[bourinot] CANADA DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA is 



England was animated by a desire to act considerately with the prov- 

 ince, and that little good would come from precipitating a conflict, which 

 would only add to the public misfortunes, and that the true remedy was 

 to be found in constitutional methods of redress for the political griev- 

 ances which undoubtedly existed throughout British North America. 



I have endeavoured to summarize above as briefly as possible the 

 actual state of affairs in the tirst years of the Queen's reign. It was a 

 most critical time in the career of the Canadian provinces. Had the 

 British Government been 23repared to act with haste or temper, the 

 consequences would have been fatal to the provinces ; but they acted 

 throughout on the whole with much discretion and recognized the fact at 

 the outset that mistakes had been made in the past, and that it was quite 

 clear that the people of Canada would not be satisfied with a mere 

 semblance of a representative government. The mission of Lord Durham, 

 who came to Canada as governor-general in 1838, was a turning-point 

 in the political and social development of the British North American 

 colonies. Whatever may be the opinion held as to the legality of the 

 course he pursued with respect to the rebels — a number of whom he 

 banished from the country without even a form of trial — there can be no 

 doubt as to the discretion and wisdom embodied in his Report, of which 

 Mr. Charles Buller, his able secretary, is general!}' considered to have 

 been the writer. The statesmen of all parties in England, but especially 

 Lord John Russell, aided in moulding a new policy towards the Canadas. 

 This new policy of which the reunion of the two provinces under one 

 government was the foundation, was in the direction of entrusting a 

 larger measure of self-government to the people — of giving them as com- 

 plete control of their internal affairs as was compatible with the security 

 and integrity of the empire. 



The union of the Canadas in 1841, when the French and English 

 sections were equally represented in one legislature, was the first im- 

 portant step in the movement that has been steadily going on for many 

 years in the direction of the unity and securit}^ as well as of the social 

 and political development of the provinces of British North America. 

 Then followed between 1841 and 1849 the concession of responsible 

 government in the fullest sense of the term, and the handing over to 

 Canada of the control of her public revenues and taxes, to be expended 

 in accordance with the wishes of the majority in the popular House. At 

 the same time came the repeal of the navigation laws which had fettered 

 colonial trade since the days of Cromwell. The post oflice was given to 

 the Canadian government, and in fact all matters that could be con- 



