Ottawa as the Seat of Government
In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the seat of government for the Province of Canada. This followed
years of intense rivalry among the elected representatives of the pre-Confederation colonies of Upper and
Lower Canada, who could not agree on a permanent site. [1]
The itinerant Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada met in several different cities, beginning
with Kingston in 1841. In 1844, it moved to Montreal where it remained until 1849 when the legislative
building was burned by rioters. [2]
Thereafter a system was adopted under which the assembly met alternately at Quebec and Toronto before
finally settling into its permanent home in Ottawa, where it met for the first time in 1866. With the
advent of Confederation the following year, the capital of the Province of Canada became the national
capital, in compliance with the Constitution Act, 1867, Section 16 of which states that “the
seat of Government of Canada shall be Ottawa”. [3]
Accordingly, the Parliament of Canada assembled in Ottawa on November 6, 1867, for the First Session of
the First Parliament.