How did responsible government come to British North America?

Responsible government came to British North America through Reformer political mobilisation in Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada in the 1840s. Responsible government means a Cabinet (the executive ministry) accountable to the elected Legislative Assembly rather than to the appointed Lieutenant-Governor. Nova Scotia achieved responsible government in February 1848 under Joseph Howe and James Boyle Uniacke, becoming the first British colony anywhere to have responsible government. The Province of Canada followed in March 1848 under the Baldwin-La Fontaine ministry, with the support of Governor General Lord Elgin.

The principle of responsible government had been advocated by Lord Durham's Report of January 1839, which argued that colonial constitutional stability required cabinets accountable to elected assemblies. The British government initially resisted, fearing loss of imperial control. The crucial figure was James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, appointed Governor General in 1846. Elgin (the son-in-law of Lord Durham) believed responsible government would actually strengthen the imperial connection by removing colonial grievances against the Governor's personal rule.

In Nova Scotia the Reform movement was led by Joseph Howe, the editor of the Novascotian newspaper. After winning the August 1847 election, Howe and his Reformers demanded that the Lieutenant-Governor's Executive Council be drawn from the Reformer majority. Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Harvey complied, dismissing the previous Tory Council and inviting James Boyle Uniacke to form a Reform government. Uniacke's ministry took office on February 2, 1848, the first responsible ministry in any British colony.

In the Province of Canada, the Reformers Robert Baldwin (Canada West) and Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine (Canada East) had been working together since the early 1840s. After winning the December 1847 to January 1848 election, Baldwin and La Fontaine became Co-Premiers on March 11, 1848 in Canada's first fully responsible ministry. The Baldwin-La Fontaine government's most controversial act was the Rebellion Losses Bill of February 1849, which compensated Lower Canadians for property destroyed during the 1837 to 1838 Rebellion (some of whom had been Patriote rebels). Lord Elgin gave royal assent to the bill on April 25, 1849, demonstrating that the British government would respect responsible government even on politically difficult issues. An Anglo-Tory mob burned the Parliament Buildings in Montreal that night. The Baldwin-La Fontaine ministry passed major reform legislation including municipal government, secularisation of the Clergy Reserves, and the founding of the University of Toronto.