canada Flashcards
describe the system of governance in upper Canada
-Governed by lieutenant governor appointed by London=ran providence with the aid of the executive council
appointed council=executive power in addition to Lieutenant governor
- governor and executive council accountable to London not locally elected assembly
family compact=monopoly on the council exercised power for their own benefit
legislative assembly= and an appointed leg council(like House Lords)=appointed for life=laws passed by leg assembly had to be approved by leg council so unelected block elected bills
describe the system of landownership in upper Canada
-based on British freehold tenure
-British did recognise indigenous peoples rights to land and made treaties with them
1/7 all lands for clergy=money made used support Anglican church
=even though they were minority they had the loyalty of the family compact so no reform of clergy land reserve possible
describe the tensions in Upper Canada
lacked infrastructure and capital investment and had small pop to raise revenues from
instead of working with leg assembly to increase taxes it attempted to raise revenue by sidestepping leg assembly
revenue raised by sale land to Canada company and was used to pay salary of officals which annoyed reformers
-increased opposition to the family compact grew in 20-30s around issue of the clergy reserve allotted to the Anglican church and there were calls for responsable and cheap governance=removal FC and constitutional change =Robert Baldwin=lawyer and reformer=father responanle gov when he said constitutional change should make executive responsable to people of Canada not london
describe Land ownership in Lower Canada
land was granted to a seigneur who would grant lands to tenants to tend farm for rent=fedual system=tenants protected by gov contracts and relationship was overseen by state=more protected=75-80% rural pop LC lived under this until mid 19th century
describe tensions in LC
Quebec act 1774=ensured free practice Catholicism s well as excepting use french civil law=LC mostly French speaking although official language of LA was English
French Canadians=remained attached to French identity
increased immigration of loyalists from American colonies caused ongoing racial tensions
describe governance in LC
-brought into being by 1791 constitution with same political structure as Upper Canada=Governors tended to select members of EC from loyalists ad wealthy British members of colony =created English oligrachy known as Chateau Clique =french speaking pop was larger than English which meant their views dominated leg assembly=opposed moves by Clique that they viewed as attack on French identity
describe tensions in LC
1820s rural stagnation and hardships for French rural pop=ruling elite attributed these issues to “backwardness” of French pop=they wanted to pass Act parliament in 1822 to unite LC and UP =large English speaking majority
=mobilised opposition to plan=dropped by London
French speaking professionals wanted political reform to protect French identities and rep farmer=Patriotes
Lord Dalhousie=loggerheads french leg assembly=assembly refused to vote money for payment of officials and Lord D prorogued elected assembly 1827 due to speaker being Patriotes leader
petition presented to London with 87,000 signatures resulted in the end of his governorship
describe the threat from the USA
by providing French Canadians with religious and cultural freedom they hoped prevent USA influencing revolt
-by establishing leg assembly with financial autonomy they hoped to not have a repeat of what happened in America but fact that executive power rested i hands British appointed gov and council meant tensions inevitable
