124 THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Electoral
Dictricts.

so ascertained. Any adjustment only comes into effect on
the termination of the then existing Parliament. After the
census of 1871 the number of members was increased to
200, and in 1881 eleven additional members were added.
Representation was conceded to the North-West Territories
in 1886. After the then next general election four electoral
districts in these Territories were to return one member
sach'. The first members for these Territories were elected
in 1886 °
In Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba and the North-West
Territories one member is returned by each electoral district:
in Nova Scotia, three electoral districts, in New Brunswick and
British Columbia one electoral district, return two members
cach, otherwise in these three provinces the rule of single
member constituencies is followed. In Prince Edwards
Island each district returns two members?

2. QUALIFICATIONS OF ELECTORS.

By the British North America Act, 1867, it was provided,
Ts. 41] that until the Parliament of Canada should otherwise
 provide the voters in each province for members of the
Dominion House of Commons should be the voters qualified
to vote for members of the provincial Assembly. For several
years no attempt was made to introduce a uniform franchise,
 but with the increased development of the provinces
it began to be seen that so long as the Provincial Parliaments
retained power to alter the franchise, the Federal Parliament
was exposed to serious disturbance. Bills providing for a
aniform franchise were brought before the Canadian Parliament
 in 1883 and 1884, but were strongly opposed by the
advocates of provincial rights®, and it was not until 1885

1 R.S.C.c. 7. 2 Ib. c. 6.
} Dominion Annual Register 1885, pn. 54.