Great Moments in Polticial History.

Parliament Building, Montreal, Canada -  1849.

On July 26th 1849, the Tories convened in Kingston (the recently vacated capital) and voted in favour of annexation into the United States. What caused them to consider such a drastic measure? They didn't want to pay damages to the innocent Quebecois bystanders whose farms were burned down by the British military during an intimidation campaign in the immediate aftermath of the 1837 Rebellion. A similar compensation package for Upper Canada had passed without controversy five years earlier.  The bill so enraged the entrenched Tories that they fomented a riot that culminated in the burning of Parliament in Montreal (the fire brigade, which was controlled by English Protestants, let it burn unimpeded).  This measure was so offensive to the Tories (which included a young John A. MacDonald), that they would rather Canada cease to exist altogether.

Something to keep in mind the next time Harper's Conservative government calls some Liberal's patriotism into question or implies that a certain politician isn't sufficiently Canadian.