Rebellions, union and responsible government
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The rebellions of 1837–1838 were followed by Lord Durham’s report and the Act of Union of 1840. Reformers then secured responsible government, requiring ministers to retain the support of elected representatives.
Scope & context
Independent citizenship-study support. Read the cited official sources; this is not an official question bank or a guarantee of a test result.
More context
The guide distinguishes elected representation from responsible government: having an assembly did not initially make ministers accountable to it. Joseph Howe’s movement in Nova Scotia and the work of Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin in the Province of Canada were important to the change.
Nova Scotia attained responsible government in 1848; the Canadas followed in the same period. Durham’s proposal to assimilate French Canadians was controversial and should not be treated as an agreed national ideal. Responsible government concerns confidence and accountability, not simply officials acting politely or competently.
The Act of Union was passed in 1840; the united Province of Canada came into being in 1841. The date of legislation and its implementation should not be conflated.
The first representative assembly in the territory of present-day Canada was elected in Nova Scotia in 1758. Prince Edward Island followed in 1773 and New Brunswick in 1785. Representative government and responsible government are different milestones.
Sources behind this record
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Canada’s History; sections and tables identified in the research record
Canadian Heritage
Act of Union passed1840and proclaimed10February1841