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 1 
 
 SPEECHES 
 
 OF Missas. 
 
 LAURIER, WHITE, & DAVIES, 
 
 DILITIRID ON 
 
 Mr. Laurier's Amendment to Motion 
 to go into Supply. 
 
 u 
 
 THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADl, 
 TUESDAY, 20th APRIL, 1886, 
 
 Mr. LAUEIBB. Before yoa leave the Chair, I desire to 
 call the attention of the Hoase to the neglect by the 
 Government of the grievances of the half-breeds in the 
 North- West Territories. The sabjeot is a vast one ; indeed 
 it is so vast that I think it better not to bring under one 
 single heading all the different grievances from which the 
 half-breeds suffered, all the different derelictions of duty of 
 which the Government, in my judgment, have been guilty, 
 but to confine myself to a single one — the extinguishment 
 of the Indian title, in so far as the half-breeds are concerned. 
 And in bringing this matter to the attention of the House 
 I could have wished that the Government had brought 
 down the information which was to be laid before the 
 House, according to promises often made and often repeated, 
 but not yet fulfilled. The Government and their organs 
 have told us time and again that the Government were in 
 possession of information and evidence which, wh^n it was 
 
 E laced before the House, would show them to be |)erfeotly 
 lameless. Yet, strange to say, by a strange con- 
 tradiction, owing, I suppose, to the modesty or 
 the sense of dignity of the Government, they have so far 
 kept under a buuhel the light which would have placed tlieir 
 conduct in a color so different from what ic is now. The 
 next time the Government should not stand on their 
 dignity or their modesty to such an extent. If they liave any 
 evidence, it is time they brought it to the House ; if they 
 
have any defence to make, it is time they shoald make it. 
 Bat without antioipatiDgatall the other subjectB which may 
 come up afterwards for discussion, without autioipatiDg the 
 other grievances from which the half-breeds have suffered, 
 in so far as the grievance of which I now complain is con- 
 cerned, I venture to say without fear of successful contra- 
 diction that the record will show the Government to be 
 goilty, and to be guilty without a single extenuating circum- 
 stance, without a single shadow of excuse. It has always 
 been the policy of England, ever since she has had establish- 
 ments in North America, to compensate the Indians for the 
 dispossession of their lands. England, and all other 
 Christian nations who planted colonies on this con- 
 tinent, always felt that it was not contrary to moral 
 law to take posnession, and even forcible possession, 
 of territories which were roamed over rather than 
 possessed by savage nations — territories which in 
 their hands must forever have remained - barren 
 and unproductive, but which under civilised rule would 
 afford nomes and happiness to teeming millions. It has 
 always been held as a doctrine of iutornational law that 
 when such territories were discovered, the discovering 
 nation had paramount authority therein ; ac the same time 
 it is to the credit of Bngland that she ib the one of all 
 civilised nations which gave the fullest development to the 
 doctrine that the Indians were not to be ruthlessly thrown 
 back before advancing civilisation without some fair and 
 adequate compensation. That doctrine was based, not so 
 much on principles of abstract justice as on motives of 
 humanity and prudence. I hold in my hand the opinion of 
 eminent counsel, some of whom have a name in English 
 history, by whom this doctrine is compressed into a few 
 short sentences. It is not dated, but tbe hon. member for 
 Both well (Mr. Mills) informs me that it is about tbe date 
 of 1685. It is to the following effect: — 
 
 "By the law of nationa, if any people make discovery of any country 
 of barbarians, the Prince ot the people who make the discoTery 
 hath the righc of soil and gorerumeot of the place, and no people can 
 plant there without the consent of the Prince, or of such persons to 
 whom Iti^ right is devolved and uonveyed ; the practice of ail nations 
 has been accci'din(r to this, and no people bave been EuJered to take up 
 land but by the consent and license of the OoYernment or proprietors 
 under the Prince's title, whose people made the first di3Covery,.and 
 upon their submission to the laws of the place, and contribution to the 
 public charge of tbe place, and the payment of such r^nt and other value 
 tor the soil as the proprietors for the time being require ; and though it 
 hath been and still is the usual practice of all proprietors, to give their 
 I 'dians some recompense for their land, and so feem to purchase it 
 fr.m them, yet it is not done for want of suflBcient title from the King 
 or Prince who hath the right of discovery, but out of prudence and 
 Christian charity, lest otherwise the Indians might have destroyed th^ 
 
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 flnt planteri, who are osnally too few to defend themselvei, or refoM 
 •11 oommerce and conversation with the planters." 
 
 This opinion ib signed, amongst others, by William WilliamS| 
 Joseph Holt and Henry Follezfeii. The principles here 
 recorded have hitherto been acknowledged and acted upon 
 by all British Governments on this continent ; and I may say 
 that they became at an early date standard principles of oar 
 policy ; and when the North- West Territories were acquired 
 oy this Government, these principles were part of the 
 unwritten law of this country. It is not to my knowledge 
 that at the date of that important transaction the future of 
 Indians in the territory was debated at all between the 
 purchaser and the vendor ; but if it was not debated, it was 
 not because the Indians were ignored. It was because the 
 principle was admitted without being mentioned, that the 
 Indians should be treated as all Indians under British rule 
 had been treated. But if the Indians were not ignored, 
 there was in the territory another population, the 
 half-breeds, who were totally and completely ignored 
 by the Government of the time. They were sprung 
 from European hunters and the Indians, and their 
 character partook of the character of both nations ; but 
 in point of education and experience, though vastly 
 inferior to the whites in point of intelligence and 
 adaptability to civilisation, they were iar superior to 
 the Indians. Amongst other advantages which they pos< 
 sessed over the Indians, they had a better conception of 
 their own rights, and greater ability to proclaim and defend 
 them. What their conception of their rights was, is well 
 put by Mr. Tattle in his history of Manitoba : 
 
 " The feeling of the French half-breedn may be briefly expressed as 
 this : that they questioned the right of the Dominion Government to 
 take possession of what they considered their c untry without their con- 
 sent." 
 
