[...] correspondence to 5th December had been
brought down, then the Government stood
convicted of having moved the address without having any proper basis for it whatever.
Hon. Mr. McDougall said the position taken by the member
for Chateauguay seemed to be this—that the Government should have entered into some
kind of negotiations, secret or otherwise, in
order to ascertain beforehand what special terms and conditions ought to be
adopted in bringing this Territory under the jurisdiction of the
Government of this country. The Government had taken a different
view, the Union Act declaring that the North-West Territory might be
handed over to the jurisdiction of Canada on such terms and conditions as
should expressed in the address of the two Houses of Parliament. The
Government assumed that, in pursuance of that Act, what they had to do was to
ascertain for themselves the terms and conditions on which
they would accept the Territory, and having got the assent of both Houses to
these terms, they forwarded the address to the Home Government, and now
awaited their answer. An honourable gentleman opposite thought
this Government was censurable, because no answer was yet received.
Surely they were not to settle both sides of the contract. If the
Imperial Government and Parliament had other terms and conditions to
propose, we would have to pronounce upon them when presented to us. As regarded
the delay, they hoped and expected that probably the next mail would
bring the answer of the Imperial Government. The House knew that in
England the Premier had retired, and another had taken his place, and
necessarily delays and changes of policy would occur. This might account
for some of the delay in answering the address, which he confessed he
very much regretted. He did think there were high reasons of State why this
question should be settled at the earliest moment; he thought so still,
and he must say there had been no failure of duty on the part of this
Government in urging the matter. As regarded what he had said during
the last election, one could not be expected to stand by all the pictures
of imagination which might be drawn during the heat of an election contest.
(Laughter). He would say, however, that in Newfoundland there were
several gentlemen occupying prominent positions, who took part in the
negotiations of 1864, and who were still anxious that that Colony should enter
the Union. It was well known what views were expressed by the Governor of
New
foundland, when recently in this country, and the
newspapers of the last few weeks showed that there was a desire prevailing
among a large portion of the people of that Colony to join their fortunes
with ours. As regarded British Columbia, at a public meeting presided over by the
Mayor of Victoria, resolutions in favour of Union
were passed, and similar resolutions had previously been passed unanimously, he
believed, by the Legislature. He thought, therefore,
he had been justified in assuming, with overtures of this kind from the
other Colonies, that the Union would soon be extended. Delays had occurred, but
he believed that in a short time we would have formal proceedings, which
would be a basis for action, and the extension of the Union, therefore,
he looked upon as no myth.
Mr. Mackenzie pointed out that the visit of the Governor
of Newfoundland and the action taken in British Columbia were
subsequent to the speeches made by the Minister of Public
Works to which he had referred. He was happy to believe that there was a desire
for Union among a large proportion of the population of these colonies,
but such unauthorized statements as those of the Minister of
Public Works, admitted to have been made without any foundation, were
calculated to do more harm than good, by raising hopes which must be
disappointed to a greater or lesser extent.
Sir John A. Macdonald said the Minister of Public Works
had not meant it to be inferred that the expressions used by the Governor of
Newfoundland and the resolutions passed in British Columbia were the only
indications the Government had had of a prospect of Union with those
Colonies. He could assure the House they had had frequent communication of a very
important nature, all tending in the direction of
an extension of the Union long before these indications. They had had no
official communications. The member for Lambton must know, or no doubt as a
member of the Government would soon know, that official
communications conveyed results, and that the most important portion of the
public business was transacted by being made matter of arrangements and
discussion in an unofficial form before the results were communicated in oflicial
documents. His honourable friend was quite
justified in stating he had reason to believe that Confederation would,
ere long, be extended East and West.
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