Government in Canada from 1879 to 1882
The 4th Canadian Parliament was in session from 13 February 1879 until 18 May 1882. The membership was set by the 1878 federal election on 17 September 1878. It was dissolved prior to the 1882 election .
It was controlled by a Conservative /Liberal-Conservative majority under Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and the 3rd Canadian Ministry . The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party , first led by Alexander Mackenzie , and then by Edward Blake .
The Speaker was Joseph Godéric Blanchet . See also List of Canadian electoral districts 1873-1882 for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
There were four sessions of the 4th Parliament:
Session
Start
End
1st
13 February 1879
15 May 1879
2nd
12 February 1880
7 May 1880
3rd
9 December 1880
21 March 1881
4th
9 February 1882
17 May 1882
Following is a full list of members of the fourth parliament listed first by province, then by electoral district.
Party leaders are italicized .
Cabinet ministers are in boldface .
The Prime Minister is both .
The Speaker is indicated by "(†)".
Electoral districts denoted by an asterisk (*) indicates that district was represented by two members.
Electoral district
Name
Party
First elected/previously elected
Addington
John McRory
Conservative
1878
Algoma
Simon James Dawson
Conservative
1878
Bothwell
David Mills
Liberal
1867
Brant North
Gavin Fleming
Liberal
1872
Brant South
William Paterson
Liberal
1872
Brockville
William Fitzsimmons
Conservative
1878
Bruce North
John Gillies
Liberal
1872
Bruce South
Alexander Shaw
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Cardwell
Thomas White
Conservative
1878
Carleton
John Rochester
Conservative
1872
Cornwall
Darby Bergin , re-elected in by-election 27 January 1880
Liberal-Conservative
1872, 1878
Dundas
John Sylvester Ross
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1878
Durham East
Arthur Trefusis Heneage Williams
Conservative
1878
Durham West
Harvey William Burk until 10 October 1879
Liberal
1874
Edward Dominick Blake , acclaimed from 17 November 1879
Liberal
1879
Elgin East
Thomas Arkell
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Elgin West
George Elliott Casey
Liberal
1872
Essex
James Colebrooke Patterson
Conservative
1878
Frontenac
George Airey Kirkpatrick
Conservative
1870
Glengarry
John McLennan
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Grenville South
John Philip Wiser
Liberal
1878
Grey East
Thomas Simpson Sproule
Conservative
1878
Grey North
Samuel Johnathan Lane
Conservative
1878
Grey South
George Jackson
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1878
Haldimand
David Thompson
Liberal
1867
Halton
William McDougall
Liberal-Conservative
1867,[ a] 1878
Hamilton *
Francis Edwin Kilvert
Conservative
1878
Thomas Robertson
Liberal
1878
Hastings East
John White , re-elected in by-election 25 February 1879
Conservative
1871
Hastings North
Mackenzie Bowell , acclaimed in by-election 6 November 1878
Conservative
1867
Hastings West
James Brown
Conservative
1867
Huron Centre
Horace Horton until 10 October 1878
Liberal
1872
Richard John Cartwright from 2 November 1878
Liberal
1878
Huron North
Thomas Farrow
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Huron South
Malcolm Colin Cameron
Liberal
1867, 1878
Kent
Rufus Stephenson
Conservative
1867
Kingston
Alexander Gunn
Liberal
1878
Lambton
Alexander Mackenzie
Liberal
1867
Lanark North
Daniel Galbraith , died in office 17 December 1879
Liberal
1872
Donald Greenfield MacDonell from 22 January 1880
Liberal
1880
Lanark South
John Graham Haggart
Conservative
1872
Leeds North and Grenville North