 Now, Mr. Speauer, I do not intend to set forth here, or to 
 recall, all the different rights claimed at the time by the 
 half-breeds. I confine myself simply to one point, that is 
 to say, the extinguishment of the Indian title in so far as 
 the half breeds were concerned. They rebelled ; they ob- 
 jected to the further progress of the Canadian Government 
 into what they considered their country, until their rights 
 were recognised and guaranteed ; and, after the rebellion, 
 the Government had to admit, and did admit, that the same 
 prudent principles that applied to the Indians should apply 
 to the Half breeds. The Govern ment admitted that as the 
 original possessors of the soil they were entitled to the 
 same compensation as the Indians, and that since they were 
 to be deprived henceforthof the rights of the soil, they should 
 
 ^1 
 
^i 
 
 •} be treated by the Gk)verpment as the IntilasB hid hien 
 treated. Though the principle was the same, its ap|>|ioa- 
 
 , tion in the two cases oould not be identioal, beo iiise of Jhe 
 difference in the state of civilisation of the two races. The 
 mle universally applied to the Indians has been to pat them 
 upon reserves, and there to protect and defend the oa against 
 white encroachments, and to assist them by money and 
 otherwise daring their advancement from savage to civi- 
 lised life. In the case of the half-breeds this rale coald not 
 be applied, for the simple reason that they were too far 
 advanced towards civilisp^tion to require it. They were 
 more ignorant and less civilised than the whites, but their 
 mindu were adapted to civilisation, and the decision arrived 
 at by the Government was to give them a grant of land. 
 This grant of land has been the object ot two different 
 Statutes ; and it may be well here to recall the terms of 
 those Statutes, in view of the further discussion of this 
 subject. The first was the Act of 1870, which provided as 
 follows : — 
 
 "And whereas it is expedient, towards the extinguishment of the 
 Indian title to the lands in the i*rovince, to appropriate a portion of 
 such ungranted lands, to the extent of 1,400,000 acres thereof, for the 
 benefit of the families of the half-breed residents, it is hereby enacted 
 that, under regulations to be from time to time made by the Qoreroor 
 General in Oouncil, the Lieutenant-Governor shall select such lots or 
 tracts in such parts of the Province as he may deeLi expedient, to the 
 extent aforesaid, and divide the same among the children of the half- 
 bieed heads of families residing in the Province at the time of the said 
 transfer to Canada." 
 
 In 1874 a similar Statute was passed, extending to the heads 
 of families those provisions which had been previously 
 applied to minors alone. It has often been stated, and per- 
 haps stated with truth, that this settlement had been in 
 some respects injudicious — that it had proved to be of 
 scarcely any benefit to the half-breed population, as they 
 had been almost wholly deprived of the soil by the cunning 
 and dishonesty of white speculators. These reports^ as I 
 have said, have not been without foundation ; and experi- 
 ence has shown that it would be more conducive to the 
 interest of the half-breeds if some restrictions were provided 
 in our legislation which would secure to them the advan- 
 tages which it was the intention of the law to give them. 
 But however satisfactory the settlement may have been 
 from the philanthropic point of view, it had this effect, that 
 it gave protection to the half-breeds of Manitoba, and secured 
 the peace of Manitoba, which has been observed since. It 
 does not require argument to prove that the same treat- 
 ment should be extended to the half-breeds of the Noi!th- 
 West Territories as was extended to those of Manitoba -^that 
 
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 tho half-breeds of the North- West are entitled to the same 
 rightH as were aoknowledged and granted to the half-breeds 
 of Manitoba ; and it is acknowledged as a oonsequenoe that 
 long, long ago the claims of the half-breeds of the North- 
 West Territories should have been settled in a manner similar 
 to that in which the claims of the half-breeds of Blanitoba 
 were settled. It has been made a reproach against the 
 Maokenaie Administration that daring thu time they were 
 in power they had not settled that question. Sir, the Mac- 
 kenzie Administration is not here on trial, and all the re- 
 proaches which can be made against them, if proved to be 
 true, would rebound against the present Administration with 
 tenfold increased force. If the MaokcDzie Administration 
 was at all deficient in its duty, which I do not admit, the 
 present Government were ten times more guilty of negli- 
 gence of not having, up to the year 1885, settled that ques- 
 tion. But there was a paramount reason, it seems to me, 
 one which must commend itself at once to the attention 
 of the House, why this question was not settled during 
 the Mackeuzie Administration. As long as Mr. Laird 
 was not appointed Governor, and up to the time 
 he reached tne Province, there was practically nothing 
 in the territories to show the half-breeds there hsa 
 been a change of rigime at all; moreover, the question 
 could not be settled unless there was in the country 
 some administration of some kind, and until Mr. Laird had 
 reached the territories, in the fall of 18*77, there was practi- 
 cally nothing whatever to show there had been a change in 
 the condition of the people, as the people were not intor- 
 feared with, and remained practically as they were before. 
 But as soon as Mr. Laird reached the territories, in the fall 
 of 1877, he was approached by bands of half breeds, who 
 made to him the very natural prayer that they should be 
 treated in the same manner absolutely as the half breeds 
 of Manitoba. He was met by two different kinds of 
 applications: First, the application of the half-breeds 
 of the North-West Territories, who represented they had 
 absolutely the same rights as the half-breeds of Mani- 
 toba, and should receive the same treatment; and second, 
 the application of the half breeds who had formerly 
 belonged to Manitoba, but had been absent at the time of 
 the enumeration, and had not therefore participated in the 
 grant made to the half-breeds of Manitoba. Certainly, i^ 
 was manifest that as to this last class they should partici- 
 pate in the grant which was made to the half-breeds of 
 Manitoba^ as it was only through an accident they had 
 been prevented participating in it ; and as to the others, 
 tbOQga they had resided, at the time of the transfer, in the 
 
