Robert Baldwin was a Canadian statesman. In 1848, with L. H. Lafontaine, of Lower Canada, he formed the first ministry avowedly based on responsible government principles.
Career
In 1848, he and L. H. Lafontaine, of Lower Canada, formed the first ministry avowedly based on responsible government principles. With his objective reached, he was faced with new issues on which he differed from the majority of his party, and in 1851 he retired from politics.
Politics
Robert Baldwin believed that the fundamental remedy for colonial grievances was responsible government and that the executive should be made responsible to the elective assembly in the same way that the British cabinet was responsible to the House of Commons. He held that self-government obtained by such constitutional reform would reduce the friction between the imperial and colonial authorities and strengthen ties of loyalty and affection. Both Baldwins opposed the more drastic republican schemes of William Lyon Mackenzie and the abortive rebellion of 1837.