1
THE LEADER.
REGINA, N.W.T., THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 5, 1900.
THE LEGISLATURE.
Opening of the Second Session of
the Fourth Assembly.
TEXT OF HIS HONOR'S SPEECH
Address in Reply Adopted Without
Opposition or Criticism, on Motion
of Mr. Brown and Dr. De Veber —
Mr. Sifton, the New Member for
Banff, Takes His Seat Provincial
Establishment Mooted.
MONDAY, April 2.
Mr. Speaker took the Chair at 2:55
o'clock.
THE ADDRESS IN REPLY.
Mr. G.W. Brown (North Regina)
on rising to move the Address in Reply
to His Honor's speech, was loudly applauded. He sid that he would preface
the task with the remark that the unprecedented success attending these
Territories, particularly within the
past twelve months, and in great measure during the last three or four years,
was certainly a matter of evident satisfaction to the House and to the country. The
past year had been one of
magnificent crops, and magnificent
weather for the curing and marketing
of the crops. It seemed as if at last
PROVIDENCE WAS SMILING
upon these Territories. Business in all
lines and branches was lucrative and
cheering; our own people were now
possessed of confidence, and the people
in the Eastern Provinces were gaining
confidence in us and in this part of
Canada. The North-West was no
longer looked upon as a barren or
dubious quantity. The people of the
East, it ws no exaggeration to say,
now looked on the Territories as the
hope and the future mainstay of the
industries and manufactures of Canada.
That favorable feeling regarding the
North-West did not always prevail in
the East. There was a time not very
many years ago, when Eastern people
had smal faith,—when the Eastern
Provinces had more than half an idea
that the Territories were proving a big
bill of expense with no very sure prospect of a return, and tht this country
was simply a burden. All that is
changed now. There is reason for the
changed feeling. The returns compiled
by the Agriculture Department show
that whereas a few years ago our grain
exports were the smallest of any part
of Canada, to-day we are exporting
grain measured by the millions of
bushels annually. Dairying, which a
few years ago was languishing and
scarcely deserved the name of industry,
so far as the North-West was concerned, is now in a thriving state of development,
yielding handsome profits to
those engaged in it and adding perceptibly to the bulk of our exports and
to the name and
FAME OF CANADIAN PRODUCTS.
North-West butter, which a few years
ago merchants hesitated to handle at
all, is now becoming an article of standard value not only in the mining
province west of us but as well in the
markets of the British Isles. (Applause.)
Within a few short years the Territories have advanced from the position of
the provincial division having the
smallest exports, to the position of the
division having the largest per capita
export of cattle. Looked at from all
sides the development of the Territories could ont but be pronounced
eminently satisfactory to the people of
the Territories and to the whole of
Canada. (Applause.) Our population
was increasing rapidly. For the past
year or two the increase in population
of Manitoba and the Territories had
gone on at a rate of at least 20 or 25 per
cent., which was a ratio of annual increase heretofore unparalleled in the
Territories or in any part of Canada.
(Applause.)
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SHIELD.
But while in these respects our successs had been great, our development
most encouraging, while faith in the
country was becoming well established
and our credit abroad was gaining a
sure footing, there was yet one point
of view from which could be seen
reason for only chastened rejouicing. It
was with sorow they were compelled
to look at the comparative absence of
increase of the revenue for the local
governmentof the Territories. The
revenue had not been increasing to any
adequate extent. For the proper government of the country, to ensure the
proper developmentof the country, to
give sustained confidence to the pioneers who are here and who are coming in to help
build up the country, it
could be laid down as an unassailable
proposition that it was absolutely
necessary that
LOCAL REVENUE MUST GROW APACE
WITH LOCAL NEEDS.
For several years past the local revenue
has not been keeping pace with the
local needs. What had been done to
meet the case? What was done when
the revenue became in a sense stationary while the needs kept on growing?
This was done: The people consented
to a reduction of the school grants, and
consented to share in the prosecution
and maintenance of public work by
means of a Local Improvement system.
In these ways the demands on the revenue were lessened. He believed the
people had done and were doing all that
it was reasonable to ask them to do,
but again we are face to face with the
problem of insufficient revenue. In
this circumstance the Assembly and
the people had a duty to perform. The
problem must be met and dealt with;
it must be dealt with in a way best for
the interests of the Territories as a
whole. (Applause.) There was possible
the method of
DIRECT TAXATION.
