The Municipal Territory: A Product of the Liberal Order?

Dagenais, Michèle

doi:10.3138/9781442688483-008

Cited by 6 publications

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“…Discussions of local government in Upper Canada generally begin with the Durham report and Charles Poulett Thomson's (Lord Sydenham) disavowal of the exclusion of a system of local government in the Act of Union in 1840 (Crawford, 1954;Dagenais, 2009;Shortt, 1907). While the current incorporated municipality owes much of its framework to the Municipal Corporations Act of 1849, a hybrid or experimental form of local government emerged during the 1830's that would provide the skeleton for how municipal governments in Canada would come to function (Isin, 1992;Matthews, 1985Matthews, , 1987.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crafting the Machinery of Municipal Rule: The Board of Police in Nineteenth Century Brockville, Upper Canada

Primeau¹

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This thesis traces the coordination, configuration and operation of municipal government in Brockville, Upper Canada, between 1830 and 1836. By focusing on how governing occurred and what was involved in governmental projects, rather than who governed, it presents new insights into the processes that constituted a form of rule in a nineteenth century town. Contrary to presenting a narrative of rationalization, it argues that manner, etiquette and prestige were essential to the machinery of local government, as targets of regulation and as characteristics of the mode of operation. The problem of how the concept of democracy, and the idea of local government, are translated into political practices is explored through an investigation of the agents and arrangements that were fashioned to form the institution of municipal government. Scholarly attention has been directed to the modern incorporated municipality, which owes much of its framework to the Municipal Corporations Act of 1849. Instead, this thesis focuses on its Upper Canadian predecessor, the board of police. Boards of police significantly changed the ways in which the administration and regulation of local affairs occurred. This thesis argues that local government was only possible through the coordination of a political space, populated by agents who had to govern themselves and govern others. It explores how governing through boards of police required crafting the machinery of municipal rule.iii AcknowledgmentsThe tomatoes that were planted in late May dried out by mid-August because of a lack of water and probably because of the neighbour's air conditioning unit: not the fault of my 'green thumb', of course. The peppers and beans grew well, so too did the cucumbers. Gardening provided thinking time, so did travelling across Quebec and Ontario throughout the year. Driving to Montreal became a monthly escape; roaming the old 138 to Huntingdon from Ormstown brought back memories and reminded me why I ever entered graduate school. I was able to peruse a digital edition of an 1833 map while sitting restfully on a warm train from Ottawa to Toronto in the middle of winter, the modern comforts of travelling the province I suppose. The solitary time spent at the Ontario Archives, Library and Archives Canada, Carleton's basement on micro-fiche or various coffee shops was made bearable with the support of a number of people, all whom deserve more than the limited space granted here to thank them.Most of the research for this thesis was made possible because of the generosity of Jake, Rory, Samantha and Tylor who harboured and fed me during an extended visit to the provincial archives in Toronto. André provided me insights into how municipalities 'actually' work. Brigitte was always willing to listen when I needed it. Stacy prompted me to keep going. My mom showed me how to be strong. Jean-Francois tried to sway my arguments; I am looking forward for the next round of debates that this is sure to inspire.Without support from my family, this whole thing wasn't goin...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crafting the Machinery of Municipal Rule: The Board of Police in Nineteenth Century Brockville, Upper Canada

Primeau¹

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« Les fondements de la liberté et de la civilisation » : le rapport Durham, les institutions municipales et le libéralisme

Morissette

2017

Can J Pol Sci

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RésuméCet article propose une nouvelle lecture des recommandations formulées dans le rapport Durham au sujet de la création d'administrations municipales au Canada. Il situe le document dans le contexte des débats soulevés par les réformes constitutionnelles et administratives revendiquées en Grande-Bretagne durant les années 1830. Certaines analyses avancent que Durham s'appuyait sur la conception libérale de la municipalité, que leurs auteurs retrouvent dans les écrits de Jeremy Bentham et de John Stuart Mill. Elles en déduisent que le libéralisme réduit nécessairement la municipalité à une institution intégrée à un État centralisé et hiérarchisé. Cet article démontre que malgré certaines similarités avec le radicalisme philosophique, le rapport présente une conception des institutions municipales qui s'inscrit dans la doctrine de la constitution équilibrée, à laquelle souscrivaient alors les whigs réformistes comme Durham. Ce texte conclut que l’étude du rapport permet d'apprécier l'hétérogénéité de la conception de la municipalité produite par le libéralisme.

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Between the Ancien Régime and Liberal Modernity: Law, Justice and State Formation in colonial Quebec, 1760–1867

Fyson

2014

History Compass

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This article surveys the historiography of state formation in colonial Quebec, from the British Conquest of 1759/1760 to Canadian Confederation in 1867, focussing on law and justice. It is structured around three key themes: the Conquest as a point of rupture, with the imposition of a British colonial state and English law on top of a largely French‐origin society; the nature of the ancien‐régime state over the 80 years that followed; and the historiographical debate over the creation of a new liberal order in Canada and Quebec from the 1840s onwards. The article ends with a discussion of six factors, both local and transnational, which help account for legal change and state formation in Quebec in the period.

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The Municipal Territory: A Product of the Liberal Order?

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Crafting the Machinery of Municipal Rule: The Board of Police in Nineteenth Century Brockville, Upper Canada

Crafting the Machinery of Municipal Rule: The Board of Police in Nineteenth Century Brockville, Upper Canada

« Les fondements de la liberté et de la civilisation » : le rapport Durham, les institutions municipales et le libéralisme

Between the Ancien Régime and Liberal Modernity: Law, Justice and State Formation in colonial Quebec, 1760–1867

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