Louis LaFontaine was born in Quebec in 1807. Elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, he supported Papineau until the latter was obliged to flee to the U.S. after the Rebellions of 1837-8.
Like his friend and Upper Canadian political colleague Robert Baldwin, LaFontaine supported the adoption in Canada of the British constitution. As explained by James T. Marsh, he understood how the power and flexibility of Britian's constitution would ensure the cultural survival of French Canadians.
The "Great Ministry" of 1848 that he shared with Robert Baldwin, saw the establishment of a public school system and a system of municipal government, as well as the creation of the University of Toronto. The following year, in spite of Tory opposition, the Rebellion Losses Bill of 1849 was passed to compensate Lower Canadians who had suffered property damage during the rebellions.
From 1853 to his death just three years before Confederation, LaFontaine was Chief Justice of Canada East (formerly Lower Canada and now Quebec.)
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