The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the

Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. The lower house consisted of ele ...

. The legislative council was created by the '' Constitutional Act''. Many of the members first called in the Council in 1792 had served as councillors in the

Council for the Affairs of the Province of Quebec The Council for the Affairs of the Province of Quebec, more commonly called the Legislative Council of Quebec (but not to be confused with the later institution with that same name), was an advisory body constituted by section XII of the ''Quebec ...

. The council came to be dominated by the

Château Clique The Château Clique, or Clique du Château, was a group of wealthy families in Lower Canada in the early 19th century. They were the Lower Canadian equivalent of the Family Compact in Upper Canada. They were also known on the electoral scene ...

, members of the province's most powerful families who were generally interested in preserving the status quo. Both the upper and lower houses were dissolved on March 27, 1838 following the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southe ...

and Lower Canada was administered by an appointed Special Council. Following the Act of Union in 1840, the

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada 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 ...

was created in 1841.

Legislative buildings

Old Parliament Building (Quebec) Old Parliament Building (Quebec) was the site of the seat of government of Lower Canada (1791-1833), Canada West, Province of Canada and Quebec (1867-1883). It was located in what is Parc Montmorency today, the site of two Parliament buildings f ...

List of Members of the Legislative Council

Speakers

During much of the existence of the Legislative Council, the Chief Justice served as Speaker and others appointed to the role in absence of the Chief Justice.{{Cite web, url=http://eco.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.9_00943, title = Journals of the Legislative Council of the prov... - Canadiana Online * William Smith 1791-1793 *

William Osgoode William Osgoode (March 1754 – January 17, 1824) was the first Chief Justice of Upper Canada (now known as Ontario, Canada). Life and career He was born William Osgood in London, England, in 1754 to William Osgood (died 1767). His family wa ...

1794-1797 * Thomas Dunn 1797-1801 *

James Monk Sir James Monk (1745 – November 18, 1826) was Chief Justice of Lower Canada. Monk played a significant role in the abolition of slavery in British North America, when as Chief Justice he rendered a series of decisions regarding escaped ...

1802 *

John Elmsley John Elmsley (1762 – April 29, 1805) was Chief Justice of Upper Canada and afterwards Lower Canada. In both of the Canadas he served as President of the Executive Council and Speaker of the Legislative Council. During the Hunter administr ...

1803-1804 * Thomas Dunn 1805 * François Baby 1806 *

Henry Allcock Henry Allcock (baptised January 26, 1759 – February 22, 1808) was a judge and political figure in Upper and Lower Canada. His family was from Edgbaston and he was born in Birmingham, England in 1759 and studied law at Lincoln's Inn in Lon ...

1807-1808 * Thomas Dunn 1808 *

Jonathan Sewell Jonathan Sewell (born Jonathan Sewall; June 6, 1766 – November 11, 1839) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Lower Canada. Early life He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Jonathan Sewall, the last British attorney gen ...

1809-1810 * Thomas Dunn 1811-? * James Monk 1815-1816 * Jonathan Sewell 1817 * John Hale 1818 * Jonathan Sewell 1819-1826 * James Kerr 1827-1828 * Jonathan Sewell 1829-1830 * John Hale 1831 *

Sir John Caldwell Sir John Caldwell ( bap. 25 February 1775 – 26 October 1842) was a businessman and politician in Lower Canada and the only son of Henry Caldwell, the receiver-general of Lower Canada from 1794. John grew up near Quebec City on the family esta ...

1831-? * Jonathan Sewell 1833-1838 After the Rebellion, the Speaker was a member of the

Special Council of Lower 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 susp ...

: * James Cuthbert, Jr. 1838 *

Sir James Stuart, 1st Baronet Sir James Stuart, 1st Baronet of Oxford (March 2, 1780 – July 14, 1853) was a lawyer, judge, and political figure in Lower Canada. Personal life He was born in Fort Hunter, New York, in 1780, the son of the Anglican priest John Stuart, a ...

1839-1841

Notes

Unless otherwise noted, the member died in office.

External links

Journals of the Legislative Council of the province of Lower Canada (1802–1837)
(Canadiana.org)
''Aux fenêtres du Parlement de Québec : histoire, traditions, coutumes, usages, procédures, souvenirs, anecdotes, commissions et autres organismes'', D. Potvin (1942)

Assemblée nationale du Québec (French)
Lower Canada Defunct upper houses in Canada * 1792 establishments in Lower Canada

Legislative buildings

List of Members of the Legislative Council

Speakers

See also

Notes

External links