1
THE LEADER.
REGINA, N.W.T, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 10, 1902.
FRIDAY, April 4.
Upon the opening of the Assembly
to-day
Mr. F. Villeneuve presented petitions: (1) Asking that
Father Bruinet, Roman Catholic
bishop of Athabasca, should be made a
corporation; (2) That Madame Rose
and others should be incorporated as
Les Seurs de Charitie de la Providence:
(3) To amend the Ordinance incorporating the Saskatchewan Exploration
company.
Premier Haultain presented a petition to incorporate the Victoria Memorial Hospital at Pincher Creek.
Premier Haultain laid on the table
of the House the correspondence
with the Dominion Government on the
question of provincial autonomy, and
gave notice that on Monday he would
move the following resolution:
"Whereas, the larger powers and
income incidental to provincial status
are urgently and imperatively required
to aid the development of the Territories and to meet the pressing necessities
of a large and rapidly increasing population, be it resolved that this House
regrets that the Federal Government
has decided not to introduce legislation
at the present session of parliament
with a view to  granting provincial
institutions to the Territories." Cheers.
Hon. G. H. V. Bulyea laid on the
table the report of the Territorial
Secretary and the House adjourned.
AUTONOMY CORRESPONDENCE.
The correspondence with the Dominion Governmont over the question of
provincial autonomy which was laid
on the table of time Assembly to-day
by
Premier Haultain is quite voluminous. Summarised it is as follows:
The "Case for the Territories," presented by the North-West Government
to Sir Wilfrid Laurier bears date of
Dec. 7, 1901. It points out not only
that the population of the Territories
is rapidly increasing by the efforts of
the immigration branch of the department of the interior, but that the new
settlers seem desirous to become
pioneers in districts far removed from
settlement. The new settlements,
therefore, are too small and too widely
scattered to bear the burdens which
necessarily go with the opening up of
a new country. The fact cannot be
disguised that they must be assisted to
do so if the people are to be contended
and prosperous. Bridges, ferries and
adequate water, supply and schools
must be provided, roads surveyed and
made, and difficulties overcome. That
the cost of these should be raised by
taxation is shown to be undesitable;
first, because it would militate against
the work of the Dominion government
in inducing immigration, and secondly,
to require the people of the Territories
to carry on the work of opening up
and developing the country would not
be to treat the early settlers in the
North-West Territories in the manner
in which the people of the older provinces have been treated.
OBJECT TO TAXATION.
The document lays great stress upon
the fact that the public debts of the
provinces were for the development of
the sources of the country, and to
attract immigration. The cost of those
debts is borne by the North West
along with the rest of Canada. All the
public revenue of the Territories goes
to swell the consolidated fund: the
public domain is employed for purely
federal purposes, and the Territories
are not permitted to draw upon the
future. The grants made to the Territories have never been considered from
the point of view of their requirements.
Last January $600,000 were asked for
and parliament met, the request by appropriating 979 to meet the case,
Another objection to introducing a
a heavy rate of taxation to meet expenditure on public improvements is
that a considerable portion of such expenditures ought properly to be chargeable to
capital account. As the Territories, not being empowered to borrow,
have no capital account, this would be
equivalent to making the present settlers pay for the advantages to be reaped by future
generations. It is then
shown that in order to perform the
public duties of the Territories during
the first half of 1902, $465,000 are required, and it is likely that the grant
made will be $250,000 less than that
sum. Parliament is the only source
that can appealed to to find this deficit
and the neglect to furnish prompt relief
can only have the effect of neutralising
the efforts of the Dominion to people
the Territories. The North-West
Government does not seek for any advantages over any other province and
does not anticipate it will be denied
any privilege given elsewhere.
AÂ MODEL BILL.
Premier Haultain then presented a
draft of a model bill to meet the case,
the main features of which have already
been outlined by the premier on more
than one occasion. The draft bill
provides for one province, consisting
of the present territories of Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Assiniboia and a part
of Athabasca. A foot-note to this
proposal admits that it may be claimed
that the area proposed is too large for
one province, but goes on to point out
that it is practically the same as now
administered by the Territories without difficulty. Furthermore, the cost
of government at the present is only 10
per cent. of the annual expenditure,
which is much less than in the older
provinces, and indicates that the present machinery can he extended far
cheaper than new machinery can be
created. The location of the capital it
was proposed to leave to the executive
of the government.
