The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

for the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, which consisted of the former provinces of

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...

, then known as Canada East and later the province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, and

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North Americ ...

, then known as Canada West and later the province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. It was created by The Union Act of 1840. Canada East and Canada West each elected 42 members to the assembly. The

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of the legislature was called the Legislative Council. The first session of parliament began in Kingston in Canada West in 1841. The second parliament and the first sessions of the third parliament were held in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

. On April 25, 1849, rioters protesting the Rebellion Losses Bill burned the parliament buildings. The remaining sessions of the third parliament were held in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Subsequent parliaments were held in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

and Toronto, except for the last session June-August 1866 of the eighth and final parliament, which was held in the newly built Parliament building in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, the capital chosen for the Dominion of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. The

British North America Act The British North America Acts 1867–1975 are a series of Acts of Parliament that were at the core of the constitution of Canada. Most were enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and some by the Parliament of Canada. In Canada, some ...

of 1867 divided the Province of Canada into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, each province having its own Legislative Assembly, as well as representation in the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, ...

Parliament Buildings

Parliament for the United Provinces of Canada drifted around the cities of Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa: * 1841–1843 three sessions were held at the 3 storey

Kingston General Hospital The Kingston General Hospital (KGH) site is an acute-care teaching hospital affiliated with Queen's University located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) site, these hospitals deliver health care services to ...

* 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 was a 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. * 1849–1850 Parliament returns to Toronto to the site of the Third Parliament Buildings at Front and Simcoe Streets. * 1851 Parliament relocates to

in 1851 to the Quebec Parliament Building until fire destroys the building in 1854. * 1854–1859 Parliament remains in Quebec City and relocates to Quebec Music Hall and Quebec City Courthouse. * 1859 Parliament returns to Toronto to the site of the last parliament held there in 1849-1851 sessions. * 1860–1865 Parliament returns to Quebec to the newly re-built Parliament Buildings, Quebec at Parc Montmorency; re-used as Parliament of the Province of Quebec 1867-1883 * 1866 Parliament locates in Ottawa on Parliament Hill to the completed and original Centre Block for one sitting June-August 1866, as well as the East and West Block; Centre Block was destroyed by fire in 1916.

List of Parliaments

1st Parliament of the Province of Canada The First Parliament of the Province of Canada was summoned in 1841, following the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada as the Province of Canada on February 10, 1841. The Parliament continued until dissolution in late 1844. The Parliament ...

1841–1843 *

2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada The 2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada was summoned in 1844, following the general elections for the Legislative Assembly in October 1844. It first met on November 28, 1844. It was dissolved in December 1847. All sessions were held at Mo ...

1844–1847 *

3rd Parliament of the Province of Canada The 3rd Parliament of the Province of Canada was summoned in 1848, following the general election for the Legislative Assembly in January 1848. The first session was held at Montreal, Canada East. In 1849, rioters protesting the Rebellion Losses B ...

1848–1851 * 4th Parliament of the Province of Canada 1852–1854 * 5th Parliament of the Province of Canada 1854–1857 * 6th Parliament of the Province of Canada 1858–1861 * 7th Parliament of the Province of Canada 1861–1863 * 8th Parliament of the Province of Canada 1863–1866

Speakers

The role of speaker began a tradition of alternating between English and French Canada. This tradition carried onto the role of the

Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada The speaker of the House of Commons (french: président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. A member of Parliament (MP), they are elected at the beginning of each new parliament ...

References

*''Upper Canadian politics in the 1850s'', Underhill (and others), University of Toronto Press (1967) *''Alfred Todd. General Index to the Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Parlaments 1852-1866. (Ottawa: Hunter Rose & Co., 1867)'' https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.9_00957/3.

External links

Ontario's parliament buildings ; or, A century of legislation, 1792-1892 : a historical sketch

Assemblée nationale du Québec (French)

CBC.ca - Canada's 1st Parliament dig
- unearthing of the old building in Montreal
Archival papers held at University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legislative Assembly Of The Province Of Canada Province of Canada * * 1840 establishments in Canada Canada, Province of

Parliament Buildings

List of Parliaments

Speakers

See also

References

External links