Legislative Council
Encyclopedia
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.
A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.
Ontario
, Alberta
and Saskatchewan
are the only provinces not to have had an upper house.
A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.
Unicameral legislatures
- Legislative Council of BruneiLegislative Council of BruneiLegislative Council of Brunei is the parliament in Brunei.-History:...
(unelected, dissolved but re-established in 2004) - Legislative Council of CeylonLegislative Council of CeylonThe Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of representative government in the island...
(from 1831 until it was dissolved in 1931 to form the State Council of CeylonState Council of CeylonThe State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon , established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time...
) - Legislative Council of the Falkland IslandsLegislative Council of the Falkland IslandsThe Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands is the unicameral legislature of the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The Legislative Assembly replaced the Legislative Council when the new Constitution of the Falklands came into force in 2009 and laid out the composition,...
(1845-2009; reconstituted as the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands) - Legislative Council of Gibraltar (1950-1969)
- Legislative Council of Hong KongLegislative Council of Hong KongThe Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
(1843-1997. the legislature of the British Crown colony/dependent territory of Hong Kong) - Provisional Legislative Council of Hong KongProvisional Legislative CouncilThe Provisional Legislative Council or the PLC was the interim legislature of Hong Kong from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 until the handover in 1997 and moved to Hong Kong to serves as the temporary replacement of Legislative Council of Hong...
(1997-1998, the first legislative council of Hong Kong after becoming a Chinese dependency) - Legislative Council of Hong KongLegislative Council of Hong KongThe Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
(1998 - present, the name of the legislature of the Chinese dependency of Hong Kong is reverted to its original name after the Hong Kong general election in 1998Hong Kong legislative election, 1998The 1998 Hong Kong legislative election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong was held on 24 May 1998. The elections returned 20 members from directly elected geographical constituencies and 30 members from functional constituencies, of which 10 were uncontested.-Geographical...
) - Legislative Council of Macao (Assembleia Legislativa, sometimes translated as Legislative Assembly)
- Federal Legislative CouncilFederal Legislative CouncilThe Federal Legislative Council was the legislative body of the Federation of Malaya and the predecessor of the Malaysian Parliament. It was formed in 1948 after the abolition of the Malayan Union and the formation of the Federation, as part of the United Kingdom's promise to grant self-rule to...
of Malaya. (1948-1957; replaced by Parliament of MalayaParliament of MalaysiaThe Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....
and subsequently in 1963, the Parliament of Malaysia.) - Legislative Council of Saint HelenaLegislative Council of Saint HelenaThe Legislative Council of Saint Helena has 15 members, 12 members elected for a four-year term by popular vote and 3 members ex officio...
- Legislative Council of SingaporeLegislative Council of SingaporeThe Legislative Council of Singapore was a Legislative Council in Singapore that assisted the Governor in making laws in Singapore. It officially came into existence in 1946, when the Repeal Act abolished the Straits Settlements, and Singapore became a Crown Colony on its own that would need its...
(1946 to 1953, replaced by the Legislative AssemblyLegislative Assembly of SingaporeThe Legislative Assembly of Singapore was the legislature of the government of Singapore from 1955 to 1965 and the predecessor of the Parliament of Singapore. The Rendel Constitution, proposed in 1953, sought to give the local population more self-governance as the Merdeka independence movement grew...
and finally the Parliament of SingaporeParliament of SingaporeThe Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
) - Legislative Council of the Straits SettlementsLegislative Council of the Straits SettlementsThe Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements was a legislature formed on April 1, 1867, when the Straits Settlements was made a crown colony...
(1867 to 1946, replaced by the Legislative Council of Singapore) and Federal Legislative Council of Malaya - Uganda Legislative Council (became the National Assembly of UgandaNational Assembly of UgandaThe Parliament of Uganda, comprises 215 Constituency Representatives, 79 District Woman Representatives, 10 Uganda People's Defence Forces Representatives, 5 Representatives of the Youth, 5 Representatives of Persons with Disabilities, 5 Representatives of Workers, and 13 Ex-officio Members.After...
in March 1962)
Part of a bicameral legislature
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
:- The New South Wales Legislative CouncilNew South Wales Legislative CouncilThe New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
- The Queensland Legislative CouncilQueensland Legislative CouncilThe Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...
(abolished in 1922) - The South Australian Legislative CouncilSouth Australian Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...
- The Tasmanian Legislative CouncilTasmanian Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the House of Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart...
- The Victorian Legislative CouncilVictorian Legislative CouncilThe Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
- The Western Australian Legislative CouncilWestern Australian Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
.
