Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/362

 240 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — CANADA

which came into operation on July 1, 1867, by royal proclamation. The Act provides that the Constitution of the Dominion shall be ' similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom ' ; that the executive authority shall be vested in the Sovereign of Great Britain and Ireland, and carried on in his name by a Governor-General and Privy Council ; and that the legislative power shall be exercised by a Parliament of two Houses, called the * Senate ' and the ' House of Commons. ' Provision was made in the Act for the admission of British Columbia, Pjince Edward Island, the North- West Territories, and Newfoundland into the Dominion ; Newfoundland alone has not availed itself of such provision. In 1869, the extensive region known as the North- West Territories was added to the Dominion by purchase from the Hudson's Bay Company ; the province of Manitoba was set apart out of a portion of it, and admitted into the confederation on July 15, 1870. On July 20, 1871, the provinces of British Columbia, and by an Imperial Order in Council of May 16, in the same year, Prince Edward Island, were admitted into the confederation. The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were formed from the provisional districts of Alberta, Athabaska, Assiniboia, and Saskatchewan, and were admitted to the Union as provinces on September 1, 1905.

The members of the Senate are nominated for life, by summons of the Governor-General under the Great Seal of Canada. There are now 87 senators — namely, 24 from the province of Ontario, 24 from Quebec, 10 from Nova Scotia, 10 from New Brunswick, 4 from Manitoba, 3 from British Columbia, 4 each from Prince Edward Island, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Each senator must be 30 years of age, a born or naturalised subject, and must reside in, and be possessed of jH'operty, real or personal, of the value of 4,000 dollars, within the province for which he is appointed. The House of Commons is elected by the people, for five years, unless sooner dissolved, at the rate at present of one representative for every 25,367 persons, the province of Quebec always having 65 members, and the others provinces proportionally, according to their populations at each decennial census. The House of Commons consists of 221 members- 86 for Ontario, 65 for Quebec, 18 for Nova Scotia, 13 for New Brunswick, 10 for Manitoba, 7 for British Columbia, 4 for Prince Edward Island, 10 for Saskatchewan, 7 for Alberta, and 1 for the Yukon Territory. For the next parliament the unit of representation will be, on the basis of the population of Quebec at the census of 1911, 30,811.

The members of the House of Commons are elected by constituencies, the electors of which are supplied by franchises under the control of the several provincial assemblies. The qualifications for voting at provincial elections vary in the several provinces. Voting is by ballot.

Last Election, September, 1911. State of parties: — Conservatives, 134; Liberals, 87.

The Speaker in the House of Commons has a salary of 4,000 dollars per annum, and each member an allowance of 2,500 dollars for the session with a deduction of 15 dollars a day for absences. The Leader of the Opposition receives 7,000 dollars in addition to his ordinary sessional allowance.

The Speaker and members of the Senate have the same allowances as in the House of Commons with no extra allowances.

Governor - General. — Field - Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, P.C., K.G., K.T., K.P., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., [See^. 3). Present appointment January 30, 1911. Salary, 10,000Z. per annum.