Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Legislative Council of Upper Canada

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Founded
  
1791 (1791)

Disbanded
  
1841 (1841)

Type
  
Upper house of the Parliament of Upper Canada

Preceded by
  
Council for the Affairs of the Province of Quebec

Succeeded by
  
Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist of at least seven members. Members were appointed for life but could be dropped for non-attendance. The first nine members of the council were appointed on 12 July 1792. The speaker was usually the Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench. The Legislative Council was dissolved on 10 February 1841 when Upper and Lower Canada were united into the Province of Canada. Some members were reappointed to the Legislative Council of the united Province.

Contents

Unlike the other three provinces that would initially make up the Dominion of Canada, a provincial Legislative Council was not re-established for Ontario when the province entered Confederation in 1867.

List of Members of the Legislative Council

Notes:

  1. Jacob Mountain was the Bishop of Quebec; he never attended a session but was not dropped.
  2. Angus McIntosh never attended a session but was not dropped; he returned to Scotland in 1831.
  3. James Gordon was re-appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada in October 1845.
  4. Alexander Grant, Jr. and Abraham Nelles did not attend after 1832.

Speakers

The Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench was usually the Speaker of the Council:

  • William Osgoode 1792–1794
  • Peter Russell 1795–1796
  • John Elmsley 1796–1802
  • Henry Allcock 1803–1806
  • Thomas Scott 1806–1816
  • William Dummer Powell 1816–1825
  • William Campbell (jurist) 1825–1829
  • Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto 1829–1840
  • Jonas Jones April 1839–June 1840 (interim)

    • Buildings housing the Legislative Council

    The Legislative Council sat in the same building as the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada:

  • Navy Hall at Newark (1792)
  • first (1793–1813) and second (1820–1824) Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada at York
  • residence of the Chief Justice of Upper Canada (1813–1820)
  • old York County Court House on King between Toronto and Church Streets (1829–1832)
  • ballroom of York Hotel at York - one session 1813
  • York General Hospital (1824–1829)
  • third Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada (1832–1840)

    • Meeting Places

  • St. George's Church, Kingston - July 1792; Church demolished 1825 (replaced with St. George's Cathedral), site now Kingston Market Square across from Kingston Custom House (294 King Street East)
  • In a tent and later at Navy Hall or Freemasons Hall in Newark - September 1792 – 1796
  • Various buildings that housed Parliament at York - 1797-1841

    • References

    Legislative Council of Upper Canada Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


    Similar Topics