James Leslie

James Leslie (4 September 1786 – 6 December 1873) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. An immigrant from Scotland in 1804, he became a successful Montreal businessman and was one of the founders of the Bank of Montreal.

He was active in Canadian politics for half a century, particularly as a member of the LaFontaine–Baldwin ministry from 1848 to 1851, the first Province of Canada government selected under the principle of responsible government.

He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1824, holding the seat until dissolution of the constitution of Lower Canada in 1838. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1841 to 1848, and then a member of the Legislative Council until Canadian Confederation in 1867. He was one of the first members appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1867.

He died in office in 1873.

Family and early life

Leslie was born in Kair, Kincardineshire, Scotland, in 1786. His father, Captain James Leslie, had been an assistant quartermaster in the British Army who served with General James Wolfe at Quebec City in 1759. Young James studied at Marischal College and the University of Aberdeen and came to Lower Canada in 1804, where he entered into business. He was an officer in the local militia and served during the War of 1812.

In 1815 he married Julia Langan, daughter of Patrick Langan, owner of the seigneuries of Bourchemin, Ramesay, and Lake Matapédia. The couple had at least one son.

In the 1830s, the party transitioned to the more radical, republican Parti patriote. Leslie continued to support it, but tended to be on the more moderate side of the party. He nonetheless voted in favour of the Ninety-Two Resolutions, which Louis-Joseph Papineau introduced in the Legislative Assembly. The Resolutions were highly critical of the constitutional structure of the province. The Assembly passed them in February 1834.

In March 1834, the British government rejected the proposals set out in the Ninety-Two Resolutions and instead passed the Russell Resolutions, which would give the governor complete control of the provincial finances. From that point on, rebellion was in the air in Lower Canada, finally breaking out in November 1837, led by Papineau. Leslie did not support the Lower Canada Rebellion, and was one of the more moderate group of public figures, led by Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, who approached Governor General Lord Gosford and asked that the Parliament be recalled. The Governor General refused the request and instead proclaimed martial law in Montreal.

In a letter to LaFontaine in January 1838, Leslie correctly predicted that the outcome of the Rebellion would be a forced union of Lower Canada with Upper Canada. In March 1838, the British government suspended the constitution of Lower Canada and instituted government by the Special Council of Lower Canada, whose members were appointed by the Governor General. Leslie lost his position as a member of the Assembly as a result.

Leslie supported the concept of union, but on two conditions: that representation in the Parliament be based on population, and that Lower Canada would not be required to pay the heavy public debt of Upper Canada. The Union Act went against both those principles. Upper Canada and Lower Canada had equal representation in the new Legislative Assembly, even though the population of Lower Canada was greater in 1840. As well, the public debts of the two provinces were merged and the new Province of Canada was liable for both, meaning the residents of Lower Canada were paying a proportionately greater share of the debt.

In the Assembly, Leslie was a member of the French-Canadian Group. It was led by LaFontaine, who had formed an alliance with Reformers from Upper Canada, led by Robert Baldwin. Together, the two leaders worked for the implementation of responsible government, to establish popular electoral control over the provincial government. Leslie supported them in their disputes with the Governor General.

Leslie was re-elected in the general elections of 1844 and 1848. The reform alliance of LaFontaine and Baldwin was defeated in the 1844 elections and formed the main opposition, but in 1848, they won majorities in both Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Consistent with the principles of responsible government, Governor General Lord Elgin called on them to form a government. In office, they appointed Leslie to the Executive Council, first as President of the Executive Council, and later as Provincial Secretary. He held the second position for the duration of the LaFontaine–Baldwin government, from 1848 to 1851.

Under the law as it then stood, a member of the Assembly who was named to an office of profit under the Crown, such as ministerial positions, was required to resign their seat in the Assembly and seek re-election from their constituents. However, in Leslie's case, LaFontaine and Baldwin instead appointed him to the Legislative Council, a lifetime appointment. He sat in the Legislative Council until it was abolished as part of Canadian Confederation in 1867.

Leslie was one of the original senators appointed under this process. In 1867, he was named to the Senate by the royal proclamation issued under the British North America Act, 1867. He sat as a member of the Conservative party.

Later life and death

Leslie's son married a daughter of Alexandre-Maurice Delisle, who had defeated Leslie in the Montreal County riding in the 1841 general elections.

Archives There is a James Leslie and family fonds at Library and Archives Canada.