5.1 - Canada Flashcards
to what extent did the political nature and gov systems of Upper + Lower Canada minimise the perceived threat from the USA?
when was the Canada Company given a Royal Charter to aid the colonisation + development of the province?
1825
who dominated the political system in Upper Canada?
the Family Compact
what did Lord Durham say about the Family Compact?
they were a ‘petty, corrupt, insolent Tory clique’
what land systems were used in Upper Canada + Lower Canada?
UC- British freehold tenure
LC- French seigneurial tenure
how much of land in Upper Canada was reserved for the clergy?
1/7
why were there tensions in Upper Canada?
- UC lacked infrastructure + capital investment + small population (only 350k) but the gov sidestepped leg assembly + denied them the opportunity to influence spending
- revenue raised by Canada Company was used to pay salaries of officials, so Reformers couldn’t influence actions of lieutenant by refusing to vote
- calls for ‘responsible + cheap gov’ began
who was the ‘father of responsible gov’?
Robert Baldwin
what did Baldwin do in 1836?
wrote to Glenelg, the colonial secretary in London, suggesting constitutional reform to establish responsible gov in the colony where the executive would be responsible to voters in Canada
what % of the rural population in Lower Canada lived in seigneurial land?
75-80%
who dominated the political system in Lower Canada?
Chateau Clique
what did Dalhousie do in 1827 + why?
he prorogued the elected assembly bc he refused to accept the patriotes leader as speaker of the house
what did Dalhousie’s actions in 1827 lead to?
- a petition signed by 87,000
- end of his governorship
what were the tensions in Lower Canada?
- French-Canadian identity which became an important political block in the assembly
- racial tensions due to influx of British loyalists from America
- Chateau Clique held most power
- British proposed an Act of union in 1822 which would’ve made a large Englihs-speaking majority - the French opposed + it was dropped
- patriotes were inspired by the French + American revolutions
- Dalhousie prorogued the elected assembly in 1827 as he refused to accept leader of the patriotes as speaker of the house
