RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT

REBELLION OF 1837

The Problem with Canada

• Following the war of 1812 citizens in Canada began to discover a problem!

• The Problem = the Constitutional Act of 1791

• Act gave the power of ruling to the elite minority

• The rest of the world was demanding rights for the majority (aka majority rule)

How was CND Ruled?

Upper and Lower Canada was ruled by oligarchy.

• Oligarchy –

• a small ruling class

• Mostly English-speaking & members of the Anglican Church

• Used their power for large industrial projects (canals)

• Benefit of their own economic enterprises

• Canadian oligarchy:

• Upper – Family Compact

• Lower – Château Clique

The Elite Dominate

• Oligarchy gave only the Anglican Church large amounts of land called Clergy Reserves that would finance the church.

• The oligarchy made up the appointed men in the Executive Council

• They would override and block laws passed by the elected assembly

• Propose taxes and manage government operations.

• This made the average citizen ANGRY because their voices were being ignored and tensions grew on both sides.

Reformers

• Reformers – people who wanted responsible government.

• Responsible government – a government who is held accountable to its citizens

• The reformers used newspapers as their primary tool for spreading their message of injustice and change.

The Reformers CONT.

• Upper Canada leader – William Lyon Mackenzie and his paper “The Colonial Advocate”

• Lower Canada leader – Louis-Joseph Papineau and his paper “Le Canadien”

• Reform movements in both Upper and Lower Canada were focused on increasing the political and economic rights of the population. LC had an additional element….

• economic and political rights

• but also cultural security for the French speaking majority of Lower Canada

REBELLION

• The tension between Oligarchy and Reformers grew.

• The elected assembly of Canada passed two bills demanding the appointed council to respect the elected assembly.

• Upper Canada – The Seventh Report on Grievances

• Lower Canada – The Ninety-Two Resolutions

• These bills would be IGNORED!

• Reformers would have to take a more DRASTIC approach!

1837 Rebellions

• In 1837 armed rebellion breaks out in Lower Canada and Upper Canada

• Would last less than a month.

• Reformers marched and fought government forces in Montreal and Toronto but would be quickly defeated

• Results: 20 Rebels hanged and Mackenzie and Papineau sought safety in the Untied States

Government starts paying attention!

Lord Durham’s Report

• England is worried about losing control of Canada

• They send Lord Durham to Canada to develop solutions for preventing further rebellion.

• He discovers two causes of rebellion:

1) The oligarchy in Upper Canada- “petty, corrupt, insolent…clique” not responsible to the ppl.

2) Divisions between French and English in Lower Canada

Durham’s Solutions

• Durham had two solutions:

• 1) A Government that would respond to the needs of the people. Aka - Responsible Government for the colonies rather than Representative Government

• 2) For the colonies to unite as one. (by doing this assimilating the French into the larger English colony eliminating Upper and Lower Canada)

Act of Union 1841

• Made Upper (Canada West) & Lower (Canada East) Canada into one colony - Province of Canada

• Colony has one governor

• One Elected Assembly

• One language in legislature

• Canada East & Canada West Canada would have equal representation (42 members each)

Act of Union 1841CONT.

• Result of the Act of Union:

• French politicians grouped together to prevent assimilation and often acted as a voting block when voting on policies originating in Western Canada.

• Politicians learnt how to work together by forming coalition

• Coalition – is formed when two or more political parties agree to work together for a common purpose.

• 1840--shifting policies in Britain- such as Free Trade- meaning that it no longer gave preferential trade arrangements to its colonies….thus causing a loosening of economic control…..

• 1848- Nova Scotia was the first colony to gain Responsible Government