Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada

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The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house. Created by the Constitutional Act of 1791, in practice the Assembly's power was enormously curtailed by the fact that its actions were subject to the veto of the British-appointed lieutenant governor as well as appointed the Executive and Legislative Councils. The first elections, in which only land-owning males were permitted to vote, took place in August 1792. The first sitting of the Assembly's sixteen members occurred in Newark, later Niagara-on-the-Lake on September 17, 1792. Shortly before the capital of Upper Canada was moved to York in 1796 the Assembly was dissolved and reconvended for twelve more sittings between 1797 to 1840 in modest buildings in the new capital. Members continued to be elected by land-owning males to represent counties and the larger towns.

After the War of 1812, the Executive and Legislative Councils became increasingly dominated the Family Compact, a clique of wealthy individuals led primarily by John Strachan. The Compact was deeply opposed to American republicanism and favoured full establishment for the Anglican 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 of 1837.

The Act of Union (1840) 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.