■^ .i^# %^ ,%. V\^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V // * m M /<» 'it' Mi '^' >; er for Prince Edward Is- land (Mr. Davlos) a few days ago, wished to go back to some of the little ditlicultles that sprung up, from what I would caU, a mere provincialism which attacked the basis upon which confederation was to rest, mferely for some local object and for some locni purpose. But Sir. I am happy to say to-day, that confederation has emerged en- tirely out of that small sphere of operation, and it is now known everywhere, that through the progressive action of our public men, through the co-operation of our citi- zens, through the assistance of the leading minds of this portion of the North American continent, we have here, law and order, and we have the extension of those civil rights and civil privileges which have been re- feiTed to so ably on this instructive occasion. The question which we now more particu- larly have to deal with, has been dwelt upon at length hy several of the gentlemen who have (ipoken, especially by the hon. Minister of Kinance (Mr. Poster). 1>y the ox-Mlnister of .Justice (Sir Charles Hlbbert Tupper), the present Minister of .Justice (Mr. Dickey), by the hon. member for SImcoe (Mr. McCarthy), and by the hon. member for Bothwell (Mr. Mills), whom the late Sir .John Macdonald called tlio Erskine May of this House. T am glad, indeed, to pay that hon. gentle- man a compliment, because T know well thafc to-day there are few men in Canada who understand the laws of tuis country, and th(> 1.1W8 of the world generally, better than he does. He has an associate here In the hon. meml»er for Albert (Mr. Weldon), who is also a law-giver. Yet I was surprised and amaz* ed, Mr. Speaker, to find with all the Information they possess, profound as they are, with all the legal acquirements they enjoy, advocating on thfe floor of this House a course contrary to their own principles, and contrary to their own minds ; because, if they are possessed of the ideas of pro- gress, they could not go against a measure like this. I road In a late number of the Ottawa " Citizen " this whole question In a nutshell ; The qiieatlon before the country Is this : The Manitoba govomment having refused to modify Ha legislation so as to permit Roman Cathollcfl to have schools of their own. should the Federal Government Interfere ? It la trifling with the intelligence of the public to answer by saying : " I am In favour of conciliation ! " Every one Is In favour of conciliation ; but suppose your con-* dilation does not work. What then ? For six years this matter has been the source of a dan- gerous agitation, but the Oreenw.ay government has done nothing to remove the caune of strlte. la May, 1894, the Cardinal, Archbishops and Bishcps of the Rnman Cfethollc Church petitioned the Governor General in Council to disallow the Manitoba School Act of 1894. By Order In Council of 26th July, 1894, the Privy Council recommended that the petition should be trans- mitted to the Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, and expressed the hope that the legislature of that province should take steps to remove the grievances complained of in the petition. Again, by Order In Council of July 27th, 1895, the Dominion Government Invited the Manitoba government to enter into friendly negotlatlona in order to ascertain how far the latter were prepared to go in meeting the wishes of the mitu.rity, so that the Dominion might, If pos- sible, be relieved from the dutt of Intervening* The provincial authorities paid tfo attention to the invitation, and It wa» piubllcly and trium- phantly declared that they had no Intention of helping the Federal GoTernment out of a diffi- culty. I need not go over all the ground that has been already traversed so well on this im- portant question. There It is in a nutshell ; and what are we to do now ? This is a ques- tion for which the constitution of our coun- try is responsible. We have a confederation by mutual consent. Where is the leader of the Opposition, to-day, with his motion for the six months' hoist ? He- is precisely in the same positi>n that he has been in with his trade policy. For the last few years he has been wandering about, trying to for- mulate the principles of a trade policy ; and, just like the kaleidoscope, every turn pre- sented a new view, and that was grasped in the hope that something would come out of it. The people of this country are pos- sessed of common sense ; they have fired in their minds the principles of trade and com- merce ; they know thoroughly what will re- sult from certain lines of policy : they know that that hon. gentleman, in a short space of time, has propounded no less than tliree distinct lines of trade policy ; and what hare the public to say ? Thut hon. gentleman hfls failed to grasp the exact pt)8ltlon. Can we go upon one line of trade to-day, and phauKP It to-iriLrrow ? Far fioin It. Wlio Wdiilti, iiiidiT Kiu'li