- The New South Wales Legislative Council
- BarbadosParliament of BarbadosThe Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados. The Parliament is bicameral in composition and is formally made up of: HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados The Parliament of Barbados is the...
: the Barbadian Legislative Council (renamed the Senate in 1964). - BermudaBermudaBermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
: the Bermuda Legislative Council (renamed the Senate in 1980). - CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
:- The Legislative Council of British ColumbiaLegislative Council of British ColumbiaThe Legislative Council of British Columbia was an advisory body created in 1867 to the Governor of the "new" Colony of British Columbia, which had been created from the merger of the old Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia...
(1867-1871) - The Legislative Council of ManitobaLegislative Council of ManitobaThe Legislative Council of Manitoba was the upper house of the government of the Canadian province of Manitoba, between 1870 and 1876. Members were appointed by the Manitoba lieutenant governor.-External links:...
(abolished in 1876) - The Legislative Council of New BrunswickLegislative Council of New BrunswickThe Legislative Council of New Brunswick was the upper house of the government of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, between 1785 and 1891. Members were appointed by the New Brunswick lieutenant governor.-External links:*...
(abolished in 1892) - The Legislative Council of Prince Edward IslandLegislative Council of Prince Edward IslandThe Legislative Council of Prince Edward Island was the upper house of the government of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It existed from 1773 to 1893. Members were appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island on the advice of the Premier until 1862 when it became an...
(amalgamated into the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward IslandLegislative Assembly of Prince Edward IslandThe Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, along with the Lieutenant-Governor, forms the parliament of the province. The General Assembly meets at Province House, which is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown....
in 1893.) - The Legislative Council of Nova ScotiaLegislative Council of Nova ScotiaThe Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was the upper house of the government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It existed from 1838 to May 31, 1928...
(abolished in 1928) - The Legislative Council of QuebecLegislative Council of QuebecFrom 1867 until 1968, the Legislative Council of Quebec was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec...
(abolished in 1968) - The Legislative Council of Upper CanadaLegislative Council of Upper CanadaThe Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist of at least seven members. Members were appointed for...
(abolished by the Union Act of 1840) - The Legislative Council of Lower CanadaLegislative Council of Lower CanadaThe Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. The legislative council was...
(abolished by the Union Act of 1840) - The Legislative Council of the Province of CanadaLegislative Council of the Province of CanadaThe Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...
(abolished at Confederation)
- The Legislative Council of British Columbia
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
are the only provinces not to have had an upper house.
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
: The Vidhan ParishadVidhan ParishadThe Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature. , six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh...
in 7 of India's 28 statesStates and territories of IndiaIndia is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
(Andhra PradeshAndhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, BiharBiharBihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Jammu and KashmirJammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
, KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, MaharashtraMaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, Tamil NaduTamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Uttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
), the Legislative CouncilVidhan ParishadThe Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral legislature. , six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh...
serves as the upper house of a bicameral legislature. - Isle of ManIsle of ManThe Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
: the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man. - Dominion of NewfoundlandDominion of NewfoundlandThe Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
: the Legislative Council of NewfoundlandLegislative Council of NewfoundlandThe Legislative Council of Newfoundland was established in 1854 when the British Government granted a new constitution to Newfoundland establishing an Executive Council of not more than seven members of the majority party and a Legislative Council of not more than 15 members upon nomination of the...
(dissolved with the creation of the Commission of GovernmentCommission of GovernmentThe Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...
in 1934. Not recreated after Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949) - New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
: the New Zealand Legislative CouncilNew Zealand Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...
(abolished in 1951). - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
:- The Delaware Legislative Council: Under the Delaware Constitution of 1776Delaware Constitution of 1776The Delaware Constitution of 1776 was the first governing document for Delaware state government and was in effect from its adoption in September 1776 until replaced in 1792 by a new Constitution.-Background:...
the upper house (since 1792 the Delaware State Senate). - The New Jersey Legislative CouncilNew Jersey Legislative CouncilThe New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844.-History:...
: Under the 1776 New Jersey Constitution the upper house (since 1845 the New Jersey SenateNew Jersey SenateThe New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
) and New Jersey Supreme CourtNew Jersey Supreme CourtThe New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has existed in three different forms under the three different state constitutions since the independence of the state in 1776...
. - The South Carolina Legislative Council: Under the 1776 South Carolina ConstitutionSouth Carolina ConstitutionThe Constitution of the State of South Carolina is the governing document of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It describes the structure and function of the state's government. The current constitution took effect on December 4, 1895...
the upper house (since 1778 the South Carolina SenateSouth Carolina SenateThe South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
).
- The Delaware Legislative Council: Under the Delaware Constitution of 1776