Cape Breton (federal electoral district)

Cape Breton was a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1904. It was created as part of the British North America Act, 1867.

Cape Breton

Nova Scotia electoral district
Defunct federal electoral district
Legislature	House of Commons
District created	1867
District abolished	1903
First contested	1867
Last contested	1900
Demographics
Census division(s)	Cape Breton

The district consisted of the county of Cape Breton and initially returned one member, but returned two members from 1872 until its dissolution. It was abolished when it was redistributed into Cape Breton South and North Cape Breton and Victoria ridings in 1903.

Geography

The Cape Breton riding was set by the British North America Act, 1867 to consist of Cape Breton County. The county was legally defined in 1852 as:

all that part of the late county of Cape Breton to the southward of a line commencing at the entrance of a large stream that falls into the sea, about three miles to the westward of Point Ancomi, at the eastern extremity of the Island of Boularderie, and following the middle of the stream upwards, until it intersects the present highway between the great and little Bras d'Or; thence running parallel to the rear line of the front lot, on the north side of Boularderie, until it comes to the southwestern corner of the Reverend James Fraser's lot, on the north side thence south twenty degrees east, to the southeastern shore of Boularderie, and to continue on the same course to the middle of the Bras d'Or lake thence up the middle thereof westerly, to the middle of the strait of Barra thence following the mid channel thereof to the western end of the Strait thence in a direct line to the line at or near Point Malagawactchkt [sic] that separates the county of Cape Breton from the County of Inverness.^[1]

The boundaries were not changed during the 1872 electoral redistribution, but now the riding would return two members to Parliament. No changes occurred during the electoral redistributions of 1882 or 1892. This riding was dissolved and redistributed into the ridings of Cape Breton South and North Cape Breton and Victoria in the 1903 electoral redistribution.

Members of Parliament

Parliament	Years	Member		Party	Member		Party
Cape Breton
1st	1867 – 1869[nb 1]		James Charles McKeagney	Anti-Confederate
	1869 – 1872			Liberal–Conservative
2nd	1872 – 1873[nb 2]		Newton LeGayet Mackay	Conservative		William McDonald	Conservative
	1873 – 1874			Liberal
3rd	1874 – 1878
4th	1878 – 1879[nb 3]		Hugh McLeod	Liberal–Conservative
	1879 – 1882		William Mackenzie McLeod
5th	1882 – 1884[nb 4]		Murray Dodd	Conservative
	1884 – 1887					Hector Francis McDougall	Liberal–Conservative
6th	1887 – 1891		David MacKeen
7th	1891 – 1895[nb 5]
	1896 – 1896		Charles Tupper
8th	1896 – 1900
9th	1900 – 1904		Alexander Johnston	Liberal		Arthur Samuel Kendall	Liberal
Riding dissolved into Cape Breton South and Cape Breton North and Victoria

Election results

v t e 1900 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Liberal	A. Johnston	3,922	–	x
	Liberal	A.S. Kendall	3,890	–	x
	Conservative	Charles Tupper	3,672
	Liberal–Conservative	Hector Francis McDougall	3,604

v t e 1896 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Conservative	Charles Tupper	3,630	–	x
	Liberal–Conservative	Hector Francis McDougall	3,430	–	x
	Liberal	A.S. Kendall	2,813
	Liberal	Joseph McPherson	2,328

By-election on 4 February 1896 On Mr. MacKeen's resignation to provide a seat for Sir Charles Tupper, 18 December 1895
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Charles Tupper	acclaimed	n/a

v t e 1891 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Conservative	David MacKeen	2,889	–	x
	Liberal–Conservative	Hector Francis McDougall	2,681	–	x
	Liberal	George H. Murray	2,161
	Liberal	Joseph McPherson	2,078

v t e 1887 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Liberal–Conservative	Hector Francis McDougall	1,883	–	x
	Conservative	David MacKeen	1,873	–	x
	Liberal	George H. Murray	1,703
	Liberal	Michael Slattery	1,071
	Independent	Joseph A. Gillis	896
	Independent	John K. McLeod	606
	Independent	E. Tilton Moseley	538

By-election on 3 July 1884 On Mr. McDonald being called to the Senate
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal–Conservative	Hector Francis McDougall	1,395
	Liberal	Newton LeGayet Mackay	1,245

v t e 1882 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Conservative	William McDonald	1,297	–	Y
	Conservative	Murray Dodd	1,237	–	Y
	Liberal–Conservative	William Mackenzie McLeod	1,124
	Liberal	Newton LeGayet Mackay	1,013
	Liberal–Conservative	Hector Francis McDougall	934

By-election on 23 October 1879 On Mr. McLeod's death, 5 August 1879
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal–Conservative	William Mackenzie McLeod	1,094
	Liberal	Newton LeGayet Mackay	866
	Conservative	Murray Dodd	799

v t e 1878 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Liberal–Conservative	Hugh McLeod	2,056	–	Y
	Conservative	William McDonald	2,051	–	Y
	Liberal	Newton LeGayet Mackay	1,153
	Unknown	Walter Young	696
Source: Canadian Elections Database[2]

v t e 1874 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Conservative	William McDonald	1,251	–	Y
	Liberal	Newton LeGayet Mackay	1,136	–	Y
	Liberal–Conservative	Hugh McLeod	1,108	–
Source: Canadian Elections Database[3]

v t e 1872 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Conservative	Newton LeGayet MacKay	1,240	–	Y
	Conservative	William McDonald	1,038	–	Y
	Liberal–Conservative	Hugh McLeod	932
	Liberal–Conservative	James McKeagney	882
Source: Canadian Elections Database[4]

v t e 1867 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Anti-Confederation	Hon. James McKeagney	acclaimed
This electoral district was created by the British North America Act, 1867 from the colonial Province of Nova Scotia'a Cape Breton electoral district. Neither of the incumbents ran in this election.
Source: Library of Parliament[5]

See also

• List of Canadian electoral districts
• Historical federal electoral districts of Canada

Notes

1. The Anti-Confederation Party dissolved in 1869, and James McKeagney joined the Liberal-Conservative Party.
2. Newton LeGayet Mackay crossed the floor to the Liberals in 1873 in the aftermath of the Pacific Scandal.
3. Hugh McLeod died in office on 5 August 1879. His successor was determined in a by-election held on 23 October.
4. William McDonald was appointed to the Senate in 1884. His successor was determined in a by-election held on 3 July.
5. David MacKeen resigned his seat on 18 December 1895 to provide a seat for Charles Tupper, who was acclaimed in a by-election on 4 February 1896.