The period of the union between the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada which preceded the general federation of the British North American provinces in 1867 is a fruitful field of investigation for students of Canadian politics and history, for from it stem many of our political traditions. Professor Cornell in the present study has been concerned with the question of how far the parties of that time were already identifiable and continuing groups. He has examined the Journals of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for all the sessions from 1841 to 1866, recording the votes of each member in all divisions that involved important issues, and from this careful and extensive study he has been enabled to draw some definite conclusions about the alignment of members and groups in the assembly.

The analysis proceeds not only by way of narrative but also by means of many charts and tables showing the votes of individual members on certain key issues from assembly to assembly. The author defines as far as possible the political outlook or affiliation of the individuals dealt with, and assesses the cohesion of the Radical and Conservative groups in Canada West and the Bleus and Rouges of Canada East. The result is an important contribution to our knowledge of the political groupings and of the political battles of the era, presented in the close detail that will make it an invaluable work of reference for all those working in the period.

Paul G. Cornell was formely a professor of history at the University of Waterloo.

Paul G. Cornell's profile page