Three Rivers electoral district was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly. The district was abolished in 1867, upon the creation of Canada and the province of Quebec.
Three Rivers electoral district was located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, midway between Quebec City and Montreal. It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the new Province of Canada. Although it was centered on the town of Trois-Rivières, in the same way as the predecessor electoral district of the same name for Lower Canada, its boundaries had been significantly altered by the Governor General, Lord Sydenham, to favour voters of British background over the francophone Canadiens. Sydenham wanted to ensure members were elected who would support the new union and his government and drew the boundaries with this goal. It was an example of a linguistic and ethnic gerrymander.[1][2]
The Union Act, 1840 merged the two provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada, with a single Parliament. The separate parliaments of Lower Canada and Upper Canada were abolished.[3] The Union Act provided that the pre-existing electoral boundaries of Lower Canada and Upper Canada would continue to be used in the new Parliament, unless altered by the Union Act itself.[4]
Three Rivers was one of the electoral districts specifically defined in the Union Act. The Act provided that the town would continue as a separate electoral district, electing one member to the Legislative Assembly.[5] However, instead of continuing the district under the previous boundaries, the Act gave the Governor General the power to draw new boundaries for the district.[6] The Governor General exercised this power by a proclamation on March 4, 1841, only four days before the elections were to begin on March 8.[7][8]
The boundaries set by the Proclamation were as follows:
The Town of Three Rivers, for the purposes aforesaid, shall be bounded and limited as follows, to wit:— shall comprehend all the tract or parcel of land, (being part and parcel of the aforesaid County of Saint Maurice,) bounded in front by the River St. Lawrence, and in rear by a line parallel to the general course of the said front, at a distance of one hundred and sixty chains from the westerly point of the mouth of the River Saint Maurice; on the easterly side by the said River Saint Maurice, and on the westerly side by a line rectangular to the aforesaid rear line, running from a point therein at the distance of one hundred and sixty chains from the westerly bank of the River Saint Maurice until it strikes the River St. Lawrence.[7]
The effect of these boundaries was to contract the electoral district, excluding the outlying areas of the town, which had a largely French-speaking population, thus diluting the voting strength of the francophone voters.[1]
Members for Three Rivers (1841-1867)Edit
Three Rivers was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly.[4] The following were the members for Three Rivers.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Proclamation, March 4, 1841", Journals of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, 1st Parliament, 1st Session, 1841, p. xiv.
three, rivers, province, canada, electoral, district, this, article, about, confederation, electoral, district, predecessor, lower, canada, electoral, district, trois, rivières, lower, canada, electoral, district, successor, federal, electoral, district, trois. This article is about the pre Confederation electoral district For the predecessor Lower Canada electoral district see Trois Rivieres Lower Canada electoral district For the successor federal electoral district see Trois Rivieres electoral district For the successor provincial electoral district see Trois Rivieres provincial electoral district Three Rivers French name Trois Rivieres was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada in Canada East It was centered on the town of Trois Rivieres known at that time as Three Rivers in English The district was created in 1841 based in part on the previous electoral district of the same name in the Parliament of Lower Canada Three RiversCanada EastProvince of Canada electoral districtDefunct pre Confederation electoral districtLegislatureLegislative Assembly of the Province of CanadaDistrict created1841District abolished1867First contested1841Last contested1865Three Rivers electoral district was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly The district was abolished in 1867 upon the creation of Canada and the province of Quebec Contents 1 Boundaries 2 Members for Three Rivers 1841 1867 3 Abolition 4 References 5 See alsoBoundaries EditThree Rivers electoral district was located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River midway between Quebec City and Montreal It was created in 1841 upon the establishment of the new Province of Canada Although it was centered on the town of Trois Rivieres in the same way