1878 Quebec general election

Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox election The 1878 Quebec general election was held on May 1, 1878 to elect members of the 4th Legislative Assembly for the Province of Quebec, Canada. The result was a hung parliament, with no party having a clear majority. Only one seat divided the two major parties, the Quebec Conservative Party and the Quebec Liberal Party. The balance of power was held by two Independent Conservatives.

The incumbent premier, Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, was able to form a minority government with the support of the Independent Conservatives, even though the Conservative Party had one seat more than the Liberals.

Political events

The election was called in unusual circumstances. On March 8, 1878, the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Luc Letellier de Saint-Just, dismissed the Conservative premier, Charles Boucher de Boucherville, in a dispute over proposed railway legislation.<ref>Dictionary of Canadian Biography: "Boucher de Boucherville, Sir Charles".</ref> The Lieutenant Governor then appointed Joly de Lotbinière, the leader of the Liberals, as premier. Since the Conservatives still maintained a substantial majority in the Legislative Assembly, on March 22, 1878 Joly de Lotbinière requested the dissolution of the Assembly and a general election, which Letellier de Saint-Just ordered.

The election was fought in part over economic issues and in part over the actions of the Lieutenant Governor, who was criticised by the Conservatives for having installed Joly de Lotbinière by a coup d'état. One of the leading Conservatives, Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, opened his campaign with the slogan: "Silence the voice of Spencer Wood [the residence of the Lieutenant Governor] and let the mighty voice of the people speak."<ref>Canadian Dictionary of Biography: "Letellier de Saint-Just, Luc".</ref> Joly de Lotbinière agreed that the people should decide, and campaigned on the slogan “The province must choose between direct taxation and economy.”<ref name =bio-Joly>Canadian Dictionary of Biography: "Joly de Lotbinière, Sir Henri-Gustave".</ref>

Following the election results, Joly de Lotbinière was able to stay in office for one year as the leader of a minority government supported by the Independent Conservatives,<ref name=bio-Joly/> even though the Conservative Party had one more seat than the Liberals. In 1879, he was defeated in the Assembly by the Conservatives, who formed a minority government.

Electoral map

The Legislative Assembly was composed of sixty-five single-member constituencies or "ridings". The 1878 election was conducted under the pre-Confederation electoral map of the former Province of Canada. That map had set the boundaries for the sixty-five constituencies of Canada East, which became Quebec. The British North America Act, 1867 provided that the pre-Confederation electoral map would continue to be used for Quebec elections until altered by the Legislature of Quebec.<ref>Constitution Act, 1867, s. 80.</ref> The map of the sixty-five constituencies was also to be used in federal elections, until altered by Parliament.<ref>Constitution Act, 1867, s. 40.</ref>

Conduct of the election

Secret ballot

The election was conducted under The Quebec Election Act, a provincial statute.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, SQ 1875, c. 7.</ref> It was the second election where the secret ballot was used in Quebec.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 181-185, 187.</ref>

Preparation of voter lists

The Act required that each municipality prepare a voter list in March of each year, based on the valuation of property and ownership used for the tax rolls. The list was drawn up the secretary-treasurer of each municipality.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 12.</ref> The municipal council then reviewed the list and could make corrections to it. Once approved by the municipal council, the list was in force until the preparation of the list in the next year.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 27 to 36.</ref> Any person who was dissatisfied by their inclusion or exclusion from the list could appeal to the local judge of the superior court or district magistrate, whose decision on the issue was final.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 41-48.</ref>

Procedure for the election

The election began with a proclamation issued by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, setting the date for nomination of candidates. The date was the same for all constituencies.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 65.</ref> The provincial Clerk of the Crown in Chancery then issued sixty-five writs, directed to the returning officer for each constituency, directing them to conduct the election.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 76, Form C.</ref> The Returning Officer would be the registrar or sheriff of the constituency.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 78.</ref>

On the date set for nominations, the Returning Officer would hold a public meeting to receive nominations. The meeting was conducted at the most central and convenient location in the constituency, in a court house, city hall or registry office, between noon and one o'clock.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 96 to 98.</ref>

To be nominated, a candidate had to file a nomination paper with the Returning Officer, signed by at least twenty-five supporters eligible to vote in the constituency, and accompanied with a deposit of $200. The nomination paper and deposit had to be filed on or before the nomination meeting.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 104 to 109.</ref>

If only one nomination was received, the Returning Officer would declare that person to be elected, and immediately report the result to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery with the return of the writ.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 117 to 119.</ref> If two or more candidates were nominated, voting would occur one week after the nomination date set in the writ.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 73.</ref> The Returning Officer would establish polling stations throughout the constituency.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 89.</ref> On polling day, the polls would open in each station and voters would cast their ballots in the locked ballot box.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 157 to 171.</ref> When the polls closed, the deputy returning officers would unlock the ballot box, count the ballots in the presence of the candidates or their agents, and prepare a record of the vote. The deputy returning officer would then place all of the records and ballots in the ballot box, lock it, and deliver the ballot box to the Returning Officer.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, ss. 189 to 195.</ref>

Once all the ballot boxes were received, the Returning Officer would open all the ballot boxes in the presence of witnesses and total the votes from each polling station.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 200.</ref> The Returning Officer would declare the candidate with the most votes elected.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 204.</ref> If there was a tie between the top two candidates, the Returning Officer was required to give a written casting vote immediately to decide the election. In no other circumstances could the Returning Officer vote.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 205.</ref>

The Returning Officer would then prepare a complete report of the results of the election, along with his return of the writ, and forward it all to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery.<ref>The Quebec Election Act, s. 206.</ref>

Results

The election resulted in a hung parliament: neither of the parties had a majority. Two Independent Conservatives were elected, who held the balance of power.

Template:Canadian party colourTemplate:Canadian party colourTemplate:Canadian party colour

1878 Election Results

Party		Party leader	Seats			Popular vote
			1875	Elected<ref>Quebec National Assembly: La répartition des sièges aux élections générales</ref>	Seat Change	Votes Cast<ref name=QNA-votes>Quebec National Assembly: La répartition des voix aux élections générales</ref>	Percentage<ref name=QNA-votes/>	% Change
Charles Boucher de Boucherville	43	32	-11	68,035	49.49%	-1.2%
Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière	19	31	12	65,285	47.49%	+8.9%
Independent Conservative		3	2	-1	4,156	3.02%	-7.7%	Other		0	0	0
Total			65	65				-	137,476	100%	-

See also

• List of premiers of Quebec
• Politics of Quebec
• Timeline of Quebec history
• List of political parties in Quebec
• 4th Quebec Legislature