The policies and speeches of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin have profoundly shaped Canadian legislature to the modern day. The evidence is two-fold. Firstly, Lafontaine and Baldwin were the key leaders who brought responsible government, or vast autonomy, to the United Province of Canada in 1848. Secondly, they introduced key legislation that has continued to affect Canadian policies central to Canadian identity to today. Based on this evidence, it is clear that Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin should rightly be considered the founders of Canada.