tional member, the same being severally in excess of the number of members of the House of Commons for each of the said Provinces, as provided by the British North America Act, 1867: And whereas it is expedient otherwise to re-adjust the boundaries of certain of the electoral districts; Therefore Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

1. The House of Commons shall consist of Two hundred members, of whom Eightyeight shall be elected for Ontario, Sixty-five for Quebec, Twenty-one for Nova Scotia, Sixteen for New Brunswick, Four for Manitoba, and Six for British Columbia.

2. The Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, shall, for the purposes of the election of Members to serve in the House of Commons, continue to be divided into the Electoral Districts established by the "British North America Act, 1867," each represented as it now is, except where altered by this Act, as follows, that is to say:

ONTARIO.

1. The County of Huron shall be divided into three Ridings, to be called respectively the North, the Centre and the South Riding, each of which shall be an Electoral District and shall return one member;

The North Riding to consist of the Townships of Howick, Ashfield, West Wawanosh, East Wawanosh, Morris and Turnberry;

The Centre Riding to consist of the Townships of Colburne, Hullet, McKillop, Tuckersmith, Grey, the Town of Goderich and the Village of Seaforth;

The South Riding to consist of the Townships of Goderich, Stanley, Hay, Stephen, Usborne and the Village of Clinton.

2. The County of Grey shall be divided into three Ridings to be called respectively the North, the East, and the South Riding, each of which shall be an Electoral District, and shall return one member;

The North Riding to consist of the Townships of Holland, Sullivan, Sydenham, Derby, Sarawak, Keppel and the Town of Owen Sound;

The East Riding to consist of the Townships of Proton, Melancthon, Osprey, Artemisia, Collingwood, Euphrasia and St. Vincent;

The South Riding to con ist of the Townships of Normanby, Egremont, Bentinck, and Glenelg

3. The Townships of Morrison, Ryde, Muskoka, Draper, Oakley, Wood, Monck, Macauley, McLean, Medora, Watt, Stephenson, Brunel, Humphrey, Cardwell, Stisted, Chaffey, Christie, Monteith, McMurrich, Matchitt, Ryerson, Spence, McKellar, McDougall, Ferguson, Carling, Hagerman, Croft, Chapman, Ferrie, Mackenzie, Wilson, Brown, Blair, Mowatt, Cowper, Conger, Parry Island, Parry Sound, Aumick Lake Territory, Maganetawan, and all other surveyed townships lying North of the North Riding of Victoria, and south of the Nipissing District, shall form the Electoral District of Muskoka, and shall return one member.

4. The City of Toronto shall be divided into three Electoral Districts, to be called respectively West Toronto, East Toronto and Centre Toronto, each of which shall return one member:

West Toronto to consist of the wards, as at present constituted, of St. Andrew, St. George and St. Patrick;

East Toronto to consist of the wards, as at present constituted, of St. David and St. Lawrence;

Centre Toronto to consist of the wards, as at present constituted, of St. John and St. James.

5. The City of Hamilton shall return two members.

6. The City of Ottawa shall return two members.

7. The County of Haldimand shall consist of the Townships of Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga North, Cayuga South, Rainham and Walpole.

8. The County of Monck shall consist of the Townships of Canborough, and Moulton and Sherbrooke and Dunn, and the Village o' Dunnville (taken from the County of Haldimand), the Townships of Caistor and Gainsborough (taken from the County of Lincoln), and the Townships of Pelham and Wainfleet (taken from the County of Welland).

9. The County of Wellington shall be divided into three Ridings, to be called respectively the North, Centre and South Riding, each of which shall be an Electoral District, and shall return one member;

The North Riding to consist of the Townships of Maryborough, Minto, Arthur, Luther and Amaranth, and the Villages of Mount Forest and Arthur;

The Centre Riding to consist of the Townships of Pilkington, Elora, Nichol, Fergus Garrafraxa West, Garrafraxa East, Peel and the Village of Orangeville;

The South Riding to consist of the Townships of Puslinch, Guelph, Eramosa and Erin, and the town of Guelph.

10. The North Riding of the County of Victoria shall include and consist of the same Townships as it did before the passing of this Act, except those included by this Act in the Electoral District of Muskoka.

G

11. The Townships of Hagarty, Richards, Sherwood, Burns and Jones, shall be added to, and included in the South Riding of the County of Renfrew.

