Parliament of the Province of Canada
| Parliament of the Province of Canada Parlement de la Province du Canada | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses |
Legislative Council Legislative Assembly |
| History | |
| Founded | February 10, 1841 |
| Disbanded | July 1, 1867 |
| Preceded by |
Special Council of Lower Canada Parliament of Upper Canada |
| Succeeded by |
Parliament of Canada (federally) Parliament of Ontario Legislature of Quebec |
The Parliament of the Province of Canada was the legislature for the United Province of Canada, made up the two regions of Canada West (formerly Upper Canada, later Ontario) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada, later Quebec). It was established by the Act of Union 1840 and replaced the two separate legislatures of Upper and Lower Canada, following the Rebellions of 1837 and Lord Durham's 1839 Report to the British Government recommending a legislative union between the two colonies.
As in other Westminster-style legislatures, it consisted of three components:
- The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, represented by the Governor General of the Province of Canada (the Queen-in-Parliament);
- The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada (the upper house); and the
- The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada (the lower house).
This legislature was convened eight times in its history:
- 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada 1841–1843
- 2nd Parliament of the Province of Canada 1844–1847
- 3rd Parliament of the Province of Canada 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
Following the Province of Canada's entry into Canadian Confederation on 1 July 1867, the Parliament of the Province of Canada ceased to exist. Because the new country of Canada was a federation, the Parliament's powers were divided between levels of government. Its section 91 powers were assigned to the current Parliament of Canada, while its section 92 powers were assigned to the current Parliament of Ontario (for Canada West) and the Legislature of Quebec (for Canada East).