The 6th Parliament of Upper Canada was the composition of the Parliament of Upper Canada between June 1812 and April 1816. Following the Westminster model, it consisted of
The Crown of the United Kingdom, as represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Francis Gore, and six administrators acting in his absence from 1812 to 1815, and advised by the Executive Council of Upper Canada the appointed members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada that were in office during that time members elected to the House of Assembly of Upper Canada in elections held in June 1812.
The previous was dissolved by Isaac Brock, the administrator of the colonial government, on 1 May 1812 and election was held in June. These events were slightly ahead of schedule and were triggered by Brock being frustrated in his efforts to pass legislation preparing the colony for war with the United States. On 12 July, an American army under Brigadier General William Hull crossed the Detroit River and occupied Sandwich (later known as Windsor). The incursion provided Brock with a compelling reason to convene the 6th Parliament in the last week of July for an extraordinary session. Approval for Brock's defense measures was quickly obtained, and Brock prorogued parliament on 5 August and set out on 6 August for the front line.
While references to "parliament" in modern Canadian and British political discourse generally refer to the elected chamber of the legislature, the elected assembly of Upper Canada wielded relatively little power relative to the unelected legislative council and was afforded little deference by either the Lieutenant Governor or the Legislative Council. Accordingly, the Crown and the upper house were both significant elements of parliaments in its role as the legislature of the colony.
Sessions
The 6th Parliament convened for over five sessions. In addition to the brief extraordinary session in later July 1812, it held regular sessions between February and March of each of the years 1813, 1814, 1815, and 1816.All sessions were held in York, Upper Canada (now City of Toronto). Archives of Ontario
The first and second sessions were held at the Palace of Parliament located at the intersection of Front Street and Parliament Street (Parliament Street was so named for that reason, though Front Street abutted the bay at the time). It would be the last parliament to be in session at the site. The Palace of Parliament was set ablaze and destroyed by American Troops in the plundering following the Battle of York on 27 April 1813.
The House of Assembly then met once in 1814 in the ballroom of Jordan's York Hotel (about two blocks away from the previous site, on the south side of King Street East, west of Parliament Street).Government of Ontario site It then held session at the home of Chief Justice of Upper Canada William Henry Draper at the northwest corner of Wellington Street and York Street for the remainder of this parliament. This parliament was dissolved 18 April 1816.
This House of Assembly of the 6th Parliament sat in five sessions 27 July 1812 to 1 April 1816:Archives of Ontario
SessionsStartEnd1st27 July 18125 August 18122nd25 February 181313 March 18133rd15 February 181414 March 18144th1 February 181514 March 18155th6 February 18161 April 1816 No known copies of the journals for the first (1812), second (1813) and fourth (1815) sessions of this parliament have survived to the present day. Accordingly, some aspect of the 6th Parliament cannot be definitely explained or determined.
Composition The House of assembly remained at 25 seats, with some slight redistribution of electoral division. 1792 districtsElectoral divisionsin 5th ParliamentElectoral divisionsin 6th ParliamentHomeWest YorkWest York, Saltfleet, Ancaster (duo-member)1st Lincoln & Haldimand (duo member)1st Lincoln
Members
House of Assembly
RidingMemberFirst elected/ previously electedNo. of termsDundasJohn Crysler1804, 18122nd term*EssexRichard Pattinson18121st termEssexWilliam McCormick18121st termFrontenacAllan McLean – Speaker 1813–181618043rd termGlengarryAlexander McMartin18121st termGlengarryJohn Macdonellkilled at Queenston Heights in October 1812 and replaced by Alexander Macdonell.18121st termAlexander Macdonell (1812)1800, 18124th term*GrenvilleGideon Adams18121st termHastings & Ameliasburgh TownshipJames Young18121st termKentJohn McGregor18043rd termLeedsLevius Peters Sherwood18121st termLennox & AddingtonBenjamin Fairfield18121st termLennox & AddingtonTimothy Thompson18121st term1st Lincoln CountyJoseph Willcocks (deserted)18083rd termRobert Nelles (Feb 1816)18161st term2nd LincolnRalfe Clench1796, 18123rd term*3rd LincolnThomas Dickson18121st term4th LincolnJohn Fanningdied in January 1813 and was replaced by Isaac Swayze.18121st termIsaac Swayze (Feb 1814)1792, 1804, 18144th term*NorfolkRobert Nichol18121st termNorthumberland and DurhamDavid McGregor Rogers18004th termOxford & MiddlesexMahlon Burwell18121st termPrescottThomas Mears18082nd termPrince Edward except Ameliasburgh TownshipJohn Stinson18112nd termStormont & RussellJohn Beikie18121st termEast York & SimcoeThomas Ridout18121st termWest YorkAbraham Markle (deserted to US)18121st termJames Durand (Feb 1815)18151st term
Legislative Council The Legislative Council was the appointed upper house of the parliament. It held veto power over all legislations passed by the elected assembly and exercised it regularly with little deference to assembly democratic mandate. Members were appointed for life (but were subject to removal for non-attendance), therefore the date for the end of their term were usually the date of their death. MemberTownAppointedTerm endedNotesJames BabySandwich19 February 1833Richard CartwrightKingston27 July 1815Died during this parliamentAlexander Grant, Sr.York8 May 1813Also a member of the Executive Council, died during this parliamentÆneas ShawYork6 February 1814Died during this parliamentJacob MountainQuebec City25 June 1825Member ex officio Anglican Bishop of Quebec, did not attend any sittingJohn McGillYork31 December 1834Also a member of the Executive Council; Inspector General (1801–13); Auditor General of Land Patents (1813–18)Thomas ScottYork29 July 1824Speaker of council ex officio Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench (1806–16)Thomas TalbotPort Talbot10 February 1841William ClausNiagara11 November 1826Thomas ClarkChippawaMember of the House of Assembly in the 2nd and 5th ParliamentWilliam DicksonNiagaraCouncil was dissolved in 1841.Thomas FraserErnestown1819Status unknown after 1819; died in South Dundas, Ontario in 1821Neil McLeanCornwallNever attendedWilliam Dummer PowellYorkAlso a member of the Executive Council, succeeded Thomas Scott as Chief Justice during this parliament.
Officers of Parliament OfficeOffice holdersLieutenant Governor of Upper CanadaFrancis Gore (in office 1806–1817, absent 1811–1815) Administrator acting in Gore's absence:
Sir Isaac Brock (1811–1812) Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, 1st Baronet (1812–1813) Sir Francis de Rottenburg (1813) Sir Gordon Drummond (1813–1814) Sir George Murray (1815) Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson (1815)Speaker of the House of AssemblyHon. Allan McLean, Esq.Speaker of the Legislative Council ex officio Chief Justice of the Court of King's BenchThomas Scott (1806–1816) William Dummer Powell (1816–1825)Clerk of the House of AssemblyDonald McLean (May 1801 – May 1813) Grant Powell (May 1813 – May 1821)Sergeant-at-ArmsAllan MacNab (1813-1828)Librarian and Keeper of the recordsGeorge Mayer
See also Legislative Council of Upper Canada Executive Council of Upper Canada Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Lieutenant Governors of Upper Canada, 1791-1841 Historical federal electoral districts of Canada List of Ontario provincial electoral districts
Notes
References
Further reading Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology, Frederick H. Armstrong, Toronto : Dundurn Press, 1985.