QUEBEC.

1. So much of sub-sections twenty-six and twenty-seven, of section one of chapter seventy-five of the Consolidated Statutes for Lower Canada, intituled, "An Act respecting the division of Lower Canada into counties, and the Boundaries of certain cities and towns for the purpose of Representation in the Legislature," as refers to the limits of the Counties of Quebec and Portneuf, is hereby amended, and the parish of St. Felix of Cap Rouge, as erected for civil purposes by Proclamation of the Lieutentant Governor of the Province of Quebec, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy-two, shall form part of the County of Quebec, in so far as relates to the election of Members of the House of Commons of Canada, and every part of the said Parish which, at the time of the passing of this Act, was included in the County of Portneuf, shall be detached from the County of Portneuf, and shall be attached to the County of Quebec, for the electoral purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. The City of Montreal shall be divided into three Electoral Districts to be called respectively Montreal West, Montreal Centre, and Montreal East, each of which shall return one member;

Montreal West to consist of the wards, as at present constituted, of St. Antoine and St. Lawrence;

Montreal Centre to consist of the wards, as at present constituted, of St. Ann, West Ward, Centre Ward and East Ward;

Montreal East to consist of the wards, as at present constituted, of St. Lewis, St. James and St. Mary.

NOVA SCOTIA.

The counties of Cape Breton and Pictou shall each return two members.

NEW BRUNSWICK.

The Electoral District of the City and County of St. John, as now existing, shall return two members.

MANITOBA.

1. The Electoral District of Selkirk, shall consist of and comprise, of the Provincial Electoral divisions recently established by the proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, those known as :

Headingly, or No. 8;

Saint Charles, or No. 9;

Saint James, or No. 10:

St. Boniface, West and East, or Nos. 11 and 12;
Winnipeg and Saint John, or No. 18;

Kildonan, or No. 19;

And shall return one member.

2. The Electoral District of Provencher shall consist of all the settlements on the Red River, and in the neighborhood lying between the south line of the Electoral District of Selkirk and the frontier of the United States, including the Settlements on the Seine, at Oak Point, or St. Anne, and shall return one member.

3. The Electoral District of Lisgar shall consist of all the settlements on the Red River and in the neighborhood between the north Line of the Electoral District of Selkirk and the northern frontier of the Province, including those at Broken Head River, and shall return one member.

4. The Electoral District of Marquette, shall consist of all the settlements on the Assiniboine and Lake Manitoba, and all other settlements to the westward of the western line of the Electoral District of Selkirk, and shall return one member.

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

1. The Electoral District of New Westminster shall consist of "New Westminster District" and the "Coast District," as defined in a public notice issued from the Lands and Works Office in the 'said Colony, on the 15th day of December, one thousand eight hundred and sixty nine, by the desire of the Governor, and purporting to be in accordance with the provisions of the thirty-ninth clause of the "Mineral Ordinance, 1869," and shall return one member.

2. The Electoral District of Cariboo shall consist of" Cariboo District" and "Lillooet District," as specified in the said public notice, and shall return one member.

3. The Electoral District of Yale shall consist of "Yale District" and "Kootenay District," as specified in the said public notice, and shall return one member.

4. The Electoral District of Victoria shall consist of those portions of Vancouver Island, known as "Victoria District," " Esquimalt District" and "Metchosin District," as defined in the official maps of those districts which are in the Land Office, Victoria, and are designated respectively, "Victoria District Official Map, 1858," "Esquimalt District Official Map, 1858," and "Metchosin District Official Map A. D. 1858," and shall return two members.

5. The Electoral District of Vancouver shall consist of all the remainder of Vancouver Island, and all such Islands adjacent thereto, as were formerly dependencies of the late Colony of Vancouver Island, and shall return one member.

3. This Act shall take effect upon, from, and after the termination of this present existing Parliament.

existing Elec

Parliament of Canada other

41. Until the Parliament of CANADA otherwise provides, Continuance of all Laws in force in the several Provinces at the Union, re-tion Laws until lative to the following Matters or any of them, namely, wise provides. the Qualifications and Disqualifications of Persons to be elected or to sit or vote as members of the House of Assembly or Legislative Assembly in the several Provinces, the Voters at Elections of such Members, the Oaths to be taken by Voters, the Returning Officers, their Powers and Duties, the Proceedings at Elections, the Periods during which Elections may be continued, the Trial of Controverted Elections, and Proceedings incident thereto, the Vacating of Seats of Members, and the Execution of new writs in case of Seats vacated otherwise than by Dissolution,shall respectively apply to Elections of Members to serve in the House of Commons for the same several provinces.

