A remarkable political and cultural relationship was cemented on this day in 1848 with early Canadian reformers, Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, and their followers winning convincing victories in legislature elections in Canada West (Ontario) and Canada East (Quebec). In a matter of months, with these two giants of Canadian political history serving as co-Premiers of the United Province of Canada, responsible government was finally achieved thanks to the trusting partnership between these two allies and close friends; one English, and one French. “This is not a mere party struggle,” Baldwin wrote. “It is Canada against her oppressors, the people of Canada claiming the British constitution against those who would withhold it.” Their government was also one of the most activist in early Canadian history, firmly establishing public schools, municipal governments and founding one of Canada’s truly great universities, the University of Toronto. Sadly, Baldwin and Lafontaine are hardly considered today, nor their legacies invoked often enough by today’s Canadians. Luckily, Historica Canada, under the leadership of my friend Anthony Wilson-Smith has worked tirelessly to highlight the story of Baldwin and Lafontaine and their joint quest for achieving responsible government. Here’s a link to the Heritage Minute about this historic pair. And for those of us – and there are many! – who have forgotten the meaning of responsible government, Historica Canada through their Canadian Encyclopedia gives us this definition:

“Responsible government refers to a government that is responsible to the people. In Canada, responsible government is an executive or Cabinet that depends on the support of an elected assembly, rather than a monarch or their representatives. A responsible government first appeared in Canada in the 1830s. It became an important part of Confederation. It is the method by which Canada achieved independence from Britain without revolution.”