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

However, portions of the municipality were carefully excised from the electoral district of Quebec City and added to the surrounding Quebec County electoral district, in furtherance of the Governor General's plan to increase the voting strength of British voters who would support his government.

[6] The Union Act changed this situation by providing that the city and town of Quebec would be one district, represented by two members.

[7] The Union Act gave the Governor General the power to set the boundaries for the district.

[8] 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.

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

[10] 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.

In Quebec City, this intervention took the form of pressure on government officials and pensioners to vote for Sydenham's preferred candidates.

[16] In the general elections of 1858, there was electoral violence in the Quebec City riding, and two individuals were killed.