|
Family Compact |
Lower Canada Reform
|
Upper Canada Reform
| William Lyon
Mackenzie | Louis
Joseph Papineau | The
Maritimes | Durham
Report The
opposition to the entrenched powers or Family Compact,
in Upper Canada, was known as the reform party. This
group evolved as a reaction to the abuses of the system
and the colony by the Family Compact and was led by
William Lyon Mackenzie. Once the 1837 rebellion in Upper
failed Britain sent Lord Durham to the colony to
investigate the causes and forces behind the rebellion.
The result of this action was the Durham Report.
Two of the main recommendations of the
Durham report were the Union of Upper and Lower Canada
and the development of responsible government in the
colonies. Durham felt that the French Majority in Lower
Canada were an issue that cold only be addressed
if they were assimilated in a large English population
which could only be achieved by uniting the two
colonies.
The solution to the
Upper Canada issues was responsible government and in
the back of the British politician's minds they were
reflecting upon the end result of not reacting to
popular opinion in the 13 colonies. Upper Canada was
ready for responsible government and the Act of Union in
1840 addressed many of the issues that the rebellion of
1837 had been caused by and started Canada down the road
to real unification with the other British colonies in
North America. |
