Which statement about the Prime Minister and Cabinet is true?
- They are appointed for life
- They are chosen by the Senate
- They can ignore votes in Parliament
- They must have the confidence of the elected House of Commons to govern
Answer: They must have the confidence of the elected House of Commons to govern
This is responsible government. Cabinet must keep the “confidence of the House”, meaning the support of a majority of elected MPs. If the government loses a confidence vote, for example on the budget, it must resign, which usually leads to an election.
Learn more: Rebellions of 1837–38 and responsible government
- Reformers in Upper and Lower Canada believed progress toward full democracy was too slow. Some wanted American republican values or even to join the United States.
- Armed rebellions broke out in 1837–38 in the area outside Montreal and in Toronto. They lacked public support and were defeated by British troops and Canadian volunteers.
- Lord Durham, an English reformer sent to report on the rebellions, recommended uniting Upper and Lower Canada and giving them responsible government.
- Durham also said the quickest way for the Canadiens to progress was to assimilate into English-speaking Protestant culture. This showed he did not understand French Canadians, who wanted to keep their identity.
- Responsible government: the ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of the elected representatives to govern. A government that loses a confidence vote must resign.
- In 1840 Upper and Lower Canada were united as the Province of Canada.
- Reformers Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin, and Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, worked with British governors toward responsible government.
- Nova Scotia was the first colony in British North America to gain full responsible government, in 1847–48.
- In 1848–49 Lord Elgin, governor of United Canada, introduced responsible government with encouragement from London.
- In 1849 La Fontaine, a champion of democracy and French language rights, became the first head of a responsible government in Canada (similar to a prime minister).
- Some reformers, such as Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché and Sir George-Étienne Cartier, later became Fathers of Confederation. So did Sir John A. Macdonald, a former member of the voluntary government militia in Upper Canada.