oiroiiinstiiiu.'i'S. In- vest in the tra«le of this country 7 We must liart:' a dt'tinite- policy in our trade, sui-h as Ib carried out by the I,lb(?ral-Con8<;rvatlve party ; and If the lilberal-Conservatlve party hue achieved eiiccess, has built up a name and reputation for Itself, and is recognized ns one of the great progressive parties on thin North American continent, It Is because it has eliuiiuated the b'jiit policy that could he product'd by the niaster-niiiids of thjit preat party ; and to-day Canada's trade pol- i- s'ints one of the great factors In the pros- perity of this country— that great French nationality that, along with the Anglo-Sax- ons of this country, have built up the name and reputation of Canada— iliat French na- tionality, whoso history has been written by (Jnrueau and Ferland, who have given us a noble record of the French ancestry— of men, who, in the days of Cliamplnin. managed to paddle their own canoes on the majestic waters of this country, and assist- ed in laying those foundations of peace, comfort and jtrosperity that the f)eople of Canada are enjoying to-day. (Jentlemen, you have reason to feel proud of your French nationality. In art. In litem ture and in sci- ence It has made a worthy reputation, as was pointed out yesterday by the learned pro- fessor from Albert. I wns pleased beyond measure to listen to that portion of his able and exhaustive address ; but when 1 considered the other Hues of argument he adopted, I came to the conclusion that there was a smallness of idea— a contracted pro- vincial idea, governing his mind. In con- nection with this great question of the Re- medial Bill now before the House, we know what this French nationality has done! We know what Sir Oeorge Cartier, Lnfontalnf. and many other men of that nationality I could name have dune for this country. I see on the other side of this Chamber Mr. Bourassa and Sir Hector Langevin, two of those who were present here with me at confederation. Long n ly they live to enjoy those privileges that hove been extended to them. I am sure tliat if they revert to thiit time, and think of those men, who by their magnificent Intelleetvial power, their naga- clty and their ability to see tlirough the great problems of national life, they will .it once say with me taat the men who had the distinguished privilege of occupying seats on the floor of this House at the ini- tial stage of confederation, enjoyed a privi- lege wliich has been tin? opportunity of but a few. And If those great 'jen have passed away, they have left a p,ve have, In that body wr have men of liberality and generosity. The present Premier of the Dominion (Sir Mac- kenzie Bowt!lll Is a well-known Orangeman, who has reason to feel proud of the distinguished position he now occupies, as head of this connlry, and, although ho Is an Orangeman, we know per- f>K[\y well, thu' m every public oi- p'i- vate occasion, whenever the opportunity was afitordod him, he has guarded well tlie rights of Cailiollcs and Protestants in a manner of which any Catholic or Protestant might well be proud. Thl*« is the broad spirit of toleration that I ivish to see exercised by this House. In the opposition brought against this Remedial Bill, la the various attempts that have been made to thwart the efforts of the Government to carry It to a final and successful Issue, I have failed to see exercised tJiat great and grand principle of toleration that ought to exi»t in the minds of the leaders in the Reform ranks to-day. I know perfectly well, that Canada has reason to feel proud of her sons. I do not for one moment fancy, that we have all the ability on our side. Very far from it. What did the Hon. BJdward Blake, when he oc- cupied a prominent position In this country, say with reference to this sui)ject ? Was he not impressed with its '-nportance V Did he not seize the first oppc ounlty of formu- lating his ideas and putting them before this country in a tangible form ? Here is an abstract of the observations he made : I auKgest ttiat for the ppace and good govern- ment of Canada, you should take power In the House of Parliament to refer to an Impartial and high judicial tribunal the solution of questions which would otherwise tend to the dlslutogra- tlon and confusiou of the Canadian people. Such an expression of opinion from a gen- tleman who not only held one of the first positions In 0>inada on account of his great legal ability, birt who to-day holds in the councils of Great Britain a distinguis'hed position, and is looked up to as a man who, I am proud to say, has done great credit, by his forensic ability, to this Dominion of ours— should have great weight with us. The late Sir John Macdonald. when this statement was made by the Hon. Mr. Blake, at once formulated a Bill and presented it to Parliament ; and, as a result, we have this Act of Parliament, by virtue of which this very school question came before our own courts and subsequently