The purpose of the legislation was to vest the German Society of Montreal, a charitable association founded in 1835 with corporate powers to better achieve its mission.

The introduction of Bill 53 (A bill to incorporate the German Society of Montreal) followed a petition (Petition 126) by Henry Meyer, Ernest Idler, J. P. Seybold, Gottlieb Reinhard, Christian Beck and David Maysenholder, being officers and members of the German Society in February 1865.

The Act, which is consistent with other incorporation acts published in that time period, consists of a preamble followed by nine articles: The Act permits the Society to make and amend its by-laws in any way, "in so far as they are not repugnant to the laws of this Province [of Canada]"[1] After Canadian Confederation (1867), the powers of the provincial and the federal parliaments were divided.

[3] The German Society continues to be governed under the provisions of the Act, together with by-laws passed under it.

It has not sought to migrate its incorporation to the Province's Companies Act.