who recommended that upper and lower canada be merged and given a sole responsible government
Act of Union 1840 The inspiration for the act is typically attributed to Lord Durham's Report on Canada. Lord Durham was sent to the colonies to examine the causes of the Rebellions of 1837 in both Upper and Lower Canada. Lord Durham wanted to re-instate peace throughout the colonies, and recommended a political union. It was under his belief that peace could best be achieved by ensuring a loyal English majority in British North America, as well as by anglicizing French Canadians, and by granting responsible government.[2] The union was also proposed to solve pressing financial issues in Upper Canada, which had become increasingly indebted [3] under the previous regime dominated by the Family Compact. These debts stemmed mostly from poor investments in canals [4] connecting Upper Canada to the port of Montreal in Lower Canada via the Great Lakes and St-Lawrence river. Due to Upper Canada's considerable debt and chronic budget shortfalls, it was hoped that its finances could be salvaged by merging it with the then-solvent Lower Canada.
Canada under British rule Canada first came under British rule with the Treaty of Paris (1763) which ceded New France, of which Canada was a part, to the British Empire. Gradually, other territories, colonies, and provinces that were part of British North America would be added to Canada. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 enlarged the colony of Canada under the name of the Province of Quebec, which with the Constitutional Act 1791 became known as The Canadas. With the Act of Union 1840 Upper and Lower Canada were joined to become the United Province of Canada. Later, with Confederation in 1867, the British maritime colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were joined with the British colony of Canada to form the Dominion of Canada, which was subsequently divided into four provinces, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. A number of other British colonies, such as Newfoundland and British Columbia, and large territories such as Rupert's Land initially remained outside of the newly formed federation. Over time, the remaining colonies and territories within British North America came under the control of Canada until the current geographic extent of the country was reached when Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949.[1][2] Although confederation in 1867 led to an enlarged Dominion with increased autonomy over domestic affairs, Canada still remained a colony within the British Empire and was thus subordinate to the British Parliament until the enactment of the Statute of Westminster in 1931. This statute recognized Canada as an independent peer coequal with the United Kingdom, and thus provided the Parliament of Canada with legislative sovereignty over all federal matters except the power to change the constitutional laws of Canada which remained under the purview of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada's final vestige of legal dependence on the United Kingdom was terminated in 1982 with the enactment of the Canada Act, subsequently providing Canada with full legal sovereignty completely independent of the United Kingdom.