Clause 17 provides that all Hudson's
Bay rights relinquished to the Dominion shall be transferred to the new
province. This is explained as relating
chiefly to the right at present denied
by the company to the Territories, but
granted to Canada, of taking land for
roads through reserves without compensation.
Clause 18 vests all the public lands in
the new province.
Clause No. 19 gives it the mines,
minerals, timber and royalties belonging to the crown. Those sections, says
the foot note, provide,so far as circumstances appear to admit for an arrangement
analagous to that which obtains
in the several provinces originally
forming the confederation. It is claimed further, that the Dominion possesses
no proprietory rights to the lands
surrendered to the crown by the Hudson's Bay company.
Another argumeut adduced is that
the increase of population imposed the
necessity for increase of expenditure,
and the use of lands by the Dominion
solely to encourage settlement, places
an undue burden on the province. The
burden, it is claimed, should fall where
the benefits go.
A subsidy of $50,000 for the support
of the government, and 80 cents per
head on an estimated population of
250,000 is asked for at the outset. with
an increase at the same rate till paid
on a population of 1,396,091, which is
the number Ontario is paid.
Clause 24 provides that five per cent,
interest shall lie paid on the sum of
one dollar per acre of all land used for
Federal purposes. This includes grants
totaling to 39,459,722 acres, most of
which are for railway lines either outside or only partially within the Territories.
They have, says the foot-note,
been built for the general welfare of
Canada, but cash subsidies, reaching
$166,009,203, have been given to aid
these and other lines, the burden of
which, unlike land grants, falls on the
Territorial people equally with the rest
of the Dominion. Hence it is conceived
to be wrong to make the Territories
bear the burden of land grants and
also their share of money grants.
In addition, exclusive power with
reference to irrigation is asked for,
together with an absolute title to all
water.
Four senators are asked for until the
population reaches 250,000, to be then
increased to five, and one extra for
each additional 50,000. Ten members
of the House of Commons are suggested, with an increase in the number,
according to the terms of the British
North America Act.
In addition to matters dealt with in
the draft bill,
Mr. Haultain asks for the
removal of the veto to tax the C. P. R.
A copy of the memorial passed by the
Assembly in 1910 is also attached.
The answer of the Dominion Government to these representations is conveyed in the
following letter from the
Minister of the Interior:
AUTONOMY REFUSED.
OTTAWA, 27th March, 1902.
Dear Mr. Haultain:
Absence from Ottawa due to ill health
has prevented me from communicating with you on the subjects discussed
by you and your Colleague when here
respecting the financial and constitutional status of the North-West Territories.
I presume, however, that you
would have gathered our views from the
expressions of opinion which took place
during our interviews, and our conclusions will not, therefore, I trust come
in the way of a surprise.
It is the view of the Governument
that it will not be wise at the present
time to pass legislation forming the
North-West territories into a Province
or Provinces. Some of the reasons
leading to this view may be found in
the fact, that the population of the
Territories is yet sparse; that
the rapid increase in population
now taking place will in a short
time alter the conditions to be
dealt with very materially; and thatÂ
there is a considerable divergence of
opinion respecting the question whether there should be one province only
or more than one province. Holding
this view therefore, it will not be
necessary for me to discuss the details
of the draft bill which you presented
as embodying your views.
Respecting the present financial requirements, the question of an increase
in your subsidy is now receiving consideration, but the result cannot, as
you are aware, be communicated until
the Estimates are brought before Parliament. This I have every reason to
hope will take place in a very short
time.
MR. HAULTAIN'S REPLY.
REGINA. April 2, 1902
Dear Mr. Sifton,
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 27th of March, conveying the decision of the Government
with regard to the financial and constitutional questions which have been the
subject of diseussion during the past
year, and a half. So far from your
conclusions not coining as a surprise
as you sugges. I must say quite frankly that the decision of the Government
has come not ouly as a surprise, but as
a deep disappointment as well. In
your letter of the 21st of March, 1901
you say:
"I may say that I realise very fully
"the difficulty of the position inÂ
"which the Government and Legisla
5
THE LEADER, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 19, 1902.
