4th Quebec Legislature
The Fourth Legislature of Quebec was the provincial legislature of Quebec, Canada that existed from 1878 to 1881, following the general election of 1878.
Legislature of Quebec Législature du Québec | |
|---|---|
| Fourth Legislature, 1878 - 1881 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Legislative Council Legislative Assembly |
Term limits | Four years, subject to earlier dissolution. |
| History | |
| Founded | July 1, 1867 |
| Preceded by | Third Legislature of Quebec, 1875-1878 |
| Succeeded by | Fifth Legislature of Quebec, 1881-1886 |
| Leadership | |
Monarch | Victoria |
Lieutenant Governor | Luc Letellier de St-Just (1876-1879) Théodore Robitaille (1879-1884) |
Premier | Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (Liberal) (1878-1879) Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau (Conservative) (1879-1882) |
Speaker of the Legislative Council | |
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | Arthur Turcotte (Independent Conservative) (1878-1882) |
Leader of the Opposition | Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau (Conservative) (1878-1879) Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (1879-1882) Liberal |
| Structure | |
| Seats | Legislative Council: 24 Legislative Assembly: 65 |
Legislative Council political groups | Conservatives 21 Liberals 2 Vacant 1 |
Legislative Assembly political groups | Conservatives 32 Liberals 31 Independent Conservatives 2 |
| Elections | |
Legislative Council voting system | Life appointments |
Legislative Assembly voting system | Single member constituencies First-past-the-post voting Secret ballot Adult male franchise with property qualification |
| Constitution | |
| British North America Act, 1867 | |
The 1878 election was called by Premier Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, after he had been installed in office by the Lieutenant Governor Luc Letellier de St-Just. The Lieutenant Governor had dismissed the former Conservative Premier, Charles Boucher de Boucherville, over a dispute about railway legislation proposed by the Boucher de Boucherville government.
Since the Liberals did not have a majority in the Legislative Assembly, Joly de Lotbinière called an election immediately. The election resulted in a hung parliament, with neither party having a majority in the Legislative Assembly. Joly de Lotbinière was able to stay in office for one year with a minority government, supported by two Independent Conservatives, but lost a confidence vote in 1879. The Quebec Conservative Party led by Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau then formed a majority government for the remainder of the term of the Legislature.
The Legislature held four annual sessions, with the first session called on June 4, 1878. The Legislature was dissolved on November 7, 1881, leading to the 1881 general election on December 2, 1881.