The Canadian General Election of 1896 in Nova Scotia

Abstract

During the first quarter century after Confederation, Nova Scotians showed a curious ambivalence in their support of federal and provincial political parties. Most outstanding was their support for the Liberal party in the 1886 provincial election and in 1887 their affirmation of the federal Conservative party. The same dichotomy appeared in the 1890 and 1891 elections. The election of 1896, however, was a new development. The province divided evenly; each party returned ten members to the Dominion Parliament . In the election of 1896 the leaders of both Nova Scotian political parties, W.S. Fielding and Sir Charles Tupper, had been influential in the determination of the policies of their respective national parties. Both sought Nova Scotia's destiny within the framework of the Canadian nation. The general purpose of this dissertation is to examine the stand which both Nova Scotian parties adopted on two particular national issues: the Manitoba School Question and the trade and tariff policies. Chapter one deals with the alignment of the Nova Scotian press during a period of relative stability. Chapter two analyses the campaign of Sir Charles Tupper in the Cape Breton by-election. Dominion politics were now forcefully brought to the attention or the Nova Scotian electorate . Chapter three shows the adaptation of national issues to Nova Scotian politics before the prorogation of Parliament. Chapter four outlines the electoral platforms of both parties and chapter five is a study in greater depth of selected constituencies. The purpose of the thesis is not to explain who won individual electoral contests. Rather, it is to examine the general Nova Scotian attitude toward national issues. An examination which is long overdue.