2nd Quebec Legislature

The Legislature of Quebec was created by the British North America Act, 1867. It consisted of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.[1] The Lieutenant Governor was appointed by the Governor General of Canada for a term of five years.[2] The Legislative Assembly consisted of sixty-five members, elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post elections.[3] The Legislative Assembly was to last for four years, subject to being dissolved earlier by the Lieutenant Governor.[4] The Legislative Council consisted of twenty-four members, appointed for life by the Government of Quebec.[5]

The elections for the Second Legislature were conducted under the election law of the former Province of Canada, which were continued until such time as the Legislature of Quebec enacted a new election law, designed specifically for Quebec.[6]

The Conservatives under Premier Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau won a substantial majority in the 1871 election, although with a somewhat reduced seat count. In spite of their electoral success, the Conservatives began to fracture between an ultramontane Catholic wing and the traditional Parti Bleu supporters, who were more business oriented. Chauveau continued in office until 1873, when he resigned upon being appointed to the Senate of Canada.[16][17]

Chauveau was succeeded as Conservative leader and Premier by Gédéon Ouimet, who was had been elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1867 and served in Chauveau's Cabinet as Attorney General. Shortly into Ouimet's term a major political scandal broke, the Tanneries scandal, which turned on a land transaction carried out by the government. Ouimet and three other members of the Cabinet resigned.[18]

Ouimet was replaced as party leader and premier by Charles Boucher de Boucherville in 1874. De Boucherville replaced almost the entire Cabinet.

In addition to the political instability associated with the Tanneries scandal, the Second Legislature was also marked by a high number of by-elections. Over the course of four years, there were twenty-four by-elections in the sixty-five seat Legislative Assembly. Most of the by-elections were triggered by the 1874 federal election, the first federal election after the abolition of the dual mandate, which had allowed individuals to hold seats in both the federal Parliament and the provincial Assembly. Several members of the Legislative Assembly resigned their provincial seats to run federally. Amongst those who moved to federal politics was the young Wilfrid Laurier, who had been elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1871 for the riding of Drummond et Arthabaska. A number of other by-elections were triggered by the changes to the provincial Cabinet under the three premiers. At that time, a member of the Assembly who was brought into Cabinet part-way through the term of the Assembly had to resign and stand for re-election.

One significant legislative measure passed by the de Boucherville government was electoral reform. The general elections of 1867 and 1871 had been conducted under the electoral laws of the former Province of Canada. In the 1875 session, the government passed a new election law to replace the old statute and create an electoral framework designed solely for Quebec.[19] One of the key changes was that the new elections law introduced the secret ballot in Quebec elections, replacing the old open ballot system which had previously been used, and which had required voters to publicly declare their vote to the polling officials.

In 1875, Premier De Boucherville called a general election. The Conservatives were returned to office, albeit with a somewhat reduced majority.

There were three different ministries during the term of the Second Legislature, under Premiers Chauveau (1871-1873), Ouimet (1873-1874), and Boucher de Boucherville (1874-1875).

First Quebec Ministry: Chauveau Cabinet (1871-1873)

Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chapleau, First Premier of Quebec, 1867-1873

Premier Chauveau continued the same membership in his Cabinet following the 1871 election.[46] Chauveau and four of the ministers were Members of the Legislative Assembly, while three were Members of the Legislative Council. In addition to being premier, Chauveau held other portfolios.

Members of the Executive Council

Position	Minister	Term Start	Term End
Premier and President of the Executive Council	Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau	1867	1873
Agriculture and Public Works	Louis Archambeault*	1867	1873
Attorney General	Gédéon Ouimet	1867	1873
Crown lands	Joseph-Octave Beaubien*	1867	1873
Public Education	Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau	1867	1873
Secretary and Registrar	Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau	1867	1873
Solicitor General	George Irvine	1867	1873
Speaker of the Legislative Council	Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville*	1867	1873
Treasurer	Joseph Gibb Robertson	1869	1873
* Members of the Legislative Council

Second Quebec Ministry: Ouimet Cabinet (1873-1874)

Gédéon Ouimet, Second Premier of Quebec, 1873-1874

Following Chauveau's resignation as premier, the Quebec Conservative party chose Gédéon Ouimet as party leader and thus Premier of Quebec. No general election was called. Ouimet installed a new Cabinet.[47] Ouimet and four of the Cabinet ministers were Members of the Legislative Assembly, while two sat in the Legislative Council.

Members of the Executive Council

Position	Minister	Term Start	Term End
Premier and President of the Executive Council	Gédéon Ouimet	1873	1874
Agriculture and Public Works	Louis Archambault*	1873	1874
Attorney General	George Irvine	1873	1874
Crown Lands	Pierre-Étienne Fortin	1873	1874
Public Instruction	Gédéon Ouimet	1873	1874
Secretary and Registrar	Gédéon Ouimet	1873	1874
Solicitor General	Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau	1873	1874
Speaker of the Legislative Council	John Jones Ross*	1873	1874
Treasurer	Joseph Gibb Robertson	1873	1874
* Members of the Legislative Council

Third Quebec Ministry: Boucher de Boucherville Cabinet (1874-1875)

Charles Boucher de Boucherville, Third Premier of Quebec, 1874-1878

As a result of the Tanneries scandal, Premier Ouimet and three Cabinet ministers resigned. The Conservative party chose Boucher de Boucherville to be premier. He replaced almost all of the Cabinet, retaining only Robertson as Treasurer.[48] All of the Cabinet ministers were members of the Legislative Assembly, except the Speaker of the Legislative Council abs Boucher de Boucherville himself.

Members of the Executive Council

Position	Minister	Term Start	Term End
Premier and President of the Executive Council	Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville*	1874	1875
Agriculture and Public Works	Pierre Garneau	1874	1875
Attorney General	Levi Ruggles Church	1874	1875
Crown Lands	Henri-Gédéon Malhiot	1874	1875
Public Education	Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville*	1874	1875
Secretary and Registrar	Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville*	1874	1875
Solicitor General	Auguste-Real Angers	1874	1875
Speaker of the Legislative Council	Felix-Hyacinthe Lemaire*	1874	1875
Treasurer	Joseph Gibb Robertson	1874	1875
* Members of the Legislative Council

Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière: First Leader of the Opposition, 1869-1878

Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière continued as Leader of the Opposition throughout the Second Legislature.[49]

The Legislature had four annual sessions:

• First session: November 7, 1871, to December 23, 1871, with thirty-five sitting days.
• Second session: November 7, 1872, to December 24, 1872, with thirty-five sitting days.
• Third session: December 4, 1873, to January 28, 1874, with twenty-nine sitting days.
• Fourth and final session: December 3, 1874, to February 23, 1875, with forty-two sitting days.

The Legislature did not meet again prior to its dissolution on June 7, 1875.[50]