Louis Hippolyte LaFontaine was born in Boucherville, Quebec in 1807. As a young man he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada where he supported Louis-Joseph Papineau until Papineau fled to the United States after leading the Rebellion of 1837.
LaFontaine joined with Robert Baldwin from Upper Canada to form a reform ministry in 1842 and 1843. They both resigned after disagreements with the British governor: an appointed representative
of the Crown sent to
govern a colony.Governor, but came together again under Lord Elgin to lead the first truly responsible government: a
system of government in which
the executive (law makers)
must have the confidence
(support) of a majority in the
elected legislative assembly.responsible government in Canada in 1848. LaFontaine was chief justice of Canada East (formerly Lower Canada, now Quebec) from 1853 until his death in 1864.