We have the power and privilege of
assuming the burden of direct taxation,
but in the early stage of the development of the country, with the people
still in the position, and for some years
to come likely to be in the position of
pioneers struggling and battling with
primitive conditions and striving under
many incident handicaps for the goal
of permanency, he did not believe it
would be adviable or in the best interest of the country to apply that method. What
was the alterantive? Could
we look for an adequately increased
subsidy from Ottawa? That was a
very important question. What answer
could be given? He was convinced
tht we could not look with any measure of hope for remedy from that
source. He did not belive tht we
need look to Ottawa for any such increase as the circumstances demand.
The case had been pressed at Otttawa
for years, and while some increases
were obtained, every year shows a bigger disparity between the amount we
get and the amount we require. Has
our case not been properly presented at
Ottawa? He (Mr. Brown) thoroughly
believed that our case had been presented as properly, as well as as forcefully as
it could be presented. The
leaders of the Assembly, who understood the case at least as well as any
men or collection of men alive, had
gone year after year to Ottawahad in
hand, as had been sid. He believed
the federal Government understood the
case now as well as it can be hoped that
they ever wil understand it. On this
subject he did not believe that Ottawa's
action depended on whether a Conservative or a Liberal Government was in
power. Any Government would do
the best it could. Did the matter dependwholly on the Government, the
cabinet ministers, probably we might
expect adequate remedy from Ottawa,
from either a Liberal or a Conservative
Government. But it did not lie with
them wholly. There were more than
two hundred members of Parliament
to be consulted, only four of whom
were sent from the Territories. He did
not want to convey the impression that
the Eastern Provinces were hostile to
us, or that Eastern members would not
grant us what they thought was just
and right, because he did not think
that would be a true impression. The
fact was that the Eastern men, not
10
THE LEADER, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 5, 1900.
THE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from page 1
withstanding their increasing interest
in and growing faith in this country;
had no real understanding of its
magnitude or needs, and could not be
expected to have. He was not ranging
in a speculative field. He was speaking of something that was well known
to be the fact. The case was not new.
Gur claims were not a matter only of
yesterday. For years the deniand
had been there. We have representatives in Parliament, some of them men
who went there fresh from this Assembly, and who were as well acquainted
with the claims as any men who could
be sent to Parliament. The Territorial
Press has been agitating the question,
and the House knew that its leaders
had constantly pressed the claims.
What was asked was no list of supposed rights, but only enough for bare
necessities. And what was the result
Could anyone suggest a scheme whereby Parliament could be prevailed on
to give an adequate subsidy? Were
there any means or methods to be
resorted to which had not already been
used to all possible extent? Answering that question in the negative,
what was to be done? There was just
ONE PLAIN OPEN ROAD.
All that was left was to ask to be put
into the position to exercise provincial
powers. If that were granted, would
our position be improved? Certainly,
declared Mr. Brown. The Territories
would be in a much better position
financially, because they would have
control of rights and resources now
controlled and held by the federal
authority. The fundamental obstacle
now, and which will exist until the
provincial change comes, said Mr.
Brown, is that vital questions affecting us await solution at the hands of a
body of men who comparatively and
practically have no particular interest
in the question: and a change of Government or any other change at Ottawa did not
change this condition one
iota.
In the minds of many, pursued the
speaker, a bugbear of expense hampers
the question of assuming provincial
status. The truth was that the Territories now have practically all the
machinery of provincial government.
Provincial government would not
neccessarily mean any increase in our
machinery of government. There was
no need for us to inaugurate any extravagant policy of bonusing railways.
He would totaly disapprove of railway bonuses, even if we had the power
to pay them. There would be no need
of the Territories loading themselves
with a big public debt. We already
have the power of direct taxation, but
do not apply it. Simply because we
secured the power to bonus railways
and incur debt, would not be sufficient
reason to use the power. The benefits
to be reaped under provincial status
would be the receipt of subsidy and
control of provincial resources such as
the public lands exactly as the older
provinces receive and enjoy, neither
more, neithe rless. Look at one
incidental benefit. Take the case
of excemptoin from taxation
of millions of acres of railway
companies lands. The probability was
that the exemption question could and
would be settled in the course of the
negotiations with Ottawa; but, if not,
the question would niot long await
settlement once the Territorial Assembly had power to deal with it. Think
of the 35,000,000 acres of corporation
lands to-day enjoying exemption. So
long as the question is a federal issue,
there is small hope of its ever being
settled, for the simple reason, as stated
before, that of the 216 members of
Parliament, only a bar half dozen are
really and vitally interested in the
problem. There would be a benefit
from a larger direct subsidy, but it was
questionable if the settlement of the
exemptions question would not be a
vasly greater benefit. Another point
was that at present there is much unnecessary clashing of legislation.