"tive Assembly of the North-West
"Territories is placed, and I admit
that there is very much in the sug"gestions which are made in your
"letter and in the memorial regarding
"the necessity of change in the con"stitutional and financial position of
"the Territories.
"Without at the present moment
"committing myself to any positive
statement I am prepared to say that
"the time has arrived when teh ques"tion of organising the Territories on
"the Provincial bsis ought to be the
"subject of full consideration. It
"would appear to me that the better
"way of bringing the matter to a more
"definite position would be to arrange
"for a conference upon the subject
"between the representatives of your
"Government and a committee of
"Council representing the Federal
"Government."
Again on the fifth of April 1901, you
write:
"The latter potion of the Session of
"Parliament here finds ll the mem"bers of the Government extremely
"busy, and it would be hopeless to
"expect from them that mature and
"careful consideration of the various
"and important subjects which will
"require to be debted and settled in
"connection with th establishment of
"the Territorie as a Province or upon
"Provincial basis. I think I shall
"therefore be compelled to ask you to
"defer the discussion until after Par"liament has prorogued."
Theese opionins and the long delay
tht followed,in order to choose a
convenient time for tht "mature and
careful considertion of the various
and important subjects which will require to be debated and settled in connection
with the establishment of the
Territories as a Province or upon a
Provincial basis," led us to suppose
that when the subject was
finally taken up it would be
taken up with a view to impmediate settlement. The written
statements, which ahve been made by
me, must have proved conclusively
that the necessity for the change was
a pressing one and that we had arrived
at a point when our constitutional and
financial osition was not adequate to
the proper performance of the duties
devolving upon us. Recognising this
state of afairs, we have gone to the
Dominion Government and said: "if
you cannot we will not deal with the
questions which have arisen in the
Territories [?] the powers and the
[?] would justly accompany
those powers and allow us to work
[?] To this you
answer: "That it is the view of the
Government that it will not be wise
"to the present time to pass legisla"tion [?] the Territories into a
"Province or Provinces." One of the
reasons given for this position is:
"That the popuation of the Territories
"is sparse." I might point out that
we have at least ten times the population of Manitoba when it was erected
into a Provine, and a larger population than that Province had so lately as
1891; a considerably larger population
than the Province of Prince Edward
Island and with the immigraiton of
the present season a considerably
larger population than the Province of
British Columbia according to the late
census. Another reason advanced is:
"That the rapid increase in population
"now taking place will in a short time
"alter the conditions to be dealt with
very materially." The rapid increase
in population is one of the principal
reasons why we are asking to be formed into a Province, in order that we
may be able to deal with teh new conditions tht it brings about. The longer it goes
on without the change the
more aggravated the present difficultties will become.
With regard to a divergence of opinion as to one or intore Provinces,
might say that that is a difficulty
which will always exist and which any
postponentent of action will not remove.
I must also say on behalf of the
North-West Government that after
having been asked to meet a sub-committee of the Privy Council and to
state our case not only verbally but in
writing, it is extremely unsatisfactory
that the Governinent has couiĹże to
the conclusion : "That it will not be
"necessary to discuss the details of
"the draft bill which elnbodied our
"views." This is a conclusion to the
negotiations which have been held
which we could hardly have expected
considering the importance of the subject discussed and the formal manner
in which the discussion has taken
place.
Wecannot but regret tht the Government has not been able to recognise
the urgent necessity for the change
that has been asked and can only trust
that as you ahve denied us the opportunity of helping ourselves you will be
at least impressed with the necessity
and the duty, which is now yours, of
meeting the pressing necessities of
these rapidly developing Territories.
While we may,in your opinion without inconvenience mark time constitutionally; we
cannot do without
the transportation facilities,the
roads, the bridges,the schools and
the other improvements which our
rapidly growing population imperatively requires, and at once. Whether
we are made into a Province or not,
our financial necessities are just as
real, and in conclusion I can only trust
that when the question of an increase
to our subsidy is receiving consideration, more weight will be given to our
representations in that respect than
has been given to our requests for
constitutional changes.
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