Background to Confederation in The Canadas

1
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Sources
• Careless The Union of the Canadas
• Careless Brown of The Globe
• Creighton The Young Politician

2
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Rebellions Union
• The Durham Report
• The quarrel, which I was sent for the purpose
  of healing, had been a quarrel between the
  executive government and the popular branch of
  the legislature. The latter body had,
  apparently, been contending for popular rights
  and free government. The executive had been
  defending the prerogative of the Crown...

3
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Rebellions Union
• The Durham Report
• ... there existed a far deeper and more
  efficient cause, a cause which penetrated
  beneath its political institutions and into its
  social state... I expected to find a contest
  between a government and a people I found two
  nations warring in the bosom of a single state
  I found a struggle, not of principles, but of
  race...
• Lord Durhams Report II, p 14-16.

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Rebellions Union
• The Durham Report
• ...I perceive that it would be idle to attempt
  any amelioration of laws or institutions until we
  could first succeed in terminating the deadly
  animosity that now separates the inhabitants of
  Lower Canada into hostile divisions of English
  and French.
• Lord Durhams Report II, p 14-16.
• .

5
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Rebellions Union
• Durham makes two key recommendations
• Responsible Government
• Assimilation of French Canadians
• British Government keener on 2nd Act of Union
  1841

6
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Union of the Canadas
• Institutional element of assimilation was
  legislative union
• Upper Lower Canada fused
• Single legislative assembly
• 42 seats for each section
• Under-represented Lower Canada (Quebec)

7
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Struggle for Responsible Government
• British balked at Responsible Government
• ...although you consult with them the Exec
  Council, and are willing to pay due deference to
  their advice, you are yourself the head of your
  administration not even bound to adopt their
  advice, although always bound to receive it.
• Lord Stanley to Metcalfe (Quoted in Careless
  1967, 79)

8
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Struggle for Responsible Government
• Struggle for responsible government marks 1840s
• Cohesive alliance of Reformers in Upper Lower
  Canada defeat Tories Ultramontanes
• Highly polarized political system with elections
  marked by overt corruption and violence

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An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1840s
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An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1840s The 1st Parliament (1841-43)
Family Compact Chateau Clique
Oppose Governor
Support Governor
Reform Responsible Government
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An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1840s The 1st Parliament (1843-44)
Family Compact Chateau Clique
Reform Government... notice its regional basis
Tory Opposition
Reform Responsible Government
12
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1840s The 2nd Parliament (1844-47)
Tory Government
Reform Opposition
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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Struggle for Responsible Government
• Struggle for responsible government marks 1840s
• Cohesive alliance of Reformers in Upper Lower
  Canada defeat Tories Ultramontanes at 1847-48
  elections
• The battle for Responsible Government won, the
  division between the Reform coalition (on the
  left) and their Tory opponents (on the right)
  weakens
• Unleashes potentially chaotic and complicated
  political landscape marked by sectarian and
  regional as well as political divisions

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Sectionalism Gridlock
• A series of contentious bills reveals how
  polarized and unstable the political situation
  is
• Rebellion Losses Bill, 1849
• Annexationist Manifesto
• Common Schools Bill, 1850
• Seigneurial Bill, 1853
• Clergy Reserves Act 1854

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Sectionalism Gridlock
• ...and what a lot of English Canadians in Lower
  Canada thought about the Rebellion Losses Bill

16
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Sectionalism Gridlock
• A series of contentious bills reveals how
  polarized and unstable the political situation
  is
• Rebellion Losses Bill, 1849
• Annexationist Manifesto
• Common Schools Bill, 1850
• Seigneurial Bill, 1853
• Clergy Reserves Act 1854

17
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Sectionalism Gridlock
• 1850s marked by sectionalism, gridlock, unstable
  government
• Tensions are
• Religious (1) Catholic vs Protestant
• Religious (2) Church vs. State
• Constitutional Republican vs British Government
• Regional West vs East
• Situation is problematic because
• No majority party
• Parties are not disciplined
• Alliances are made broken by patronage quid
  pro quo

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas
Catholic
Church
Republican
British
State
Protestant
19
Background to Confederation in The Canadas The
3rd Parliament (1848-51) of the Province of Canada
The Reformers problem is that their coalition
gets too big and internally heterogeneous
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Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1850s
Catholic
Rouges
Church
Blues
Republican
British
State
Protestant
21
Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1850s
Catholic
Rouges
Church
Blues
Republican
Clear Grits
Liberal - Conservatives
British
State
Protestant
22
Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1850s
Catholic
Rouges
Church
Blues
Republican
Clear Grits
Liberal - Conservatives
British
State
Reformers
Protestant
23
Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1850s
Catholic
Rouges
Church
6
Blues
30
Republican
20
Clear Grits
6
Liberal - Conservatives
British
2?
18
State
Reformers
2
Protestant
24
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Sectionalism Gridlock
• Situation often exacerbated by
• Ongoing Sectarian tension
• University Endowments
• Sectional Strategies
• Movement of Capital
• Events
• Gavazzi Riots, 6 June 1853
• 10,000 Job Scandal

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Chaos (Instability) in Multiple Dimensions
• No equilibrium in 2 dimensions
• Clearly, not all alliances possible, but
• Opposition could always break coalitions
• Vulnerable to events
• Hamstrung by institutions The double-majority!