territoiieBy the same justice shoald be applied to them as 
 was applied to the half-breeds of Manitoba. This question 
 ocoapied the attention of Mr. Laird and his Cooncil in the 
 session of the North- West Counoil, which took place in 
 1878. They passed a resolution to this effect which, though 
 well known, can bear repetition : 
 
 "That in view, however, of the fact that granta of land or iasaes of 
 scrip were made to the half-breeds of Manitoba towards the extinffuish- 
 ment of the Indian title to the lands of that Province, there will un- 
 doubtedly be general diBsatisfaction among the half-breeds of the uaid 
 territories unless they receive some liite consif'ieration." 
 
 In a further resolution the Council sets forth that it would 
 be prepared, in any such grants, to couple them with the 
 reservation, so an to put them out of the reach of white 
 speculators. Those resolutions were passed in August, 
 1878, and were sent to the Government, but by the time 
 they reached Ottawa there was a change of G-overnment 
 and the present Administration came into office, so that 
 they came into office just as this question was ripe for 
 settlement. In the SeHsion of 1879 the question occupied 
 the attention of this Parliament, and an Act was passed in 
 which power was given the Government to satisfy any 
 claims in connection with the extinguishment of the Indian 
 title, preferred by half-breeds of the North- West Territories, 
 outside the limits of Manitoba, on the 15th July, 1870, 
 by granting land to such persons, to such extent, and 
 terms, and conditions, as may be deemed expedient. 
 These were the terms asked by the Government from 
 this Parliament, and granted by this Parliament. They 
 do not contain mention of any special mode of settle- 
 ment, but the whole matter is left to the discretion of 
 the Government. The only thing to which the attention 
 of the Government was directed, was that they should take 
 some means of extinguishing the Indian title in the North- 
 West Territory, in so far as the half-breeds are concerned. 
 Why do the terms of the Act differ so widely from those of 
 the Act of Manitoba ? Why are the terms of settlement 
 left altogether to the discretion of the Grovernment instead 
 of their being made directory as they are in the Statute of 
 Manitoba ? The reason is that the Government, did not 
 then contemplate to settle the half-breed question in the 
 Territories in the same manner as in Manitoba, but con- 
 templated disposing of it in some other way. By the 
 papers which are brought down, we find that, as early as 
 December f 1878, Colonel Dennis, who, at that time, was 
 Deputy Minister of the Interior, had put before the Minister 
 % memorandum in which the whole half-breed question was 
 
 i , 
 
A lU^ 
 
 stated for his consideration. In the openiDg sentenoos of 
 the memorandaro, Colonel Dennis speass as follows : — 
 
 " He respectfally submits to the Minister that it is expedient, with ai 
 little delaj as possible, to deal with the olaims to consideration pre- 
 ferred by the halt-breeds of the North-Weat Territories." 
 
 He then states : 
 
 "Pome uneasiness is felt by the half-breed element in the Territories 
 in consequence of no steps baring yet been taken towards the recogni- 
 tion of the demands pot forward on their behalf It must be freely ad- 
 mitted they have a claim to favorable consideration ; ami the question 
 is — how is that c!aim to be satisfied, so ns to benefit the half-breeds, 
 and, at the same time, benefit the country? Oertainly the experieno : 
 gained in carrying out the policy adopted in regard to the half breeds 
 of Manitoba— that is, absolute grants of land to the parents and children, 
 reipectirelr — has not been such as wouldjustifv a similar policy with 
 regard to the half-breeds of the North-West Territories Indeed, it is 
 anything but piobable that a proposition of that nature could ce again 
 carried m Parliament. What, then, are we to do fjr them? They hare, 
 as natives, as good a right to protection of the QoTernment as the 
 Indians, and, unfortunately, they are very little better able than are the 
 Indians to take care of themselves . 
 
 "It is therefore evident that one or other of three, courses mast be 
 pursued with respect to them :— 
 
 " 1. To treat them as wards of the Goyernment, in effect make a treaty 
 with them, as with the Indians, and look forward to their remaining for 
 many years in their present semi-barbarous state. 
 
 "2. To give an absolute issue of scrip, to a reasonable extent, to each 
 individual, and then let them take their chances of living or starving in 
 the future ; or 
 
 "3. To offer them certain inducements to settle on land and learn to 
 farm— especially raising cattle." 
 
