History
Responsible government
Responsible government means that ministers of the Crown must have the support of a majority of the elected representatives in order to govern. It was a key step toward democracy.
Key facts
- ◆ It means the executive must answer to the elected assembly, not just the Crown.
- ◆ Nova Scotia was the first colony to win responsible government, in 1848.
- ◆ Sir Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine and Robert Baldwin were leading reformers.
- ◆ It established the foundation for Canada's later parliamentary democracy.