Timeline

The principle of Responsible Government was put to the test with the passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill by the reform movement in the Legislative Assembly. Despite his misgivings about the bill, the Governor General had ceded to the elected Parliament and gave the bill Royal Assent. This action confirmed his acceptance of responsible government in the colony. Following the passage of the bill, rioting broke out in Montreal (meeting location of the Legislative Assembly of the provinces of Canada at the time) by angry mobs who opposed it, leading to the burning of the Parliament Building.