5) Beginning of Parliamentary System

Question 1

What idea did European philosophers come up with in the 17th and 18th century?

Answer 1

All human beings had rights, it didn’t matter what position they held in the social hierarchy. And all human beings had the right to express their opinions and practice the religion that they wanted.

Question 2

What type of rights were the fundamental rights?

Answer 2

Life, liberty, equality, justice, property.

Question 3

What idea was the components of this philosophy called?

Answer 3

Liberalism

Question 4

What did liberals consider the fundamental rights to be?

Answer 4

The upmost importance with respect to economy, religion, culture and politics.

Question 5

What was the idea of political liberalism?

Answer 5

Liberals believed that instead of the king having all the power, it should be shared with elected representatives.

Question 6

What was political liberalism based on?

Answer 6

The king doesn’t lose power, but shares it. And individuals had the right to vote.

Question 7

What did the state have to be controlled by?

Answer 7

Three levels of power that were controlled separately, legislative, executive and judicial.

Question 8

Legislative power.

Answer 8

To create, modify and adopt laws.

Question 9

Executive power.

Answer 9

To implement and enforce the laws passed by the legislative power (police force).

Question 10

Judicial power.

Answer 10

Solve arguments and administer judgement by interpreting laws.

Question 11

What were liberal ideas similar to?

Answer 11

Republicanism, political power that stems from the people and challenges the institution of monarchy.

Question 12

What movements was republicanism the basis of?

Answer 12

The American revolution and the French revolution.

Question 13

Who was John Locke?

Answer 13

He was an english philosopher who promoted liberal ideas, he was opposed to having an absolute monarchy, he thought that the king should limit his power and share it with elected officials.

Question 14

National Liberation Movements in the Western World

Answer 14

Other countries also wanted independence. The Province of Quebec was still under British colonial occupation, but that didn’t prevent liberal ideas from spreading throughout the Great Britain’s colonies.

Question 15

How was the Constitutional Act formed?

Answer 15

When the Loyalists arrived in the Province of Quebec, they increased the amount of British influence in the province. Even though they were loyal to the British monarchy, they were influenced by the ideas of liberalism, so they demanded London to adopt a new act for its North American colony. The constitutional act was form in 1791.

Question 16

What happened under the Constitutional Act?

Answer 16

The British Parliament divided the colony’s territory into Upper and Lower Canada. King George III hoped that diving the territory would satisfy the interests of the British and Loyalists, and the Canadiens.

Question 17

What did the King want by dividing the territory?

Answer 17

To use the township system and other British institutions, and give concessions that were granted to the Canadiens under the Quebec act in 1774.

Question 18

Lower and Upper Canada

Answer 18

Lower Canada was mostly for Canadiens and Upper Canada had British character.

Question 19

What do the names of Upper and Lower Canada relate to?

Answer 19

Their position to the Fleuve Saint-Laurent and Great Lakes Région. Upper Canada is closer to Great Lakes Region and is higher elevated, Lower Canada is closer to the mouth of St Lawrence river and has a lower elevation.

Question 20

What are the characteristics of Lower Canada?

Answer 20

Population of 160,000 inhabitants, majority speak French, practice Catholic religion, follow French civil law and British criminal law, land is distributed based on the seigneurial system and township system (because there are still loyalists).

Question 21

What are characteristics of Upper Canada?

Answer 21

Population of 150,000 (increased because of Loyalists and British merchants), majority speak English, practice protestantism, follow British civil and criminal law, land is distributed based on township system.

Question 22

What was Lower Canada’s new political rule based on?

Answer 22

The mother country’s political system which was a constitutional monarchy (There is a king but there are still laws to follow).

Question 23

What was this the beginning of in the colony?

Answer 23

Parliamentism.

Question 24

What is a sovereign?

Answer 24

A monarch or someone who holds the supreme power.

Question 25

The right to vote.

