Family Ties in the Saskatchewan Legislature

This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series Vol 43 No 3 (Autumn)

Family Ties in the Saskatchewan Legislature

Since the establishment of the Province of Saskatchewan in 1905, there have been 20 known instances of familial relationships among Members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Table 1 presents a full list of kinship ties. Types of kinship have included: fathers and sons, a mother and son, husbands and wives, brothers, a father and daughter, a brother and sister, a grandmother and grandson, a grandfather and grandson, and an uncle and nephew. Other interesting observations of the kinship ties include:

In 1919 Sarah K. Ramsland not only became the first female to be elected to the Legislative Assembly, but she also became the first and only wife to immediately succeed her husband, as her husband Magnus died in office as the Member for Pelly and she won the subsequent by-election in that constituency. Though re-elected in the General Election of 1921, she was defeated in her bid for re-election in 1925.
The Ramslands do not represent the only occasion of one family member immediately succeeding another. Benjamin Heppner was elected to the constituency of Rosthern in 1995 and 1999, and then to the new constituency of Martensville in 2003. After his death in September 2006, his daughter Nancy ran in and won the subsequent Martensville by-election in March 2007. She was re-elected in the following three General Elections.
On three separate occasions family members have served concurrently in the Legislative Assembly. Fathers and sons Oakland W. Valleau and Delmar S. Valleau served together as MLAs from 1944-48; John H. Brockelbank and John E. Brockelbank from 1964-67, and brothers Edward H. Walker and Robert A. Walker from 1951-56.
The political leanings of related members have differed only three times. Dennis M. Ham was elected in 1975 as a Progressive Conservative while his sister Lynda M. Haverstock was elected 1991 as a Liberal, later sitting as an Independent. William M. Martin was elected in 1916 as a Liberal while his nephew Gordon B. Martin (1986) was Progressive Conservative. Finally, W. Ross Thatcher was elected as a Liberal in 1960 as was his son Colin in 1975, though Colin was re-elected in 1977 as a Progressive Conservative.
There has been one known instance of three generations of a family serving in the Legislative Assembly. Tony Merchant was an MLA from 1975-1978, his mother Sally Merchant from 1964–1967, and his grandfather Vincent Smith from 1934–1938.
In addition to kinship relationships in the Saskatchewan Legislature, there are also cases of kinship between elected officials at the provincial level and the federal level, as outlined in Table 2.
Joseph W. Burton was elected as the MLA for Humboldt in 1938-1943, then as the Member of Parliament for Humboldt from 1943-1949 (returning to provincial politics as the representative for the same constituency from 1952-1956). His son John S. Burton was elected to the House of Commons as the member for the Regina East electoral district in 1968 and served as such until his defeat in the 1972 federal election.
Pana P. Merchant was the second woman to represent Saskatchewan in the Senate, serving from 2002-2017; her husband is Tony Merchant, the member for the provincial constituency of Regina Wascana from 1975-1978.

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Manitoba’s “Golden Boy”: Pointing to A Prosperous Future

This entry is part 10 of 11 in the series Vol 43 No. 2 (Summer)

Manitoba’s “Golden Boy”: Pointing to A Prosperous Future

High atop the Manitoba Legislative Building, 250 feet above ground, the statue called “Eternal Youth and the Spirit of Enterprise” (or as it as come to be affectionately known by Manitobans, the “Golden Boy”), stands proudly facing north. A symbol so important and full of meaning for our province’s past, present and future, on November 21, 2019, the statue marked 100 years of looking down upon us, a witness to many of the most important events in Manitoba history.

As part of the construction of Manitoba’s third Legislative Building, which started in 1913, the Manitoba Government commissioned French sculptor Georges Gardet to create a set of five bronze statues that would be featured prominently in and on the building. The most notable of these statues, the Golden Boy, was created with the intent of resting in a place of honour at the very peak of the building which would become the centre of the province’s political life. During World War I the statue was cast in bronze in a French foundry and then placed in a ship’s hold for transport to Canada. However, it took a year of travel to make its way to North America; the ship was commandeered to transport Allied troops and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean and within the Mediterranean Sea, its precious cargo used as ballast. Despite the dangerous missions, both the ship and the Golden Boy made it at last to New York. The statue was then shipped by train to Winnipeg and placed atop the Legislative Building on November 21, 1919. With this installation, the tip of its torch was the tallest point in Winnipeg in 1919.

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Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians of the Past

This entry is part 15 of 15 in the series Vol 43 No 1 (Spring)

Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians of the Past

Sarah Ramsland: Pioneer in Politics and Library Service After winning a by-election caused by the unexpected death of her husband, Sarah Katherine Ramsland became Saskatchewan’s first woman MLA in 1919. Serving until her defeat in 1925, Ramsland then made the transition into the province’s Legislative Library from 1926 to 1930. Noted for her dignity, firmness, and forthrightness, Ramsland is celebrated in Saskatchewan for her pioneering role as first female MLA, her pioneering contributions to library services, and for keeping her watchful eye on the Library Reading Room for one hundred years!

