Province of Canada

The Province of Canada was a British colony in North America, created by the fusion of the Canadas into one province by the Act of Union (1840). The former Lower Canada became known as Canada East and Upper Canada as Canada West.

The first capital was Kingston (Canada West). After 1843 the capital alternated between Toronto and Montreal, then finally was moved to Ottawa after 1858 where parliament buildings were constructed in 1865.

In response to the rebellions of 1837, one of the chief purposes of the union was to assimilate French Canadians into British culture. The union notably failed to do this. In the end legislative deadlock between English and French (each had 42 seats in the Legislative Assembly) led to a movement for a federal union which resulted in the broader Canadian Confederation in 1867. Amongst its accomplishments, the Province of Canada negotiated the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 with the United States, built the Grand Trunk Railway, improved the educational system in Canada West under Egerton Ryerson, reinstated French as an official language of the legislature and the courts, codified the Civil Code of Lower Canada in 1866, and abolished the seigneurial system in Canada East.

The Governor General of the province was closely involved in political affairs until 1848 when James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin implemented responsible government.

The Province of Canada ceased to exist upon Confederation, when it joined with the British North American colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to form the Dominion of Canada. The Province of Canada then redivided into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec providing each linguistic group with its own province.

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