Chapter 1.2: Responsible Government Flashcards
Who were La Fontaine and Baldwin? What did they do?
LF: Moderate leader of the LC Reformers
B: New leader of the UC Reformers
Joined forces to demand resp. gov.
How were the new Reformers treated?
They quickly gained popularity across the two regions, and dominated the legislative assembly from 1842-1851
Why was La Fontaine branded moderate?
Patriote and lawyer alike, he protested against the call to arms during the Rebellions
When was resp. gov. granted?
1848
Where did La Fontaine and Baldwin run?
LF: B’s father’s old riding of York
B: Rimouski
How did the government change after resp. gov. was granted?
LA chose the members of the EC, and the Gov. Gen. could no longer intervene cause he was not attached to a political party. He did, however, elect members of the LC on the EC’s recommendations.
What happened in government after resp. gov.?
French was recognized as an official language, and Patriotes were pardoned. The Rebellion Losses Bill was also proposed, which would compensate those who had property destroyed due to it.
How did the English react to the Rebellion Losses Bill?
They were against repaying for damages they’d caused. As Lord Elgin, in keeping with resp. gov., signed the bill, they met at Place d’Armes and lit the Parliament on fire.
What was the double majority principle?
In order to form a majority government, a party had to win the most seats on both sides. If the gov. lost majority, all ministers would resign and a new election would take place.
What happened after La Fontaine and Baldwin retired?
It was hard to gain majority gov, and Reformers split into Moderate (resp. gov. was enough) and Radical (wanted more). This led to the creation of new parties.
What were the 4 new parties and their orignal leaders before Confederation?
Clear Grits: George Brown (radical)
Parti Rouge: Antoine-Aimé Dorion (radical)
Conservatives: John A. MacDonald (torries)
Parti Bleu: George-Étienne Cartier (moderate)
What was wrong with the gov. between 1854 and 1864?
Instability due to a series of 10 minority governments, making it hard to pass any legislation without the support of other groups (alliances).
What was the proportional representation principles?
“Rep by pop,” you get more seats if you have a higher population, less seats if it’s lower
