The governing party sits on the left side of the speaker of the House of Assembly as opposed to the traditional right side of the speaker. This tradition dates back to the 1850s as the heaters in the Colonial Building were located on the left side. Thus, the government chose to sit near the heat, and leave the opposition sitting in the cold.[3]
Homes of Legislature
Before 1850 the legislature has sat at various locations including Mary Travers' tavern on Duckworth Street across from War Memorial 1832, St. John's Court House (at Duckworth and Church Hill) from 1833 to 1846, a building on southwest corner of Water Street and Prescott Street (since replaced with office building) and the site of the former St. Patrick’s Hall on Queen’s Road and Garrison Hill (demolished and replace by current building 1880[4]).
Permanent homes of the legislature, Confederation Building and Colonial Building, are the only surviving structures.[5][6]
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