CHAP, 1] THE DOMINION OF CANADA 653
& number for the other provinces based on the decennial
census. The original House consisted of 181 members, of
whom eighty-two were for Ontario, nineteen for Nova
Scotia, and fifteen for New Brunswick. The changes in
population, and the addition of new provinces which are
represented in the House of Commons under the Imperial
Act of 1871, have changed the proportions, and there were,
after 1905 saw the addition of two new provinces, then in
the House eighty-six members for Ontario, sixty-five for
Quebec, eighteen for Nova Scotia, thirteen for New Bruns-
wick, ten for Manitoba, seven for British Columbia, four for
Prince Edward Island, four for Alberta, four for Saskatche-
wan, and one for the Yukon territory. The number is now
221, Alberta having seven and Saskatchewan ten members
Yespectively ; automatic change has distressed very greatly
the Maritime Provinces and especially Prince Edward
Island, which sees itself at no distant date sure to be left
with no representation at all, and a case has been brought
to decide the claim of the province that the minimum
Number given at the time of joining the Union must be
held to continue good for all time : the rejection of this con-
tention 1 has resulted in petitions from the province for the
Passing of an amendment to the British North America
Act to secure this result, but so far without any success.?
It will be seen that there is no really satisfactory federal
character about this House at all, and this is one of the
Points which show how really different the Canadian Con-
stitution is from that of the United States: there is merely
2 decided attempt to secure Quebec a definite place, and
Dothing more : the threatened extinction of the representa-
tion of the province of Prince Edward Island, and the very
Small representation of the provinces generally, shows
clearly that the model of the Parliament is. the unitary
Parliament of the United Kingdom. It may be added
' Cf. Canadian Annual Review, 1908, pp. 593, 594. See Attorney-General
for Prince Edward Island v. Attorney-General for Dominion of Canada,
119051 A. 0. 37; 33 8. C. R. 564.
* Ibid, 1907. n. 426: 1908, pp. 32 seq.
