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| 2nd Parliament of Canada | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Majority parliament | |||
| 5 March 1873 – 2 January 1874 | |||
 | |||
| Parliament leaders | |||
| Prime Minister | Rt Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald 1 Jul 1867 – 5 Nov 1873 | ||
| Rt Hon. Alexander Mackenzie 7 Nov 1873 – 8 Oct 1878 | |||
| Cabinets | 1st Canadian Ministry 2nd Canadian Ministry | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | Alexander Mackenzie March 6, 1873 – November 5, 1873 | ||
| Sir John A. Macdonald November 6, 1873 – October 16, 1878 | |||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | Conservative Party & Liberal-Conservative | ||
| Opposition | Liberal Party* | ||
| * The Liberal Party briefly formed government at the end of the 2nd Parliament. | |||
| House of Commons | |||
 Seating arrangements of the House of Commons | |||
| Speaker of the Commons | Hon. James Cockburn November 6, 1867 – March 5, 1874 | ||
| Members | 200 seats MP seats List of members | ||
| Senate | |||
| Speaker of the Senate | The Hon. Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau February 21, 1872 – January 8, 1874 | ||
| Government Senate Leader | Alexander Campbell July 1, 1867 – November 5, 1873 | ||
| Luc Letellier de St-Just November 5, 1873 – December 14, 1876 | |||
| Opposition Senate Leader | Alexander Campbell November 7, 1873 – October 8, 1878 | ||
| Senators | 79 seats senator seats List of senators | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Victoria 1 July 1867 – 22 Jan. 1901 | ||
| Governor General | The Earl of Dufferin 25 June 1872 – 25 Nov. 1878 | ||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st session March 5, 1873 – August 13, 1873 | |||
| 2nd session October 23, 1873 – November 7, 1873 | |||
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The 2nd Canadian Parliament was in session from March 5, 1873, until January 2, 1874. The membership was set by the 1872 federal election from July 20 to October 12, 1872, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1874 election. Among the by-elections were the first election of PEI MPs, PEI joining Confederation in 1873.
It was first controlled by a Conservative/Liberal-Conservative majority under Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald and the 1st Canadian Ministry. The Official Opposition was the Liberal Party, led by Alexander Mackenzie. After a scandal in the Conservative Party, the Liberals took power, forming the 2nd Canadian Ministry. Alexander Mackenzie, now Prime Minister, immediately called an election.
The Speaker was James Cockburn. See also List of Canadian electoral districts 1872-1873 for a list of the ridings in this parliament.
The unusual case of a new party taking control of the government between elections has only happened in the federal government twice; the other occasion was in the 15th Canadian parliament.
There were 2 sessions of the 2nd Parliament:
| Session | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | March 5, 1873 | August 13, 1873 |
| 2nd | October 23, 1873 | November 7, 1873 |