area that would have an effect in Alberta politics for quite some time to come Telephone policy edit Liberal government would make a number of large scale forays into government operation of utilities the most notable of which being the creation of Alberta Government Telephones 3 In 1906 Alberta s municipalities legislation was passed and included a provision authorizing municipalities to operate telephone companies 4 Several including Edmonton did so alongside private companies 4 The largest private company was the Bell Telephone Company which held a monopoly over service in Calgary 4 Such monopolies and the private firms refusal to extend their services into sparsely populated and unprofitable rural areas aroused demand for provincial entry into the market which was effected in 1907 5 The government constructed a number of lines beginning with one between Calgary and Banff and it also purchased Bell s lines for 675 000 6 Alberta s public telephone system was financed by debt which was unusual for a government like Rutherford s which was generally committed to the principle of pay as you go 7 Rutherford s stated rationale was that the cost of such a large capital project should not be borne by a single generation and that incurring debt to finance a corresponding asset was in contrast to operating deficits acceptable 6 Though the move was popular at the time it would prove not to be financially astute By focusing on areas neglected by existing companies the government was entering into the most expensive and least profitable fields of telecommunication 4 Such problems would not come to fruition until Rutherford had left office however In the short term the government s involvement in the telephone business helped it to a sweeping victory in the 1909 election 8 The Liberals won 37 of 41 seats in the newly expanded legislature 9 Bills Report 1st Legislative Assembly Party No of Bills Royal Assent Withdrawn Killed First Session Liberal 83 76 9 0 Conservative 0 0 0 0 Second Session Liberal 54 49 5 0 Conservative 0 0 0 0 Third Session Liberal 45 43 0 2 Conservative 2 0 1 1 Fourth Session Liberal 54 48 3 3 Labour 3 2 0 1 Conservative 0 0 0 0 Labour bills edit Rutherford s government legislated an eight hour day 10 as well Rutherford s government also passed workers compensation legislation designed to make such compensation automatic rather than requiring the injured worker to sue his employer 11 Labour representatives criticized the bill for failing to impose fines on negligent employers for limiting construction workers eligibility under the program to injuries sustained while they were working on buildings more than 40 feet 12 m high and for exempting casual labourers It also viewed the maximum payout of 1 500 as inadequate 12 In response to these concerns the maximum was increased to 1 800 and the minimum building height reduced to 30 feet 9 1 m 12 In response to farmers concerns farm labourers were made exempt from the bill entirely 12 Party composition editAffiliation Elected in 1905 Standings at dissolution Liberal 23 22 Conservative 2 2 Labour 1 Total 25 25 Government Majority 21 19Members of the Legislative Assembly elected editFor complete electoral history see individual districts 13 District Member Party First elected Athabasca William Bredin Liberal 1905 Banff Charles W Fisher Liberal 1905 Calgary William Cushing Liberal 1905 Cardston John William Woolf Liberal 1905 Edmonton Charles Wilson Cross Liberal 1905 Gleichen Charles Stuart Liberal 1905 Ezra Riley Liberal 1906 High River Albert Robertson Conservative 1905 Innisfail John A Simpson Liberal 1905 Lacombe William Puffer Liberal 1905 Leduc Robert Telford Liberal 1905 Lethbridge Leverett DeVeber Liberal 1905 William Simmons Liberal 1906 Donald McNabb Labour 1909 Macleod Malcolm McKenzie Liberal 1905 Medicine Hat William Finlay Liberal 1905 Pincher Creek John Plummer Marcellus Liberal 1905 Ponoka John R McLeod Liberal 1905 Red Deer John T Moore Liberal 1905 Rosebud Cornelius Hiebert Conservative 1905 St Albert Henry William McKenney Liberal 1905 Stony Plain John McPherson Liberal 1905 Strathcona Alexander Cameron Rutherford Liberal 1905 Sturgeon John R Boyle Liberal 1905 Vermilion Matthew McCauley Liberal 1905 James Bismark Holden Liberal 1906 Victoria Francis A Walker Liberal 1905 Wetaskiwin Anthony Rosenroll Liberal 1905Member changes after the election edit District Member Party Reason for By Election Lethbridge William Simmons Liberal April 12 1906 Appointment of Mr Leverett DeVeber to Canadian Senate Vermilion James Bismark Holden Liberal July 16 1906 Appointment of Mr Matthew McCauley as warden of Edmonton Penitentiary Gleichen Ezra Riley Liberal December 7 1906 Appointment of Mr Charles Stuart to Judicial Bench Lethbridge Donald McNabb Labour January 8 1909 Resignation of Mr William Simmons to run for House of CommonsReferences edit 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 p 494 ISBN 0 9689217 3 6 Retrieved 9 August 2020 a b McKay Avenue School Heritage Resources Management Information System Government of Alberta Retrieved 21 July 2020 Thomas 1959 p 50 a b c d Thomas 1959 p 52 Thomas 1959 p 51 a b Thomas 1959 p 53 Thomas 1959 pp 52 53 Thomas 1959 p 64 Thomas 1959 p 69 Thomas 1959 p 49 Thomas 1959 pp 56 57 a b c Thomas 1959 p 57 Chambers EJ 1908 The Canadian Parliamentary Guide and Work of General Reference for the Dominion of Canada pp 451 3 Retrieved 26 February 2018 Works cited Thomas Lewis Gwynne 1959 The Liberal Party in Alberta Toronto Ontario University of Toronto Press Further reading editChambers Ernest J ed 1909 The Canadian Parliamentary Guide The Canadian Parliamentary Guide Guide Parlementaire Canadien Ottawa Mortimer Company Ltd ISSN 0315 6168 OCLC 266967058 Retrieved August 9 2020 Office of the Chief Electoral Officer Legislative Assembly Office 2006 A Century of Democracy Elections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta 1905 2005 The Centennial Series Edmonton AB Legislative Assembly of Alberta 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 External links editAlberta Legislative Assembly Journals of the 1st Alberta Legislative Assembly Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Book By elections 1905 to present Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1st Alberta Legislature amp oldid 1217853711, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
