1840s

• 1841 - The Act of Union governing British North America
  British North America
  British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
  
  , passed by the British Parliament, takes effect.

• 1848 - Article 41 of the Union Act is amended. It is now legal to use the French language in the Parliament and in the Courts.

• 1849 - The first responsible government was instituted, under the Liberal coalition of Robert Baldwin
  Robert Baldwin
  Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....
  
   from Canada West and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
  Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
  Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...
  
   of Canada East
  Canada East
  Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
  
  . The first Prime Minister of United Canada is Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
  Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine
  Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine , 1st Baronet, KCMG was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada. He was born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807...
  
  .

• 1849 - On April 25, The Parliament of Canada
  Parliament of Canada
  The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
  
   passes the Rebellion Losses Bill
  Rebellion Losses Bill
  The Rebellion Losses Bill was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1849...
  
   to compensate people who suffered property damage during the Rebellions of 1837
  Rebellions of 1837
  The Rebellions of 1837 were a pair of Canadian armed uprisings that occurred in 1837 and 1838 in response to frustrations in political reform. A key shared goal was the allowance of responsible government, which was eventually achieved in the incident's aftermath.-Rebellions:The rebellions started...
  
   in Lower Canada
  Lower Canada
  The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
  
  . The bill compensated everyone, including the rebels and as a result, protestors caused a riot that forced the military to step in. A fire was started and the Parliament of Canada buildings in Montreal
  Montreal
  Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
  
   were burned down. See Burning of the Parliament (Montreal).

• 1849 - On October 11, an Annexation Manifesto, supported by both English speaking and French speaking Canadians, calling for the Province of Canada
  Province of Canada
  The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...
  
   to join the United States is published in the Montreal Gazette.

1850s

• 1850 - Beginning of the French-Canadian emigration to the United States. See Quebec emigration.

• 1851 - The first official census confirms that the population of Canada West is now numerically superior to that of Canada East
  Canada East
  Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
  
  .

• 1851 - Politicians in the colony begin to discuss representation by population.

• 1854 - The French seigneurial system
  Seigneurial system of New France
  The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
  
   of land tenancy is finally abolished in Canada East
  Canada East
  Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
  
   but its effects will linger for another hundred years.

1860s

• 1860 - Built by Grand Trunk Railway
  Grand Trunk Railway
  The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
  
  , the Jubilee Bridge
  Victoria Bridge (Montreal)
  Victoria Bridge , formerly originally known as Victoria Jubilee Bridge, is a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, linking Montreal, Quebec, to the south shore city of Saint-Lambert....
  
   (now the Victoria Bridge) is the first bridge linking the Island of Montreal
  Island of Montreal
  The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
  
   to the South Shore.

• 1864 - The Great Coalition
  Great Coalition
  The Great Coalition was a grand coalition of the political parties of the two Canadas in 1864. The previous collapse after only three months of a coalition government formed by George-Étienne Cartier, George Brown and John A. MacDonald. The Great Coalition was formed to stop the political deadlock...
  
   holds conferences on a confederation
  Canadian Confederation
  Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
  
   project;
• 1864 - Quebec Conference
  Quebec Conference, 1864
  The Quebec Conference was the second meeting held in 1864 to discuss Canadian Confederation.The 16 delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island had agreed at the close of the Charlottetown Conference to meet again at Quebec City October 1864...
  
   of 1864 held to discuss Canadian Confederation
  Canadian Confederation
  Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
  
   which will lead to the creation of the Dominion of Canada.