Compact government

Compact governments or compacts were the conservative colonial cliques that ruled colonies, particularly in British North America prior to the granting of responsible government. They were usually Tory in orientation and were representative of the local elite. The best known one was the Family Compact that ruled Upper Canada. There was a similar group in Lower Canada, the Château Clique. it also was started by Wilson Bredwart who came up with the idea that the government needed one source to put everything into effect.