Charles Frederick Ferguson
Liberal-Conservative
1874
Leeds South
David Ford Jones
Conservative
1874
Lennox
Edmund Hooper
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Lincoln
John Charles Rykert
Conservative
1878
London
John Carling
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1878
Middlesex East
Duncan Macmillan
Liberal-Conservative
1875
Middlesex North
Timothy Coughlin
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Middlesex West
George William Ross
Liberal
1872
Monck
Lachlin McCallum
Liberal-Conservative
1874
Muskoka
Alexander Peter Cockburn
Liberal
1872
Niagara
Patrick Hughes , defeated in by-election 20 March 1879
Liberal
1878
Josiah Burr Plumb from 20 March 1879
Conservative
1879
Norfolk North
John Charlton
Liberal
1872
Norfolk South
William Wallace
Conservative
1874
Northumberland East
Joseph Keeler , died in office 21 January 1881
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1878
Darius Crouter , acclaimed from 25 March 1881
Independent Liberal
1881
Northumberland West
James Cockburn until 14 November 1881
Conservative
1867, 1878
George Guillet from 19 December 1881
Conservative
1881
Ontario North
George Wheler , until 10 June 1880, re-elected 28 August 1880
Liberal
1878
Ontario South
Francis Wayland Glen
Liberal
1878
Ottawa (City of) *
Joseph Merrill Currier
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Joseph Tassé
Conservative
1878
Oxford North
Thomas Oliver , died in office 8 November 1880
Liberal
1867
James Sutherland from 9 December 1880
Liberal
1880
Oxford South
James Atchison Skinner
Liberal
1874
Peel
William Elliott
Conservative
1878
Perth North
Samuel Rollin Hesson
Conservative
1878
Perth South
James Trow
Liberal
1872
Peterborough East
John Burnham
Conservative
1878
Peterborough West
George Hilliard
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Prescott
Félix Routhier
Conservative
1878
Prince Edward
James Simeon McCuaig
Conservative
1878
Renfrew North
Peter White
Conservative
1876
Renfrew South
William Bannerman
Conservative
1878
Russell
John O'Connor , acclaimed in by-election 4 November 1878
Conservative
1867, 1878
Simcoe North
Dalton McCarthy
Conservative
1872
Simcoe South
William Carruthers Little , died in office 31 December 1881
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Richard Tyrwhitt , acclaimed from 16 February 1882
Conservative
1882
Stormont
Oscar Fulton
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Toronto Centre
Robert Hay
Liberal
1878
Toronto East
Samuel Platt
Independent
1875
Victoria North
Hector Cameron
Conservative
1875
Victoria South
Arthur McQuade
Conservative
1874
Waterloo North
Hugo Kranz
Conservative
1878
Waterloo South
Samuel Merner
Conservative
1878
Welland
Christopher William Bunting
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Wellington Centre
George Turner Orton
Liberal-Conservative
1874
Wellington North
George Alexander Drew
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1878
Wellington South
Donald Guthrie
Liberal
1876
Wentworth North
Thomas Bain
Liberal
1872
Wentworth South
Joseph Rymal
Liberal
1867
West Toronto
John Beverley Robinson until 30 June 1880
Conservative
1875
James Beaty, Jr. from 28 August 1880
Conservative
1880
York East
Alfred Boultbee
Conservative
1878
York North
Frederick William Strange
Liberal-Conservative
1878
York West
Nathaniel Clarke Wallace
Conservative
1878
Electoral district
Name
Party
First elected/previously elected
Argenteuil
Thomas Christie , defeated in by-election 12 February 1880
Liberal
1875
John Joseph Caldwell Abbott from 12 February 1880, acclaimed in by-election 17 August 1881
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1880