 Then he went on and made this statement, among other very 
 signifieant statements : 
 
 " He is of opinion that further measures should be adopted to cultivate 
 and maintain relation with our Indians and half-breed populations, 
 calculated to attach them to us, and to convinee them that the Govern- 
 ment is desirous of fulfilling its obligations to them in the utmost good 
 faith." 
 
 And he ooncloded with these pregnant words : 
 
 " The undersigned respectfully requests for the whole question dis- 
 cussed in this memorandum, the early consideration of the Minister of 
 the Interior, in order, if thought desirable, that a measure may be pre- 
 pared, embodying such policy as may be decided upon, in good time, 
 ror the ensaing session of Parliament." 
 
 That was said in December 1878. This memorandum was 
 sent to different persons in the North-West who were con- 
 versant VFith the condition of affairs of the half-br.'ieds, 
 with the object of having their views on the question. It 
 was sent, amongst others, to Archbishop Tache, and I may 
 say that all the other persons to whom the memoranda m 
 was sent, were unanimous in saying that the half-breeds 
 were entitled to some special favor at the hands of the Gov- 
 moment. Archbishop Tach6, amongst other things, said^ 
 
^m 
 
 8 
 
 " It moit be freely admitted that the half-breeds ot the Nortb-West 
 bare a claim to favorable consideration. Great uneasiness is felt bjr 
 them in consequence of no steps having been taken in their behalf. A 
 liberal policy on the part of the Oovernment would attract to its side 
 a moral and physical power, which the present critical relat ons of the 
 various tribes of Indians towards each other, and towards the Oovern- 
 ment, would prove of the greatest value to the Dominion. On the other 
 band, the half-breed element, if dissatisfied, would turn a standing 
 menace to the peace and prosperity of the Territories. There is no 
 doubt that the state of affairs in the Territories in relation to the Indians 
 and half-breeds is calling for the serious consideration of the Govern- 
 ment, and measures should be adopted to cultivate and maintain re- 
 lations with the half-breed population calculated to attach them to us. 
 The result depends, in a great measure, on the wa^ the half-breeds will 
 be treated. Friendly disposed, they will mightily contribute to the 
 maintenance of peace ; dissatisfied, they would not only add to the 
 difiSculty, but render the establishment of the jountry the next thing 
 to an impossibility. The half-breeds are a highly sensitive race ; 
 thev keenly resent injury or insult, and daily complain on that point. 
 In fact, they are daily humiliated with regard to their origin, by the wav 
 they are spoken of, not only in newspapers but also in oificial and semi- 
 ofBoial documents. Bvervone acknowledges the desirability for the 
 half-breeds to settle definitely on lands to cultivate them. Here is a 
 scheme I take the liberty topropose. I esteem the half-breed popula- 
 tion actually in the North- West at about twelve hundred families. Let 
 the Government make twelve reserves for them, in the very places the 
 half-bireeds will like to have them. Bach reserve should be for one 
 hundred families at least and contain an area of twelve square miles of 
 available land—that is to sav, the extent of four townships. All the 
 half-breeds, men, women and children, residing in the Horth-West on 
 the 1st January, 1879, ought to receive two non-negotiable scrips for 
 eighty acres of land each, to be located by them in any one of the 
 twelve above-mentioned renerves. Said lands could neither be sold, 
 mortgaged nor taxed before tbey should have passed through the hands 
 of, at least, the third generation of those who received them, or of their 
 representativeB. I say at least, because I am strongly inclined to 
 beliere that it is desirable that such lands be entirely unalienable ; and 
 suoh an idea cannot seem unreasonable to those who con- 
 deriving from a similar policy with 
 unalienable estates of noblemen. Raise 
 condition of landlords ; you will thereby 
 confer a real benefit on them, and we will not see a repet- 
 tion of the regrettable occurrence which took place in Manitoba. The 
 only trafflc of land which I would like to see allowed would be the ex- 
 chanee of a full lot for another full lot between the half-breeds, even it 
 should b« in different reserves. That would be no encouragement to 
 speculators, but great fiaoility to the half-breeds, especially when they 
 marry." 
 
 And he concluded in this manner, which should have 
 commended itself at once to the consideration of the Git)v* 
 ernment : 
 
 " It is desirable that the half-breed question should be settled without 
 any further delay. The required legislation ought to be passed in the 
 coming session ch the Legislature. Immediately after, inspectors ought 
 to be appointed, and I would particularly recommend Mr. Angus MciSay 
 as one of the inspectors ." 
 
 Such were the views expressed by Archbishop Taoh^. It 
 must be admitted that upon anything which affected the 
 condition of the half<breeas no one could speak with greater 
 
