Michael McCulloch

He represented the constituency of Terrebonne in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1844, as a Tory and supporter of the British-appointed Governor General, Lord Sydenham.

McCulloch was in favour of the union of the Canadas, and a Tory supporter of the government of the Governor General, Lord Sydenham.

LaFontaine had been a supporter of Louis-Joseph Papineau in the run-up to the Lower Canada Rebellion, but he had changed his position and favoured an electoral alliance with the reformers of Upper Canada (now Ontario), to achieve constitutional reforms through responsible government.

The entire episode was part of Lord Sydenham's plan to use threats of violence to intimidate French-Canadians from exercising their right to vote.

[1][6][7][8][9][10] Although McCulloch was returned as the member, the violence and exclusion of French-Canadian voters from the poll strengthened LaFontaine's resolve and his goal of building an alliance with Upper Canada reformers.

It also led to support from the Upper Canada reformers led by Robert Baldwin, who personally invited LaFontaine to stand for election in a vacant seat in Canada West, York Fourth, where he was welcomed by the reform voters.

Étienne Parent, a leading journalist from Quebec, accompanied LaFontaine to Canada West, and reported on their reception from the reformers: "Ils élisent M. Lafontaine pour montrer, disent-ils, leur sympathie envers les Bas-Canadiens, et leur détestation des mauvais traitements et des injustices auxquelles nous avons été exposés.

[11][12][13] In the first session of the new Assembly, the major issue was a resolution to condemn the way the union had been imposed on Lower Canada.

He was part of a group of English-Canadians from Canada East, informally referred to as "British" Tories.