While the Dominion administers the
lands, the Territories legislate on the
subjects of property and civil rights,
and it is found that Dominion legislation is constantly interfering with
local Ordinances. The Assembly in
this sphere ought to have the sole
right and power, because it went without saying that the Assembly, every
member of which body was intimately
conversant with all phases of the subject, could more, satisfactorily deal
with it than Parliament with its preonderating majority of members who
know scarcely anything of the conditions of the country. It was purely
a local subject and should be dealt
with locally; and the only way to obtain the transfor to local authority was
by assuming the state of provincehood.
On this subject, as on others, it was
hardly possible to expect satisfactory
administration from Ottawa even if
the entire western delegation in Parliament was an absolute unit.
Alluding more specifically to His
Honor's speech, Mr. Brown said that
the House would agree unanimously
with the expression on the subject of
the
WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.
That event could not be viewed otherwise than as a very regrettable one,
yet the unanimous and grand and
proud course and action which Canada
had taken for the assistance of the
mother country was such as had given
Canada a standing in the estimation of
not alone Great Britain but the world
at large, that she did not occupy before. (Applause.) The courage and
devotion of our brave Canadian volunteers had formed for us a new association with
Great Britain and our sister
colonies, and had given us a new and
lasting legacy as a people. Nothing so
surely created a national sentiment,
without which no country could be
truly great, as the graves of national
heroes, and the monuments erected in
memory of those who shed their blood
for and in honor of their country, our
country. (Cheers.) While we all regretted and deplored the death of so
many valiant sons of Canada, we all
felt the deepest pride in the fact that
they died in a manner commanding
the commendation of the watching world.
(Cheers.) Mr. Brown moved the adoption of the Address in Reply, and sat
down amid warm applause.
DR. DE VEBER (Lethbridge) seconded the Address, and was cordially aplauded as he arose to fulfill
the task.
At the outset he assured the House that
there was no cause to fear that he was
going to administer a long or nauseous
dose of what was frequently termed
"wind." (Laughter.) In any event,
had he been possessed of any such dire
intent, he was now debarred, because
the nover (Mr. Brown) had touched
all the salient points of His Honor's
gracious speech, and had thoroughly
Covered the ground. This system of
inaugurating the business of a business
body, be could only look upon as an
evidence of the ineradicable character
of old habits and customs. The formal
Speech and its necessarily formal answer, were relics of antiquity. He
could not tell upon whom to saddle the
blame, not being as well versed as he
ought to be in ancient history, but he
imagined it waas Ceasar, or Cicero,or
Demosthenes, or possibly Mephistopheles. (Laughter.) Turning to the
speech, Dr. DeVeber said that the
nature of his calling as a physician,
prevented him visiting all parts of the
Territories and personally witnessing
the prosperity of the country, but
judging from the generally disseminated information he had every confidence in the
statement that prosperity was reigning. Nearly 50,000 new
settlers arrived in Western Canada
lasty ear, and he velieved that of these
the Territories got a goodly share. At
the sale of school lands in Indian Head
district a few days ago, some 8,000
acres of land brought some $80,000,
an average price of $10 per acre, while
certain sections were sold for as high
as $25 per acre. Judging from such
facts and figures as these, and from the
expressions of contentment on the
faces of at least one or two fo the Members here (with a sly glance at Mr. McCaule,
another at Mr. Cross, and still
another at Mr. Shera)—(roars of laughter)—he felt sure there was good cause
for congratulation. Of one quarter of
the Territories, his own district, Lethbridge,he could speak from personal
knoweldge. That district had exceptionl stimulus in the way of an
irrigation project of great magnitude,
the benefits to flow from which it was
utterly impossible to estimate as yet.