 sider the advantages 
 regard to real and 
 the half-breeds to the 
 
 u^/ 
 
>■«▼ r -' .;^ ■^- 
 
 "^Y^w, 'T>w'"-»ir 
 
 9 
 
 authority. The plan he proposed was not adopted by the 
 Government. Or this I make no complaint at this time. 
 Upon this it is not my province at this moment to offer 
 any comment. I neither praise nor blame the Government 
 for that now; bat the fact for which the Government are 
 blameable and are to be arraigned before the people of the 
 ooantry is that, while their attention was called in 1879 to 
 this matter, for six long years they remained idle and did 
 nothing towards the solution of this question. They asked 
 for the views of others. What in the world did they aek 
 them for, when, having had thor.e views, they put them in 
 the pigeon-holes and did nothing to solve the question upon 
 which they asked for them ? The neglect of the Govern- 
 ment npoL this question is all the more unpardonable, in view 
 of the fact that all the parties whose views they had asked 
 for had told them that it was expedient and necessary to 
 give immediate attention to this matter. Colonel Dennis had 
 begged the early attention of theMinistor of the Interior and 
 the ijiovern.neut to that question. Bishop TaohS had told them 
 it was of paramount importance to give satisfaction to the 
 half-breeds, to treat them with justice and fairness, to im- 
 press them with the view that the Government were to do 
 all they should do ; and yet, in the face of all that, the 
 Government for six long years did not act at all. It is 
 obvious, it does not require any argument to establish that 
 it was of paramount necessity not only that the Govern- 
 ment thould act, but that they should act at once upon this 
 matter ; and the necessity was enforced, it was msMle still 
 more apparent, by the earnestness with which the state- 
 ment of that question and of all other questions a£feoting 
 the half-breeds was pressed upon them, not only b}[ the 
 half-breeds themselves, but by the North-West Council, by 
 the settlers, by the missionaries, by the officials, by every- 
 body almost who took an interest at all in the North- 
 West. In the month of May, I'-SO, Charles McKay and 
 sixteen others petitioned the Government upon this mat- 
 ter. They represented that some of them belonged to 
 Manitoba at the time the census was taken, but that they 
 were absent at the time of the enumeration, and they asked 
 to be placed upon the same footing as the 
 others, and to have scrip issued to them ; they 
 pointed out that the North-West half-breeds were en- 
 titled to the same treatment as the Manitoba half-breeds, 
 and they asked for the early issue of a commission ; they also 
 made some other demands. In the same month Octave 
 Majeau and others from Edmonton petitioned the Govern- 
 ment and made the same demands. In September, 1881, 
 Atitpine I^apierroi fi^om the Qa'Appelle distriot| petitioned 
 
ia 
 
 the Government and demanded the same treatment for the 
 half-breeds of the North-West Territory as had been granted 
 to the half-breeds of Aianitoba. In Angast, 1882, John Simp- 
 son and forty-two others petitioned th^ Government, com- 
 plaining of the treatment they had received from the 
 Ontario and Qa'Appelle Land Company. On the 4th 
 September, 1882, Gabriel Damont and others from the 
 Saska'^ohewan Hiver petitioned the Government, repre^ 
 senting thrt tLey were newly established on the lands, 
 and asking for a survey and the issae of a commission. On 
 the 9th November, ?883, William Bremner and thirty- 
 two others, al«o from the Saskatchewan RiTer, petitioned 
 the Government, their chief compliiint being aboat sarveys. 
 On the 13th Jannary, 1882, Mr. Richardson, whose name is 
 now well known in connection with the North- West, also 
 gave his advice to the Government and in this manner : 
 
 " Dear Colonel Dennis,— Having passed three rears in tho North- 
 West, and durihg that period been a good deal of tne half-bieed popu- 
 lation, the following, induced by the remarks of the Right Hon. the 
 Premier in my presence, lasi Saturday, may not be oat of place, the 
 subiect of dealmg with the half-breed element ot the N>rth West being, 
 as J then gathered, intended for early discussion. Tiiese half-breeds 
 claim and insist that as a distinct class the? have a shar? in the Indian 
 title to the lands outside of Manitoba, which h is not been extingaished, 
 and, as such distinct class, entitled equally with the half-breeds of 
 Manitoba, to special consideration. That grounds exist for snob con- 
 tention appears b^ reference to the Statutes of Canada, 1870, chapter 3, 
 section 31. Admitting these half-breeds might (as soma few have, bat 
 now regret) joined in the Indian treaties, I am convinced that such a 
 contingency is not probable, but that, if reqaestedi^ they would 
 reject the oifer ; besides, I do not think their joining m the Indian 
 treaties would be in the public interest, but deeidedly the opposite. 
 How best to deal with the element, . has, as you are aware, been con- 
 sidered, and you already hold my views on the subject. I may, how- 
 ever, be permitted to express the opinion, that opportunities now pre- 
 sent themselves for removing the dissatisfaction existing among these 
 people, and securing their goodwill towards the Government, because, 
 1st, their former occupation as hunters is gone ; 2nd, they are, as a class, 
 destitute. A further reason for arffing, as I respectfully do, early action 
 is that they are scattered among the Indians, and latterly subjected to 
 the evil influences of leading spirits of the Manitoba troubles of 1870, 
 who, during the past season, have been traversing the country, doing 
 at least ' no good.' " 
 
 On the 6th Jane, 1881, Mr. Lawrence Clark, a member of 
 the North-West Conncil, brought before the Council the 
 question of the non-enumerated Manitoba half-breeds, and he 
 did it in this language : 
 
 " The undersigned has the honor to represent, for the consideration 
 of Your Honor, tne Lieutenant Qovernor in Council : 
 
 " That there are resident within the North-West Territory, in 
 various settlements, but more particularly, so far as the personal know* 
 ledge of the undersigned extends, about Edmondton, Carlton, Duck Lake, 
 St Laurent, Prince Albert and Qa'Appelle, a number of half-breeds who 
 were reBidents in what is now a Province of MAnitoba, at, and before the 
 
 w 
 
 I 
 
f^,^'- 
 
 t 
 
 .3th day of July, 1870| bat who, in the iaterral between this date and the 
 distribution of aorip and lands especially provided ia the terms of trans- 
 fer, hare removed from their residence, and are now living in the North- 
 West TerritG^. 
 