Provided that, until the Parliament of CANADA otherwise provides, at any Election for a Member of the House of Commons for the District of Algoma, in addition to Persons qualified by the Law of the Province of CANADA to vote, every Male British Subject, aged Twenty-one years or upwards, being a Householder shall have a Vote.

See Sections 84 & 129.

42. For the First Election of Members to serve in the House of Commons the Governor General shall cause Writs to be issued by such Person, in such Form, and addressed to such Returning Officers as he thinks fit.

The Person issuing Writs under this Section shall have the like Powers as are possessed at the Union by the Officers charged with the issuing of Writs for the Election of Mem

Writs for First
Election.

As to Casual
Vacancies.

As to Election
of Speaker of
House of
Commons.

As to filling up
Vacancy in
Office
of Speaker.

Speaker to preside.

Provision in

of Speaker.

bers to serve in the respective House of Assembly or Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, or New Brunswick; and the Returning Officers to whom Writs are directed under this Section shall have the like Powers as are possessed at the Union, by the Officers charged with the returning of Writs for the Election of Members to serve in the same respective House of Assembly or Legislative Assembly.

43. In case a Vacancy in the Representation in the House of Commons of any Electoral District happens before the Meeting of the Parliament, or after the Meeting of the Parliament before Provision is made by the Parliament in this Behalf, the Provisions of the last foregoing Section of this Act, shall extend and apply to the issuing and returning of a Writ in respect of such vacant District.

44. The House of Commons on its first assembling after a General Election shall proceed with all practicable Speed to elect One of its Members to be Speaker.

45. In case of a Vacancy happening in the Office of Speaker by Death, Resignation, or otherwise, the House of Commons shall with all practicable Speed proceed to elect another of its Members to be Speaker.

46. The Speaker shall preside at all Meetings of the House of Commons.

47. Until the Parliament of CANADA otherwise provides, case of absence in case of the Absence for any Reason of the Speaker from the Chair of the House of Commons, for a Period of Fortyeight consecutive hours, the House may elect another of its Members to act as Speaker, and the Member so elected shall, during the Continuance of such Absence of the Speaker, have and execute all the Powers, Privileges and Duties of Speaker.

Quorum of
House

48. The Presence of at least Twenty Members of the of Commons. House of Commons shall be necessary to constitute a Meeting of the House for the Exercise of its Powers; and for that Purpose the Speaker shall be reckoned as a Member.

Voting in
House

49. Questions arising in the House of Commons shall be decided by a Majority of voices other than that of the of Commons. Speaker, and when the voices are equal, but not otherwise, the Speaker shall have a Vote.

House

50. Every House of Commons shall continue for Five Years Duration of from the Day of the Return of the Writs for choosing the of Commons. House (subject to be sooner dissolved by the Governor General) and no longer.

adjustment of

51. On the Completion of the Census in the Year One Decennial Rethousand eight hundred and seventy-one, and of each subse- Representation quent Decennial Census, the Representation of the Four Provinces shall be re-adjusted by such authority, in such manner, and from such time, as the Parliament of CANADA from time to time provides, subject and according to the following Rules:

1. Quebec shall have the fixed Number of Sixty-five Members:

2. There shall be assigned to each of the other Provinces, such a Number of Members as will bear the same proportion to the Number of its Population (ascertained at such Census) as the Number sixty-five bears to the Number of the Population of Quebec (so ascertained): 3. In the Computation of the Number of Members for a Province, a Fractional Part, not exceeding One Half of the whole Number requisite for entitling the Province to a Member shall be disregarded; but a Fractional Part, exceeding One Half of that Number, shall be equivalent to the Whole Number:

4. On any such Re-adjustment, the Number of Members for a Province shall not be reduced, unless the Proportion which the Number of the Population of the Province bore to the Number of the aggregate Population of CANADA at the then last preceding Re-adjustment of the Number of Members for the Province, is