By creating federal and provincial parliaments in the 1860s, the Fathers of Confederation were adopting a law-making system that had worked well in England for nearly 800 years. By the 1860s the Canadian colonies had gained a lot of experience with parliamentary institutions, and they liked what they had. At the time of Confederation in 1867, the parliamentary system of government had already been used in the Maritime provinces and central Canada since the 1840s. Each province had an elected lower legislature called a legislative assembly (Assemble nationale in Quebec). This was based upon the British model of parliament, with a lieutenant-governor who represented the Queen. Every province except Ontario also had an Upper House, called a legislative council or Senate. Eventually, however every province stopped using an Upper House to pass provincial laws.
