THE NORTH WEST
Sir George E. Cartier moved consurrence in
the resoltuions reported from Committee of the
Whole respecting the acquisition of the North
West Territory.
Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald said he did
not take credit for having done anything by
any act of his during his public life towards
the acquisition of this Territory. He did not,
however, object to the scheme, although he
had doubts whether the hopes built upon it
would be realized. But he wished hon. gentlemen on the Treasury Benches to satisfy
him
what they proposed to do with regard to providing access to the Territory. Had they
any
scheme by which those who assumed the responsibility of governing that Territory could
reach it at all seasons of the year? A mere
waggon road and water communication from
Thunder Bay to Fort Garry would not satisfy
the public. If we had not a winter road the
country would be of no use. The Indians
would very probably regard the influx of settlers as an invasion of their country,
and what
would we do in the event of our receiving in
the winter-time "telegraphic intelligence," say
by way of Pembina, that there had been a for
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COMMONS DEBATES May 28, 1869
midable Indian rising? Would it be necessary to maintain a standing army there to
guard against such consequences, or were the
settlers to be left unprotected? He did not
mean to oppose the resolutions; but he thought
the country would like to know what provision was made against the eventualities to
which he had alluded. He did not think the
means we had at our disposal arising from the
ordinary revenues of the country would be at
all adequate for undertaking a railway or
canal. Was it proposed to borrow money in
order to provide a practicable route?
Mr. Mackenzie said before these questions
were answered he would suggest the propriety of confining the discussion at present
to the resolutions actually before the chair;
which were for the purpose merely of acquiring the Territory. Other resolutions would
no
doubt have to be submitted to provide for
gaining access to the territory and governing
it, and it might be as well to reserve till then
the discussion of the question raised by the
member for Cornwall.
Sir George E. Cartier said the member for
Lambton had taken the correct view of the
matter. When these resolutions passed an
address would be sent from here, and we
would then have to wait until effect was
given to it by an Order in Council, or a
proclamation by Her Majesty; and it would
be necessary also to have an Imperial Act
granting the Imperial guarantee. But meanwhile, as soon as the address passed, the
Government would bring a measure before
the House to obtain authority to form a Provincial Government in that part of the
Territory which might be deemed fit for cultivation, in order that as soon as the
Queen's
Proclamation issued no time might be lost in
laying out townships for settlement. It would
also be necessary for the Parliament of Canada to make adequate provision for establishing,
as soon as possible, a suitable communication with the country. There were certain
provisional communications which might be
established almost immediately, and the question of permanent communication, which
would require a larger expenditure of money,
would also have to be considered after the
Provisional Government was established and
further information obtained as to the resources of the country, and what parts of
it
were most suitable for cultivation. The
Government would then be better prepared
to come down next session with a measure
on the subject.
Hon. Mr. Smith alluded to the statement
of the Quebec Conference, that this territory
513
was not to be added to the Dominion until
the financial conditions of the Federal
Government was such as to admit of it. The
finances of the Dominion were clearly not in
that condition at present. The people of the
Maritime Provinces certainly were led to expect that this burden would not have to
be
shouldered till they were better able to bear
it. There was very little doubt, too, but that
the expenditure in opening up that country
would be necessarily enormous, more than
could be borne, and, in his view, the Government had been altogether premature in
this
measure. The £300,000 asked for at the outset
was but a small amount compared with that
which would be needed for the opening up
and governing of that country. For one he
was dissatisfied with the course adopted by
the Government on this point.
Hon. Mr. Tilley denied that any advocate of
Confederation in the Maritime Provinces, and
especially in New Brunswick, had ever stated
that this Territory would not be assumed until some indefinite period in the future,
when
the Dominion would be very rich, any more
than they pretended the Intercolonial Railway
would be postponed until the annual revenue
would bear the cost of it. No such statement
was ever made by him, at all events. He always spoke of that Territory as one which
would be absorbed in the Confederation before 1871.
Mr. Brown advocated prompt action in the
interests of the settlers in the North West, as
well as of the people of Canada. The settlers
in the Red River section had for years appealed to the Imperial and Canadian Governments
in vain for a change of government. And
they had the further mortification of seeing
that while England and Canada neglected the
British subjects there, the Americans protected their people. They had established
a
consulate there, and in many ways showed a
due care for their fellow citizens—while they
were doing this, what was the state of affairs
among the British settlers? A cruel and grasping monopoly oppressed and kept them
down,
and even illegally fined and imprisoned them.