as the predecessor electoral district of the same name for Lower Canada its boundaries had been significantly altered by the Governor General Lord Sydenham to favour voters of British background over the francophone Canadiens Sydenham wanted to ensure members were elected who would support the new union and his government and drew the boundaries with this goal It was an example of a linguistic and ethnic gerrymander 1 2 The Union Act 1840 merged the two provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada with a single Parliament The separate parliaments of Lower Canada and Upper Canada were abolished 3 The Union Act provided that the pre existing electoral boundaries of Lower Canada and Upper Canada would continue to be used in the new Parliament unless altered by the Union Act itself 4 Three Rivers was one of the electoral districts specifically defined in the Union Act The Act provided that the town would continue as a separate electoral district electing one member to the Legislative Assembly 5 However instead of continuing the district under the previous boundaries the Act gave the Governor General the power to draw new boundaries for the district 6 The Governor General exercised this power by a proclamation on March 4 1841 only four days before the elections were to begin on March 8 7 8 The boundaries set by the Proclamation were as follows The Town of Three Rivers for the purposes aforesaid shall be bounded and limited as follows to wit shall comprehend all the tract or parcel of land being part and parcel of the aforesaid County of Saint Maurice bounded in front by the River St Lawrence and in rear by a line parallel to the general course of the said front at a distance of one hundred and sixty chains from the westerly point of the mouth of the River Saint Maurice on the easterly side by the said River Saint Maurice and on the westerly side by a line rectangular to the aforesaid rear line running from a point therein at the distance of one hundred and sixty chains from the westerly bank of the River Saint Maurice until it strikes the River St Lawrence 7 The effect of these boundaries was to contract the electoral district excluding the outlying areas of the town which had a largely French speaking population thus diluting the voting strength of the francophone voters 1 Members for Three Rivers 1841 1867 EditThree Rivers was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly 4 The following were the members for Three Rivers Members 9 Party 10 Election 11 Charles Richard Ogden 12 Tory Party1841 Edward Greive 13 Tory Party1844 Joseph Edouard Turcotte 14 Moderate Reformer1845 None 15 N A1848 Antoine PoletteModerate Reformer1848 Antoine PoletteModerate Reformer1851 Antoine PoletteParti bleu1854 William McDonell Dawson 16 Tory Party1858 Joseph Edouard TurcotteParti bleu1861 Joseph Edouard Turcotte 17 Parti bleu1863 Louis Charles Boucher de NivervilleParti bleu1865Abolition EditThe district was abolished on July 1 1867 when the British North America Act 1867 came into force creating Canada and splitting the Province of Canada into Quebec and Ontario 18 It was succeeded by electoral districts of the same name in the House of Commons of Canada 19 and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec 20 References Edit a b Irving Martin Abella The Sydenham Election of 1841 1966 47 Canadian Historical Review 326 p 334 subscription needed Paul G Cornell Alignment of Political Groups in Canada 1841 1867 Toronto University of Toronto Press 1962 p 4 Union Act 1840 3 amp 4 Vict c 35 s 2 a b Union Act 1840 s 18 Union Act 1840 s 20 Union Act 1840 s 21 a b Proclamation March 4 1841 Journals of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada 1st Parliament 1st Session 1841 p xiv Abella The Sydenham Election of 1841 p 337 J O Cote Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada 1841 to 1860 Quebec St Michel and Darveau 1860 pp 43 58 See biographies of individual members for party affiliation Quebec Dictionary of Parliamentary Biography from 1764 to the present By elections are indicated with Italic font Ogden was a Cabinet Member in 1841 and 1842 Greive died in office in 1845 Turcotte ran in the district of St Maurice in 1848 and lost The election was not held In 1861 Dawson was defeated in the district of Trois Rivieres but was election in the district of Ottawa Turcotte died in office in 1864 British North America Act 1867 now the Constitution Act 1867 s 6 Constitution Act 1867 s 40 para 2 Constitution Act 1867 s 80 This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Proclamation March 4 1841 Journals of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada 1st Parliament 1st Session 1841 p xiv See also EditList of elections in the Province of Canada46 18 N 72 36 W 46 3 N 72 6 W 46 3 72 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Three Rivers Province of Canada electoral district amp oldid 1031076198, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
