HOUSE OF COMMONS
Thursday, April 15, 1869
The Parliament met this day for the despatch of business at three p.m.
A message was brought by René Kimber,
Esquire, Gentleman Usher of the Black
Rod:-
Mr. Speaker,
His Excellency, the Governor—General, desires the immediate attendance of this Honorable
House in the Senate Chamber.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, with the House,
went to the Senate Chamber;
And being returned,
Ordered, That the Honorable Sir John A.
Macdonald have leave to bring in a Bill respecting the administration of Oaths of
Office.
He accordingly presented the said Bill to
the House, and the same was received and
read the first time.
The following new members were introduced: Mr. Amos Wright, (West York), introduced
by Messrs. Mackenzie and Holton;
Mr. Pelletier, (Kamouraska), by Messrs. Joly
and Tremblay; Mr. Pickard, (York, NB.),
by Messrs. Connell and Burpee; Dr. Lacerte,
(St. Maurice) and Mr. McDougall, (Three
Rivers), by Mr. Langevin and Sir John A.
Macdonald.
Mr. Speaker reported, That when the House did attend
His Excellency the Governor General this day in the Senate
Chamber, His Excellency was pleased to make a Speech to both Houses of
Parliament, of which Mr. Speaker said he had, to prevent mistakes, obtained a copy,
which he read to the House as followeth:-
Honorable Gentlemen of the Senate,-
Gentlemen of the House of Commons,-
I have great satisfaction in having recourse
to your advice, and I rejoice to think that on
this, the first occasion on which I have had
the honour of addressing you, we may congratulate ourselves on the aspect of public
affairs at home and abroad, on the prevalence
of peaceful counsels amongst nations, and on
indications of agreement and tranquility favorable alike to the development of foreign
commerce and the prosecution of domestic
industry.
2
COMMONS DEBATES April 15, 1869
The great scheme of Confederation was
successfully inaugurated under the auspices
of my Predeccessor.
It is to me a source of pride to find my
name in honorable association with the rising
fortunes of the Dominion of Canada, and I
shall count it a happiness, as well as a duty,
to co-operate, to the utmost of my ability, in
furthering your efforts to strengthen the ties
that bind the different provinces together, and
to ensure the attachment of the people to the
soil, by the enactment of wise and equal
laws.
Your efforts in these directions seem now,
more than ever, likely to be called into action, inasmuch as the terms upon which
great
accessions are offered to the Dominion will
be submitted for your immediate consideration.
In consequence of the Duke of Buckingham
and Chandos' despatch of the 8th August of
last year, stating that His Grace proposed to
enter into negotiations with the Hudson's Bay
Company, as to the terms on which they
would be willing to surrender their rights
and claims in the North—West Territory, Lord
Monck sent home to England two Members
of the Privy Council as a deputation to watch
the course of the proceedings and attend to
the interests of Canada.
The conferences in London, and the correspondence on the subject have been brought
to a definite issue by the proposal which,
after a full review of the circumstances, Earl
Granville made on the part of Her Majesty's
Government for the consideration of the
people of Canada and of the Hudson's Bay
Company.
I have received the intelligence that the
Hudson's Bay Company has, after some deliberation, decided upon accepting the terms
laid down by the Secretary of State for the
Colonies.
I have directed that the report of the mission, and all the papers connected therewith,
shall be duly laid before Parliament, and I
commend them to your serious consideration,
in view of the great importance of the subject no less than in the hope that this
long
vexed question may be closed without further
delay.
I was much gratified by communications
from the Governor of Newfoundland, expressing the desire for admission into the
Union which prevails amongst the inhabitants
of that Colony, and especially by his despatch
of the 20th March last, covering copies of
Resolutions which have been passed by the [...]
