ish Parliamentary system demanded their immediate attention or face possible consequences of assimilation. Within the political arena the Canadien representatives were quick to act on the issue on language. In what language was the new government to function? The issue of language managed to creep into the forefront of politics in the first meeting. There needed to be a election for the speaker of the assembly, and of course there was immediate discussion over the need for the speaker to be bilingual. After debates were heard, the vote was taken and Jean-Antoine Panet, the French nominee was elected. However, this was not the last of the languages debates. The official language of the legislature still needed to be decided. The end result seemed satisfactory to the English and French. The records of the legislature were to be kept in French and English. The Canadiens were beginning to use the British Parliamentary system in a way that would help secure their own distinctiveness. The majority of the French population of this time was still agrarian based. However, there was an increased awareness of the ability for French to hold other positions in society. The rise of the lawyers and notaries was a result. An increasing number of French were furthering their education and learning the British political system. These men were described by Governor Craig as the ‘new order of men’, these men were becoming the leaders of the habitants. The lack of experience shown by Canadiens in the representative government, was disappearing. These professional men, held confidence in what they knew and in the system itself. As these professionals grew in the assembly, the seigneurs, who up until this point occupied the seats in the assembly, were being pushed out. Interestingly enough the seigneurs made allies of the English legislativ...