The scheme embraced a length of 60
miles of main canal, with many
branches. One 20 mile branch enters
the torn at Lethbridge. It is estimated that the system has a watering
capacity of 500,000 acres. The secure
the branch to the town, as the House
knew, because it had given the necessary legislation, the town paid a bonus
of $30,000 in return for which the Company had undertaken to expend certain
sums within the town and put the undertaking in such shape that every
householder in the town may avail
himself of water for a garden. A class of settlers not having knowledge, would probably
be a detriment, or rather with
people ignorant of the science, the
scheme might be a curse instead of a
blessing. But the Company are procuring settlers who are used to farming
with irrigation. The Company are paying the wages of the men employed on
the ditch with land, and last year land
was earned in this way to the value of
$119,000. In a few years there was
every reason to hope that the system
would transform the treeless prairie
into orchards and the pasture land into
golden grain fields. (Applause.) As
an indication of the wonderful develomentment occuring within that district, he
might mention that to-day there are
two communities, which will soon take
the status of villages, Magrath and
Stirling, with populations of 400 and
300 respectively, where last year there
was nothing, and these villages have
stores and business places that would
grace any town. (Applause.) Referring to the war, Dr. DeVeber said that
our love and loyalty to the Mother
Country had before his been confined
to word of mouth and scratch of pen.
It was of course not hte first time that
British soldiers and colonials had
fought side by side, because there had
been occasions in the past when most
of the colonies had had their own
wars, and on those occasions each
colony separately was assisted by the
Mother Country. But this was the
first occasion that colonials and British
soldiers had fought and died together,
both away from home. (Applause.)
The manner of the response of the
Colonies ot the Mother's call,—the
eagerness with which each Colony
offered to assist, and pressed to be
allowed to assist, must have shown to
the world that the bonds uniting
Great Britain and her now-powerful
Colonies are daily growing stronge
and tighter, and must have awakened
the nations of the earth to the fact
that the people under the British flag
are in very deed an Empire. (Cheers.)
He was sure that the House would concure in the grants made to the NorthWest Contingent
and the measures to
legalise certain municipal grants, not
only unanimously but with cheers.
The fourth section, that dealing with
the financial question, was, he thought
the meat of the Speech. For years
our financial demands had not been
adequately satisfied. This year the
House could congratulate itself upon a
moderate increase of subsidy and a
respectably large special grant. But
these would only meet the difficulty
temporarily,–merely relieve the tension
for the time being. The problem was
one that must be touched carefully,
and handled gingerly. In seeking a
solution, they should lay aside all party
spirit, all sectional feelings, all personal
aim:—(hear, hear)—they shoudl adopt
a scheme and a solution apart from
any thought of sectional benefit or any
minor consideration:—(hear, hear)—
they should rise superior to small ideas
and aspirations and strive for a higher,
truer and nobler conception of their
duties on this question of tremendous
moment and act unitedly for the best
interests of the North-West Territories
as a whole (Cheers.)
When Dr. De Veber has resumed his
seat, Mr. Speaker and the House waited in expectancy for about three and a
half minutes. It was the moment for
the leader of the Opposition to arise in
his might and smite the Government.
No one arose. "Question, question,"
finally called Mr. Speaker to his feet.
"Does the House agree to the motion?"
The House unanimously agreed. Expectancy's thirst remained anassuaged.
A QUESTION OF PEROGATIVE.
Mr. Haultain moved second reading
of Bill (No. 1) respecting Remission of
Penalties. He states that heretofore
the assumption was acted upon that
the Lieut.-Governor-in-Council.
It was questionable whether the assumption was correct, and the bill was
presented to confer the power and provide machinery for its application.
Mr. Bennett (West Calgary) asked if
the hon. the Attorney-General was
aware of the high court decision which
held that the power was inherent in
the Governor. He believed the pardoning power had not been used by the
Sovereign since the time of the last
George, excepting on the advice of the
Privy Council. But the judgement
mentioned would go to show that the
legislation proposed was unnecessary,
and was conferring power upon the
Government which was inherent in the
Governor.
Mr. Haultain said he was quite aware
of the rule and practice in England.
The pardoning power rested with the
Crown exclusively, but it was exercised,
not on the advice of the Privy Council,
as the hon. gentlemen from Calgary
stated, but of the Home Secretary.
There were many such matters in regard to which the Crown would find it
difficult to revive the old custom of
personal exercise of power, by the
Sovereign. The rule in the Canadian
Provinces was also well understood.
By virtue of an Imperial Act—the B.N.A. Act—all the perogatives of the
Crown in England are vested in the
Governor-General and the Provincial
lieutenant-governors. In Ontario
without any doubt the power which
the Bill before the House dealt with,
was vested in the Lieut.-Governor exclusively,—theoretically; yet even in
Ontario the Statutes contained legislation identical with this Bill. The Territorial
position was different. Our
lieut.-governor was not a representative of the Queen in the same sense as
a provincial governor; he was a federal
official, of course appointed under
authority of the Imperial Act; and the
position did not partake of the incidents
of royalty except by analogy. It had
been found convenient to follow many
of the forms and ceremonies belonging
to other places, "and in my belief,"
said Mr. Haultain, "to other times."
