Why was Montreal’s Parliament building burned in 1849?

On April 25, 1849, a mob set fire to the Parliament building in Montreal as an act of violent protest against the passage of the Rebellion Losses Bill.12

The legislation was designed to provide financial compensation to individuals whose property had been damaged during the Rebellions of 1837–38. The bill was championed by the reform ministry led by Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin.12

Many Anglo-Canadians strongly opposed the measure, viewing it as an unacceptable reward for those who had participated in the uprisings and as a troubling demonstration of French-Canadian political influence. Despite this intense conservative opposition, Governor General James Bruce, 8th earl of Elgin, signed the bill into law, which triggered the riot and the subsequent destruction of the building.12