Banff (territorial electoral district)

Banff was a territorial electoral district that was mandated to return a single member to the North-West Legislative Assembly from 1891 until Alberta became a province in 1905.

Banff
Northwest Territories electoral district
Defunct territorial electoral district
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
District created1891
District abolished1905
First contested1891
Last contested1902

Geography

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The electoral district was named for Banff, covering the Alberta portion of the Rocky Mountains and foothills west of Calgary.

Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

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Members of the Legislative Assembly for Banff
Assembly Years Member|[1] Party
See Calgary 1884-1891
2nd 1891–1894 Robert Brett Independent
3rd 1894–1898
4th 1898–1899 Liberal
1899-1902 Arthur Sifton Liberal-Conservative
5th 1902–1903
1903 Vacant
1903-1905 Charles Fisher Liberal
See Banff (Alberta) 1905–1940

Banff's first representative was physician Robert Brett, who had already served one term as MLA for Red Deer, and served two full terms in Banff. There were no official parties in these early assemblies, but Brett aligned himself with the Northwest Territories Liberal Party when the Dominion party lines were introduced in 1898.

In the 1898 election, Brett appeared to have held his seat against challenger Arthur Sifton, but Sifton challenged the results in court and proceeded to win the ensuing by-election. In 1902, he easily defended his seat.[2]

When Sifton was appointed as a judge in early 1903, another by-election was held in Banff, this time won by Liberal candidate Charles Fisher. In 1905 when Alberta became a province, Fisher ran in the new Banff district and defeated previous MLA Robert Brett (now running as a Conservative) to retain the seat.

Election results

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Elections in the 1890s

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1891 North-West Territories general election
Party Candidate Votes
Independent Robert George Brett Acclaimed
Total valid votes 0
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
1894 North-West Territories general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Robert George Brett 238 64.15
Independent T.F. English 133 35.85
Total valid votes 371 100.00
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
1898 North-West Territories general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert George Brett 181 50.28 -13.87
Liberal–Conservative Arthur Lewis Sifton 179 49.72
Total valid votes 360 100.00
Liberal hold Swing -13.87
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
North-West Territories territorial by-election, June 27, 1899
Upon the invalidation of the 1898 result
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal–Conservative Arthur Lewis Sifton 193 54.83 +5.11
Liberal Robert George Brett 159 45.17 -5.11
Total valid votes 352 100.00
Liberal–Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.11
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

Elections in the 1900s

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North-West Territories territorial by-election, March 22, 1901
Upon the appointment of Arthur Lewis Sifton to the territorial cabinet
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal–Conservative Arthur Lewis Sifton Acclaimed
Total valid votes 0
Liberal–Conservative hold Swing N/A
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
1902 North-West Territories general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal–Conservative Arthur Lewis Sifton 296 81.32 +26.49
Liberal Robert Smith 68 18.68
Total valid votes 364 100.00
Liberal–Conservative hold Swing +26.49
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
North-West Territories territorial by-election, February 4, 1903
Upon the resignation of Arthur Lewis Sifton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Wellington Fisher 263 57.67 +38.99
Liberal–Conservative H.J. Richardson 193 42.33 -38.99
Total valid votes 456 100.00
Liberal gain from Liberal–Conservative Swing +38.99
Source(s)
"North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

References

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  1. ^ "North-West Territories: Council and Legislative Assembly, 1876-1905" (PDF). Saskatchewan Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  2. ^ Hall, David (2004). "Arthur L. Sifton". In Bradford J. Rennie (ed.). Alberta Premiers of the Twentieth Century. Regina, Saskatchewan: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. ISBN 0-88977-151-0.
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