Canadian Rebellions: Bitterly Cold Yet Politically Boiling

¬¬¬¬¬¬The Canadas: Bitterly Cold yet Politically Boiling

LONDON - What to make of the rebellions in the Canadas? How do they affect the British Empire? Why are the Canadians rebelling against the British control and system of government? This article will lead you through the events of the Canadian rebellions and provide you with all the necessary details about the current situation in our North Atlantic colony.

The Canadas have always been a troubled place in terms of government and ruling. Sparsely populated, rich with resources, said to be “loyal” yet always in some state of political unrest, residents of our British North America colony just never seem to be all right with any system of leadership. Originally, they disliked the French
Seigneurial system of government (in which wealthy landowners known as Seigneurs rent their land out to the residents, the Habitents) that was in place as they believed that it was only benefiting the French population of the colonies, not the English.
Then, the fourth colonial war between the Crown and the French began in the Ohio River Valley in 1754 and lasted until 1763. (As the erudite readers of this paper know, this war spread to Europe in 1756 and became known the Seven Years War). British armies, backed by the British Royal Navy captured Quebec City in 1759. Our brave soldiers seized Montreal in 1760 and the fighting in the Americas ended. In the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763, France surrendered most of “New France” to our Crown. On the 9th of October, 1763, His Majesty King George III issued the Royal Proclamation that laid out a commitment by the Crown to summon a legislative assembly for the territory, “so soon, as the State, in Circumstances of the Colonies will admit thereof.” Principles of our common law replaced the pre-existing French civil law. His Majesty also committed to protect certain rights
of the colony’s native Indians. Whereas the Treaty of Paris gave New France to the Crown, it allowed the French to take control of Guadeloupe and the small fishing island of St. Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland. The English merchants and businessmen living in New France were pleased, but not the French Canadians who were accustomed to living in a Seigneurial system of land distribution and ownership.
After the Revolutionary War began in 1775, many people in the American Colonies remained loyal to our Crown (pity that not all of our settlers in America did). About 40,000 of them moved to what is today the Canadas during and after the war. Those who moved to Nova Scotia soon demanded a colony of their own. In 1784, our good government created the colony of New Brunswick (formerly Western Nova Scotia) to appease to the United Empire Loyalists.
Despite some continuous rumble and attempts at change (e.g. the Quebec Act of 1774), the government of the colony remained largely unchanged up until the Constitutional Act of 1791. This Act divided the territory of New France (then known as Quebec) into Upper and Lower Canada, which catered to the needs of both the English and French population. Upper Canada is a predominantly Anglophone territory, with a traditional system of British government (Lieutenant Governor and councils are appointed, not elected). In contrast, Lower Canada (predominantly Francophone) preserves some of the governmental systems of the old French rule (the Seigneurial system of land distribution).
In a typical manner, the residents of Lower Canada remained discontent with their government’s rule, this time for allegedly raising the taxes of the Seigneurs. The increased levies pushed land owners to charge the Habitents higher rent in order to remain profitable. Both Seigneurs and Habitents were unhappy. They decided to take action and rebel. Meanwhile, in Upper Canada, people were complaining about dearth of roads to and from their markets and the supposedly unfair land distribution in the colony. The big canals and mighty ports that His Majesty built are not regarded by the population as essential. What they fail to understand is that the great needs of the British Empire far outweigh poor, uneducated laypersons’ way to the local market. They do not seem to realize that building canals to increase trade prospects or building ports for the benefit of the Empire is in a different scale and magnitude of importance than their typically petty complaints!
Starting in 1837, the Canadians, led by their narrow-minded view of society, decided to rebel against the British Government and advocate a system known as Responsible Government. Good sounding name? Yes. Suitable cause? Most definitely not. The “Responsible Government” that the Canadians are proposing is quite frankly an American system of government, open to learned and laypeople alike. They want to eliminate the long-standing practice of appointed leaders and councils, and instead vote in the representatives from a list of candidates drawn from each county or region. The bar for government officers is set quite low. If accepted, this demand would essentially give the Legislative Assembly, made up of uneducated and inexperienced farmers, tradesmen and shopkeepers the governing power over the entire colony, with little or no input in governance by educated, responsible and experienced Englishmen who are loyal to the Crown.
This short-sighted movement is spearheaded by two men: the colourful William Lyon Mackenzie in Upper Canada and his counterpart Louis-Joseph Papineau in Lower Canada. The actions of these two men symbolize the 1837 Rebellions: myopic and self-centred locals, solely concerned with their own, specific needs. In 1835, Mackenzie sent his “Seventh Report on Grievances” to Westminster. It outlined his various concerns with the government in Upper Canada. Papineau, meanwhile, filed his “92 Resolutions” and sent it to London, outlining similar concerns as Mackenzie’s. Both proposals were rejected, and it led the locals to believe that the British Government did not truly care about their well-being. In November of 1837, the Lower Canadian rebellions began. Papineau commanded his ragtag army of bandits, locals and militia to battle against the mighty British Army. As expected, the Lower Canadians went down in defeat, and the Redcoats declared victory after the burning of the church of St. Eustache, Montreal—the headquarters of the Lower Canadians rebels. Thinking that the British Army was preoccupied with its operation in Lower Canada, on 7th December of 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie gathered his own local bunch to attack the City of York, on the north bank of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Upper Canada. Was he ever wrong! Mackenzie’s grave mistake came in him waiting several days before staging his attack on the city, thereby allowing our clever Officers and Lieutenants to prepare to defend York. When Mackenzie and his forces stormed the city, they were met with our trained, larger army, and so they fled to the Northern reaches of the town of York and even farther beyond. With that, the rebellions of 1837 were over and order was restored. Long term consequences may arise, however.
The 1837 Rebellions in the Canadas may have their impact felt throughout the British Empire, unless our Government reacts swiftly and wisely. Should Canadians manage to seize responsible government and transform our traditional and effective rule, then other, more precious colonial jewels of our Crown may begin to advocate a new system of government as well. This could eventually lead to a loss of British control in these important territories and to the split of the mighty British Empire! Thus, we must do everything in our power to make sure that the Canadas stay under British rule and remain under the traditional English system of government. This means that we must send over more soldiers, be aware of every small attempt at rebellion, and make sure that no spark of senseless change is ignited. Although violence should always be our last resort, the London Advocate Newspaper believes that the potential separation of a colony and the threat of rebellion throughout the Empire is sufficient to justify its
use. Will the colonies achieve their goal of “responsible government”? We should do everything in power to ensure that the answer to that question is an emphatic “No!” At the same time, war is our last resort. This Newspaper believes that the interest of the Crown and the greater good of the empire are best served if Her Majesty Queen Victoria and Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne send a wise, sensible and experienced man on an advisory expedition to the Canadas. For only a stronger hold of our Crown in the Canadas can help bring order and sensible government to that freezing yet politically boiling Colony.