Answer 25

Inhabitants of Upper and Lower Canada had the right to vote and elect members under the Constitutional Act. Electors would go to polling stations and cast their votes orally. Elections took place over several days and polling stations would stay open until the last elector casted their vote.

Question 26

What did voters have to be?

Answer 26

British subjects, age 21 or older, a property owner or paid rent of a minimum amount.

Question 27

The First Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada

Answer 27

In 1792, the population of Lower Canada elected 34 Canadien members and 16 British members of the first legislative assembly.

Question 28

What opened the same year?

Answer 28

The first parliamentary session of Lower Canada opened in the city of Quebec.

Question 29

Why were British interests always protected?

Answer 29

The British government appointed the governor, who appointed the legislative assembly. And the governor could oppose any law that had Canadien interests.

Question 30

The trajectory of a bill

Answer 30

The legislative assembly must approve a bill, the legislative council either approves the bill or amends it, in that case they would return the bill to the legislative assembly. The governor can accept it or reject it, if he accepts it receives Royal Assent and gets passed into law. He can also dissolve the assembly. The executive council implements the bill into a law.

Question 31

What was the first problem in the Legislative assembly in Lower Canada?

Answer 31

They couldn’t agree on a speaker. The Canadien members wanted a French speaker, but British members wanted an English speaker.

Question 32

Who became the first speaker?

Answer 32

Since the francophones held majority, a Francophone named Jean-Antoine Panet was elected to be the speaker.

Question 33

The Issue of Language

Answer 33

In 1793, British members wanted legal texts to be written in English because it was the spoken language of British Institutions. The Canadiens felt it should be in French because they hold the majority, so they wanted legal texts to be in French and English.

Question 34

What happened in the end?

Answer 34

The British government decided that English would be the language of assembly, but French could be used during debates and the legal texts could be translated into French.

Question 35

Financing prisons

Answer 35

In 1805, the legislative assembly couldn’t decide on how to finance the construction of prisons.

Question 36

What did the British decide?

Answer 36

To tax people of Lower Canada, which would affect mostly Canadiens.

Question 37

What did Canadiens decide?

Answer 37

To tax imported goods, which would affect British merchants.

Question 38

What happened in the end?

Answer 38

Canadien members won the debate.

Question 39

What two political parties were created?

Answer 39

The Parti Canadien and The British Party (also called the Tory Party)

Question 40

Parti Canadien

Answer 40

Composed of Canadien members and a few British members, had a majority in the legislative assembly, they always want changes.

Question 41

British Party

Answer 41

Composed of British members, the governor and most of the council members, they formed the minority in the legislative assembly, they controlled several political institutions, they held more political authority.

Question 42

Ezekiel Hart

Answer 42

The Hart family settled in the St Lawrence Valley in 1760. They were one of the first Jewish families to settle in the region. He inherited a seigneury from his father and opened a brewery and engaged in the fur trade. He was the first Jewish person to be elected on the Legislative assembly, and in British North America.

Question 43

What was the problem with him being elected.

Answer 43

He was never able to take his seat because he was refused by anti-Semitic British members of the council.

Question 44

What newspapers did the British Party and Parti Canadien express themselves in?

Answer 44

British Party used Montreal Gazette, Montreal Herald and Quebec Murcury. Parti Canadien used Le Canadien, the Vindicator and La Minerve.

Question 45

James Henry Craig

Answer 45

In 1810, Governor James Craig found that the people in charge of La Canadien had gone too far in the opinions they expressed. He order the newspaper to shut down and for the founders to be imprisoned. The newspaper resurfaced again in 1817.

Question 46

Jean-Antoine Panet

Answer 46

He was the first elected speaker of the legislative assembly and founded the newspaper La Canadien.

Question 47

Pierre-Stanislas Bédard

Answer 47

He was more interested in politics than law. He is one of the first great politicians of Lower Canada and founder and editor of La Canadien. After a year in prison, in 1812 he remained a part of the political landscape and was appointed as a judge.