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John Lambton, the Earl of Durham published a
famous report in 1839, known as the Durham
report, which made recommendations concerning
changes in governing the colonies of Upper and
Lower Canada which had both recently experienced
rebellions. This report was controversial and
received by different fractions in Britain and
Canada in very different ways. |
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The atmosphere in the colonies, upon
Durham's arrival was gloomy and bitter. The Patriotes,
or Lower Canadian French patriots, had lost over 200 of
their number and their leadership had either bee
executed or scattered to the winds, mainly in the U.S.
The conditions were also unsettled and confrontational
in Upper Canada and action was expected.
Durham was thought of as somewhat of
a radical due to his belief and positions relating to
various political issues of the day. He supported
removing legal restrictions imposed upon Roman
Catholics, felt that a universal education system in
Britain should be implemented, was a staunch supporter
of free trade and backed the Reform Bill of 1832 which
expanded the electorate in Great Britain.
It should have come as no surprise
that his assessment of the situation recommended more
power to the elective assemblies by requiring their
support for any individuals chosen by the Governor for
the elected council. This in effect was the first major
step towards responsible government. The Governor would
be responsible to the legislative assembly in his choice
of the executive, the executive would be answerable to
the assembly in its actions with their approval and the
assembly would be responsible to the voters who elected
them. The pent up demands and support of the mass of the
electorate could be vented and realized through the
political system.
His recommendations went one step
further in that he believed that local issues and
administration should and could be handled by a second
level of government on the municipal level. This would
insure that purely immediate problems of a town, village
or area could be addressed by their municipal level and
avoid taking purely regional issues into the colony wide
theatre.
His second concern revolved around
his feelings that the existence of two nations, French
and English, in one colony, Lower Canada, was a boiling
pot of confrontation. He believed that the problems were
racial, not political. He wrote that the best solution
to Lower Canada's issues would be the assimilation of
the French culture, language and civil society. The most
effective measures to achieve this objective would be to
unite Upper and Lower Canada, let the English majority
elect and direct government policies and eventually
erode French rights, traditions, laws and expectations.
The immediate reaction to Durham's
report in London was to consider the merge of the
Canada's and the start of the assimilation process, but
the colonial office balked at the extension of
responsible government to the colonies. That would have
to wait for a more opportune, stable time to begin.
