M981.207.4 | Sir Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine
Sir Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine
About 1880, 19th century
Ink on paper
12.7 x 9.8 cm
Gift of Mr. Charles deVolpi
M981.207.4
© McCord Museum
Description
Keywords: male (26812) , portrait (53878) , Print (10661)
Keys to History
Faced with the reality of a united Canada and the exile of patriote leaders like Louis-Joseph Papineau, moderate French Canadian nationalists like Lafontaine opted to live with the reality of the Union Act and to seek new ethnic and bicultural alliances with leaders from Upper Canada like Robert Baldwin and, later, John A. Macdonald These alliances formed part of an emerging party system in Canada and fuelled a movement over the next decades toward a federal structure as the best solution for the Canadian dilemma.
Source : The Aftermath of the Rebellions [Web tour], by Brian J. Young, McGill University (see Links)
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What
The Rebellion Losses Bill, introduced by Lafontaine, showed the triumph of the principle of responsible government in Canada. However, Lafontaine soon became disenchanted with politics and resigned, only to become Chief Justice at a later date.
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Where
In the important election of 1841, La Fontaine ran for a seat in Terrebonne, a county near Montreal. After his defeat, English Canadian reformers found a seat for him in York. In 1842, he established a reform administration in alliance with Robert Baldwin.
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When
The 1840s were a critical period in Canadian history. It was La Fontaine who introduced into the Legislative Assembly the famous Rebellion Losses Bill of 1848.
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Who
Lafontaine had supported the patriote cause but opposed their call to arms. He became the leader of the French Canadian reformers in 1841 and worked with reform leaders in English Canada.
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