Old Port of Montreal

On April 25, 1849, a furious mob set fire to the Parliament Buildings of the Province of Canada, then located in the Old Port of Montreal. The riot was sparked by the passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill, which aimed to compensate Lower Canadians for losses incurred during the Rebellions of 1837–38. Many Anglophone Montrealers, particularly those who were staunch Loyalists and Tories, viewed the bill as an affront, believing it rewarded rebels. Following the bill's royal assent, a large crowd gathered outside the Parliament Building, located on Place d'Youville, near the current Pointe-à-Callière Museum. The crowd, incensed by the decision, stormed the building. Amidst the chaos, gas jets were smashed, and a fire quickly engulfed the wooden structure. The building, along with its extensive parliamentary library, was completely destroyed. The burning of Parliament was a dramatic and violent expression of political and ethnic tensions in pre-Confederation Canada, leading to the temporary relocation of the capital and highlighting the deep divisions within the province.