Special Council of Lower Canada

Last updated
Special Council of Lower Canada
Type
Type
History
Founded1838 (1838)
Disbanded1841 (1841)
Preceded by Parliament of Lower Canada
Succeeded by Parliament of the Province of Canada

The Special Council of Lower Canada was an appointed body which administered Lower Canada until the Union Act of 1840 created the Province of Canada. Following the Lower Canada Rebellion, on March 27, 1838, the Constitutional Act of 1791 was suspended and both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council were dissolved.

Contents

The Act of Union united Upper and Lower Canada into a single province with a single parliament, consisting of an upper and lower house. Upon the first meeting of this parliament, the Special Council was dissolved.

In November 1839, the Special Council approved proposals made by Governor Sydenham for the union of the two Canadas.

There were three Special Councils:

Lists of Members of the Special Council

First Special Council
James Cuthbert
Toussaint Pothier
Charles-Étienne Chaussegros de Léry
James Stuart
Peter McGill
Marc-Pascal de Sales Laterrière
Barthélemy Joliette
Pierre de Rastel de Rocheblave
John Neilson
Amable Dionne
Samuel Gerrard
Jules-Maurice Quesnel
William Plenderleath Christie
Charles-Eusèbe Casgrain
William Walker
Joseph-Édouard Faribault
John Molson Jr.
Étienne Mayrand
Paul Holland Knowlton
Turton Penn
Joseph Dionne
Ichabod Smith
Thomas Brown Anderson
Thomas Austin [1]
Second Special Council
Charles Paget
James Macdonell
Charles Buller
George Couper
Charles Grey
John Clitherow [2]
Arthur William Buller [3]
Third Special Council
James Cuthbert
Toussaint Pothier
Charles-Étienne Chaussegros de Léry
James Stuart [4]
Peter McGill
Marc-Pascal de Sales Laterrière
Barthélemy Joliette
Pierre de Rastel de Rocheblave [5]
John Neilson
Amable Dionne
Samuel Gerrard
Jules-Maurice Quesnel
William Plenderleath Christie
Charles-Eusèbe Casgrain
William Walker
Joseph-Édouard Faribault
John Molson Jr.
Étienne Mayrand
Paul Holland Knowlton
Turton Penn
Joseph Dionne
Ichabod Smith
Thomas Austin
Dominique Mondelet
George Moffatt
Robert Unwin Harwood [6]
Edward Hale (uncle) [6]
Edward Hale (nephew) [7]
John Wainwright [7]
Jean-Baptiste Taché [8]
Dominick Daly [9]
Charles Richard Ogden [9]
Frederick George Heriot [9]
Henry Black [10]
Charles Dewey Day [11]

Presiding Officer

The presiding member of the Special Council acted as Speaker. [12]

Meeting Venue

In 1838 the Council met at Government House in Montreal [13] and also at Quebec City. [14] From 1839 to 1841 the Council met in Montreal only.

See also

Notes

  1. named to Council April 27, 1838
  2. named to council July 9, 1838
  3. named to council August 22, 1838
  4. named to council on November 11, 1839
  5. died October 5, 1840
  6. 1 2 named to council August 1, 1839
  7. 1 2 named to council September 19, 1839
  8. named to council September 30, 1839
  9. 1 2 3 named to council April 16, 1840
  10. named to council April 18, 1840
  11. named to council May 23, 1840
  12. Journals of the Special Council of the Province of Lower Canada. Montreal: A. H. Armour and H. Ramsay. 1838–1841.
  13. Journals of the Special Council of the Province of Lower Canada. Vol. 1. Montreal: A. H. Armour and H. Ramsay. 1838. p. 1.
  14. Journals of the Special Council of the Province of Lower Canada. Vol. 2. Montreal: A. H. Armour and H. Ramsay. 1838. p. 3.


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