Legislative Council of Quebec

The chamber of the Legislative Council of Quebec before its abolition

The Legislative Council of Quebec (French; Conseil législatif du Québec) was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly was the elected lower house.

The Council was composed of 24 members, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor upon the recommendation of the Premier. Each councillor nominally represented a portion of the Province of Quebec called a division. The boundaries of these divisions were identical to the ones used for Canada East by the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada and were also identical to the boundaries still used today by the Senate of Canada for Quebec. The division boundaries were never changed to accommodate territorial expansions of Quebec in 1898 and 1912.

Members were originally appointed for life. In 1963, the rule was changed to force members to retire at age 75, but that did not apply to members who had already been appointed. In the event, the change remained entirely theoretical since the Council was abolished before it could be applied to anyone.

The Council had the right to introduce bills, except of a financial nature, and to amend, or veto bills passed by the Legislative Assembly. Its speaker, known in French as orateur, was by right a member of the Cabinet, and its members could serve as ministers or even premier. Two Quebec premiers, Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville and John Jones Ross were members of the Legislative Council.

The chamber of the Legislative Council of Quebec in session, 1924

Effective December 31, 1968 the Legislative Council was abolished, and the Legislative Assembly of Quebec was renamed the National Assembly.^[1] As a consequence, Quebec now has a unicameral legislature. The establishment of the original system dates back to the Constitutional Act of 1791.

The Union Nationale government of Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand passed the legislation, known as "Bill 90", to implement the change. Previous governments had made unsuccessful attempts to eliminate the upper chamber. In fact, the first attempt dated all the way back to Félix-Gabriel Marchand, in the late 19th century. Quebec was the last Canadian province to abolish its upper house.

The large chamber that housed the Legislative Council is also known in French as le salon rouge (the red hall) and in English as "the Red Room" because of the predominance of the colour on the walls. It is now used for committee meetings and for important state functions that require a large, impressive hall, such as inductions into the National Order of Quebec.

When it was dissolved, it had 15 members of the Union Nationale and 9 Liberal Party members.

Speakers of the Legislative Council of Quebec (1867–1968)

Speakers of the Legislative Council of Quebec

Portrait	Name	Appointment	Ending	Political party
	Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville	July 15, 1867	February 27, 1873	Conservative
	John Jones Ross	February 27, 1873	September 22, 1874	Conservative
	Félix-Hyacinthe Lemaire	September 22, 1874	January 27, 1876	Conservative
	John Jones Ross	January 22, 1876	March 8, 1878	Conservative
	Henry Starnes	March 8, 1878	October 31, 1879	Liberal
	John Jones Ross	October 31, 1879	March 4, 1882	Conservative
	Pierre Boucher de la Bruère	March 4, 1882	April 23, 1889	Conservative
	Henry Starnes	April 23, 1889	March 17, 1892	Liberal
	Pierre Boucher de la Bruère	March 17, 1892	April 5, 1895	Conservative
	Thomas Chapais	April 5, 1895	January 12, 1897	Conservative
	Vildebon-Winceslas Larue	January 12, 1897	June 17, 1897	Conservative
	Horace Archambeault	June 17, 1897	September 15, 1908	Liberal
	Adélard Turgeon	February 2, 1909	November 14, 1930	Liberal
	Jacob Nicol	November 25, 1930	July 25, 1934	Libéral
	Hector Laferté	July 27, 1934	October 2, 1936	Liberal
	Alphonse Raymond	October 2, 1936	January 17, 1940	Union Nationale
	Hector Laferté	January 17, 1940	December 31, 1944	Libéral
	Alphonse Raymond	December 31, 1944	February 1, 1950	Union Nationale
	Jean-Louis Baribeau	February 1, 1950	July 6, 1960	Union Nationale
	Hector Laferté	July 6, 1960	June 23, 1966	Liberal
	Jean-Louis Baribeau	June 23, 1966	December 31, 1968	Union Nationale

Members of the Legislative Council

See also

• Legislative Council of Lower Canada
• Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

References

External links

• Members of the Legislative Council of Quebec (by divisions) (in French)
• Speakers of the Legislative Council of Quebec (in French)