The Upper and Lower Canada rebellions forced the British government to realize that Canada's system of government was not working. However, the British government did not want to give more power to the Reformers. John George Lambton, Lord Durham, arrived in Canada in May 1838. He was sent by Queen Victoria and the British government to find ways to calm the tensions in Canada. As Queen, she was able to impose any new law onto the governments of Upper and Lower Canada. Upon his arrival to Canada, Durham learned about the main political conflict between the Executive and the Legislative Assembly. This was especially a problem in Lower Canada. Durham's report had 3 main recommendations. 1. Durham observed that the public opposed the Executive members of government because they were not elected. Durham suggested that the members should be elected, but by white men who owned property and other forms of wealth. 2. His next recommendation was to unite Upper and Lower Canada into one province called the United Province of Canada. 3. Durham believed that tensions were also caused by cultural differences. Durham's third recommendation was that the Canadiens be assimilated. The British government rejected his recommendation of responsible government, but it adopted his suggestion of uniting Upper and Lower Canada. The Act of Union joined Upper and Lower Canada into one colony, called the Province of Canada. Capital was Kingston. French was banned from government, Canada West and East were given equal numbers of elected representatives. The response to this act was outrage. In 1848, LaFontaine (a Reformer leader from Canada East) and Baldwin's Reformers won a majority government. This was the first time the French and English had achieved a common political goal peacefully. By 1849, this government had convinced the British government to give political power to the elected Legislative Assembly. Responsible government has finally become a reality.
