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House of Commons, 2 June 1869, Canadian Confederation with Manitoba

588 COMMONS DEBATES June 2, 1869
Sir George E. Cartier moved an amendment to the 16th clause, providing that the Minister of Justice should examine every patent, and certify that all the requirements of the law had been complied with.
Hon. Mr. Holton said the office of Minister of Justice might be vacant for some months, and during the time no patent would issue.
Sir George E. Cartier—I will take care of that.
Mr. Blake - Perhaps the Minister of Militia will not forever be in a position to take care of that. (Laughter.) He (Mr. Blake) thought the proposed amendment useless and mischievous.
Sir George E. Cartier said it was a repetition almost verbatim of a clause which had been in the patent law of the late Province of Canada for fifteen or twenty years.
The amendment was agreed to, and clause 16 as amended passed.
Clauses 17 and 18 were agreed to with some verbal amendments. Clauses 19 to 26 were agreed to.
On clause 27 a discussion arose as to what was to constitute the carrying on of the manufacture without which the patent would, within three years, become void.
Mr. Blake contended that the manufacture should require to be continuous from the time of being commenced.
Sir George E. Cartier defended the clause as it stood, and argued that it should be left to the Commissioner of Patents, what constituted a carrying on of the manufacture.
The clause was agreed to. At the suggestion of Mr. Blake, 3lst clause was altered so as not to exclude British subjects and render them liable to residence in any of the Provinces for a year. The remaining clauses having been adopted in Committee.
Hon. Mr. Holton said he rose to express as an old friend, his intense sympathy with the position in which the hon. Minister of Public Works was placed. Last session that hon. gentleman's colleagues stripped his office of the only great duty he had to perform in the construction of the Intercolonial Railway. This session they had taken out of his hands that other great question which he had made 589 peculiarly his own, the acquisition of the North-West Territory. Tonight he had not been allowed even the poor comfort of taking this Patent Bill through Committee. These repeated indignities being heaped upon his (Mr. Holton's) hon. friend were very much deprecated.
Sir George E. Cartier desired to relieve the hon. member for Chateauguay of the too heavy current sympathy which threatened to drown the heart and affections of that hon. member. The Patent Bill had been carried through Committee by him (Sir George Cartier) simply because his hon. colleague happened to be absent when the Bill was sent in from the Senate. It was to be hoped this explanation would prevent the noble heart of the member for Chateauguay from throbbing needlessly. (Laughter.) The hon. gentleman, amid roars of laughter, went into what he called physiology or bumpology to sustain his position, and expressed the hope that he had thereby relieved the member for Chateauguay in his dolorous sympathy.
Mr. Mackenzie thought the member for Chateauguay unjust towards the Minister of Militia, as it was well known that hon. gentleman was always ready for any description of business on the shortest notice. (Laughter). He was like a well-known English statesman, who pressed himself as ready to take command of the army, the Channel fleet, or govern England. (Laughter). As for the measure before the House, it would, perhaps, have been better had it been conducted through by the Minister of Public Works, who would, at all events, have listened to some of the suggestions made in the amendment. (Hear).
Hon. Mr. McDougall thought, that though the member for Chateauguay might be sincere enough in his sympathy, the House and country would, under the circumstances, believe that there was something else meant than a mere expression of sympathy. For himself, he was not conscious that there was any occasion for the expression of sympathy. His relations with his colleagues had been of the most pleasant and agreeable character. Any claims or credit due to him he was quite ready to share with his colleagues. As to the North-West acquisition, he thought he was serving the Province in according cheerfully to his hon. friend that position in the negotiations, to which his seniority entitled him. As to the manner in which the negotiations were conducted by that hon. gentleman, as well as by his conduct of the measure in that House, and the support he brought to carry 590 COMMONS DEBATES June 2, 1869 it through, its success was in a great measure to be attributed. With regard to the present Bill, though the framework of it was substantially his, he was quite content his hon. colleague should get the credit of carrying it through.
The Committee rose, and the reception of the report was ordered on Friday.

IMMIGRATION

Hon. Mr. Langevin moved the House into Committee on the Bill respecting Immigration and Immigrants, Mr. Magill in the chair.
The Bill, as amended, was subsequently read a third time, and passed.

IMPROVEMENT OF HARBOURS IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES

The House then went into Committee to consider the following resolution, on the motion of the Hon. Mr. Tilley;—"That it is expedient that provision shall be made, as hereinafter mentioned, for improving the harbours and channels, and facilitating the navigation at the several ports of Bathurst and Richibucto, New Brunswick; Mabou, Port Hood, Margaree and Cheticamp, in the Province of Nova Scotia; and for the purpose of making good to the Consolidated Revenue Fund any sums which may hereafter be voted by Parliament for that purpose, to authorize the Governor in Council to impose by proclamation, from time to time, a tonnage duty not exceeding ten cents per ton on vessels entering any of the ports aforesaid mentioned in such proclamation, such duty to be payable not more than once in each year on any vessel not exceeding one hundred tons, and not more than twice in each year on any vessel exceeding one hundred tons measurement by register."
The Report was concurred in, and the Bill founded thereon, which was introduced. Second reading to-morrow.

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS

Hon. Mr. Rose was going to move the House again into Committee of Supply, when
Mr. Mackenzie called attention to the fact that there had yet been no audit of the public accounts, and it was not fair to ask the House to pass an opinion on them in that shape.

Source:

Canada. House of Commons Debates, 1869. Edited by P.B. Waite. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1975. Original scans accessible at: http://parl.canadiana.ca/.

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Selection of input documents and completion of metadata: Gordon Lyall.

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