Bagot
Joseph-Alfred Mousseau , acclaimed in by-election 20 November 1880
Conservative
1874
Beauce
Joseph Bolduc
Conservative
1876
Beauharnois
Michael Cayley , died in office 3 December 1878
Conservative
1867, 1878
Joseph Gédéon Horace Bergeron from 9 January 1879
Conservative
1879
Bellechasse
Achille Larue until 11 February 1881
Liberal
1878
Guillaume Amyot from 19 March 1881
Conservative
1881
Berthier
Edward Octavian Cuthbert
Conservative
1875
Bonaventure
Théodore Robitaille
Conservative
1867
Pierre-Clovis Beauchesne , acclaimed from 26 August 1879
Conservative
1879
Brome
Edmund Leavens Chandler
Liberal
1878
David Ames Manson from 18 October 1880
Liberal-Conservative
1880
Chambly
Pierre Basile Benoit
Conservative
1876
Champlain
Hippolyte Montplaisir
Liberal-Conservative
1874
Charlevoix
Pierre Alexis Tremblay , died in office 5 January 1879
Liberal
1876
Joseph-Stanislas Perrault from 13 February 1879
Conservative
1879
Simon-Xavier Cimon from 19 March 1881
Conservative
1881
Châteauguay
Luther Hamilton Holton , died in office 14 March 1880
Liberal
1867
Edward Holton from 17 April 1880
Liberal
1880
Chicoutimi—Saguenay
Marie Honorius Ernest Cimon
Conservative
1874
Compton
John Henry Pope , acclaimed in by-election 4 November 1878
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Dorchester
François Fortunat Rouleau
Liberal-Conservative
1874
Drummond – Arthabaska
Désiré Olivier Bourbeau
Conservative
1877
Gaspé
Pierre Fortin
Conservative
1867, 1878
Hochelaga
Alphonse Desjardins
Conservative
1874
Huntingdon
Julius Scriver (acclaimed)
Liberal
1869
Iverbville
François Béchard
Liberal
1867
Jacques Cartier
Désiré Girouard
Conservative
1878
Joliette
Louis François Georges Baby , acclaimed in by-election 14 November 1878
Conservative
1872
Lewis Arthur McConville from 9 December 1880
Conservative
1880
Kamouraska
Joseph Dumont
Liberal
1878
L'Assomption
Hilaire Hurteau
Liberal-Conservative
1874
L'Islet
Philippe Baby Casgrain
Liberal
1872
Laprairie
Alfred Pinsonneault
Conservative
1867
Laval
Joseph-Aldric Ouimet (acclaimed)
Liberal-Conservative
1873
Lévis
Joseph-Goderic Blanchet
Liberal-Conservative
1867, 1878
Lotbinière
Côme Isaïe Rinfret
Liberal
1878
Maskinongé
Frédéric Houde
Nationalist Conservative
1878
Mégantic
Louis-Éphrem Olivier
Liberal
1878
Missisquoi
George Barnard Baker
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Montcalm
Firmin Dugas
Conservative
1871
Montmagny
Auguste Charles Philippe Robert Landry
Conservative
1878
Montmorency
Pierre-Vincent Valin until 9 January 1880, re-elected 9 December 1880
Conservative
1878, 1880
Auguste-Réal Angers from 14 February 1880 until 12 November 1880
Conservative
1880
Montreal Centre
Michael Patrick Ryan
Liberal-Conservative
1868
Montreal East
Charles-Joseph Coursol
Conservative
1878
Montreal West
Matthew Hamilton Gault
Conservative
1878
Napierville
Sixte Coupal dit la Reine
Liberal
1874
Nicolet
François Xavier Ovide Méthot
Independent Conservative
1877
Ottawa (County of)
Alonzo Wright
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Pontiac
John Poupore
Conservative
1878
Portneuf
Roch-Pamphile Vallée
Conservative
1878
Quebec County
Joseph-Philippe-René-Adolphe Caron , acclaimed in by-election 20 November 1880
Conservative
1873
Quebec East
Wilfrid Laurier
Liberal
1874
Quebec West
Thomas McGreevy (acclaimed)
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Quebec-Centre
Jacques Malouin
Independent
1877
Richelieu
Louis Huet Massue
Liberal-Conservative
1878
Richmond—Wolfe
William Bullock Ives
Conservative
1878
Rimouski
Jean-Baptiste Romuald Fiset
Liberal
1872
Rouville
George-Auguste Gigault
Conservative
1878
Saint Maurice
