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A Family Matter
Beginning in the 1820s Upper Canada's debates were recorded in
newspapers, though the press in those days was anything but free.
Most newspapers remained under the thumb of the Family Compact, the small, powerful group of English aristocrats who dominated the
government of Upper Canada. Parliamentary reporters crafted their
stories carefully since any reporter who portrayed the Family
Compact in an unflattering way could be fined or even imprisoned.
The Family Compact kept its hold on the press until the Act
of Union of 1840 united Upper and Lower Canada and created a more
responsible form of government. The Assembly of the new province of Canada
was still reluctant to allow for a complete parliamentary record.
Some Members didn't want their speeches to be taken down and
published; others just weren't prepared to pick up the tab. Newspapers continued to report selected
speeches, but this arrangement was problematic since several newspaper editors
were themselves Members of the Assembly.
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