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Great Coalition
The Great Coalition was a grand coalition of political parties that brought an end to political deadlock in the Province of Canada. It existed from May 1864 until Confederation in 1867. Prelude Four different ministries had failed in the previous six years, when the eight-month-old Liberal government of John Sandfield Macdonald and Antoine-Aime Dorion (the Sandfield Macdonald-Dorion Ministry) resigned in March of 1864, becoming the fifth cabinet to collapse. Governor-General Charles Viscount Monck sought out several widely respected leaders to attempt to form the next government, including Alexander Campbell of Kingston and Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair of Guelph. Each of the men approached refused, citing the extreme difficulty of the task. Finally, Parti bleu stalwart Étienne-Paschal Taché and Liberal-Conservative leader John A. Macdonald agreed to take on the task, in that same month of March 1864. A new government was sworn in; it fell after less than three months, i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John A
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that spanned almost half a century. Macdonald was born in Scotland; when he was a boy his family immigrated to Kingston in the Province of Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario). As a lawyer, he was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which elected him in 1844 to the legislature of the Province of Canada. By 1857, he had become premier under the colony's unstable political system. In 1864, when no party proved capable of governing for long, Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival, George Brown, that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform. Macdonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences, which resulted in the Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair
Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair, (4 November 1815 – 30 December 1867), known prior to 1862 as Adam Johnston Fergusson, was a Scottish-born Canadian lawyer, judge and politician. Life and career Born in Perthshire, Scotland, the son of Adam Fergusson and his first wife Jemima Johnston Blair, he emigrated to Upper Canada with his family in 1833. He was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1839 and set up practice in Guelph. He was named a judge in the court for Wellington District in 1842. He resigned from the bench to run as a Reform Party candidate in the general election of 1847. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for the riding of Waterloo and reelected in 1851. He represented the South riding of Wellington from 1854 to 1857. In 1860, he was elected to the Legislative Council for Brock division. He served as receiver general from March to May 1863, when he was named provincial secretary. He supported the Quebec resolutions in the le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charlottetown Conference
The Charlottetown Conference (Canada's Conference) was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for representatives from colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation. The conference took place between September 1 through 9, 1864. The conference had been planned as a meeting of representatives from the Maritime colonies; Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland agreed with the movement, but was not notified in time to take part in the proceedings. Britain encouraged a Maritime Union between these colonies, hoping that they would then become less economically and politically dependent on the Crown, and provide for greater economic and military power for the region in light of the American Civil War. However, another colony, the Province of Canada, comprising present-day Ontario and Québec, heard news of the planned conference and asked that the agenda be expanded to discuss a union that would also include them. In August 1864 Ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Majority
A double majority is a voting system which requires a majority of votes according to two separate criteria. The mechanism is usually used to require strong support for any measure considered to be of great importance. Typically in legislative bodies, a double majority requirement exists in the form of a quorum being necessary for legislation to be passed. Examples in use Australia In Australia, constitutional changes must be passed at a referendum in a majority of states (4 of the 6), and by a majority of voters nationally. Prior to 1977, the votes of citizens in the Northern Territory and the ACT did not affect the national or state-based count. After a Constitution Alteration put to referendum in 1977 and given vice-regal assent on 19 July 1977, Territorial votes contribute towards the national majority, but the Territories themselves do not count towards the majority of states. Canada Since the patriation of the Canadian constitution in 1982, thorough amending formulae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William McDougall (politician, Born 1822)
William McDougall (January 25, 1822 – May 29, 1905) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, politician, and one of the Father of Confederation#Fathers of Confederation, Fathers of Confederation. Biography William McDougall was born near York, Upper Canada (now Toronto, Ontario) to Daniel McDougall and Hannah Matthews. William was the third generation of United Empire Loyalists to settle in York. In 1793, his paternal great-great-grandparents were among the first twelve families to move to York along with 450 British troops. Those soldiers then built Fort York to protect against American invasion. McDougall received his education at Victoria College in Cobourg, Ontario, Cobourg, Upper Canada, and in 1847, began practicing law as an attorney and solicitor in Upper Canada. In 1862, he was called to the Upper Canada Bar. In 1849, William McDougall's office in Toronto was the meeting place for the Clear Grit political movement. Other Clear Grit supporters included Peter Perry (poli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oliver Mowat
Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario and one of the Fathers of Confederation. He is best known for defending successfully the constitutional rights of the provinces in the face of the centralizing tendency of the national government as represented by his longtime Conservative adversary, John A. Macdonald. This longevity and power was due to his maneuvering to build a political base around Liberals, Catholics, trade unions, and anti-French-Canadian sentiment. Early years Mowat was born in Kingston, Upper Canada (now Ontario), to John Mowat and Helen Levack, Scottish Presbyterians who both emigrated from Caithness, Scotland. As a youth, he had taken up arms with the loyalists during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, which suggested a conservative inclination in politics. But he instea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Simpson (Niagara Politician)
John Simpson (December 27, 1807 – September 19, 1878) was a businessman and political figure in Canada West. He was born in Helmsley, Yorkshire, England in 1807 and came to Niagara in Upper Canada in 1835 where he entered business as a bookseller. With George Menzies as a partner, he began publishing the ''Niagara Chronicle'' in 1837. He also published some other works, including ''The Canadian mercantile almanack'', and became sole owner of the newspaper in 1839. He took on other business interests and also served as customs collector at Niagara. Simpson served on the council for Niagara District and the town council for Niagara, serving as mayor from 1852 to 1855. In 1857, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Niagara; he was reelected in 1861 and 1863. In March 1864, he was named to the Executive Council as provincial secretary. Later that year, he resigned his seat, allowing William McDougall to enter the cabinet and the newly-formed Great Coalition. He was app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Hamilton Foley
Michael Hamilton Foley (1820 – April 8, 1870) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada West. He was born in Sligo in Ireland in 1820 and came to Port Colborne in Upper Canada with his parents in 1822. He began work as a school teacher but later worked as a journalist on several newspapers while studying law. He was called to the bar in 1851. In 1854, he was elected to the 5th Parliament of the Province of Canada representing North Waterloo as a Reformer; he was reelected in 1857. In 1858, he was chosen to be postmaster general. Originally, he aligned himself with George Brown; he later opposed Brown, supporting John Sandfield Macdonald as a moderate Reformer. Later, under pressure from his constituents, he supported Brown's proposals in support of restructuring the union. In 1861, he was elected in both North Waterloo and Perth; he chose to represent Perth. However, he was appointed postmaster general in 1861 and chose to rerun in North Waterloo. In 1863, he was reelected as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isaac Buchanan
Isaac Buchanan (July 21, 1810 – October 1, 1883) was a businessman, political figure and writer in Upper Canada, then Canada West, Province of Canada (now Ontario). Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he emigrated to British North America in 1830, settling first in Montreal, then York (now Toronto), and then Hamilton. At the height of his business career, he had an extensive house and estate in Hamilton, which he named "Auchmar", in recognition of his Clan Buchanan roots in Scotland. Buchanan's business was primarily centred in Hamilton and Canada West, but he was an international merchant, with business interests in Scotland and New York as well as Toronto and Montreal. He was the first president of the Hamilton Club, and founder of Hamilton and Toronto boards of trade – forerunners to modern chambers of commerce. He was the founder of the regiment that later became the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. He was also actively involved in the presbyterian movement in Canada We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Guide for Political Parties'' published by National Democratic Institute and The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, there are five steps of coalition-building: # Developing a party strategy: The first step in coalition-building involves developing a party strategy that will prepare for successful negotiation. The more effort parties place on this step, the more likely they are to identify strategic partners, negotiate a good deal and avoid some of the common mistakes associated with coalition-building. # Negotiating a coalition: Based on the strategy that each party has prepared, in step 2 the parties come together to negotiate and hopefully reach agreement on the terms for the coalition. Depending on the context and objectives of the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Act Of Union (1840)
The ''British North America Act, 1840'' (3 & 4 Victoria, c.35), also known as the ''Act of Union 1840'', (the ''Act'') was approved by Parliament in July 1840 and proclaimed February 10, 1841, in Montreal. It abolished the legislatures of Lower Canada and Upper Canada and established a new political entity, the Province of Canada to replace them. The ''Act'' was similar in nature and in goals to the other Acts of Union enacted by the British Parliament. Background Rebellion of Lower Canada After the War of 1812, the elected assembly of Lower Canada was dominated by French Canadians. A strong sense of nationalism sprung up among the francophones living in Lower Canada. The nationalists were led by Louis-Joseph Papineau, who was a part of what would later be known as the Patriot Party. One of its biggest demands was to determine how the colony's revenue would be spent. It challenged the authority of the upper house or legislative government. As well, the party sought to tak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
