# 1891 North-West Territories general election

The 1891 North-West Territories general election was held on 7 November 1891 to elect 25 members of the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories, Canada. It was the second general election in the History of the North-West Territories. The legislature for the first time had no appointed members. It had 25 elected members, four more than in the 1888 election. The assembly had grown by one member—the three appointed "at large" legal advisors who had sat in the assembly previously were no longer there.
Frederick W. A. G. Haultain, the member for Macleod, was the government leader.
The key issue in this election was the French language question. Politicians had spent the previous three years divided on the issues of eliminating the status of the French language as an official language of the territory, and of assimilation of the French-speaking population. The appointed government made French an official language in Section 11 of the North-West Territories Act of 1877 that gained Royal Assent 28 April 1877. Prior to that, French was an official language while the North-West Territories was administered under the Manitoba Act from 1870 to 1875.
The issue was ignited by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Royal reading the Speech from the Throne in French on 31 October 1888. The outcry caused Royal to read his second throne speech in English only. On 28 October 1889, the issue was made dormant when a Record Division was taken on the "Language Resolution", a motion that stated the assembly did not need official recognition of languages. The vote was 17 for 2 against. But this did not last, because the federal government got involved, and warned the Lieutenant Governor Royal to start making speeches in French again, and tried to legislate official bilingualism back in the territory, through the House of Commons of Canada. The bill was defeated on second reading, however.
The interference by the Government of Canada resulted in members being elected to the assembly who favoured English as the only official language. On 19 January 1892 Haultain made a motion that only English would be used in the Assembly. The motion passed on division: 20 for, 4 against.

## Electoral system

Most of the members were elected in single-member districts through First past the post.
In Calgary two members were elected, through Block Voting (although in this instance they were elected by acclamation).

## Election results

The turnout can not be established as no voters lists were in use.
Members were elected on non-partisan basis but decisions were decided by majority vote in the chamber.
| Election summary | # of candidates | # of candidates | Popular vote | Popular vote |
| Election summary | Incumbent | New | # | % |
| Acclaimed candidates | 7 | 4 | - | - |
| Elected candidates | 7 | 7 | 2,500 | 53.88% |
| Defeated candidates | 5 | 12 | 2,140 | 46.12% |
| Total | 42 | 42 | 4,640 | 100% |
Note: No vote returns, are currently available from the Batoche, St. Albert and Souris districts

## Results by riding

Members elected to the 2nd North-West Legislative Assembly. For complete electoral history, see individual districts
| Electoral District | First | Second | Third | Incumbent |
| Banff | Robert Brett Acclamation | | | New District |
| Batoche | Charles Nolin | Charles Eugene Boucher | | Hilliard Mitchell |
| Battleford | James Clinkskill 168 55.63% | James M. Skelton 134 44.37% | | James Clinkskill |
| Calgary | John Lineham Acclamation Hugh Cayley Acclamation | | | John Lineham Hugh Cayley |
| Cannington | Samuel Page Acclamation | | | New District |
| Cumberland | John Felton Betts 159 51.96% | Philip Turnor 106 34.64% | William Plaxton 41 13.4% | New District |
| Edmonton | Frank Oliver Acclamation | | | Herbert Charles Wilson Frank Oliver (formerly a two-seat district) |
| Kinistino | William Frederick Meyers 32 52.46% | George Ellis 29 47.54% | | James Hoey |
| Lethbridge | Charles Alexander Magrath Acclamation | | | New District |
| Macleod | Frederick W. A. G. Haultain Acclamation | | | Frederick W. A. G. Haultain |
| Medicine Hat | Thomas Tweed Acclamation | | | Thomas Tweed |
| Mitchell | Hilliard Mitchell Acclamation | | | New District |
| Moose Jaw | James Hamilton Ross 232 55.11% | John Gilbert Gordon 189 44.89% | | James Hamilton Ross |
| Moosomin | John Ryerson Neff Acclamation | | | John Ryerson Neff |
| North Qu’Appelle | William Sutherland 173 50.73% | A. Stewart 168 49.27% | | William Sutherland |
| North Regina | David Jelly 229 60.58% | W. Cayley Hamilton 149 39.42% | | David Jelly |
| Prince Albert | Thomas McKay Acclamation | | | William Plaxton |
| Red Deer | Francis Wilkins Acclamation | | | Robert Brett |
| St. Albert | Antonio Prince 210 | Daniel Maloney 183 | L. Garneau not shown | New District |
| Souris | George Knowling Elected | John Wesley Connell – | | John Gillanders Turriff |
| South Qu’Appelle | George Davidson 320 63.24% | George H. V. Bulyea 186 36.76% | | George Davidson |
| South Regina | Daniel Mowat 185 50.82% | John Secord 179 49.18% | | John Secord |
| Wallace | Joel Reaman 314 51.06% | Thomas Alfred Patrick 301 48.94% | | Joel Reaman |
| Whitewood | Daniel Campbell 197 45.92% | Alexander Thorburn 178 41.49% | John Hawkes 54 12.59% | Alexander Thorburn |
| Wolseley | James Dill 312 59.43% | Benjamin Parkyn Richardson 213 40.57% | | Benjamin Parkyn Richardson |