Metcalfe crisis

Late in 1843 a crisis erupted during the administration of Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, governor general of Canada: almost every member of the Executive Council, led by Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, resigned after serious disagreements over the role of responsible government. Unsuccessful in forming a new council that would have the support of a majority in the assembly, Metcalfe called a general election in September of 1844. The result: although defeated in Lower Canada, the government triumphed in Upper Canada, winning a small but sufficient majority for Metcalfe.