Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

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Legislative Council of Canada

Conseil législatif de la Province du Canada
Type
Type
History
FoundedFebruary 10, 1841 (1841-02-10)
DisbandedJuly 1, 1867 (1867-07-01)
Preceded byLegislative Council of Lower Canada
Legislative Council of Upper Canada
Succeeded bySenate of Canada (federally)
none in Ontario
Legislative Council of Quebec

The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada (French: Conseil législatif de la province du 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,[1] and implementing legislation was passed by the Province of Canada in 1856.[2] It was provided that:

  • The present appointed councillors would continue to hold their positions until they had vacated them.[3]
  • 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[edit]

† = died in office ‡ = elected in byelection # = resigned from office ↑ = elected by acclamation ↓ = unseated

Member District Start End Appointed Elected Appointed to the Senate of Canada Appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec
Augustus Warren Baldwin Canada West 1841 1841 Green tickY
John Hamilton Canada West 1841 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
James Crooks Canada West 1841 1860 Green tickY
William Morris Canada West 1841 1858† Green tickY
John Macaulay Canada West 1841 1857† Green tickY
Adam Fergusson Canada West 1841 1862 Green tickY
Peter Boyle de Blaquière Canada West 1841 1860† Green tickY
Alexander Fraser Canada West 1841 1853† Green tickY
Thomas McKay Canada West 1841 1855† Green tickY
Robert Sympson Jameson Canada West 1841 1853 Green tickY
John McDonald Canada West 1841 1843 Green tickY
Robert Baldwin Sullivan Canada West 1841 1851 Green tickY
René-Édouard Caron Canada East 1841 1857 Green tickY
François-Pierre Bruneau Canada East 1841 1851† Green tickY
Antoine-Olivier Berthelet Canada East 1841 1841# Green tickY
Philip Henry Moore Canada East 1841 1867 Green tickY
Jules-Maurice Quesnel Canada East 1841 1842† Green tickY
Gabriel Roy Canada East 1841 1848† Green tickY
Barthélemy Joliette Canada East 1841 1850† Green tickY
Peter McGill Canada East 1841 1860† Green tickY
Adam Ferrie Canada East 1841 1863 Green tickY
Paul Holland Knowlton Canada East 1841 1863† Green tickY
George Pemberton Canada East 1841 1849 Green tickY
Étienne Mayrand Canada East 1841 1841# Green tickY
John Fraser Canada East 1841 1843# Green tickY
Jean-Baptiste Taché Canada East 1841 1849† Green tickY
Joseph Dionne Canada East 1842 1859 Green tickY
William Walker Canada East 1842 1863† Green tickY
Amable Dionne Canada East 1842 1852† Green tickY
George Jervis Goodhue Canada West 1842 1867 Green tickY
Levius Peters Sherwood Canada West 1842 1850† Green tickY
Louis Massue Canada East 1843 1851[4] Green tickY
Pierre-Amable Boucher de Boucherville Canada East 1843 1857† Green tickY
René-Joseph Kimber Canada East 1843 1843† Green tickY
Christopher Widmer Canada West 1843 1858† Green tickY
Jacob Æmilius Irving Canada West 1843 1856† Green tickY
William Henry Draper Canada West 1843 1844 Green tickY
John Neilson Canada East 1844 1848† Green tickY
James Morris Canada West 1844 1865† Green tickY
James Gordon Canada West 1845 1865† Green tickY
James Ferrier Canada East 1847 1867 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey Canada West 1847 1857 Green tickY
Roderick Matheson Canada West 1847 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
George Strange Boulton Canada West 1847 1867 Green tickY
Denis-Benjamin Viger Canada East 1848 1858 Green tickY
James Leslie Canada East 1848 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Étienne-Paschal Taché Canada East 1848 1865† Green tickY
Frédéric-Auguste Quesnel Canada East 1848 1866† Green tickY
Joseph Bourret Canada East 1848 1859† Green tickY
Georges-René Saveuse de Beaujeu Canada East 1848 1865† Green tickY
Louis Méthot Canada East 1848 1857 Green tickY
Joseph-Ovide Turgeon Canada East 1848 1857† Green tickY
John Ross Canada West 1848 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Samuel Crane Canada West 1849 1858 Green tickY
Samuel Sylvester Mills Canada West 1849 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Robert Jones Canada East 1849 1850# Green tickY
Louis Panet Canada East 1852 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Charles Wilson Canada East 1852 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau Canada East 1852 1867 Green tickY
Benjamin Seymour Canada West 1854 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
David Morrison Armstrong Canada East 1855 1867 Green tickY
Eusèbe Cartier Canada East 1855 1862† Green tickY
Joseph Légaré Canada East 1855 1855† Green tickY
Walter Hamilton Dickson Canada West 1855 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Ebenezer Perry Canada West 1855 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Marc-Pascal de Sales Laterrière Laurentides 1856 1864 Green tickY
Elzéar-Henri Juchereau Duchesnay Lauzon 1856 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
John Simpson Queen's 1856 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
James Patton Saugeen 1856 1862[5] Green tickY
Hollis Smith Wellington 1856 1863† Green tickY
Isidore-Édouard-Candide Masson Thousand Islands 1856 1864 Green tickY
Louis Renaud Salaberry 1856 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Louis-Antoine Dessaulles Rougemont 1856 1863 Green tickY Green tickY
Philip Michael Matthew Scott VanKoughnet Rideau 1856 1862 Green tickY
Harmannus Smith Burlington 1856 1864 Green tickY
Edmund Murney Trent 1856 1861† Green tickY
John Prince Western 1857 1860[6] Green tickY
Joseph-François Armand Alma 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
George Crawford St. Lawrence 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Alexander Campbell Cataraqui 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
David Christie Erie 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Ulric-Joseph Tessier Gulf 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Alexandre-Édouard Kierzkowski Montarville 1858 1861↓ Green tickY
Jean-Baptiste Guévremont Sorel 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Pierre-Urgel Archambault Repentigny 1858 1867 Green tickY
Édouard-Louis-Antoine-Charles Juchereau Duchesnay La Salle 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
George Alexander Gore 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
George William Allan York 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Donald McDonald Tecumseth 1858 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
James Shaw Bathurst 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Robert Unwin Harwood Rigaud 1860 1863 Green tickY
David Reesor King's 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Asa Belknap Foster Bedford 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
William Hamilton Merritt Niagara 1860 1862† Green tickY
Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair Brock 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Pierre-Gabriel Huot Stadacona 1860 1861↓ Green tickY Green tickY
Luc Letellier de St-Just Grandville 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
John Hamilton Inkerman 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Jean-Baptiste-Georges Proulx La Vallière 1860 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Malcolm Cameron St. Clair 1860 1863[7] Green tickY
Allan Napier MacNab Western 1860 1862† Green tickY
Andrew Jeffrey Newcastle 1860 1863 Green tickY
Louis Lacoste Montarville 1861‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Sidney Smith Trent 1861 1863# Green tickY
Charles-François-Xavier Baby Stadacona 1861‡ 1864† Green tickY
James Cox Aikins Home 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Thomas H. Bennett[8] Eastern 1862 1867 Green tickY
William McMaster Midland 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Jacques-Olivier Bureau Lorimier 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Elijah Leonard Malahide 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Charles-Christophe Malhiot Shawinigan 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
François-Xavier Lemieux La Durantaye 1862 1864† Green tickY
Alexandre Bareil, dit Lajoie Lanaudière 1862 1862† Green tickY
Luther Hamilton Holton Victoria 1862 1863[9] Green tickY Green tickY
Robert Read Quinte 1862 1867 Green tickY
John McMurrich Saugeen 1862‡ 1864 Green tickY Green tickY
Charles Cormier Kennebec 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
James Currie Niagara 1862 1866# Green tickY
Walter McCrea Western 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
James Skead Rideau 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Oliver Blake Thames 1862 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Louis Auguste Olivier Lanaudière 1863‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Alexander Vidal St. Clair 1863 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
John Sewell Sanborn Wellington 1863<↑ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Thomas Ryan Victoria 1863‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Billa Flint Trent 1863‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Eustache Prud'homme Rigaud 1863‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Asa Burnham Newcastle 1863 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
William Henry Chaffers Rougemont 1864 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
David Edward Price Laurentides 1864 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Joseph-Noël Bossé La Durantaye 1864‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Jean-Élie Gingras Stadacona 1864‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Léandre Dumouchel Thousand Islands 1864‡ 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
David Lewis Macpherson Saugeen 1864 1867 Green tickY Green tickY
Harcourt Burland Bull Burlington 1864 1867 Green tickY Green tickY