Louis-Léon Lesieur Désaulniers
Conservative
1867, 1878
Shefford
Lucius Seth Huntington
Liberal
1867
Town of Sherbrooke
Edward Towle Brooks (acclaimed)
Conservative
1872
Soulanges
Jacques-Philippe Lanthier
Conservative
1872
St. Hyacinthe
Louis Tellier
Conservative
1878
St. John's
François Bourassa
Liberal
1867
Stanstead
Charles Carroll Colby
Liberal-Conservative
1867
Témiscouata
Paul-Étienne Grandbois
Conservative
1878
Terrebonne
Louis-Rodrigue Masson , acclaimed in by-election 6 November 1878
Conservative
1867
Three Rivers
William McDougall
Conservative
1868
Hector-Louis Langevin , acclaimed from 21 November 1878
Conservative
1878
Two Mountains
Jean-Baptiste Daoust
Conservative
1876
Vaudreuil
Jean-Baptiste Mongenais
Conservative
1878
Verchères
Félix Geoffrion
Liberal
1867
Yamaska
Charles Gill
Conservative
1874
Fabien Vanasse dit Vertefeuille from 7 July 1879
Conservative
1879
By-election
Date
Incumbent
Party
Winner
Party
Cause
Retained
New Westminster
March 9, 1882
Thomas Robert McInnes
Independent
Joshua Homer
Liberal-Conservative
Called to the Senate.
No
Simcoe South
February 16, 1882
William Carruthers Little
Liberal-Conservative
Angus McIsaac
Conservative
Death
Yes
Northumberland West
December 19, 1881
James Cockburn
Conservative
George Guillet
Conservative
Appointed Chairman of the Commission to collect, examine and classify the Statutes passed by the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, since Confederation
Yes
Argenteuil
August 17, 1881
John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
Liberal-Conservative
John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
Liberal-Conservative
Election declared void.
Yes
Pictor
June 18, 1881
James McDonald
Conservative
John McDougald
Liberal-Conservative
Appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
Yes
Colchester
June 18, 1881
Thomas McKay
Liberal-Conservative
Archibald McLelan
Conservative
Called to the Senate.
Yes
Colchester
March 31, 1881
Joshua Spencer Thompson
Liberal-Conservative
James Reid
Liberal-Conservative
Death
Yes
Northumberland East
March 25, 1881
Joseph Keeler
Liberal-Conservative
Darius Crouter
Independent Liberal
Death
No
Bellechasse
March 19, 1881
Achille Larue
Liberal
Guillaume Amyot
Conservative
Election declared void.
No
Charlevoix
March 19, 1881
Joseph-Stanislas Perrault
Conservative
Simon-Xavier Cimon
Conservative
Election declared void.
Yes
Carleton
February 16, 1881
George Heber Connell
Independent
David Irvine
Liberal
Death
No
Joliette
December 9, 1880
Louis François Georges Baby
Conservative
Lewis Arthur McConville
Conservative
Appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec
Yes
Oxford North
December 9, 1880
Thomas Oliver
Liberal
James Sutherland
Liberal
Death
Yes
Montmorency
December 9, 1880
Auguste-Réal Angers
Conservative
Pierre-Vincent Valin
Conservative
Appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec.
Yes
Quebec County
November 20, 1880
Adolphe-Philippe Caron
Conservative
Adolphe-Philippe Caron
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Militia and Defence.
Yes
Bagot
November 20, 1880
Joseph-Alfred Mousseau
Conservative
Joseph-Alfred Mousseau
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as President of the Privy Council.
Yes
Brome
October 18, 1880
Edmund Leavens Chandler
Liberal
David Ames Manson
Liberal-Conservative
Death
No
Selkirk
September 10, 1880
Donald Smith
Independent Conservative
Thomas Scott
Conservative
Election declared void.
No
Ontario North
August 28, 1880
George Wheler
Liberal
George Wheler
Liberal
Election declared void.
Yes
West Toronto
August 28, 1880
John Beverly Robinson
Conservative
James Beaty, Jr.
