The statues of Robert Baldwin and Louis Hippolyte LaFontaine on Parliament Hill in Ottawa commemorate two of the most important reformers in Canada. They played a major role in establishing parliamentary government following the union of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) in 1841.
The Historical Foundation of Canada has produced a number of short videos about Canada's history. There's one on Baldwin and LaFontaine. Watch it and read more about their historical alliance at Building Democracy: Baldwin and LaFontaine.
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1841, no?
The Baldwin-Lafontaine government, as one of its first acts, established the University of Toronto, effective Jan. 1, 1850, as a non-denominational provincial university. In introducing the legislation, Baldwin said it would ensure 'the abolishment of every religious observance which could possibly prove offensive to any portion of the students attending the University'(Friedland 2002: 28).
Sadly, we do not celebrate the 1850 founding (in democratic secularism) but instead harken back to 1827when the British government gave Bishop John Strachan a license (a.k.a. Royal Charter) to create an established Church of English college in Upper Canada. This became King's College, the precursor institution of Trinity College. I say "sadly" because Jan. 1 1850 marks a major milestone in the establishment of secular education in Ontario by (Upper and Lower) Canada's first democratically elected government, and yet we celebrate the earlier "established", non-democratic date. Now, historically it is true that U of T turned out to be something of a mishmash--a secular institution that awards theology degrees and includes colleges with religious affiliations/traditions. U of T is, in this respect, a typical Canadian compromise. But we should remember that U of T was created not by John Strachan and his Anglican allies (who were opposed to its creation) but by liberal reformers led by Robert Baldwin who refused to be dominated by sectarian dogmatists. Prior to 1850 there was King's College, the Church of England school, and others; after 1850 there was a secular provincial university called the University of Toronto. I think Jan. 1, 1850 is the more important (and historically more apt) "founding date" for the University of Toronto.
If U of T had received another name, it might have been Baldwin-Lafontaine University (BLU) in recognition of our (more or less) secular and inclusive roots.
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