The Canadas

Provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada
1791–1841
Union Flag (1801 version)[1][2]
Anthem: "God Save the King/Queen"
The Canadas, Upper Canada (orange) and Lower Canada (green) prior to 1809, with contemporary Canada in pink surrounding it
History
• Established	1791
• Disestablished	1841
Preceded by Succeeded by Colony of Quebec Province of Canada

The Canadas is the collective name for the provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada, two historical British colonies in present-day Canada.^[3] The two colonies were formed in 1791, when the British Parliament passed the Constitutional Act, splitting the colonial Province of Quebec into two separate colonies. The Ottawa River formed the border between Lower and Upper Canada.

The Canadas were merged into a single entity in 1841, shortly after Lord Durham published his Report on the Affairs of British North America. His report held several recommendations, most notably union of the Canadas. Acting on his recommendation, the British Parliament passed the Act of Union 1840. The Act went into effect in 1841, uniting the Canadas into the Province of Canada.

The terms "Lower" and "Upper" refer to the colony's position relative to the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River.

• Lower Canada covered the southeastern portion of the present-day province of Quebec, Canada, and (until 1809) the Labrador region of Newfoundland and Labrador.^[3]
• Upper Canada covered what is now the southern portion of the province of Ontario and the lands bordering Georgian Bay and Lake Superior.^[3]