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The Province of Canada was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of 1837–1838.
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 5th Parliament of the Province of Canada was summoned in August 1854, following the general election for the Legislative Assembly in July 1854. The number of seats in the Assembly had been increased by the 4th Parliament of the Province of Canada to 130, 65 for each section. Sessions were held in Quebec City until 1856 and then in Toronto. The Parliament was dissolved in November 1857.
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.
From 1708 to 1926, members of parliament (MPs) of the House of Commons of Great Britain automatically vacated their seats when made ministers in government and had to successfully contest a by-election in order to rejoin the House; such ministerial by-elections were imported into the constitutions of several colonies of the British Empire, where they were likewise all abolished by the mid-20th century. The requirement of MPs to rejoin the House upon ministerial appointment arose from 17th-century ideas of the independence of the House from the influence of the Crown, which appoints the ministers. Unlike in the United States, whose constitution took such ideas to the extreme by fully separating the executive and legislative branches, support for some royal patronage meant that whilst MPs were barred from keeping their seats when made ministers, ministers holding an existing portfolio were not required to surrender their office when elected as an MP. This resulted in a compromise where newly-appointed ministers had to resign from the House, but could keep their office if they won a by-election back into it.
Champlain was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada East. It was on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, with the town of Champlain being the main centre of the district.
Edmund Fuller Murney was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada. He represented Hastings in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada from 1836 to 1841 and in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1842 to 1848 and from 1852 to 1856 as a Conservative member.
Robert Jones was a political figure in Canada East, in the Province of Canada. He represented Missiskoui in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1844. He also served as a member of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada from 1832 to 1838 and the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada from 1849 to 1850.
Montreal was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada East. It was created in 1841 and included much of the city of Montreal. Its boundaries were specifically drawn by the British Governor General, Lord Sydenham, to include voters of British background, disenfranchising francophone Canadien voters, an example of an ethnic and linguistic gerrymander. Sydenham's purpose was to gain support in the Legislative Assembly for the new Province of Canada, which had merged the formerly separate provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada.
Rimouski was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada East, in the Lower-Saint Lawrence region. It was created in 1841 and was based on the previous electoral district of the same name for the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. It was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly.
Rouville was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada East, in a rural area south of Montreal. It was created in 1841 and was based on the previous electoral district of the same name for the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. It was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly.
Quebec City was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada East. It was created in 1841 and included much of Quebec City. Its boundaries were specifically drawn by the British Governor General, Lord Sydenham, to include voters of British background, disenfranchising francophone Canadien voters, an example of an ethnic and linguistic gerrymander. Sydenham's purpose was to gain support in the Legislative Assembly for the new Province of Canada, which had merged the formerly separate provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada, as well as his government.
Hastings was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada West. Based on Hastings County, it fronted on the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario and extended north. It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
London was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada West. It was created in 1851, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. London was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly. It was abolished in 1867, upon the creation of Canada and the province of Ontario.
Russell was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada West. It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Russell was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly. It was abolished in 1867, upon the creation of Canada and the province of Ontario.
Toronto was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of the Province of Canada, in Canada West. It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Toronto was represented by two members in the Legislative Assembly. It was abolished in 1867, upon the creation of Canada and the province of Ontario.
References
- http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/patrimoine/chronologie/index.html
- Côté, George Oliver (1860). Political appointments and elections in the province of Canada. 1841 to 1860. St. Michael & Darveau.
- Côté, George Oliver (1866). Political appointments and elections in the province of Canada. 1841 to 1865. G.E. Desbarats.
- Forman, Debra Legislators and Legislatures of Ontario: A Reference Guide. Legislative Library of Ontario Research and Information Services, 1984