Melissa K. Bennet
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Sketches of Parliament

This entry is part 13 of 13 in the series Vol 42 No. 4 (Winter)

Sketches of Parliament

War Hero Charles Rutherford

David Bogart, a communications officer with the Legislative Assembly’s parliamentary protocol office, often leads tours of the building. In a conversation with journalists from the Toronto Star he revealed that he once had a medium on tour who sensed a spirit named Charles. Further research led Bogart to conclude that the spirit haunting the legislature was none other than Charles Rutherford.

Born in Colbourne, Ontario, in 1892, Rutherford was a member of the 23rd Battalion during the First World War. He earned multiple military medals during his service, including the Victoria Cross for bravery. Known for his sharp wit and ability to lead assault parties, he was also the last surviving Canadian soldier to receive the medal of valour for the Great War. Some have qualified him as a “regimental soldier,” and others as a scowling man in a red military uniform. He is rumored to haunt the main staircase.

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Lawrence O’Connor Doyle – Wit and Beheader of Eagles?

This entry is part 13 of 14 in the series Vol 42 No. 3 (Fall)

Lawrence O’Connor Doyle – Wit and Beheader of Eagles?

One of the wittiest parliamentarians to emerge from Nova Scotia, and possibly all of Canada, Lawrence O’Connor Doyle had a sharp tongue that kept his colleagues in stitches. In this article, the author relates some of the most well-remembered of his offerings, some perhaps more mythic than others.

Lawrence O’Connor Doyle was born in Halifax on February 27, 1804 and was a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1832-1840 and 1843-1855. In 1848, he was appointed a member of the first responsible executive in the British Colonies. He was a strong supporter of parliamentary reform and introduced bills and resolutions that helped Nova Scotia win responsible government. Some of these measures included: opening the Legislative Council to the public; advocating for elections every four years instead of every seven years; and fighting for fishermen to have the same right to vote as farmers did. The purpose of this sketch is not to highlight his political career, but to describe some of his antics. The great orator, Joseph Howe, who was also his friend and fellow reformer, said that Doyle “was the wittiest man he had ever heard or read of.” Howe’s letters indicate that “ten thousand of [Doyle’s] jokes are scattered about the Province.”

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Sam Johnston, First First Nations Speaker in Canada

This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series Vol 42 No. 2 (Summer)

Sam Johnston, First First Nations Speaker in Canada

Samuel (Sam) Johnston, of the Teslin Tlingit, holds a unique place in Canadian history as the first First Nations person to be elected Speaker in Yukon and in Canada. He was also instrumental in the development of land claims and First Nation self-government agreements between First Nations, and the governments of Yukon and Canada.

Caitilín O’Hare

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Stranger Things: Peculiar Sessional Papers in Alberta

This entry is part 11 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

Stranger Things: Peculiar Sessional Papers in Alberta

When parliamentarians table material in legislative assemblies, you would likely expect to see some letter or legal-size papers. But there have been some interesting and novel items that have made it into Sessional Paper collections over the years. In this article, the author tells the story behind Alberta’s quirkiest sessional papers.

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Purrliament Hill: The Capital Cat Colony

This entry is part 1 of 15 in the series Vol 41 No. 4 (Winter)

Purrliament Hill: The Capital Cat Colony

There are certain “must see” attractions on Parliament Hill: the Peace Tower, the Parliamentary Library, statues of prime ministers and other famous people in Canadian History… and the cats. For decades the Parliament Hill Cat Colony drew hundreds of curious onlookers and devoted fans of felines every day. Initially brought to the Hill for pest control, the cats eventually enjoyed a life of relative leisure. These well-fed and well-cared kitties spent their time sunning themselves and capturing the hearts of parliamentarians, staff, and visitors and tourists. In this article, we celebrate the Cat Colony (and Sanctuary) of Parliament Hill. Although no longer in existence, memories of these friendly, furry felines will not soon fade away..

During a vigorous debate on the floor of the House of Commons or Senate, parliamentarians might verbally fight like cats and dogs. But for almost a hundred years (or more), actual cats enjoyed a peaceful existence just a short distance away from these chambers.

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The Pink Palace and Parliamentary Green

This entry is part 2 of 9 in the series Vol 41 No. 3 (Autumn)

The Pink Palace and Parliamentary Green

Associations with royalty, the ‘common man,’ or life and fertility; the demands of television; and personal (or partisan) preference. There are many reasons why Canadian legislatures are decorated with certain shades and hues. In this article, the authors explain why Ontario’s Pink Palace is filled with parliamentary green and how some other Assemblies have used the colour wheel when decorating

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Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians Past

This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Vol 41 No. 2 (Summer)

Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians Past

Now you see it, now you…won’t!: The growing porticoes, disappearing wings, and secret attics of PEI’s Province House

Prince Edward Island’s Province House was very much a work-in-progress as it was being built – with budgets and popular opinion changing the scope of the project several times and leaving some quirky architectural features. But it has stood the test of time for over 170 years and ongoing renovations mean it will be preserved for many more.

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