went before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Coun- cil ot England. In 1893, the hon. leader of the Opposition (Mr, Laurier) concluded that the Govern- ment was advocating a policy of delay, and uncertainty, which he considered extremely prejudicial to our national light. What aliout the powerful agitation that was waged against the GovernmeDt, If the Hue of argu- ment that was advcK-ated, not only by the late Sir John Thompson, but also by the present I'reuiler. was not carried out ? Has there been any gnsit agitation in the Do- minion since this question came before Par- liament V We had a large meeting in To- ronto the other day ; and the very import- ant measure which emanated from this Hcuise, and was sent up to the imiwrtaut In- dividuals assembled at that meeting— and, no doubt, tliey are very important— was mt^rely summed up in a word or two. The lion. memlK'r for North York (Mr. Mulock) bore a message to those present from his leader at Ottawa. He told this important nteeting. that the hon. leader of the Opi)0fli- tion was la favour of conciliation, rather than coercion. Mr. MULOCK. What paper are you quot- ing from ? Sir JAMES GRANT, The Ottawa " Citi- zen," which copied tlie article from the To- ronto " Globe," and that, you know, is al- most the Bible ol ntario. Mr. EDGAR. Not coplrd. ,\ v . \. Sir JAMES GRANT. What does thte con- ciliation mean V Is it a commission V Is couciiiation a six mouths' hoist— a six montlis' hoist 1 That six mouths' hoist is, |)robably one of the most ridiculous propositions ever submitted to this House. The very clergy are told, forsooth, bj' the leader of the Opposition, that he Is not go- lug to give the)n what they want. J^.^. says to them : You must take a back seat ; I know more than you do. It la high time the clergy should learn that I am not going to be dictated to by thorn. Sir, their opinions are worth listening to. They are men ^iS- sessed of ability, they have largely con- tributed to the advancement of the material Interests of this country ; and today the clergy of Quebec, both Protestant and Catho- lic; and the clergy of Ontario, occupy posi- tions side by side, agreeing with each other, united with each other, coalescing with eacli other in the advancement of great measures for tlio welfare of the people of this coun- try. Now, in 1804. what was the opinion of the leader of the Opposition, who now asks for tlie six months' hoist ? The longer this question is kept before the public, the worse It Is for the people of Canada. It is a question upon which there should be an immediate and speedy answer. Now, this is just what we advocate to-day. The leader of the Opposition Is not settled In his Ideas, he does not know what to ask for. He cannot agree with the people ; he cannot ngreft with his churoh. He does not ktiovv what Is ucccHsary to maintalu the re- li(;Ion Hud pea'-e of the pe )ple of this coun- try any nii>re than he knows how to retJiin our trade and connueree. A short time ago he contended that this coiuinisslou was only a subtorfugf! ; yet when he spoke in Mont- real it was the chief plank In his platform. I,et me say, Sir, that we do not require the cathode rays to see through the chief plank in the plank of the Llbetfil-Conservative party. Our plank on this school question is transparent, we can see It at lirst glance. Sir, I look around this chamber and observe the members who come from the province of Ontario, that great province which has contributed largely to the reputation of Canada, a province which has produced magnificent institutions, a province which has turned out great men, and let me say that we have a faithful phalanx in this House to-day, we have got men of in- tegrity, of uprightness, who are able to 866 correctly through this great prob lem. No doubt thoy have considered this question well, and when the time comes for them to give a vote on It, I trust they will consider well what they are doing, and that they will not be content to leave this life without making an excellent record. Sir, the man who is afraid of local interests, who thinks he will not gain hla election if he votes for this Bill, is afraid of doing his duty In the interests of this great country, and in the Interest of the maintenance of its institutions. Sir. a short time ago, tlie leader of th<> Opposition, when he was ac- companied by his man Friday, the member for L'Islet (Mr. Tarte), asked what -was the policy of the Llberal-Corservatlve party up- on this Manitoba school question, he said : Our position is defined and placed beyond doubt. But where is the leader of the Op- position to-day, with his am.