At 2 o'clock p. m. the Speaker took the
chair of the house, and the gentleman Usher of
the Black Rod shortly afterwards announced
His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor's
command for the attendance of the house in
the Council Chamber.
The members having attended in obedience
to this command His Excellency opened the
session with the following
SPEECH :
Mr. President, and Honorable Gentlemen of the
Legislative Council:
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly:
In meeting you at a most important epoch
in the affairs of British North America, it affords me much pleasure to be able to
congratulate you on the continued peace and prosperity of the Province during the
past year.
While these colonies have been subjected to
the threats of lawless men, our Province has
been exempted from any attack, and although
our local forces nobly responded to the call
which was made upon them in the early part
of the year to arm for the purposes of defence,
happily no necessity occurred to require their
services to repel an invader.
The exigencies of the Province of New
Brunswick rendering it necessary for a time
to withdraw a large portion of Her Majesty's
Troops from this Garrison for the protection
of that Colony, it was with the utmost satisfaction that I was enabled to fill their
places
for Garrison duty by portions of the Halifax
Volunteer and Militia Artillery and the Volunteer Battalion, and to mark how well
that
service was performed. The readiness and
good discipline of the officers and men who
were then employed, show how much has
been effected bv the efforts made during the
last few years to place our local forces in a
proper condition, and how much we can depend upon them in the hour of need.
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly:
The Public Accounts will be submitted to
you without delay, and will exhibit the finances of the country in a state of unprecedented
prosperity. Large as was the revenue of the
previous year, the accounts will shew the gratifying fact that it has been greatly
exceeded
by that of 1866. The Estimates for the present
year will also be laid before you.
Mr. President, and Honorable Gentlemen of the
Legislative Council:
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly :
I have to express my regret that the Government of the United States have adhered
to their
policy of last year, obstructing that Trade
which under the Reciprocity Treaty was so
beneficial to their own country as well as to
this Province. I have, however, to state that
the abrogation of the Treaty has been much
less prejudicial to us than was anticipated, and
in some respects has been productive of good,
by uniting more closely the interests and the
Trade of this and the other North American
Colonies.
In accordance with a Resolution of the
Legislature passed last session, the Commission of the Paris Exhibition was organized,
and by the labors of the gentlemen comprising
this Board, a large number of valuable articles, exhibiting the varied resources of
the
Province, have been collected and sent forward to Paris; and it is confidently expected
that the results of this exhibition will be of
material advantage to the best interests of the
Province.
Owing to financial difficulties in the Money
Market of Great Britain last year, no progress
was made in the construction of the Windsor
and Annapolis Railway; but it affords me much
pleasure to state that by a new contract made
under the provisions of the law relating thereto, this important work has been now
placed
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DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS
in the hands of competent parties, with every
prospect of satisfactory accomplishment.
Great progress has been made in the construction of the Pictou Railroad, a portion
of which
has been already opened for the accommodation of the public, and it is fully anticipated
that it will be completed at the time mentioned in the contract.
The papers and reports of the Joint Commission to Brazil and the West Indies will
be laid
before you, and it is hoped much good will result from the efforts thus made to extend
the
commerce of the British North American Colonies with those portions of the globe.
It is gratifying to me to advert to the great
progress made in the important cause of Education under recent enactments.
I rejoice to be able to congratulate you upon
the success which has attended the Delegation
sent by me under your authority to confer with
Her Majesty's Government on the Union of the
Colonies. The papers relating to this important subject will be immediately laid before
you.
In the firm conviction that the Union of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, upon
the
terms provided in the Bill submitted by Her Majesty's Government to the Imperial Parliament,
will largely increase the prosperity of all these
Provinces, and contribute to the strength and
stability of those British Institutions which it is
their good fortune to enjoy, I commend to your
consideration such changes and amendments in
our existing laws as may be found necessary.
ANSWER TO THE SPEECH.
Mr. BOURINOT said :—Mr. Speaker, I hold in
my hand the reply to the speech of His Excellency, which has been entrusted to me
and
I must here express my regret that some one
better qualified for the task of making this motion has not been selected. I desire
to make a
few observations on some of the points referred to in His Excellency's address, and
I shall
do so in the order in which they appear. Before proceeding further, however, 1 cannot
help
observing, and in this particular many of those
who hear me will coincide in my remark, that
I was much pleased to observe the presence of
His Excellency Vice Admiral Sir James
Hope at the opening of the Legislature. It is
an unusual circumstance for the Admiral in
command on this station to be present, and I
cannot help referring to it. In addition to this
remark I must express my regret that Sir
James Hope is about to leave our shores. He
will leave behind him many pleasing reminiscences of the period of his command.
