Lower Canada Tories

[2]: 326  They generally favoured assimilation of French-Canadians to British culture, laws, and the English language, and opposed democracy.

Most of its families were British merchants, but some were French Canadian seigneurs who felt that their own interests were best served by an affiliation with this group.

Their efforts led to the Act of Union (1840), which ultimately failed in its attempt to assimilate all French Canadians but succeeded in preventing their political and economic interests from prevailing over those of Britain.

The Château Clique also had control over the Crown lands and the clergy reserves but much less than the Family Compact because of the already-existing seigneurial system.

His struggles against the Clique and the Lieutenant Governor, Lord Gosford, led to the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1837.