British Government then sent Lord Durham to examine the situation ; he stayed in Canada only five months before returning to Britain and brought with him his Durham Report , which strongly recommended responsible government . A less well-received recommendation was the amalgamation of Upper and Lower Canada for the deliberate assimilation of the French-speaking population . The Canadas were merged into a single colony , the United Province of Canada , by the 1840 Act of Union , and responsible government was achieved in 1848 , a few months after it was accomplished in Nova Scotia . The parliament of United Canada in Montreal was set on fire by a mob of Tories in 1849 after the passing of an indemnity bill for the people who suffered losses during the rebellion in Lower Canada
set on fire by a mob of Tories
Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal
History of Canada