But our governor's power was in reality
limited to what was given him directly
by Acts of Parliament and Ordinances
of the Assembly.
The Bill was read a second time, and
the House adjourned.
6
THE LEADER, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 12, 1900.
A GOOD WORD FOR THE NATIVES.
Mr. McKay (Prince Albert West)
trusted that no immediate alarm would
be caused in the east or elsewhere by
this very commendable resolution. He
regretted to see that in Parliament
some romantic mention had been made
of unrest in the Territories. No such
unrest existed, and of course he knew
that it was no expectation of any such
trouble as was alluded to in Parliament
that prompted the mover of the resolution. It was quite true that the
North-West needed and had a right to
militia organisation just as civilized
communities. (Laughter.) But for theÂ
native population, he was proud to say
that they were in a most peaceful
state. For one hundred and fifty years,
declared Mr. McKay in ringing tones,
there had been but one single occasion
of acute trouble between the natives in
the North-West under British sovereignty and the lawful authorities, and
he believed that that occasion would be
the last. He was glad to support the
motion. (Applause.)
Dr. Patrick Yorkton was sorry that
the resolution did more fully set out
the reason why the militia system
should be extended to the Territories.
We should not lose sight of the fact
that one main reason for a militia system, apart from the reasons well presented by
the mover, was this: That
ultimate enforcement of law rests upon
armed forces. When government was
first established in the Territories such
a force had been sent into the country
by the North-West Mounted Police. In
considering the proposition before the
House we should not lose sight, either,
of the grand work of that magnificent
body, which in the early days bore responsibility almost wholly for the administration
as well as the ultimate
enforcement of the law. (Applause.)
In any consideration of the subject
now it would be well to remember that
those early conditions have passed or
are rapidly passing away. The Mounted
Police were sent at a time, and because
there were no men in the country to
organise an armed force. That time
has surely passed. When the North- West is able to send five hundred men
to South Africa, the country has surely
reached a state when it can successfully
deal with any matter of law enforcement at home. He was in hearty favor
of the resolution, and wished to say
that even before
[?] Paul had dared
to trespass against the rights and liberties of British subjects in British
colonies in South Africa, the people of
the town of Yorkton had prepared and
forwarded a petition asking to be allowed to participate in the plan suggested last
fall by General Hutton,
the plan of raising a battalion of mounted rifles in the Territories. In his
opinion the time had come when the
enforcement of law and order in the
North-West could safely be entrusted
to armed forces raised within the Territories.
Mr. Haultain was glad to have heard
the words of the member for Yorkton,
which made it plain that the resolution
was in no sense meant as a comment
on the necessity or lack of necessity of
the Mounted Police force. Certainly
this Assembly would never overlook
the work done by that splendid force,
whose members had been the pioneers
of settlement and the pioneers of civilisation in these Territories, and
had not only successfully met
the demands of arduous regular
duties week in and week out,
but also had coped successfully
with more than one emergency. The
justification of the resolution was the
undoubed right of the people of the
Territories to bear arms. It was a reflection almost that we have not the
militia system already. It looked as if
we were not considered,—it was certainly treating us as if we were not
considered as equal with the people of
the Provinces. There was another
practical side, too, which might well be
mentioned, the side which had in view
the horse market. The raising of
Mounted Rifles following on recent
events was very likely to lead to the
establishment of a re-mount station in
the North-West. We can raise horses;
the proof will be given, is being given,
to-day in South Africa. He trusted
that the resolution would be unanimously agreed to.
Resolution agreed to, and an address
to His Honor the Lieut.-Governor was
adopted, praying him to cause transmission to the Secretary of State.
PERSEVERANCE IS REWARDED.
Mr. McDonald asked: Has this Government made any proposals to the
Dominion Government, or any Minister
of the Government with a view to the
Territories or any part of them being
formed into a Province or has any proposal been made by the Dominion
Government to this Government? If
any such proposal has been made or
received, when was it made and by
whom?
Mr. McDonald stated that, evidently
by a printer's error, the words "or
Provinces" were omitted from the
question. Those words should appear
after the word "Province."
To each question the Premier answered, No.
Cet individu a participé aux :