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The Legislative Council

Detail from a 19th-century painting of the Legislative Council chamber in Montréal’s Parliament. At the centre of the back wall, a man in black military uniform is seated on a raised throne topped by a circular red canopy. Two enormous paintings hang on either side of the throne. A crowd stands around the room.

Andrew Morris, “Sir Charles Metcalfe Opening Parliament in Montreal” (detail), Library and Archives Canada, R13801-0-1-F.

In Montréal, Parliament operated under the British colonial model. It included an elected Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council, whose members were appointed for life by the governor. Tasked with reviewing bills and issuing opinions and recommendations, the Council worked through specialized committees to ensure rigour in its deliberations. Today, this institution is known as the Senate of Canada.

The Council Chamber

19th-century painting of the Legislative Council chamber in Montréal’s Parliament. The chamber is a large room lit by tall windows with red curtains lining its walls. The ceiling is vaulted. At the centre of the back wall, a man in black military uniform is seated on a raised throne topped by a circular red canopy. Two enormous paintings hang on either side of the throne. A dense crowd stands throughout the room.

Andrew Morris, “Sir Charles Metcalfe Opening Parliament in Montreal”, Library and Archives Canada, R13801-0-1-F.

This painting by Andrew Morris is the only known depiction of the Council Chamber, which could accommodate 200 people in addition to the Legislative Councillors. It shows the opening of Parliament’s first session in Montréal, in November 1844, under Governor General Charles Theophilus Metcalfe.

Opening Session

19th-century painting of the Legislative Council chamber of Montréal’s Parliament. The chamber is a large room lit by tall windows with red curtains along its walls. The ceiling is vaulted. At the centre of the back wall, a man in black military uniform is seated on a raised throne topped by a circular red canopy. Two enormous paintings hang on either side of the throne. A dense crowd stands around the room. Numbers from 1 to 6 identify different figures.

Andrew Morris, “Sir Charles Metcalfe Opening Parliament in Montreal”, Library and Archives Canada, R13801-0-1-F.

The painting helps us understand how an opening session was organized. We can make out the various key figures and groups, such as:

  1. Lord Metcalfe, Governor General, in full dress in his admiral’s uniform;
  2. Probably René-Édouard Caron, Speaker of the Legislative Council;
  3. Olivier Vallerand, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative Council, carrying the mace;
  4. Perhaps the members of Metcalfe’s staff, because of their red military uniform;
  5. Legislative councillors and certain members of the senior judiciary;
  6. Standing behind the bar were the members and the public.

René-Édouard Caron

A 19th-century painted portrait of René-Édouard Caron. Caron is a white man in his forties, with black hair and sideburns. He is wearing a black lawyer’s robe. He is seated on a chair, with his left hand resting on his work desk. A monocle hangs from his neck. He is wearing a ring on his right little finger. His expression is fixed.

Théophile Hamel, “The Honourable René-Édouard Caron”, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, 1947.128.

Portrait of René-Édouard Caron, painted in 1846 by Théophile Hamel. A moderate Liberal politician, Caron (1800–1876) helped codify the civil law of Lower Canada and, through debate and compromise, sought to make the Union beneficial to French Canadians.