Banff (territorial electoral district)

Provincial electoral district in Northwest Territories, Canada

Banff Northwest Territories electoral district

Defunct territorial electoral district
Legislature| Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
District created| 1891
District abolished| 1905
First contested| 1891
Last contested| 1902

Banff was a territorial electoral district that was mandated to return a single member to the North-West Legislative Assembly from 1891 until Alberta became a province in 1905.

## Geography

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The electoral district was named for Banff, covering the Alberta portion of the Rocky Mountains and foothills west of Calgary.

## Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

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Members of the Legislative Assembly for Banff  Assembly  | Years  | Member|[1] | Party

|
|
|

See Calgary 1884-1891
2nd | 1891–1894  |  | Robert Brett | Independent
3rd | 1894–1898
4th | 1898–1899  |  | Liberal
1899-1902  |  | Arthur Sifton | Liberal-Conservative
5th | 1902–1903
1903  |  | Vacant
1903-1905  |  | Charles Fisher | Liberal
See Banff (Alberta) 1905–1940

Banff's first representative was physician Robert Brett, who had already served one term as MLA for Red Deer, and served two full terms in Banff. There were no official parties in these early assemblies, but Brett aligned himself with the Northwest Territories Liberal Party when the Dominion party lines were introduced in 1898.

In the 1898 election, Brett appeared to have held his seat against challenger Arthur Sifton, but Sifton challenged the results in court and proceeded to win the ensuing by-election. In 1902, he easily defended his seat.[2]

When Sifton was appointed as a judge in early 1903, another by-election was held in Banff, this time won by Liberal candidate Charles Fisher. In 1905 when Alberta became a province, Fisher ran in the new Banff district and defeated previous MLA Robert Brett (now running as a Conservative) to retain the seat.

## Election results

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### Elections in the 1890s

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1891 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Independent | Robert George Brett | Acclaimed
Total valid votes  | 0

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

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1894 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | %
| Independent | Robert George Brett | 238 | 64.15
| Independent | T.F. English | 133 | 35.85
Total valid votes  | 371 | 100.00

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

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1898 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | % | ±%
| Liberal | Robert George Brett | 181 | 50.28 | -13.87
| Liberal–Conservative | Arthur Lewis Sifton | 179 | 49.72
Total valid votes  | 360 | 100.00
| Liberal hold | Swing | -13.87

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

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North-West Territories territorial by-election, June 27, 1899
Upon the invalidation of the 1898 result

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | % | ±%
| Liberal–Conservative | Arthur Lewis Sifton | 193 | 54.83 | +5.11
| Liberal | Robert George Brett | 159 | 45.17 | -5.11
Total valid votes  | 352 | 100.00
| Liberal–Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.11

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

### Elections in the 1900s

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North-West Territories territorial by-election, March 22, 1901
Upon the appointment of Arthur Lewis Sifton to the territorial cabinet

Party  | Candidate  | Votes
| Liberal–Conservative | Arthur Lewis Sifton | Acclaimed
Total valid votes  | 0
| Liberal–Conservative hold | Swing | N/A

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

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1902 North-West Territories general election

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | % | ±%
| Liberal–Conservative | Arthur Lewis Sifton | 296 | 81.32 | +26.49
| Liberal | Robert Smith | 68 | 18.68
Total valid votes  | 364 | 100.00
| Liberal–Conservative hold | Swing | +26.49

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

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North-West Territories territorial by-election, February 4, 1903
Upon the resignation of Arthur Lewis Sifton

Party  | Candidate  | Votes | % | ±%
| Liberal | Charles Wellington Fisher | 263 | 57.67 | +38.99
| Liberal–Conservative | H.J. Richardson | 193 | 42.33 | -38.99
Total valid votes  | 456 | 100.00
| Liberal gain from Liberal–Conservative | Swing | +38.99

Source(s)

"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

## References

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1. ^ "North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
2. ^ Hall, David (2004). "Arthur L. Sifton". In Bradford J. Rennie (ed.). Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. ISBN 0-88977-151-0.

## External links

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* Website of the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories

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Territorial electoral districts of the North-West Assembly, 1881–1905

Alberta|

* Banff
* Calgary
* Cardston
* East Calgary
* Edmonton
* High River
* Innisfail
* Lacombe
* Lethbridge
* Macleod
* Red Deer
* St. Albert
* Strathcona
* Victoria
* West Calgary
* Wetaskiwin

Assiniboia|

* Broadview
* Cannington
* Grenfell
* Maple Creek
* Medicine Hat
* Mitchell
* Moose Jaw
* Moose Mountain
* Moosomin
* North Qu'Appelle
* North Regina
* Qu'Appelle
* Regina
* Saltcoats
* Souris
* South Qu'Appelle
* South Regina
* Wallace
* Whitewood
* Wolseley
* Yorkton

Saskatchewan|

* Batoche
* Battleford
* Cumberland
* Kinistino
* Lorne
* Prince Albert
* Prince Albert East
* Prince Albert West

* See also: History of the Northwest Territories
* Temporary North-West Council
* List of Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies
* List of Northwest Territories general elections

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