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Double Majority Veto Points
• Median voter pivotal in 1 dimension
• With simple majority, 43rd member determines
  outcome

Protestant
Catholic
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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Double Majority Veto Points
• Double-Majority majority overall majority in
  each section!
• Creates multiple pivotal voters
• Each pivot is a potential veto point

22nd Upper Canada Member (65th Member) (PIVOTAL)
Median Voter (43rd Member)
Protestant (High Tory)
Catholic Ultra Montane
22nd Lower Canada Member (PIVOTAL)
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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Escaping Gridlock Chaos
• Brown Macdonald searching for stable solution
• Step-by-step elimination of political dimensions
• Move to uni-dimensional politics or
  dimension-by-dimension median

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Browns Problem
• Sectarian appeals (No Popery!) give Brown solid
  but limited support
• How can Brown expand his appeal?

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Browns Strategy
• The Globe champions Tory-Blue alliance on
  church-state dimension (1851)
• Events issues undermine this strategy
• Supplementary School Bill, 1852
• Ecclesiastical Corporations Bill, 1853
• Gavazzi Riots, 1853

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Macdonalds Problem
• English-French coalition a fixed fact
• No man in his senses can suppose that this
  government can for a century to come be governed
  by a totally unfrenchified government. (Careless
  1967, 189)
• How to remove issues that exacerbate
  French-English tensionand still get elected?

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Macdonalds Strategy
• Build moderate Liberal-Progressive party
• Sideline Tories by supporting secularization
  against Hincks-Morin cabinet (i.e., turn on old
  allies!)
• Focus on shared commercial (rail) interests

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1850s
Catholic
Rouges
Church
6
Blues
30
Republican
20
Clear Grits
6
Liberal - Conservatives
British
2?
18
State
Reformers
2
Protestant
34
Background to Confederation in The Canadas
An Ideological Map of The Province of Canadas in
the 1850s
Catholic
Rouges
Church
Blues
Republican
Liberal - Progressives
Clear Grits
High Tories
British
18
State
Reformers
Protestant
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Background to Confederation
Macdonalds Ideological Vision
Catholic
Blues
Rouge
Commercial
Rural
Liberal-Progressives
Clear Grits
Ind. Reform
Tories
Protestant
36
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Browns Alternative Strategy
• By 1852 Canada West underrepresented
• Rep-by-Pop
• Removes Catholic advantages
• Limits church influence in state affairs
• Avoids gridlock of double-majority
• Rep-by-pop without regard to a separating line
  between Upper and Lower Canada lost 57-15 (March
  1853)

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Background to Confederation
Browns Ideological Vision
Double-Majority
Liberal-Progressives
Blues
Commercial
Rural
Rouge
Clear Grits
Ind. Reform
Tories
Rep-by Pop
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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Browns New Problem
• Can he ally with Rouges?
• It is clear that the natural allies of the
  Reformers of Upper Canada are the Rouges.
• Brown to Sandfield Macdonald (1854)
• (Careless 1960, v. 1, 191)

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Collapse of Hincks Government
• The double-majority principle brings down
  government
• Hincks resignation I could not command the
  confidence of the section of the province to
  which I belong.(Careless 1967, 210)
• Is double-majority a constitutional rule?
• Hincks exceedingly desirable in practical
  politics, but quite absurd as a constitutional
  requirement.

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Advantage Macdonald
• Hincks loses vote on speaker, 59-62 (5 Sept 1854)
• BUT supports Macdonalds coalition!
• Of all the abortions it could enter the mind of
  men to conceive it is the greatest. The Globe,
  Sept 12, 1854
• 38 MPs condemn new cabinet

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Move and Counter-move
• Macdonald gets rid of sectional issues (e.g.,
  Clergy Reserves, Seigneurial Bill )
• Brown builds bridges
• Supports Clergy Reserves Seigneurial Bill
• Invites Grits to form united Reform party, 1856

42
Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Double-Shuffle
• Difficult to hide sectionalism
• Taché Act, 1855
• Corrigan murder trial, 1856-7
• Movement of Capital Question
• 21 May 1955 won by 70-47, but no
  double-majority
• Ask Queen to decide!

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas
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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• Dorion Brown
• Dorion (Rouge leader) opines on federation in
  1856
• Brown writes Holton
• No honest man can desire that we remain as we
  are. Yet what other way out of our difficulties
  can be suggested but a legislative union with rep
  by pop a federal union or dissolution.
  (Careless 1960, 253)

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Double-Shuffle
• Queen chooses Ottawa Ottawa!
• Rouge motion that Ottawa unacceptable (July 28,
  1858)
• Montreal should be capital, not Ottawa
• Ottawa should not be the capital
• Splits Blues and passes 64-50
• Cabinet calls adjournment 61-50

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Double-Shuffle
• Macdonald Cartier resign!
• Head sends for Brown
• The Governor General gives no pledge or promise,
  express or implied, with reference to dissolving
  Parliament.

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Background to Confederation in The Canadas

• The Double-Shuffle
• Brown Dorion weak
• Ministers have to face by-elections
• Lose confidence vote 70-31
• Independence of Parliament Act, 1857