The most important topic contained in the
speech was that embodied in the last clause,
but to that I will not refer at this stage of my
remarks. First of all our attention has been
called to the fact that we have great cause for
gratitude and rejoicing on account of the prosperity which this country has enjoyed,
especially in view of the devastations which war
has inflicted upon some of the countries of Europe. In the second portion of the address
a
well deserved tribute is paid to the volunteer
forces of the provinces. It will be well remembered that during last session we were
much alarmed at the threatened invasion, and
that the moment an appeal was made to the
noble men composing the military force of the
country, they responded with the utmost alacrity and hastened to fill up the positions
vacated by the troops who were despatched to
the frontier. This conduct was deserving of
the highest praise, and I only wish I possessed
the eloquence of the leader of the government,
that I might use in connection with this subject such language as would bc worthy
of the
occasion, and as the country would be pleased
to hear. I would observe also that the same
alacrity was evinced in every part of the province, showing that when an emergency
arrives we shall tind our 50,000 militia men
ready to defend their country from the invaders. Not one of them I believe will shrink
from the duty that may then be imposed upon
him. It is gratifying to us to know that in
two or three years our Militia Force has made
such improvements in organization. It is true
that much remains to he done, but we may
rest assured that in a short time a state of
thorough efficiency will be attained.
The next clause of the address refers to the
public revenue,and in connection with that I am
gratified to be able to say, and it will be agreeable to those who hear me to learn
that the
balance in the hands of the financial Secretary at the end of the last financial year,
after
paying all demands against the treasury,shews
a large surplus. I must now refer to the abrogation of the reciprocity treaty and
its effect
upon our commercial prosperity. We all know
that the country has felt that abrogation to a
considerable extent, more especially in the
high duties which have been imposed upon
our principal exports. In relation to this subject I may say that I am of opinion
that bye-
and-bye the old system will be revived, and in
this view I am supported by many persons of
experience. Since the abrogation of the treaty
this country has prospered to a degree that
was not at all anticipated, and there is one
circumstance in connection with it to which I
would especially refer: namely, the mission to
Brazil and the West Indies, the report on
which is in our hands. That report contains
valuable statistics shewing new channels into
which our commerce can profitably be turned.
In Upper Canada alone there is a consumption
of 200,000 or 300,000 tons of coal. Why cannot
that market be supplied by Pictou or Cape
Breton?
Then there is the other topic of the Paris
Exhibition Commission. I was glad to find
that the commissioners had bestowed so much
attention upon their duties, and believe that at
the Exhibition we will appear to great advantage, taking a place second only to Canada
among the B. American colonies. Our column
of coal and our specimens of gold would alone
make us prominent in any exhibition. There
is one circumstance in connection with this
topic which rather puzzles me. I am curious
to know why the commissioners selected
Louisburg as a place to be represented by a
painting at the exhibition. Was it to remind
the French that there they had sustained a defeat, or was it shew the present nakedness
and desolation of the old city? The contrast is
great between the present and past condition
OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.
3
of that place, and if Dr. Honeyman should
point to the picture and say, " Louisburg once
belonged to you," the answer would be, " but
it is not now what it was in old times,
as can be seen by its ruinous and forsaken
condition." I have before now told the
house, and Mr. Fleming's report corroborates my statement, that Louisburg is the
port nearest to Europe on this continent, and
I trust the time will come when it will have
the advantages of railway communication. Its
harbour is accessible at all seasons ot the year,
it was the old capital under the French rule,
it was for a long time the rendezvous for the
French West Indies, Louisiana and Quebec
mercantile fleet, and I am convinced that it
will at no very distant day be a city
not even second to Halifax, if to any
in British America. It is one of those
places which under Confederation will receive
a large measure of attention, and I may say
here that; one of the reasons why I supported
that measure was that under the Nova Scotia.
Government Cape Breton never received ample justice;—under Confederation we will be
treated as an important integral part of the
nationality.
