The Land Question was a major issue in the history of Prince Edward Island, now part of Canada. It was about who should own the land on the island. The land was divided into lots by the British government in 1767 and given to private landowners called proprietors. These proprietors wanted to rent the land to settlers, known as tenants, but the tenants wanted to own the land themselves through freehold ownership.
The plan worked poorly. There were not enough tenants, so the proprietors did not make much money from rent. Because of this, many of them could not pay the government their required land tax, called a quitrent. In 1781, the island's government tried to take back the land from proprietors who were not paying, but the Colonial Office in Britain stepped in and stopped it in 1783. The governor who led this plan, Walter Patterson, was removed from office in 1786.
___Prince_Edward_Island_q.jpg)