Ce 1er mai 1859

«1er mai 1859 : Début du déménagement de l’Administration et du siège du gouvernement du Canada-Uni de Toronto vers Québec. Ainsi, le gouvernement du pays revient siéger à Québec.» (source : qrandquebec.com)

«Une autre question qui préoccupe beaucoup les habitants de Québec, c’est celle de son avenir comme capitale du Canada. Sous l’Union, en effet, la capitale du Canada se déplace. Elle fut d’abord à Kingston (de 1841 à 1843), puis à Montréal (1843-1849), Toronto (1850-1852), Québec (1852-1855), Toronto (1855-1859), puis de nouveau Québec (1859-1865). Mais une capitale ne peut pas toujours se déplacer ainsi. En 1857, la ville envoya deux émissaires à Londres, Joseph Morrin et Ulric-Joseph Tessier, pour faire valoir le bien-fondé de garder Québec comme capitale du Canada-Uni. Mais cela ne changea rien, de sorte que «ce sera Ottawa comme le souhaite le gouverneur Edmund W. Head». Québec fut une dernière fois la capitale du Canada de 1859 à 1865, le temps que soit terminée la construction du parlement d’Ottawa.» (source : Bulletin d’histoire politique, volume 18, numéro 3 > Québec, 1859 : la commémoration des événements de 1759; auteur Jacques Bernier)

«Between 1841 and 1867, the Province of Canada was served by a wandering Parliament, with the young nation's business being conducted in Kingston, Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto until 1865. But moving the legislature soon proved to be unwieldy because each time Parliament changed cities, its records, library and furniture had to be packed up and shipped to the next location, politicians and administrators had to find new lodgings and there was little sense of political continuity.

Eventually, arguments broke out over where the permanent capital should be located. French-Canadians wanted either Montreal or Quebec to be the capital while the Liberals in Canada West preferred Toronto or Kingston.

In 1857, the question of the location of Canada's capital was referred to Queen Victoria. Cities vying for the honour were Kingston, Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto.

However, Bytown, a lumber town which was later renamed Ottawa, won out after Sir Edmund and Lady Head, friends of the Queen, visited the town and lobbied for it. The legislature at first rejected this choice but eventually Ottawa was accepted as the nation's capital.

On Sept. 1, 1860, the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, laid the cornerstone for the centre block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, and less than seven years later, on July 1, 1867, Confederation was a reality and the buildings, with the exception of the Library of Parliament, were built and ready for the new government to begin conducting business.» (source : Canada Trivia)