The railway question has received some
attention ; and as to the Annapolis Railway, I
suppose our friends from the westward will
speak eloquently on the subject. I am glad to
find that the promises held out in relation to
that work are being fulfilled, notwithstanding
the fears which existed to the contrary. As
regards the Pictou line. I had the pleasure of
travelling over it from West River, and I must
say that the section opened is an admirable
one. I hope that the next time I come here
I shall be able to travel over it from Pictou.
When I had the honour of addressing the
House formerly on this question, I mentioned
that the benefits to be conferred by the line on
the Cape Breton Counties would be by keeping up the communication by a line of steamers
by Mabou or St. Peter's Canal to Sydney.
I am still of that opinion, and learn it is intended, when the railway is completed,
to establish such a line
The next point referred to is the subject of
Education. You are aware that I never gave
a very hearty support to the present educational measure, but I am happy to inform
the
house that in the county which I represent the
Act is working well, and I believe that in the
lapse of time the system will be found to improve more and more. The greatest difficulty
in connection with the system is the want of a
good staff of educators. This want, however,
will be supplied bye-and-bye. I have now
come to the most important question of
all, and it is one that has been for some time
engrossing the attention of the house and of
the country,—I allude to the question of Confederation. In the remonstrance which
Mr.
Howe and his friends recently addressed to the Colonial Secretary, they did me
the honor to refer to a speech made by me in
1865, and brought a charge for inconsistency
against me, for having in 1866 supported the
resolution for Union. It is somewhat strange
that such a charge should emanate from Mr.
Howe, who has been so inconsistent on this
great question. He is a gentleman from
whose high abilities I will not detract, but he
ought to know well that a politician is some
times called upon to change his views in an
age of progress like this. But if I was open to
the charge of inconsistency it was in opposing
Confederation in 1865, for in 1861, in course of
an address to the house, I took occasion to
make these observations:—
" And I may add that a Union of the Colonies
should have formed the chief feature of the session.
It has already become the great question of the day,
and one which now occupies the thoughts of every
statesman who looks forward to the future greatness
of British North America, for by it alone can we
claim rank among the favoured nations of the earth."
And again: "Linked with it is the often proposed
great Intercolonial Railway, which I shall always
advocate. By all these now neglected measures can
we become prosperous. An imperisbable one
that will never die, will the statesman gain who matures and renders them acceptable
to these, provinces."
These were the sentiments expressed by me
six years ago, and therefore I say that if there
was any inconsistency on my part it was in
opposing Confederation at all. The reasons for
my opposition to the Quebec scheme are known
to many of my friends, and as I have stated
them at large to the house, I need not refer to
them again, excepting to say that I support
the measure from conviction. My mind was
not influenced by any freak of a moment,
or by any desire for office. It is well known
that I have never held office, and that I
do not desire any either under the general or
local government. In the opinion of some
gentlemen every man does wrong who does
not strictly conform to their views; but I can
fully justify the course I have taken. When
I came to the session last year there were
many conflicting reasons operating in my mind
and I was not fully determined as to whether
I should support or oppose Union. In the first
place I found on reading attentively that the
opinions of the most intelligent men in England were favourable to Confederation;
then I
saw that the organs of the various religious
denominations were likewise favorable, and
that the proposition had received the support
of the leading men of every political creed.—
Everywhere evidence was to be found that the
wish of the Imperial Government was to see
Union consummated; then came the Fenian
excitement, and the abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty; and, at length, when our own territory was menaced, I felt that the moment
had
arrived when a true and patriotic lover of his
country should decide. I then came to the resolution that I should support Confederation,
in order that we might be prepared to meet the
emergencies which were approaching. I gave
the proposition my support, however, with the
understanding that the Quebec scheme should
undergo modification, and I am pleased to observe that there is a great improvement
in the
Bill, which is likely to become the law of the
land. The Quebec Scheme gave us 10 members in the Senate, but the bill gives us 12,
which will be a much larger representation in
proportion to our population than Canada,
has. With regard to the amount of revenue to be placed at the disposal of the local
legislature, under the Quebec scheme we
were to have had about $260,000 based
on the census of 1861, but under the Bill the
allowance will be increased until the population reaches 400,000. Altogether, including
the
special grant the local subsidy will be increased
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DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS
about $120,000 more than the Quebec
scheme would have given us for local purposes. There are other important modifications
but to these I shall not refer at the present time. The bill which has been introduced
into the Imperial Parliament has received
the support of our late respected Governor,
the Marquis of Normanby, of Earl Russell, of
Mr. Watkin, and of the foremost men of the
mother country, and who are its opponents?
