Reform movement (pre-Confederation Canada)
In Upper Canada (Ontario), the Reform movement was formed in opposition to the Family Compact. It was led initially by William Lyon Mackenzie, who became the principal figure in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837. Mackenzie went into exile as a result of the failed rebellion. The uprising led to the 1839 Durham Report, which recommended responsible government and the union of Upper and Lower Canada as a means of assimilating Francophones. Only the union of the Canadas was to be immediately implemented.
Upper Canada Guardian
The Upper Canada Guardian; or Freeman’s Journal was one of the first opposition papers in 19th century Upper Canada. Its publisher and editor Joseph Willcocks established it after moving to Niagara in 1807 to combat arbitrary power, oppressive land laws, and ultimately create liberty in the province. Willcocks claimed that the Guardian was meant: “to disseminate the principles of political truth, check the progress of inordinate power, and keep alive the sacred flame of a just and rational liberty.” In 1809, Judge William Dummer Powell complained of its widespread popularity and the fact that it was in nearly every household. It was a four-page paper (11 by 17 and a half inches) published between July 24, 1807 and June 9, 1812 and printed in with the roman cursive “f” representing the English long "s". The Upper Canada Guardian came to an end when Willcocks sold its printing press to Richard Hatt in June 1812 for $1,600.