Facts of this nature he could establish by an
affidavit which showed that very great injustice indeed had been perpetrated by the
Hudson's Bay Company. Hence it was that
he implored hon. gentlemen not to delay, but
to take the most prompt and energetic action
in order to bring about a new state of affairs
in that country. As to the question of route,
by way of Minnesota was a very good one,
but it was not advisable that emigrants should
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COMMONS DEBATES May 29, 1869
be sent around by that route while a much
shorter one could be made across our own
Territory. After speaking some time on the
subject of route, Mr. Brown said in reference
to the people of this country leaving for the
United States many causes had been assigned,
but there was one which he might mention,
though perhaps it might appear invidious to
do so. In the county he had the honour to
represent there was a gentleman, a member
of the Legislature, who had for years encouraged people to leave the county of Brant,
and settle in Arkansas. If the American
Government could secure emigrant agents,
within the very walls of our Legislature, it
was no wonder that people left this country,
(hear, hear).
Mr. Ferguson desired to say a word or two
in reply to the member for Westmoreland.
To begin with that gentleman's opposition
was too late. An agreement had been signed
for the purchase of the Territory, but undoubtedly the £300,000 to be paid as purchase
money, would be so much thrown away
unless followed up by the expenditure of
much large sums for the opening out of the
country. He felt very well satisfied with the
mission of the delegates to England on this
subject, and thought they deserved every
credit. The hon. gentleman advocated the
making of good roads into that country, and
strongly urged that very soon something better
than waggon roads should be constructed
to open up communications with the North-
West. He hoped the Government would not
only borrow as much money as would enable
them to purchase that Territory, but also a
sum sufficiently large to establish a good permanent line of steam communication.
The
Territory which they had acquired was magnificent, and would be cheap at one million
instead of £300,000. He believed that to-day
the Americans would gladly give twenty
millions of dollars for it.
Mr. Thompson. (Ont. N.) strongly advocated
the construction of a railroad to open up
this splendid North West. By judicious expenditure such as this a very large and
yearly increasing emigration to that country
might be promoted; but if the tide of travel
were left to find its way there by the roundabout way of Minnesota, much of it would
be lost by the way. He viewed this question
of easy access to the North West as one of
the greatest importance, and trusted that it
would be dealt with by the House in no
niggardly spirit of economy. The question of
protection of the emigrants also required to
515
be dealt with by the Government, and would,
he hoped, receive every consideration at
their hands.
The resolutions were then concurred
in,
and
On motion of
Sir George E. Cartier seconded
by
Hon. Mr. McDougall, it was resolved "that
an address embodying the resolutions be
presented to Her Majesty, and that a select
Committee, composed of Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir George Cartier, Hon. Mr. McDougall,
Hon. Mr. Tilley, Hon. Mr. Chauveau
and Dr. Grant, be appointed to draw up such
address." The address was then introduced,
read a first and second time, and ordered
to be engrossed; and a message was ordered
to be sent to the Senate acquainting that
body that the address had been passed, and
requesting their concurrence.
PATENTS OF INVENTION
Sir George E. Cartier moved the second
reading of the Bill respecting Patents of Invention, from the Senate. It was, he said,
the
same in many respects as the Bill adopted
by the House last Session, with an additional
clause enabling a person in New Brunswick
or elsewhere in the Dominion to obtain under
the new measure a patent which could cover
the whole territory in the Dominion, provided
that he was a British subject, and that the
subject matter of the invention had not been
already used in any other part of the Dominion. To some extent, also, this measure
amended a provision of the former law applicable to the late Province of Canada. By
that law it was necessary that an applicant
for a patent should be a British subject; but
by the present measure, a residence in any
of the Provinces for a year or more, irrespective of being a British subject, entitled
a person to apply for a patent. Under the
former Bill, a person introducing an invention from any foreign country except England
or the States, could get a patent for it
here. That provision of the law was now set
aside, as the present moment, when negotiations were expected between ourselves and
the States in regard to reciprocity, was hardly the time for conceding to the Americans
any advantage. Nothing could be done in
that way until they had established more
reciprocal commercial relations between the
two countries.
Mr. Mackenzie desired to ask an explanation on one point. It was said that patents
in New Brunswick were to be made to cover
the whole Dominion. Before the effect of
such a law could be judged it would be nec-
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