The principal opponents are Mr. Bright and
Mr. Ayrton, whose opposition is founded on
the expense that will be caused by colonial
defence, and on the indiposition which they
feel to support the guarantee for the Intercolonial Railway.
I have the honor to represent the largest
constituency in the province, with the exception of Halifax, (for Pictou, which follows
Halifax in population, is divided), and I feel it
gratifying to be able to say that I never presented a petition against Confederation,
and
that no public meetings against it have been
held in the county. It is true I received a document signed by a few persons, whom
I highly esteem, shortly after the division had taken
place, asking that I should oppose the measure,
and I will frankly say that even had I received
it before the division my action would
not have been different, for I feel that
I represent the whole of Nova Scotia,
and must regard the interests of all
its people, rather than the wishes of the
few individuals to whom I refer. In looking
at the prospects of the Confederation
which is to be, I feel that we have all the elements of greatness within us We have
a territory larger then that of the United States,
we have a supply of those minerals upon
which the might and prosperity of England
have so long rested, we have gold, we have
our fisheries and our timber and the agricultural capabilities of Canada which is
only second among grain producing countries of this
continent, and is one of the granaries
of the world. Then there is our mercantile marine, the third or fourth in the world,
and I feel that the time will come when we
will stand among the very first on the list.
Some of the subjects to which I have referred
are of such importance that I could not refrain
from these observations and I will now conclude by moving the following reply to His
Excellency's address:—
REPLY TO ADDRESS:
May it please Your Excellency,—
1. We thank Your Excellency for the speech
with which you have been pleased to open the
present session, and we are much gratified
that your Excellency can again congratulate
us upon the continued peace and prosperity of
this Province.
2. We are much pleased to learn that the
manner in which the loyal population of this
Colony responded to the call made upon them
for the defence of our country, and the zeal
and ability with which they discharged the duties required of them, were such as to
earn the
warm commendation of your Excellency.
3. It affords us much pleasure to find that the
revenue has increased, and we will give our
best attention to the public accounts when
laid before us.
4. We are glad to know that the interruption
of the trade of this Province, caused by the abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty,
has been
largely compensated by the increased impetus
given to commercial intercourse with the other
Provinces.
5. We learn with much satisfaction that the
difficulties in connection with the prosecution
of the Windsor and Annapolis Railway have
been overcome, and that the extension of the
Railway to Pictou has been vigorously prosecuted.
6. We trust the efforts made to represent the
resources of Nova Scotia, at the International
Exhibition about to be held at Paris will be
productive of much good to the Province.
7. We reciprocate the hope that the joint
missions to Brazil and the West Indies will
result in the extension of commerce between
those places and British North America.
8. It is very gratifying to know that great
progress is been made in the Education of all
classes of the people.
9. We have learned with deep satisfaction
that the efforts to effect a satisfactory Union
of the British North American Colonies have
been so successful, and entertain no doubt
that the best interests of all these Provinces
will be greatly enhanced, and that their connection with the Crown and the Parent
State
will be thereby permanently secured.
Mr. CHURCHILL:—I rise to second the reply
to the Address of the Lieutenant-Governor,
and I do so with feelings of pleasure. I feel
gratified at the fact that the Windsor and Annapolis Railway is under progress, and
the
Pictou line will be carried to early completion,
for I feel that will wipe out the reproach so
long resting upon us that we had two pieces
of Railway beginning nowhere and ending nowhere. In these facts I especially rejoice.
Mr. STEWART CAMPBELL:—I rise to ask that
the usual courtesy be shown in reference to
the reply to the Address, and to request that
it be allowed to lie on the table until Monday.
It may be convenient for the government to
know, and it is but candid in me to inform
them, that it is our intention to move an
amendment to the Address in reference to the
subject of Confederation. In that amendment
we desire solemnly to affirm the right of the
people of this country to be heard on a measure
involving so largely their best interests.
Hon. PROV. SECY.:—I need hardly say that
the usual course will be adopted and that the
Address will be allowed to lie over for the
consideration of gentlemen opposite. I am
glad that the hon. member has frankly stated
his intention to move an amendment, and I
will await with the utmost confidence the
decision of what I believe will be the overwhelming majority of the House upon this
most momentous question.
The Address was laid on the table until
Monday.
The house adjourned to Monday at 3 o'clock.
Cet individu a participé aux :
