The names “Canada East” and “Canada West” were not actually official names. The Act of Union dictated that the two parts of Canada (now known as Ontario and Quebec – back then Upper and Lower Canada) should be merged into one.

The new Province of Canada had its own Parlimentary legislative assembly, but this lead to a deadlock amongst the political parties; the English West wanted money for something, and the French East wanted the money for something else, and they ended up voting themselves into deadlock where neither side was happy and nothing was accomplished.

Its been that way ever since.