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Responsible Government in the British Colonial System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2013

Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Affiliation:
McGill University
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Extract

The present paper deals with the circumstances under which the right of self-government was acquired by the province of Canada. It is concerned chiefly with the period that elapsed between the presentation of Lord Durham's report, in which “responsible government” was recommended, and the passing of the Rebellion Losses Bill of 1849, whose sanction by Lord Elgin indicates the final and complete adoption of this principle. Special emphasis is laid upon the constitutional crisis that occurred under the administration of Sir Charles Metcalfe with a view to placing in its proper historical perspective the influence exercised by the colonial reform party in the evolution of the imperial system. It is the aim of the paper to show that the interpretation of the principle of responsible government now prevailing was not present in the minds of imperial statesmen at the time of the adoption of the Act of Union of 1840, commonly assigned as the date of the inception of self-government. The essay is based upon the papers of Lord Sydenham and Lord Metcalfe, the collection of Baldwin pamphlets in the Toronto Public Library, certain official documents of the Canadian archives, and other original sources which the writer has had occasion to consult in preparing his biographies of Baldwin, LaFontaine, and Hincks in the Makers of Canada Series.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 1 , Issue 3 , May 1907 , pp. 355 - 392
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1907

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References

1 Morang & Co., Toronto, 1907.

2 Speech of Lord Stanley on the Canadian Question. London Times, June 19, 1849.

3 14 Geo. III., c. 83.

4 31 Geo. III., c. 31.

5 Lord Durham's Report. (Methuen & Co., 1902, p. 107.)

6 The text is cited in the Seventh Report from the Select Committee of the House of Assembly of Upper Canada on Grievances.

7 Report, p. xxvi. Printed by G. M. Reynolds, Toronto, 1835.

8 Robert Baldwin to Peter Perry. (Cited by Taylor, F.. British American, vol. iii, p. 72.Google Scholar

9 Letter of Stanley to W. W. Baldwin, April 24, 1829.

10 Glenelg to Head, December 5, 1835.

11 Since writing the above, the writer is informed that among the papers in question is a formal argument in favor of responsible government presented to Lord Durham by Dr. W. Baldwin, father of Robert Baldwin.

12 Despatch of Lord John Russell, October 18, 1839.

13 No official reports of the speeches were made at this time. See speech of Mr.Draper, as given in The Church, June 26, 1841.Google Scholar

14 La Minerve, September 21, 1842.

15 La Minerve. September 21, 1842.

16 Parker, C. S.: Sir Robert Peel from his Private Papers, vol. ii, chap, xiv (London, 1899).Google Scholar

17 The formation of the LaFontaine-Baldwin ministry.

18 Speech of Lord Stanley, June 13, 1849.

19 See Report of Canadian Archives, 1906.

20 See selections from the papers of Lord Metcalfe. J. W. Kaye. London, 1845, pp. 411 et 599.

21 Journal of the Legislative Assembly, December 1, 1843.

22 Journal of the Legislative Assembly, December 9, 1843.

23 Speech in the Assembly, September 13, 1842. Kingston, Chronicle and Gazette, September 17, 1842.Google Scholar No official reports of speeches were made.

24 See, for example, Speeches of the Meetings of the Reform Association.

25 Stanley to Metcalfe, November 2, 1844.

26 Walrond, T.: Letters and Journals of James, Eighth Earl of Elgin, p. 36. London, 1872.Google Scholar

27 Walrond: Op. cit., p. 40.

28 House of Commons Sessional Paper, No. 621, 1848. pp. 3–6.

29 See The Colonial Policy of Earl Russell's Administration. Grey, Earl. London, 1854, vol. i, pp. 202Google Scholar, et seq.

30 See House of Commons Sessional Papers, No. 621. 1848.

31 See Longley's, J.Joseph Howe; Makers of Canada Series. Morang & Co., Toronto.Google Scholar

32 Speeches of June 19, 1849.

33 Speech of Mr. Gladstone, June 14, 1849.

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