The 1898 North-West Territories general election took place on 4 November 1898. This was the fourth general election in the

history of the North-West Territories The history of the Northwest Territories covers the period from thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands that encompass present-day Northwest Territories were inhabited for millennia by several First Nat ...

, Canada. It was held to elect members of the

Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories This is a list of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies dates and legislative sessions from 1870–present. The current capital is Yellowknife since 1967. There have been twenty-seven legislatures since becoming a territory in 1870. ...

Frederick W. A. G. Haultain Sir Frederick William Alpin Gordon Haultain (November 25, 1857 – January 30, 1942) was a lawyer and a long-serving Canadian politician and judge. His career in provincial and territorial legislatures stretched into four decades. He served ...

was still the first premier of the

North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

(NWT). That title was given by legislation passed in

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

. He was the last premier of the NWT until 1980. There were three big issues in this election, the first being acquiring provincial rights and how to divide the NWT into provinces. The second issue was the transfer of education from the federal to the territorial level. This was Haultain's personal project. Unfortunately for the NWT, that power was not turned over until 1970. The third issue was the territory's deficit budget. The territory was facing pressure from a rapidly increasing population in all parts of the territory. Earlier in 1898 the territorial government tried to exert control over liquor revenue in the Klondike, since it was footing the bill for increased services and policing. The federal government however interfered and dealt a huge blow, when it carved the

Yukon Territory Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

out of the NWT and appointed a council loyal to the federal government to gain control. This was the first general election in which the election was contested along party lines in the NWT.

sustained the governing

North-West Territories Liberal-Conservative Party The North-West Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories ...

in coalition with

James Hamilton Ross James Hamilton Ross (May 12, 1856 – December 14, 1932) was a Canadian politician, the third commissioner of Yukon, and an ardent defender of territorial rights. He is also considered to be the first resident of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Ear ...

, who was a member of the Hautain cabinet but a Liberal member.

Robert Brett Robert George Brett (November 16, 1851 – September 16, 1929) was a politician and physician in the North-West Territories and Alberta, Canada and served as the second Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Early life Robert George Brett was born on ...

remained leader of the official opposition. Political parties were still controversial in this election as noted in the ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' editorial from 17 November 1898 Weekly edition, that debated the pros and cons of the bringing the "Dominion party lines" to the territorial legislature.

Election results

Members of the Legislative Assembly elected

For complete electoral history, see individual districts * Brett (Banff) was elected in a contentiously close election, so close that a by-election had to be held, which

Arthur Sifton Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton (October 26, 1858 – January 21, 1921) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the second premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917. He became a minister in the federal cabinet of Canada thereaf ...

won.

External links

Haultain Ross government sustained Medicine Hat News 10 November 18984th General Election Macleod Gazette 4 November 1898
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northwest Territories General Election, 1898

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

1898 elections in Canada 1898 in the Northwest Territories November 1898 events

Election results

Members of the Legislative Assembly elected

See also

External links