Lord Elgin

James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, was appointed Governor General of the Province of Canada in 1847 with instructions from London to implement responsible government. Partnering with the reform ministry of Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, Elgin respected the authority of the elected majority in the legislature.

In April 1849, Elgin signed the controversial Rebellion Losses Bill compensating Lower Canadian property owners, despite fierce Tory opposition. A furious mob attacked his carriage with stones and eggs and burned the Parliament buildings in Montreal. Elgin refused to call British troops to crush the protest, cementing the principle that the Crown must defer to the democratic cabinet, thereby establishing Canadian democracy.