Its boundaries were specifically drawn by the British Governor General, Lord Sydenham, to include voters of British background, disenfranchising francophone Canadien voters, an example of an ethnic and linguistic gerrymander.

Twelve years later, in a redistribution of the electoral districts, the provincial Parliament re-drew the boundaries of the Montreal constituency, adopting the municipal boundaries of Montreal as the basis for the electoral district.

The first Governor General, Lord Sydenham, exercised the power to draw boundaries by a proclamation issued shortly after the formation of the Province of Canada in early 1841.

[5] His overall goal in drawing the boundaries was to ensure that supporters of the creation of the new Province of Canada would be elected.

[7] In 1853, after the establishment of responsible government and local control, the provincial Parliament passed a statute to expand the number of seats in the Assembly and re-draw the boundaries.

"Party" was a fluid concept, especially during the early years of the Province of Canada.