The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada () was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario. It was created by The Union Act of 1840. With the lower house, the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, the two houses constituted the Parliament of the Province of Canada.
The first session of parliament began in Kingston in Canada West in 1841. It succeeded the Legislative Council of Lower Canada and Legislative Council of Upper Canada.
The 24 legislative councillors were originally appointed for life. In 1854, the British Parliament authorized their election, and implementing legislation was passed by the Province of Canada in 1856. It was provided that:
The present appointed councillors would continue to hold their positions until they had vacated them.subject to the terms provided in Members were to be elected for eight-year terms from each of 48 divisions (24 in each of Canada East and Canada West). The order in which divisions were to be selected for elections was to be determined by lot. 12 members were elected every two years from 1856 to 1862.
The British North America Act, 1867 divided the Province of Canada into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, each with representation in the unelected Senate of Canada. As a province, Ontario never created a Legislative Council; however, Quebec had its own Legislative Council until 1968. Both the provincial and federal upper houses used (and, in the case of the Senate, continues to use to the present day) the same 24 divisions for Quebec as had been used for Canada East by the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada prior to Confederation.
List of legislative councillors = died in office = elected in byelection = resigned from office = elected by acclamation = unseated
MemberElectoral divisionTermAppointedElectedAppointed post ConfederationStartEndSenate of CanadaLegislative Councilof Quebec Canada West 1841 1867 Canada West 1841 1860 Canada West 1841 1858 Canada West 1841 1857 Canada West 1841 1862 Canada West 1841 1860 Canada West 1841 1853 Canada West 1841 1855 Canada West 1841 1853 Canada West 1841 1843 Canada West 1841 1851 Canada East 1841 1857 Canada East 1841 1851 Canada East 1841 1841 Canada East 1841 1867 Canada East 1841 1842 Canada East 1841 1848 Canada East 1841 1850 Canada East 1841 1860 Canada East 1841 1863 Canada East 1841 1863 Canada East 1841 1849 Canada East 1841 1841 Canada East 1841 1843 Canada East 1841 1849 Canada East 1842 1859 Canada East 1842 1863 Canada East 1842 1852 Canada West 1842 1867 Canada West 1842 1850 Canada East 1843 1851resigned to accept appointment to government office Canada East 1843 1857 Canada East 1843 1843 Canada West 1843 1858 Canada West 1843 1856 Canada West 1843 1844 Canada East 1844 1848 Canada West 1844 1865 Canada West 1845 1865 Canada East 1847 1867 Canada West 1847 1857 Canada West 1847 1867 Canada West 1847 1867 Canada East 1848 1858 Canada East 1848 1867 Canada East 1848 1865 Canada East 1848 1866 Canada East 1848 1859 Canada East 1848 1865 Canada East 1848 1857 Canada East 1848 1857 Canada West 1848 1867 Canada West 1849 1858 Canada West 1849 1867 Canada East 1849 1850 Canada East 1852 1867 Canada East 1852 1867 Canada East 1852 1867 Canada West 1854 1867 Canada East 1855 1867 Canada East 1855 1862 Canada East 1855 1855 Canada West 1855 1867 Canada West 1855 1867 Laurentides 1856 1864 Lauzon 1856 1867 Queen's 1856 1867 Saugeen 1856 1862appointed Solicitor-General for Canada West Wellington 1856 1863 Thousand Islands 1856 1864 Salaberry 1856 1867 Rougemont 1856 1863 Rideau 1856 1862 Burlington 1856 1864 Trent 1856 1861 Western 1857 1860appointed judge Alma 1858 1867 St. Lawrence 1858 1867 Cataraqui 1858 1867 Erie 1858 1867 Gulf 1858 1867 Montarville 1858 1861 Sorel 1858 1867 Repentigny 1858 1867 La Salle 1858 1867 Gore 1858 1867 York 1858 1867 Tecumseth 1858 1867 Bathurst 1860 1867 Rigaud 1860 1863 King's 1860 1867 Bedford 1860 1867 Niagara 1860 1862 Brock 1860 1867 Stadacona 1860 1861 Grandville 1860 1867 Inkerman 1860 1867 La Vallière 1860 1867 St. Clair 1860 1863appointed Queen's printer Western 1860 1862 Newcastle 1860 1863 Montarville 1861 1867 Trent 1861 1863 Stadacona 1861 1864 Home 1862 1867 father of Eastern 1862 1867 Midland 1862 1867 Lorimier 1862 1867 Malahide 1862 1867 Shawinigan 1862 1867 La Durantaye 1862 1864 Lanaudière 1862 1862 Victoria 1862 1863appointed Minister of Finance Quinte 1862 1867 Saugeen 1862 1864 Kennebec 1862 1867 Niagara 1862 1866 Western 1862 1867 Rideau 1862 1867 Thames 1862 1867 Lanaudière 1863 1867 St. Clair 1863 1867 Wellington 1863< 1867 Victoria 1863 1867 Trent 1863 1867 Rigaud 1863 1867 Newcastle 1863 1867 Rougemont 1864 1867 Laurentides 1864 1867 La Durantaye 1864 1867 Stadacona 1864 1867 Thousand Islands 1864 1867 Saugeen 1864 1867 Burlington 1864 1867
Speakers of the Legislative Council The Speaker was the presiding officer of the Legislative Council, and was appointed by the Queen-in-Council. He was styled "The Honourable, the Vice-Chancellor, Speaker."
The office was preceded by the Speaker of Legislative Council of Upper Canada and Speaker of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada. The following table displays the names and political parties of the Speakers between 1841 and 1866.
Picture Name Party Term NotesRobert Sympson Jameson1841-1843First Speaker of the Legislative Council Peter McGill1843-1847, 1848-1853Mayor of Montreal from 1840 to 1842René-Édouard Caron1843-1847; 1848-1853James Morris 1853-1854; 1858John Ross 1854-1856Sir Étienne-Paschal TachéBlue1856-1857Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau Blue1857-1858; 1858-1862Sir Allan MacNabConservative1862 Sir Alexander Campbell Conservative1863Ulric-Joseph Tessier Liberal1863-1866
Parliament Buildings
The Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada sat a various buildings in Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa:
1841-1843 three sessions were held at the 3 storey Kingston General Hospital 1843 Parliament moves to Montreal and sites at renovated St. Anne's Market; burned down in 1849; rebuilt as market only and burned down again in 1902; site later as parking lot and now public square called Place d'Youville. 1849 temporary sites for Parliament at Bonsecours Market and the Freemason's Hall, Montreal for single session. The Legislative Council sat once at the old Trinity Anglican Church across from Market on rue Saint Paul. Built in 1840, it was sold after the church moved to rue Gosford and sold and replaced by a building for merchant A. W. Hood in 1861 and currently used as a hotel. 1849-1850 Parliament returns to Toronto to the site of the Third Parliament Buildings at Front and Simcoe Street. 1851 Parliament relocates to Quebec City in 1851 to the Quebec Parliament Building until fire in destroys the building in 1854. 1854-1859 Parliament remains in Quebec and relocates to Quebec Music Hall and Quebec City Courthouse. 1859 Parliament return to Toronto to the site of the last parliament held there in 1849-1851 sessions. 1860-1865 Parliament returns to Quebec and new Parliament Buildings, Quebec at Parc Montmorency; re-used as Parliament of Quebec 1867-1883 1866-1867 Parliament locates in Ottawa on Parliament Hill to the completed and original Centre Block, as well as the East and West Block; Centre Block was later destroyed by fire
See also List of by-elections to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
References
External links Assemblée nationale du Québec (French)