 " That the undersigned, from such information as he has been able to 
 collect, is quite convinced the total number of the cbove described class of 
 half-breeds is not large, and that proof of their elaima haa long since, in 
 the majority of cases, been taken by Mr. Rjan, before his commission 
 lapsed, or since by the local land agent and that the proof for some 
 time back has been in the possession of the Department of the Interior 
 at Ottawa. 
 
 " That these half-breeds, in many instances were not aware of the 
 sittings of the commissioners in Manitoba, being limited in point of 
 time, and in nearly every instance, even had they been aware of such 
 being the case, were not possessed of means to bear the expense conse- 
 quent upon attendance thereat. 
 
 " That the general feeling of the community is that these half-breeds, 
 possessing even rights with those who have alreadj received scrip tor 
 lands in Manitoba, have not had the measure of justice meted out to 
 them to which by the terms of surrender they were entitled. 
 
 '* The undersigned considers the subject as one of considerable im- 
 portance, very desirable for the peace, welfare and good government of 
 that territory, and should be taken and adjusted by the Dominion Gov- 
 ernment with as little further delay as possible." 
 
 On the ioUowing day the same gentleman bioaght before 
 the Coancil the qnesMon of the half-breeds resident in the 
 territories, and he did it in this language : 
 
 " That the half-breeds have already been recognised as possessing 
 rights in the same soil, subject to which the Dominion accepted the 
 transfer of the territories, and while ample provision has been made 
 for those resident in Manitoba on the i5tb July, 1870, nothing, so far, 
 has been done towards extinguishing that portion of the Indian title 
 to lands in the territories outside of the Province of Manitoba, as 
 originally formed by the Act of 1870. 
 
 • > The undersigned further draws attention to the fact that, by law, 
 the half-breeds are excluded from the benefits conferred upon Indians. 
 
 << The undersigned has been given to understand, several petitions 
 . from various quarters ha^e been presented to the Government on the 
 subject of the Lalf-breeds, particularly referred to, but no notice was 
 taken thereof. 
 
 " That the undersigned knows that a considerable portion of these 
 half-breeds were and are still residents of the electoral district of Lome, 
 and feels, as the electoral representative of that district, his duty to 
 bring under notice their grievance in the hope that some action may be 
 taken at an early day towards removing what seems to me to be just 
 cause of complaint. 
 
 *' The undersigned recommends that, through your Honor in coancil, 
 the attention of flis Bxcellency be respectfully drawn to the subject 
 and. he be memorialised to direct the attention of his Ministers to 
 the position of the half-breeds, who at the transfer of Canada were and 
 still are residents of the Nor (h-West Territory, and have not become 
 parties to Indian treaties, and the taking of such steps as may lead to a 
 speedy adjustment of the grievances they labor under.' ' 
 
 That petition was forwarded to the Government by Mr. 
 Laird, then Lieutenant-Q-overnor, and in ^w accompanying 
 letter he specially drew attention to thib subject in the 
 following words : — 
 
 " These memorials were presented to the Council of the North- West 
 T«niU>riei at its lectnt fesiiooi and-as they relate to labjects ezclosively 
 
 «i 
 
I 
 
 1^ 
 
 within the eontrol of the Oominion OoTernment and P*rlUmeat| t 
 was requeited, by a resolution of Oooncil passed on the lOdi instanti to 
 transmit copies thereoftobe laid before His Bzeelleaoy th« Ooveroor 
 General, and to express the hope that His Ezoellencj may be pleased to 
 draw the attention of his Ministers to the grievances complained of." 
 
 Then, Sir, this sabject also attracted the attention of the 
 coanoil. On the 8th October, 1881, there was a me^i^ig 
 of the settlers of Prince Albert in which this very sabject 
 was taken into consideration, and at which the following 
 resolution was passed : — 
 
 " Whereas the Indian title in this territory has not become extinct, 
 and the old seitlers and the half-breed population of Hanitoha were 
 
 granted scrip in commutation of such title, and such allowance has not 
 een made to those resident in the territory. — Resolred, that the Bight 
 Honr>:<ibIe tha Minister of the Interior be requested to grant snch scrip to 
 these settlers, thus placing them on an equal footing with their eon- 
 frhea in Manitoba " 
 
 Ten days later there was another meeting at the same 
 place, and a similar resolution was passed. Then, as the 
 subject did not receive any consideration from the Govern* 
 ment, though their attention had been so often called to it, 
 the North- West Coancil again took np the matter, and at a 
 session of Council held in the month of October, 1883, the 
 following resolution was passed, addressed to the Govern- 
 ment at Ottawa : 
 
 " Tour memorialists further pray that those half-breeds in the Terri- 
 tories who have not participated in the arranffement to extinguish tb''> 
 half-breed claims in Manitoba, should enjoy the same rights as accorded 
 half-breeds in that Province.'' 
 
