Rebellion Losses Bill

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The Rebellion Losses Bill was a controversial law enacted by the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1849. Its passage and subsequent assent by the Governor General, Lord Elgin makes the bill a landmark piece of legislation in Canadian political history. The bill was enacted to compensate Lower Canadians who lost property during the Rebellions of 1837 and was modeled on similar measures which provided compensation in Upper Canada. Those who had participated in the Rebellion were to be compensated with taxpayer's money except for those who had been tried and convicted of sedition. These provisions angered some of Montreal's english-speaking citizens and provoked two days of violent disturbances known as the Montreal Riots. It resulted in the distruction of the Parliament building which until then was in Montreal. Corruption Jurisprudence Philosophy of law Law (principle) List of legal abbreviations Legal code Intent Letter versus Spirit Natural Justice Natural law Religious law Witness intimidation Legal research External links Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Law Look up law in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Law, Legal Definitions... Chamber of the Estates-General, the Dutch legislature. ... Note: for information about Canadas present-day provinces, see Provinces of Canada. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Governor General of Canada (French: Gouverneur général or Gouverneure générale) is the representative of the Canadian monarch. ... James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (July 20, 1811 - November 20, 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat, best known as Governor General of the Province of Canada and Viceroy of India. ... Lower Canada was a British colony in North America, at the downstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in the southern portion of the modern-day province of Quebec. ... The Rebellions of 1837 were a pair of Canadian armed uprisings that occurred in 1837 in response to frustrations in political reform and ethnic conflict. ... Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario Upper Canada is an early name for the land at the upstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in early North America – the territory south of Lake Nipissing and north of the St. ... Sedition refers to a legal designation of non-overt conduct that is deemed by a legal authority as being acts of treason, and hence deserving of legal punishment. ... Please visit and contribute to the Montreal Wikiportal See and add to this ongoing discussion about English Names in Montreal City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area  - % water 500. ... Please visit and contribute to the Montreal Wikiportal See and add to this ongoing discussion about English Names in Montreal City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area  - % water 500. ...

The rebellions of 1837-38 and the subsequent reprisals by forces loyal to the British crown had devastated much of Lower Canada. The British responded by sending Lord Durham to British North America to appraise the situation and in 1839, Durham submitted a report titled Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839) calling for the union of the Canadas, responsible government for the British North American colonies, and measures to encourage the assimilation of French-Canadians. 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (12 April 1792 - 28 July 1840), was a British Whig statesman and colonial administrator, Governor-General and high commissioner of British North America. ... British North America originally comprised all British colonies and territories on the North American continent, from Georgia to Labrador and Ruperts Land. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Report on the Affairs of British North America, commonly known as Lord Durhams Report, is an important document in the history of Canada and the British Empire. ... Responsible government is a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. ... French Canadian is a term that has several different connotations. ...

Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1840 and by 1848, a governor general was in place who would - in theory - ensure a system of responsible government where the governor would yield to the will of the legislature and cabinet. 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Governor-General (or Governor General) is a term used both historically and currently to designate the appointed representative of a head of state or their government for a particular territory, historically in a colonial context, but no longer necessarily in that form. ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... Chamber of the Estates-General, the Dutch legislature. ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ...

In 1846 a report was approved in principle that estimated Lower Canada's rebellion losses at £100,000 (in the currency of the day). In February 1849 Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, co-leader with Robert Baldwin of Canada's Reform government, introduced a bill in the legislature, then sitting in Montreal, that would compensate those who could prove their losses and had not been convicted of sedition. Lafontaine felt that compensation would help to heal the rift that had been opened in the aftermath of the rebellion, thus containing the influence of more radical French-Canadian nationalists such as Louis-Joseph Papineau. 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine. ... Robert Baldwin (12 May 1804 – 9 December 1858), Canadian statesman, was born at York (now Toronto). ... Portrait of Louis-Joseph Papineau. ...

The Tories' opposition to the bill was fierce. Since some rebels (at least those who had escaped conviction or exile) would be able to claim compensation for losses, the Tories claimed the bill was in fact a reward to traitors. They were also upset at the perceived loss of political power to French-Canadians. The fact that the bill was introduced during a severe economic depression certainly did not help to ease the tensions. The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Despite the Tories' opposition, the bill was passed by the Reform-dominated legislature and submitted to Lord Elgin for assent. Responsible government still being a new concept in Canada, some of the outraged English-Canadians demanded that Elgin refuse assent. The governor had his own serious misgivings about the bill and therefore many Tory supporters were confident that the governor would reject the "advice" of the legislature and cabinet.

However, Elgin's commitment to responsible government outweighed his objections to the bill, and the Rebellion Losses Bill was signed into law on April 25, 1849. Montreal's English population was incensed. Elgin's carriage was pelted with stones and rotten eggs, and by the evening a riot had developed which would last for two days and involve thousands of people. By the time the rioting had ended, mobs had caused thousands of dollars in damage and razed the Montreal Parliament building. April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Riots in Newark, New Jersey Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence. ...

The controversy around the bill also contributed to the rise of an American annexationist movement, who published the Montreal Annexation Manifesto on October 11, 1849. The Montreal Annexation Manifesto was a political document, published in 1849 in Montreal, Quebec, calling for Canadas annexation by the United States. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in Leap years). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Despite the violent opposition, Lord Elgin's actions were supported by a majority of Canadians and by the Liberal government in London. Responsible government had survived its first major test and would go on to be entrenched into Canada's political infrastructure. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the 1920s, and a third party of varying strength and importance up to 1988, when it merged with the Social Democratic Party to form a new party which would become known as... Italic text St. ...