6
THE LEADER, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1903.
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
Gets Down to Business With
Little Delay.
Address in Reply to Speech Passed.
—Premier Haultain Declares There
is no Change in Position of Demand
for Provincial Autonomy. — Had
Pressed For It and Must Continue
to Do So. — Time for Decentralisation of Work Had Arrived and
Some Simple and Economical System of Rural Municipalities Must
Be Provided. — The Territorial University. — The Game Ordinances.
MONDAY, Nov. 2.
THE ADDRESS IN REPLY.
Mr. Fisher (Banff) on rising to move
the address in reply to the Speech of
the Lieutenant Governor was greeted
with cheers. Referring to the reference in the Speech to the adverse climatic conditions
prevailing at harvest
time, Mr. Fisher said that the farmers
of the country were prosperous and
better off this year even than last. The
increased prices prevailing would more
than make up for the decrease in grades.
In the ranching country south and west
the ranchers had their own difficulties
but the House would agree with him
that taking everything into consideration the country as a whole was in a
good and prosperous condition. Respecting the change in the time of calling the Assembly
together Mr. Fisher
said that while it might personally
inconvenience some of the Members he
was sure every Member would agree
that they must consider the welfare of
the country and the calling of the
House together in the fall would place
them in a better position than at any
other time to find out and consider and
meet the needs of the country.
(Cheers.) In regard to the increased
anthority and powers conferred on the
Assembly over the election of their
own Members and in matters affecting
the administration of justice, he
thought all would welcome it. They
were all aware that their authority
was somewhat curtailed and the sooner
we had greater authority the better
for the North-West Territories.
(Cheers.) The most important question
to come before the House would be the
decentralisation of work performed by
the Government. The time had come
when there must be a change. The
change, however, must be very simple
and economical at the start. The
sooner the local improvement system
was improved the better for the people
at large. As to the establishment of a
University he was glad to see that
steps were being taken to secure an
endowment fund of lands from the
Dominion Government for the purpose
of establishing a University that the
sons and daughters of the Territories
might secure the advantages of higher
education without going to the east.
MR. L. J. A. L.AMBERT.
Mr. Lambert, the newly-elected
Member for St. Albert, seconded the
motion in a first rate speech. He said
he had a difficult task before him, first,
by reason of the fact that he was not
altogether at home speaking in the
English tongue, and, secondly, on
account of the very excellent way in
which the Member for Banff had moved
the Address in Reply. The actual
condition of the affairs of the country
warranted His Honor in congratulating the House on the same. He was
thoroughly in sympathy with the
aspirations of the House for the immediate obtaining of provincial powers.
(Cheers.) He believed that the opinion
of the House on that question reflected
the opinion of the great majority of
the people. He had been elected to
support that policy which had been so
unanimuously voiced by the House. It
was only with a modified feeling of
satisfaction, therefore, that he referred
to the extension of the jurisdiction of
the Assembly over the matters referred
to in the Speech. He would suggest
having much of the work at present
done by justices of the peace done by
fully qualified police magistrates.
Touching on the proposed decentralisation of some of the work at present
performed by the Public Works Department, Mr. Lambert said that the
country was too large to permit the
Department to deal with the work required in different parts of the country
and matters, such as roads, should be
left to the people themselves. At the
same time he could not see that our requirements demanded any extensive
municipal system, or heavy taxation,
but some simple method by which the
people could elect a board or committee
to do the work and which they would
be quite willing to pay for.
PREMIER HAULTAIN.
After a considerable pause
Premier
Haultain rose. He said that although
he was not given the usual lead by
some one from the Opposition side of
the House he must at least take an opportunity of congratulating the hon.
gentlemen who had moved and seconded the Address. He did so not in any
formal manner for they had performed
in a highly creditable manner the most
difficult duty which fell to any member of the House. It was easy enough
to speak on ordinary matters of business but it was not so easy to make a
formal speech on a large amount of
general work which is necessarily referred to in the Address. He congraulated both
the speakers, and particularly the seconder of the Address, and
in doing so expressed his regret that
the members of the House had not all
received such an education as to enable
them to follow the hon. gentleman if
he should address them in his own
language. (Cheers.)
On the question of the general prosperity of the country there was only
one note to be sounded in the House.
The climatic conditions unfortunately
had not been all that could be desired
at harvest time but there was nothing
to affect the feelings of hope and aspirations of the whole of the country for
its future. There was no cause for
pessimism. There would be lean years
and fat years, good harvests and bad
harvests, but the adverse conditions
which prevailed this year were only
another cause to give us confidence
that we have the best soil in the world
and are destined to become the granary of the Empire. (Cheers.)
He need not say anything about the
holding of the fall session of the House.
The previous speakers had given reasons for the change. In future, except under very
extraordinary circumstances, the House would be called
together in the fall.
REQUEST FOR LARGER POWERS.
With regard to the extension of the
powers of the Assembly there seemed
to have been some misapprehension in
certain quarters as to the conditions
under which these had been asked for.
The House would understand that in
their annual pilgrimages to Ottawa the
members of the Government had two
duties to perform. In the first place
they had the duty of carrying out the
wishes of the legislature in the matters
on which it had expressed an opinion.
On the more important matter, therefore, they had gone down with de
mands for provincial autonomy.
(Cheers.) They had also to deal with
the practical affairs of the day and
there was no reason why, while waiting for the establishment of provincial
institutions, they should not get an
extension of powers to enable them to
more eficiently carry on the government. We pressed for autonomy and
asked for additions to our powers, not
in lieu of autonomy but while waiting
for it. Autonomy might be delayed
from week to week and year to year
but there was no reason why they
should not receive larger powers along
certain lines.
PROVINCIAL AUTONOMY
Although it was not mentioned in
the Speech the most important question before them was provincial autonomy. It must
he gratifying to the
Members of the House that an important constituency had just recently declared in
favor of the aspirations of the
House on this question. In the election in St. Albert both the candidates
were agreed on provincial autonomy.
There was no necessity to discuss the
question at length at the present time.
The Legislature had declared itself
over and over again on it. Not more
than six months ago the House passed
an address to the Governor General in
Council in the following words: "That
the Legislative Assembly, representing,
as it does, the unanimous opinion of
the people of the Territories, believes
that nothing short of that system of
government enjoyed by our fellow
citizens in the provinces will afford a
solution of the legislative and financial
difficulties which confront it; therefore
we do humbly pray that Your Excellency in Council will cause such action
to be taken as will provide for the
present and immediate financial necessities of the Territories and will further
provide for the establishment of provincial institutions in the Territories
upon fair and just terms analagous to
those upon which the old provinces
have been dealt with."
There has been no change, continued
the Premier, in the conditions affecting this question since the passing of
that address. The only difference
between now and then is that six
months have elapsed. The same
reasons which justified action then
still exist. The necessities then are
still necessities at the present moment.
The population is increasing and will
continue to increase. The Government must continue to lead in, and the
House continue to support, the demand
for those institutions and in pressing
for the claims that, in the language
employed in the address to the
Governor General in Council, "is enjoyed by our fellow citizens in the
provinces and upon fair and just terms
analogous to those upon which the old
provinces have been dealt with."
(Cheers.)
The Address was then ordered to be
engrossed and conveyed to His Honor
the Lieutenant Governor and the
House adjourned.
Fisher,
Charles
Wellington