Exploration

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Everyone to Parliament!

2

The Present-Day Place D'Youville

3

Place Royale

4

Place d’Armes

5

Notre-Dame Street

6

Champ-de-Mars

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Role of the Legislative Assembly

Detail from a 19th-century watercolour of the Assembly Chamber of Montréal’s Parliament. The ceiling is rounded. At the back of the room stands a throne, with a man seated on it. A red table surrounded by empty chairs sits at the centre of the room. Parliamentarians are seated on tiered benches which line the walls and face the throne.

James Duncan, “The House of Assembly, Montreal” (detail), National Gallery of Canada, 28066.​

The Legislative Assembly chamber was the stage for major political debates—where democracy took shape. Elected in their ridings, Members of the Legislative Assembly gathered there for a few months each year to debate local and national issues, under the direction of the Speaker, or President of the Assembly.

The Assembly Hall

19th-century watercolour of the Assembly Chamber of Montréal’s Parliament. The room is spacious and brightly lit by windows on either side. The ceiling is rounded. At the back of the room stands a throne, where a man is seated. A red table surrounded by empty chairs sits at the centre of the chamber.

James Duncan, “The House of Assembly, Montreal”, National Gallery of Canada, 28066.​

In Montréal, the Assembly chamber could accommodate up to 300 people, in addition to the 84 Members. On either side of the Speaker’s chair, two galleries allowed legislative councillors to attend the debates. On the walls, two paintings by Andrew Morris—*Commerce* and *Agriculture*—evoked the pillars of the Canadian economy.