Conservative
Appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
Yes
Châteauguay
April 17, 1880
Luther Hamilton Holton
Liberal
Edward Holton
Liberal
Death
Yes
Montmorency
February 14, 1880
Pierre-Vincent Valin
Conservative
Auguste-Réal Angers
Conservative
Election declared void.
Yes
Argenteuil
February 12, 1880
Thomas Christie
Liberal
John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
Liberal-Conservative
Election declared void.
No
Cornwall
January 27, 1880
Darby Bergin
Liberal-Conservative
Darby Bergin
Liberal-Conservative
Election declared void.
Yes
Lanark North
January 22, 1880
Daniel Galbraith
Liberal
Donald Greenfield MacDonell
Liberal
Death
Yes
Provencher
December 30, 1879
Joseph Dubuc
Conservative
Joseph Royal
Conservative
Appointed a Judge of the Court of Queen's Bench for Manitoba.
Yes
Durham West
November 17, 1879
Harvey William Burk
Liberal
Edward Blake
Liberal
Resignation to provide a seat for Blake.
Yes
Cape Breton
October 23, 1879
Hugh McLeod
Liberal-Conservative
William Mackenzie McLeod
Liberal-Conservative
Death
Yes
Yale
September 29, 1879
Edgar Dewdney
Conservative
Francis Jones Barnard
Conservative
Appointed Indian Commissioner of Manitoba and the North West Territories.
Yes
Bonaventure
August 26, 1879
Théodore Robitaille
Conservative
Pierre-Clovis Beauchesne
Conservative
Appointed Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.
Yes
Yamaska
July 7, 1879
Charles-Ignace Gill
Conservative
Fabien Vanasse dit Vertefeuille
Conservative
Appointed a judge to the Quebec Superior Court.
Yes
Niagara
March 20, 1879
Patrick Hughes
Liberal
Josiah Burr Plumb
Conservative
Election declared void.
No
Hastings East
February 25, 1879
John White
Conservative
John White
Conservative
Election declared void.
Yes
Charlevoix
February 13, 1879
Pierre-Alexis Tremblay
Liberal
Joseph-Stanislas Perrault
Conservative
Death
No
Beauharnois
January 9, 1879
Michael Cayley
Conservative
Joseph Gédéon H. Bergeron
Conservative
Death
Yes
Marquette
November 30, 1878
John A. Macdonald
Liberal-Conservative
Joseph O'Connell Ryan
Liberal
MacDonald was elected in several seats simultaneously, resigned to run in Ministerial by-election in Victoria.
No
Three Rivers
November 21, 1878
William McDougall
Conservative
Hector-Louis Langevin
Conservative
Resignation to provide a seat for Langevin.
Yes
Joliette
November 14, 1878
Louis François Georges Baby
Conservative
Louis François Georges Baby
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Inland Revenue.
Yes
Queens County
November 9, 1878
James Colledge Pope
Conservative
James Colledge Pope
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Marine and Fisheries.
Yes
Hastings North
November 6, 1878
Mackenzie Bowell
Conservative
Mackenzie Bowell
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Customs.
Yes
Terrebonne
November 6, 1878
Louis-Rodrigue Masson
Conservative
Louis-Rodrigue Masson
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Militia and Defence.
Yes
City of St. John
November 4, 1878
Samuel Leonard Tilley
Liberal-Conservative
Samuel Leonard Tilley
Liberal-Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Finance.
Yes
Pictou
November 4, 1878
James McDonald
Conservative
James McDonald
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
Yes
Russell
November 4, 1878
John O'Connor
Conservative
John O'Connor
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as President of the Privy Council.
Yes
Compton
November 4, 1878
John Henry Pope
Liberal-Conservative
John Henry Pope
Liberal-Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Agriculture.
Yes
Cumberland
November 4, 1878
Charles Tupper
Conservative
Charles Tupper
Conservative
Recontested upon appointment as Minister of Public Works.
Yes
Huron Centre
November 2, 1878
Horace Horton
Liberal
Richard John Cartwright
Liberal
Appointment in the office of the Auditor-General of Canada .
Yes
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