Legislative Council of Newfoundland

Legislative Council of Newfoundland. The Legislative Council of Newfoundland served as the appointed upper house of the General Assembly of Newfoundland from 1833 until its suspension in 1934. Modeled on the House of Lords and other colonial councils, it functioned as a chamber of review for legislation passed by the elected Newfoundland House of Assembly. Its members, appointed for life by the Governor of Newfoundland, were typically drawn from the colony's merchant and professional elite, leading to periods of significant political tension with the representative lower house, especially over matters of finance and reform.

History

The council was established by royal charter in 1833 under Governor Sir John Harvey, replacing the previous advisory Council of St. John's. This creation of a bicameral legislature was part of a broader move toward responsible government within the British Empire. Throughout the 19th century, the council was a central arena in the political struggle between the appointed elite and reformist forces in the Newfoundland House of Assembly, notably clashing over the Amalgamated Assembly Act of 1842. Key political figures like William Carson and John Kent frequently criticized the council as an obstruction to democratic progress. The council's power was significantly curtailed after Newfoundland attained responsible government in 1855, but it remained a constitutional fixture. Its role evolved during the tenure of Prime Minister Robert Bond and through the economic crises following World War I, which culminated in the Great Depression and the collapse of the Dominion of Newfoundland.

Composition

Members, known as councillors, were appointed by the Governor of Newfoundland on the advice of the government, typically holding office for life. The size of the council varied, originally starting with seven members and later expanding. Appointees were almost exclusively men from the colony's leading families, major merchants, senior lawyers, and prominent physicians, ensuring a conservative bias. Notable appointees over its history included Sir Edward Morris, John Bemister, and Sir William Whiteway. The President presided over sessions, with the last holder of that office being John Charles Puddester. This composition often placed it at odds with the more populist and reform-oriented Newfoundland House of Assembly, reflecting the broader social divisions within St. John's and the Dominion of Newfoundland.

Responsibilities

As an upper house, its primary function was the review and revision of bills passed by the Newfoundland House of Assembly. It possessed the power to amend, delay, or reject legislation, except for money bills, which it could not initiate or amend, though it could reject them outright—a power that caused major constitutional disputes. The council also served as an advisory body to the Governor of Newfoundland in certain executive capacities. Its procedures and powers were largely modeled on those of the House of Lords in Westminster. Throughout its existence, especially before 1855, it was a significant check on the legislative program of the elected assembly, involving itself in debates on fishery regulations, railway development, and public debt.

Dissolution

The council's effective end came with the political and economic collapse of the Dominion of Newfoundland during the Great Depression. Following the recommendations of the Amulree Commission, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Newfoundland Act 1933, which suspended the island's constitution and its legislature. The Commission of Government, appointed by the British government, assumed all legislative and executive authority in 1934. The Legislative Council, along with the Newfoundland House of Assembly, was placed in abeyance and never reconvened. When Newfoundland joined Canadian Confederation in 1949, it did so with a unicameral legislature, the Newfoundland House of Assembly, formally ending the historical role of the upper chamber.

Category:Defunct upper houses Category:Political history of Newfoundland and Labrador Category:1934 disestablishments in Newfoundland