Durham Report

Common card · No. 476299

The Report on the Affairs of British North America, (French: Rapport sur les affaires de l’Amérique du Nord britannique, 1839) commonly known as the Durham Report or Lord Durham's Report, is an important document in the history of Quebec, Ontario, Canada and the British Empire. It called for reforms that sought to address concerns expressed during the rebellions of 1837–38. The Report was written by the notable British Whig politician John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, who was sent to the Canadas in 1838 to investigate and report on the causes of the rebellions of 1837–38. He had just been appointed Governor General and given special powers as high commissioner of British North America. On the first page of his report he stated that "[w]hile the present state of things is allowed to last, the actual inhabitants of these Provinces have no security for person or property—no enjoyment of what they possess—no stimulus to industry." He would return to that theme repeatedly throughout his report...

Read on Wikipedia · Image John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, Public domain