^ndment for the six months' hoist ? He says the Conserva- tive party have asked him to give them some information, to formulate a policy for them. What an absurd idea. Did the Conserva- tive Grovornment ever ask the Reformers to formulate a policy for them ? Iso, Sir, far from it. They did not even consult him in drawing up the Remedial Bill, nor did they consult him In some other great meas- ures they have placed before this country. The leader of the Opposition says he wants Justice for his countrymen and for the mi- nority in the province of Quebec. I should like to know if the minority in the province of Quebec are not asking to-day for justice to the minority in Manitoba, through the hon. Minister of Trade and Commerce, who represents the Protestant minority of Que- bec in this Government ? Their interests have been protected by confederation, and in the course they are taking on this qu>.:(?- tion, they are protecting their interests In the future. But is the course of the Re- form party on this question likely to benefit the Protestant minority in Quebec ? No, they are sowing the se^ls of dissension, they are spreading Ideas which, If acted upon, will sap the very t'oundatlons of confedera- tion, which the fathers of that measure worked so hard to accompllsli. The leader of the Opposition says there must l»e no coercion for Manitoba. Sir, let us consider this question, and reflect upon where It orig- inated. In Manitoba, that new province, which requires all the assistance we cau possibly give 11 in order to promote that prosperity that it is now enjoying ; let us remember that It was the hon. member for Winnipeg (Mr. Martin) was one of the prime actors in dtvjtroyiug separate schools, and that the member for Slmcoe (Mr. McCarthy) was one of the prime actors in destroying the dual language in that province. When Lord Dufferin was In Canada, some twenty years ago, and when he visited Winnipeg on his way to the Pacific coast, he used these words : Manitoba, from Its geographical position aud Its peculiar characteristics may be regarded as the keystone of that mighty arch of sister pro- vinces which spans the continent from the At' lanttc to the Paclflc. And to think that this mighty arch is to have the key-stone knocked out of It by the promotion of mea.sure8 that tend to sap the very fidelity of the people who live in that portion of the Dominion. I am glad to know that they are so well represented as they are by the hon. member of French nationality who sits on the other side of the House (Mr. IjaRIvlOre). who has championed so str.'n- nously and ably the cause of education that, rely upon It, so long as he is here looking after their lnte>e8ts they suffer nothing from want of advocacy of their case. I am embarrassed, not with the mcagre- noss, but with the richness and fulness of this subject. I should like to dwell at creator length upon it, but the ground has been gone over so thoroughly. I have no desire to detain you at any greater length. When I listened to the bright and laconic obser- vations of the hon. Minister of Finance (Mr. Foster), I was pleased beyond measure to observe the broad and statesman-like views lie advocated. I wo ild i-ecomm-jnd tv< ry one, whether In the House or out of It, to read and ponder carefully every line of that admirable address, wlidch is a credit to this C.hamlK?r tand a credit to tlie pi*blic life of Canadji, showing that we have growing up in this country a class of men who.<*e nt- laiiinieuts mark a progrc8,>«ive development In intellectual capacity which would be a credit to any country. In material progrci^ we have something to show, and we trust to ha\ e more. Alixed up and divided as we are, I say It is extremely desirable that all differences of creed and nationality should be put on one side. For It is only by thor- ough agreement that we can promote those great principles that we Inherited when th« 6 QuL I tmA coaMmt Umt qo oon^uU^ ouuld pofiHiWy ltav« a )brij|bt«r future \»ti)pt tt tka«i GaMLslB. Kdoawtd BuHte de<^l•re4 tl>at be <1id not «ovorii iij^aeV bijr Abvti-netWns, tiud DtalDtaieace and (^ood-wlll, ajul tbst peace ftitd good-wtU la oBiy to be aaaiBtaliiMd by .vejny- ing out ttwe conifMrdbicnslvo measure tliat la hefion; this QLouse, and tbat was so tboroagh- iy explained in the aMe addceas of tbe Mln- later ot Juadce (Mr. Dickey). Mr. fipeakur, to concluding nvy remui^ka let me say tbat I look forward with great Interest to (tbe yooag oaen of Canada who are now eupi^rt- ing so ably 4be Coiwerv«ftiT« party oi tbla (KH)nMy- They know perfectly w«U that t,\nii prlpclples upon wbi^ their aaaociatlons l^yv Im'uu iMi««Ml are those tluit iuive liti^u by the fajthura of coofcderatlou. W*i have a great country, we hj^ve a pros- pecoua p«!opj)e, we have a futuro ti€fore as jtbat a4iy oa-tioo ia tlie wofld might look for- ward to wlt|i hope, i^et us doae up the phialatUF ; let there be j(u> bhtfiks. When the vote i» tJikeo, a* k wUl l>e iy a few houra, i trvat that every Gopseryatlve if ill i)e fible to «ay : 1 ha.ve donc! my 4»ty to iny people and to Qoy x'ountj^ I|0 domaudlng Ihat the law {>rup<>uuded by ttil« iQ(>fr«r^aiont shall be canted out, 1« order to ma>iutain the pf>ace and happiness of tlve people whu live so proaperou^y in this dominion.