 And, Sir, as late as the month of December, 1 883, Mr. Jackson, 
 whose name is well known now in this House, and who is a 
 member of the North-West Council, addressed a oommuni- 
 cation to the Minister of the Interior (Sir David Maopher- 
 son), in which he said ; 
 
 "Ton will pardon the liberty I now take in addressing yon privately, 
 when I tell you that it is at the special request of a large depntation oi 
 half-breeds that I do so. They, in common with the country, nave heard 
 of the generally satisfactory settlement of the * mile belt ' and reserve 
 question, and urge, perhaps with reason, that if their own grievances, 
 upon which the Government have been repeatedly petitioned and mem- 
 orialised, were brought personally to your notice, some immediate action 
 would be taken. Unaer anv circumstances there would not be very many 
 to deal with, and the settlement of their claims need not be a trotd)le- 
 sonie one. But there are half-breeds in the Territories who have never 
 received anything from the Government, and who, it has been admittedi 
 are entitled to some consideration." 
 
 Besides all these representations, Father Yegreville, Fattier 
 Andre, and several other persons in the North-West, wrote 
 letters of remonstrance to the Government. Besides all 
 these. Father Leduc, Mr. Maloney, Bishop Grandin and 
 several others had interviews with the Governn^ct upo|i 
 this. Besides all these, my hon, fresd from Enron (Mr« 
 
piM. 
 
 J «^ 
 
 18 
 
 OMMion)^ in 1884, broaght thi» mati^r to fhe consideration 
 of this Boom. BeBid<(» ail these, and notwithstanding all 
 ikeae^ the Qoivepoment, though thus pressed, harassed, and 
 besieged, ne^er lifted a finger cowards the solation of that 
 qaealion. During all these years, while the Department 
 was thus filled up with letters, petitions, resolutions and 
 rapreaent<^tioQS) the Minister always remained silent, oalm, 
 majeatio, bat as immovable as an Egyptian sphinx while 
 it HI ed'vered up by the sand of the desert. Furthermore, 
 9^ \9fk% in 1884, the half*breeds, despairing that they would 
 ever get redress of their grievances by any petition 
 that they could send to Ottawa, by any delegation 
 wliiob they could send to Ottawa, by any remonstrances 
 wnd representations which they could make to Ottawa, 
 finally sent for Louis Biel. Still the Government took no 
 notice and took no action. The Government, if they were 
 blamed at all, were blameable then. They knew that Kiel had 
 an uncontrollable character, they knew that his presence 
 must prove dangerous to the public peace. They were 
 warned of his doings ; they were warned by their own 
 officers of the agitation that was then taking place, but still 
 they never lifted a finger towards solving that quention. 
 What is the reason, Sir, of that long persistent inaction ? 
 Was it simply apathy? No; if it had been merely apathy, 
 the unceasing torrent of complaints and remonstrance 
 which deluged the Department of the Interior, would at 
 last have moved them to action. It was not apathy. I say 
 that that inaction was wilful and designed ; it was because 
 the Gk>vernment had come to the conclusion that they would 
 not give to the half-breeds of the North- West the same 
 treatment, the same favors, the same rights and privileges 
 wbieh had been granted to the half breeds of Manitoba. 
 Ur, Speaker, I arraign the Government for this, I 
 charge this upon the Government, that though they 
 aaked advice as to the best manner of dealing with 
 that question, though they had been told by all those 
 whom they had consulted that these half-breeds must 
 have the same privileges as the half-breeds of Mani- 
 toba, that such preoaations should be taken as would place 
 theiv grants beyond the reach of the white speculator, the 
 Government had come to thu conclusion that they would 
 not follow the advice given to them, that they woiUd not 
 gjtre the half'breeds of the North- West Territories the same 
 privileges which had been given to the half-breeds of Mani- 
 toba. The Government had come to the conclusion that 
 the half-breeds should not be treated as a special class, 
 should not be treated as halt-breeds, but that they would 
 hme to meMi» their choice as to whether they should be 
 
14 
 
 treated like Indians or white men. On a former oocasion, 
 Bpeaking on this subjeot, I quoted the language of the 
 Prime Minister, which made that point perfectly clear, and 
 it can bear repetition here. On 26th March, 1885, the 
 Prime Minister, in speaking on this question, expressed his 
 opinion in this way : 
 
 "As a whole tbe half-breeds hare been told that if they desire to be 
 consiieied aa Indians, there are moat liberal leaerreSj that they oonld 
 <;o with the othera ; but that if they deaired to be considered white men, 
 the^ would get 160 acres of land; as homesteads. But they are not 
 satisfied with that ; they want to get land scrip of equal quantity — I 
 think upwards of 200 acres— and tnen yet as a matter of course, this 
 homestead as well." 
 
 Why they wanted to get as a matter of course their home* 
 steads as well. The half-breeds of Manitoba had been 
 given free grants of land in which they were in possession, 
 and besides that a lot of land had been given to every head 
 of a family amongst them, UO acres, and the half-breeds of 
 the North- West claimed absolutely the same privileges as 
 had been given to the half breeds of Manitoba. But on 
 26th March last the policy of the Dominion Government 
 was that they should not be treated as had been the half- 
 breeds of Manitoba. They should not be treated as half- 
 breeds ; they would have to make choice either one way 
 or the other ; they would have to be either Indians or 
 whites. If Indians, let them go to their reserves ; if white 
 men let them take their homesteads. That was the 
 policy of the Government, and it was acted upon. A com- 
 mission was issued. What were the instructions given to 
 the commission ? Were they to treat those half-breeds as 
 the half-breeds of Manitoba had been treated ? No. The 
 instructions to the commission were simply to give the 
 half-breeds of the North- West a plot of land of 100 aeres as 
 a homestead and nothing more. The instructions to the 
 commissioners were to give : 
 
