The Fathers of Confederation were perhaps predisposed to the idea of an appointed upper chamber due to the experience of many of the provinces. Most of the British North American provinces had established appointed legislative councils to complement the work of their elected assemblies, with the exception of Prince Edward Island whose legislative council was elected.1 The Province of Canada, created when Upper and Lower Canada (later to become Ontario and Quebec) united in 1840, had an appointed Legislative Council until 1856, when a bill was passed to gradually replace the Council with elected members.
La province du Canada, créée en 1840 par l'union du Haut et du Bas-Canada (l'Ontario et le Québec d'aujourd'hui), avait eu un Conseil législatif composé de membres nommés jusqu'en 1856, l'année de l'adoption d'un projet de loi qui devait graduellement leur substituer des membres élus.
