The UK Parliament enacted the Act of Union 1840 (also cited as the British North America Act 1840), legislating the political union of Upper and Lower Canada into a single colony with one legislature—setting the framework for governance debates over representation, language, and executive accountability.
The Act of Union came into force, abolishing the separate legislatures of Upper and Lower Canada and creating the Province of Canada (Canada West and Canada East) under a single parliament and governor.
The first session of the new legislature opened in Kingston, marking the operational start of union-era parliamentary government and beginning decades of instability over the seat of government.
After Kingston’s initial stint as capital, the seat of government shifted to Montreal, reflecting political and regional pressures that repeatedly forced relocations during the union period.
Governor General Lord Elgin assented to the Rebellion Losses Bill, compensating eligible claimants in Canada East for 1837–38 rebellion-related property losses. The decision became a major test of responsible government and inflamed partisan and ethnic tensions.
A riot in Montreal over the Rebellion Losses Bill culminated in the burning of the parliament buildings at St. Anne’s Market, destroying the legislative chambers and significant records and accelerating the search for a more stable seat of government.
Following the Montreal destruction and unrest, the legislature reconvened in Toronto, underscoring how political violence and regional rivalries made the capital a recurring governance problem under the union.
The Province of Canada (with other British North American colonies) entered the Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty, expanding access for natural products and shaping fiscal and trade politics in the decade leading to Confederation.
After years of rivalry and rotation proposals, the legislature voted to make Quebec City the permanent seat of government—though political dissatisfaction continued and the issue was soon reopened.
Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the future seat of government for the Province of Canada, a compromise location between Canada West and Canada East and farther from the U.S. border. This decision laid groundwork for Ottawa’s role after Confederation.
Facing repeated governmental deadlock under equal regional representation, political leaders formed the Great Coalition (Macdonald–Cartier with Brown’s Reformers). It created the parliamentary basis to pursue constitutional change and federation.
Delegates from the Province of Canada and other British North American colonies met at the Quebec Conference, producing the 72 Quebec Resolutions—the core blueprint for a federal constitution and division of powers.
Representatives of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick convened the London Conference, refining prior resolutions into a bill for the UK Parliament—directly leading to the British North America Act.
The UK Parliament passed the British North America Act, 1867 (later the Constitution Act, 1867), legally establishing the federation that would replace the Province of Canada’s union framework with a federal Dominion.
Province of Canada: Union and Governance (1841–1867)
