Following Lord Durham's report Great Britain issued the Act of Union in 1840. The Act

• united Upper Canada and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada.

• gave the united colony one legislative assembly with 42 elected members from Canada West, formerly Upper Canada, (population 400,000) and 42 elected members from Canada East, formerly Lower Canada, (population 600,000).

• combined the debts of the two colonies despite the fact that Lower Canada's debts were lower.

• made English the only official language in the assembly.

• rejected Lord Durham's proposal for responsible government however an alliance between Robert Baldwin, leader of the reformers in Canada West  and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, leader of the moderate reformers in Canada East, brought in responsible government by 1848.