Speakers of the Legislative Council[edit]

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."[10]

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.[11][failed verification]

Picture Name Party Term Notes
Robert Sympson Jameson 1841-1843 First Speaker of the Legislative Council
Peter McGill 1843-1847, 1848-1853 Mayor of Montreal from 1840 to 1842
René-Édouard Caron 1843-1847; 1848-1853
James Morris 1853-1854; 1858
John Ross 1854-1856
Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché Blue 1856-1857
Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau Blue 1857-1858; 1858-1862
Sir Allan MacNab Conservative 1862
Sir Alexander Campbell Conservative 1863
Ulric-Joseph Tessier Liberal 1863-1866

Parliament Buildings[edit]

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.
  • 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 Montmercy; 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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ An Act to empower the Legislature of Canada to alter the Constitution of the Legislative Council for that Province, and for other Purposes, (UK) 17 & 18 Vict., c. 118
  2. ^ An Act to change the Constitution of the Legislative Council by rendering the same Elective, S.Prov.C. 1856, c. 140
  3. ^ subject to the terms provided in An Act to re-unite the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, and for the Government of Canada, 3 & 4 Vict., c. 35, s. 5-8
  4. ^ resigned to accept appointment to government office
  5. ^ appointed Solicitor-General for Canada West
  6. ^ appointed judge
  7. ^ appointed Queen's printer
  8. ^ father of John Bennett
  9. ^ appointed Minister of Finance
  10. ^ Journals of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada ... being the first session, of the first provincial Parliament, 1841. 1841. p. 22. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Library Of Parliament, Canada (1858). Catalogue - Library of Parliament. pp. 1656–1657.

External links[edit]