1888
COMMONS DEBATES.
111
[...]sentatives of the Government of Manitoba who are at
present here, to an interview with him in relation to the
difļ¬culties existing between that Province and the Dominion. Now, as I understand
constitutional government, the
business of the country is carried on by the Ministers, who
are responsible to this House and to the people for the acts
which pass under the name of the Government, and hence
under the name of Her Gracious Majesty the Queen; and
if it is true, and I believe it is, that by the invitation of the
Governor those gentlemen have had an interview with him
on these matters, I would like to know whether it was
at the instance of the Government or at the instance of the
Governor himself ? If it was the latter, I should regret that,
at the close of a long career, which has been satisfactory
alike to the people and the Government, His Excellency
should attempt to interfere with matters that pertain solely
to his advisers, and for which they are responsible. Therefore, I would like to know
whether the Governor has acted
on behalf of his Government, or whether he has assumed a
responsibility which, in my opinion, he has no right to
assume ?
Sir HECTOR LANGEVIN. I hope the hon. gentleman will renew
his question when the hon. First Minister is here. The charge that the hon.
gentleman makes, or supposes can be made, against His Excellency the Governor
General, is one that should he met by the First Minister. For my own
part, all I can say to the hon. gentleman is that we, as the responsible
advisers of the Crown, are ready at all times to take the responsibilities of
any act of the Governor General in matters of State; and His Excellency, to my
knowledge, and I have no doubt to the knowledge of the House, has never
exposed himself to be called to account for any interference that would not be
in a constitutional way.
Mr. MITCHELL. It is not a question whether the Government
assumed the responsibilty of the acts of the Governor or not. The question I
put is whether the Governor performed this act with the knowledge and at
the request of the Government of the day, or whether he assumed it on his own
mere motion. If the latter, I hold that he is interfering with matters with
which he has no right to interfere under the Constitution. Now that the
hon. First Minister has come in, I would repeat the question to him.
Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. I may say that I was not aware, and
I do not know that any of my colleagues were aware, that His Excellency had
sent for these two gentlemen to talk over public matters. I had not
heard of it until just this moment, but I take exception to the doctrine that
the Governor General or Her Majesty cannot talk to such people as she or
he may choose.
Mr. LAURIER. If my hon. friend for Northumberland will
allow me, I would take exception to what he has said. Whether Mr. Greenway, or
any other member or members of the Manitoba Government, were invited by the
Governor General, or by this Government, to meet His Excellency, is of
little moment, as the Government are the official advisers of His Excellency,
and must be held responsible in either case.
Mr. MITCHELL. I do not object to holding them responsible for it. That was not the point. What
I wanted to know was, whether
His Excellency, on his own more motion, did this, because, if he did, I hold he
was wrong?
Mr. LAURIER. The Government are the parties responsible
Mr. MITCHELL. There is another matter of some importance with which I think the House should be
made acquainted before the
Orders of the Day are called. It is this: I ļ¬nd in the Montreal
Gazette the following :-
"NEWFOUNDLAND ASKED TO ENTER THE CONFEDERATION.
"DELEGATES TO VISIT OTTAWA.
"The Proposition Well Received and Likely to be Accepted by the
Ancient Colony.
"HALIFAX, N.S., March 8.-ā[Special.]āThe Halifax Herald will publish to-morrow a special
cablegram from St. John's, Nfld., showing that
practical steps have been taken to embrace the ancient colony of Newfoundland in the
Canadian Confederation. The following correspondence was laid before the Newfoundland
Legislature to-day :-
"The Governor General of Canada to the Governor of Newfoundland:
"March 6, 1888.
"It is considered by my Government that, if your Government approves, the time would
be convenient for the discussion of the question
of the admission of Newfoundland into the Federal Union, and that no
difficulty would be likely to arise in arranging the terms. Under these
circumstances could you send a. deputation to Ottawa, with power to negotiate? In
our opinion the deputation should represent the Opposition
as well as the Ministerial party. As the Canadian Session has begun,
and may be short, I would suggest the expediency of the deputation sailing by the
steamer leaving on the 19th inst.
"The Governor of Newfoundland to the Governor General of Canada:
"March 7, 1888.
"I have received your telegram and laid it before my Ministers.
"The question is now being discussed among the parties, and your
correspondent has no doubt but that a deputation will be sent."
This appears in one of the numerous organs of the Government and I presume it to be
correct. I think that as Parliament is in Session, before a communication of that
kind
should be sent to another colony the Parliament of Canada
ought to have been taken into consultation on the subject.
ln so important a question as that of admitting a remote
Province like Newfoundland into the Union, the Government should not have assumed
the responsibility of acting
as they appear to have done, without having taken the
Parliament of Canada into their conļ¬dence, while that Parliament is in Session. I
would like the right hon. the First
Minister to say whether there is any truth in the statement
or not.
Sir RICHARD CARTWRIGHT. Then I think the House has
been treated with scant courtesy, very scant courtesy, indeedāhon. gentlemen
on that side as well as on thisā by a matter of that importance being ļ¬rst
made public through the medium of one of those paid hirelings of
the hon. gentleman. I think it is utterly discourteous and
unconstitutional, and it goes to show that true constitutional
parliamentary government is becoming utterly unknown in Canada. We
have a one-man power, we have an autocrat here to do as he pleases; and to
all practical purposes, the people of Canada would be better off
if they would send 130 or 140 proxies to the hon. gentleman, and thus
save expense.
THE ONDERDONK ARBITRATION.
Mr. POPE. I was not in a position the other day to
answer the question put by the hon. member for St. John (Mr. Weldon), but I
am happy to be able to do so now. The amount of the valuation of the rolling
stock taken, under the terms of the contract, from the contractors of the
western section of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia,
is as follows:-
| Eight locomotives and 185 platform cars ......... |
$199,535 00 |
| Account for the transportation of the above
from British Columbia to Chaudiereā¦ ...... .. |
22,028 19 |
| Account for the repairs of the above ........ . |
4,016 92 |
| Total ...................................................... |
$225,570 11 |
Against that we have the following:- [...]
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