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This section deals with the period after the rebellions
in 1837 and 1838. In the decade that followed, responsible
government gradually came closer into being, until, at last,
it became a reality in 1848.
Topics in this section:
The Durham Report
The Reaction: Britain
The Reaction: Lower Canada
The Reaction: Upper Canada
The Path Forward: Sydenham's Instructions
The Act of Union, 1840
Slipping Backward
Lord Elgin Brings New Hope
The Emergence of Cabinet Government
Responsible Cabinet Government Tested: Lord
Elgin Passes the Rebellion Losses Bill
The Evolution of Cabinet Government
Other Interesting or Important Documents
The Durham Report
The Durham Report was controversial in all quarters, and reinforced
Durham's
reputation as a radical. It was strongly biased towards the English
population of the Canadas, and made a number of recommendations.
Essentially, these involved:
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A union of Upper and Lower Canada.
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Responsible
government, dominated by the English inhabitants of the
Canadas.
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Colonial control of internal affairs (but in a very limited
sense).
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Assimilation of the French-speaking population.
The report also made recommendations on a range of issues such
as settlement and land grants.
The Reaction: Britain
The secretary for war and the colonies, Lord
John Russell, was not ready to accept the proposal for responsible
government. He felt that it surrendered to the interests of violent
rebels and that a colonial council should not be in a position of
advising the Crown.
The Reaction: Lower Canada
Many French-speaking Canadians were outraged at the recommendations
that they be assimilated and the suggestion that they had no culture
or history. Others objected to Russell's reluctance to grant them
responsible government.
In general, however, the population of Lower Canada had become
apathetic after the failure of the rebellions. The support of the
clergy for the status quo also had an effect.
The Reaction: Upper Canada
In Upper Canada, reformers were enthusiastic about the report's
call for responsible government. The conservative ruling class was
less impressed, although they supported union.
The Path Forward: Sydenham's Instructions
In anticipation of the Act of Union, the British government
sought to ensure that the new governor general, Baron Sydenham,
would be acting along the principles recommended by Durham. Russell
instructed Sydenham to try to gain the acceptance of the two provinces
for the union.
His powers as Governor remained much as they were before the rebellions,
but he was cautioned to act against the Legislative
Assembly only with "the gravest deliberation."
Copyright/Source
The Act of Union, 1840
The two Canadas were joined in 1840. The terms were decidedly unfair
to Lower Canada: it was expected to help pay Upper Canada's £1.2
million debt (it had very little), and held it to fifty percent
of the seats in the new Assembly despite having a much larger population.
British North America, 1840
Slipping Backward
Sydenham did his best to act according to the spirit of his instructions.
He effectively made himself his own first minister and formed a
cabinet from able men. This worked well in the shaky years after
the rebellions.
After Sydenham, Sir
Charles Bagot tried to go further. The next governor, Sir
Charles Metcalfe, negated his efforts, however. Metcalfe did
not accept that responsible government was possible in Canada, and
disputes again arose.
Added to this was resistance by Russell in Britain, who believed
that it was impossible for a governor to be responsible to the sovereign
and a local legislature at the same time.
Lord Elgin Brings New Hope
Lord Elgin
replaced Metcalfe after a change in British government brought a
more reform-minded government to power. Earl
Grey, the new secretary of state for war and the colonies, made
it clear that Britain had no interest in exercising any more influence
in the colonies than was necessary to prevent one colony from injuring
another or the empire as a whole.
The Emergence of Cabinet Government
Nova Scotia was the first to take advantage of this new policy.
In 1847, the government was defeated and a new one, led by Joseph
Howe, formed in February 1848. In Canada, reformers Robert
Baldwin and Louis
LaFontaine formed a new council in March, 1848.
Copyright/Source
Responsible Cabinet Government
Tested:
Lord Elgin Passes the Rebellion Losses Bill
The first serious test of the new system came in 1849. The Rebellion
Losses Bill sought to compensate those in what had been Lower
Canada for damages that resulted from the rebellions. It was controversial
because the Tories objected that many of the claimants were former
rebels. It was well received by French Canadians, but British elements
opposed it so strongly that they attacked Elgin and burned the parliament
building down in Montreal.
Responsible government was again tested, and proven, in 1859, when
a proposed protectionist duty
proposed by Canada's legislature threatened British commercial interests.
The duty eventually came into being.
The Evolution of Cabinet Government
Durham had intended the Act of Union, 1840 to weaken the
power of French Canadian parties. Its effect was the opposite: no
government could be formed without the support of one of the French
Canadian parties.
As a result, it was not long before the English-only requirement
for the Assembly was revoked, and a system of dual-premiership evolved.
As the alliances were sometimes unlikely, and issues often rose
to break them, governments did not last long. Ultimately, this began
to shake the confidence of people in the union of the provinces.
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Louis LaFontaine insisted on speaking
in French in the Assembly of the Province of Canada,
despite the fact that the official language was
English alone. Eventually, the government gave
in and changed the Act of Union to allow French
in the Assembly.
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Other Important or Interesting
Documents
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