The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was the elected part of the legislature for the province of Upper Canada, functioning as the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

in the Parliament of Upper Canada. Its legislative power was subject to veto by the appointed

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Executive Council Executive Council may refer to: Government * Executive Council (Commonwealth countries), a constitutional organ that exercises executive power and advises the governor * Executive Council of Bern, the government of the Swiss canton of Bern * Ex ...

, and Legislative Council. The first elections in Upper Canada, in which only land-owning males were permitted to vote, were held in August 1792. The first session of the Assembly's sixteen members occurred in Newark, Upper Canada on 17 September 1792. Shortly before the capital of Upper Canada was moved to York in 1796 the Assembly was dissolved and reconvened for twelve more sessions between 1797 and 1840 in modest buildings in the new capital. Members continued to be elected by land-owning males to represent counties and the larger towns. During the War of 1812, American troops

set fire Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics * Set (mathematics), a collection of elements * Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Elect ...

to the

buildings A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and funct ...

of the Assembly.

Political divisions

Following the war, the executive and legislative councils became increasingly dominated by the Family Compact, a clique of wealthy individuals led primarily by John Strachan (a member of the powerful Executive Council of Upper Canada), which emerged in 1815. The compact was deeply opposed to American republicanism and favoured full establishment for the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in Upper Canada. Their increasingly authoritarian style of governance and disregard for the will of the Legislative Assembly led to demands for government that was more responsible to the people and eventually the

Upper Canada Rebellion The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the rebellion in Lower Canada (p ...

of 1837. Opposing the Family Compact were initially an assortment of anti-establishment members, but it did not gain strength until a more formal group of

reformers A reformer is someone who works for reform. Reformer may also refer to: *Catalytic reformer, in an oil refinery *Methane reformer, producing hydrogen * Steam reformer *Hydrogen reformer, extracting hydrogen *Methanol reformer, producing hydrogen f ...

emerged, initially led by William Warren Baldwin starting 1820s and then by William Lyon Mackenzie in the 1830s. The

1840 Act of Union The ''British North America Act, 1840'' (3 & 4 Victoria, c.35), also known as the ''Act of Union 1840'', (the ''Act'') was approved by Parliament in July 1840 and proclaimed February 10, 1841, in Montreal. It abolished the legislatures of Lower ...

united Upper and Lower Canada into the single Province of Canada and, from this point until Confederation in 1867, a joint parliament was held for the united provinces.

List of parliaments

1st Parliament of Upper Canada The 1st Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 17 September 1792. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in August 1792. All sessions were held at Navy Hall in Newark, later Niagara-on-the-Lake. This parliament was dissolved 1 July 1796. Th ...

1792–1796 *

2nd Parliament of Upper Canada The 2nd Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 1 June 1797. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in August 1796. The first session was held at Navy Hall in Newark. The Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada John Graves Simcoe believed York was ...

1797–1800 *

3rd Parliament of Upper Canada The 3rd Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 28 May 1801. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1800. All sessions were held at Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada in York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 14 May 180 ...

1801–1804 *

4th Parliament of Upper Canada The 4th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 1 February 1805. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in May 1804. All sessions were held at Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada in York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 21 May ...

1805–1808 *

5th Parliament of Upper Canada The 5th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 2 February 1809. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in May 1808. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada and sat at the Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada. This parliament was disso ...

1808–1812 * 6th Parliament of Upper Canada 1812–1816 * 7th Parliament of Upper Canada 1817–1820 * 8th Parliament of Upper Canada 1821–1824 * 9th Parliament of Upper Canada 1825–1828 *

10th Parliament of Upper Canada The 10th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 January 1829. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1828. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 8 September 1830 on the announcement of the de ...

1829–1830 *

11th Parliament of Upper Canada The 11th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened on 7 January 1831. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in October 1830, and all sessions were held at York, then later at Toronto. This parliament was dissolved on 1 September 1834. The House ...

1831–1834 *

12th Parliament of Upper Canada The 12th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 15 January 1835. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in October 1834. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 28 May 1836 by the new Lieutenant Governo ...

1835–1836 *

13th Parliament of Upper Canada The 13th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 November 1836. Elections in Upper Canada had been held 20 June 1836. All sessions were held at Toronto. The House of Assembly had five sessions 8 November 1836 to 10 February 1840.Archives of On ...

1837–1840

Speakers

Changing loyalties

A few members of the legislature eventually left Canada. Some left Canada to join the United States Army during the War of 1812. Some were involved in the Rebellion of 1837 and other just simply abandoned Canada. Most moved to the United States, some left for Great Britain.

Buildings housing the Legislative Assembly

* Navy Hall at Newark (1792) * First (1793–1813) and second (1820–1824) Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada at York From 1824 to 1832, the Assembly sat at temporary locations due to the fire that destroyed the second home: * Residence of the

Chief Justice of Upper Canada The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law ...

(1824-1829) * 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)

References

*''Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology'', Frederick H. Armstrong, Toronto : Dundurn Press, 1985.

External links

*James G. Chewett
">"The Upper Canada almanac, and provincial calendar, for the year of Our Lord 1827: being the third after bissextile or leap year, and the eighth year of the reign of His Majesty [King G
/nowiki>eorge the Fourth ..."] (York (Toronto): Robert Stanton, 1827), 76, ii pp. *James G. Chewett
"The Upper Canada almanac and astronomical calendar for the year of Our Lord 1828: being bissextile or leap year and the ninth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Fourth ..."
(York (Toronto): Robert Stanton, 1828), 76, ii pp. *James G. Chewett
"The Upper Canada almanac, and provincial calendar, for the year of Our Lord 1831: being the third after bissextile, or leap year, and the second year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth ..."
(York (Toronto): Robert Stanton, 1831), 103, ii pp.
Government of Ontario site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada * 1792 establishments in Upper Canada * Canada, Upper