 <* To each half-breed head of a family resident in the North-West 
 Territories, outside of the limits of Manitoba, previous to the 15th day 
 of July, one thousand eight hundred and seventy, the lot or portion of 
 land of which he is at the present time in bona nde and undisputed occu- 
 pation, by virtue of residence upon and cultivation thereof, to the ex- 
 tent of 160 acres, and if the lot or portion of land of which he is in bona 
 fiie occupation as aforesaid should be leas than 160 acrea, the difference 
 to be made up to him by an isaue of scrip, redeemable in land, at the 
 rate of oue dollar per acre, and in the case of each half-breed head of a 
 fiimily residing in the North-West Territory previous to the 16th day of 
 July, one thousand eight hundred and seventy, who is not at present in 
 bona fide occupation of any land, scrip to be issued, redeemable in land, 
 to the extent of one hundred and sixty dollars." 
 
 There was the policy of the Government ; and. Sir, this 
 policy was elucidated further by the First Minister himself 
 in a speech delivered in this House on 6th July last. There 
 

 
 ■s. 
 •I 
 
 . 
 
 16 
 
 he gave the motives for that policy. He not only gave the 
 policy, hat he gave the motives aotaating the Government 
 in adopting it. He said : 
 
 "Well, Sir, what was the Government to do? We had all our 
 friends; we had the Archbishop; we bad even Mr. Jackson, of whom 
 the hon. gentleman has spoken, who now represents the half-breeds in 
 the North-West Oouncil— we had bim stating that there should be no 
 grant ^ven to the half-breeds except on condition of five years of 
 continuous occupation. There was a conflict of opinion. I will not 
 trouble the House with showing that there wrs an infinity of opinions. 
 An infinity of advice was offered to the Government, how best to deal 
 with the half-breeds, and the Government had only one thing to think 
 of — what was the best for the people, wbat was it best to do for them, 
 to save them even against their own improvidence, and at the same 
 time not to keep back the settlement of the country. This, Mr. Speaker, 
 may account to any reasonable man for what the hon. gentleman talks 
 of as delay. They were not suffering anything. The half-breed had his 
 own cot. He was not cultivating the land that he had. Giving him his 
 lana and giving him more land was giving him nothing. The nomadic 
 half-breed, who had been brought up to hunt, having had merely hia 
 shanty to repair to in the dead season, when there was no game— what 
 advantage was it to him to give him 160 or 240 acres more? It was of 
 no use to him whatever, but it would have been of great use to the 
 speculators who were working on him and telling him that he was 
 suffering. Ohl how awfully he was suffering— ruined, destroyed, starving, 
 because he did not get 240 acres somewhere else, or the scrip for it, 
 that he might sell it tor $50. No, Sir, the whole thing is a farce." 
 
 So you see, Mr. Speaker, here is the whole policy and the 
 motives for that policy. Because the half-breed of Mani- 
 toba had been injudicious, the half breed of the North- 
 West was to get nothing ; because the half breed of Mani- 
 toba had sold his scrip for $50, the half-breed of the North- 
 West Territories was to get no scrip at all. That was the 
 reason of the Government's policy — that was the cause of 
 the policy. The Government came to this conclusion, 
 that the half-breed of the North-West should not get the 
 same treatment as the half-breed of Manitoba, but they did 
 not dare to announce their policy. They wanted to carry 
 it out, but to carry it out on the sly — to carry it out, but 
 not before the eyes of the people of the country. They 
 knew very well that if they were to tell the half-breeds of 
 the North-West Territories that they would not be 
 treated as had been the half-breeds of Manitoba, and 
 would not get as much land as the half-breeds of 
 that Province, this would be objected to, not only 
 by the half-breeds, but by the white settlers. 
 the officials, the missionaries, by all those whose ad- 
 vice the Government had sought. Having come to that con- 
 clusion they came to adopt the fatal policy of to morrow, 
 to-morrow, to-morrow. They trusted that by resorting to 
 that policy of tomorrow, by carrying oat that policy, but 
 not announcing it, by and-bye somethiog would arise and 
 the matter would be forgotten. But the matter was not 
 
16 
 
 forgotten. Those men rose in rebellion, and then imme- 
 diately the Government oame down on their knees. What 
 they had refased hitherto they telegraphed in haste to their 
 commiseioner to grant at once. They telegraphed their 
 commissioner to grant the halt breeds of the North- West 
 Territories what had been claimed for them. Sir, the 
 Prime Minister having spoken the language which I last 
 quoted, went on to say : 
 
 " Now, Mr. Speaker, we, at the last moment, made concessioos, and 
 we did it for the sake of peace.' ' 
 
 At the last moment ? Not at the last moment. Not at the 
 eleventh hour but at the fourteenth hour, when blood had 
 beeu shed, when lives had been lost, when injury had been 
 inflicted which no power under heaven could repair, then 
 the Government yielded to the demands of those people, but 
 not before then. And I call the attention of Parliament to 
 the motives which were assigned by the Government for 
 that fatal and mistaken policy. What were the motives 
 given ? The Government would not give the half-breeds of 
 the North- West Territory the same privileges as had been 
 given to the half-breeds of Manitoba. The half-breeds of 
 Manitoba had been improvident in the management of their 
 property, and therefore the Government would not give the 
 half-breeds of the North- West any property at all. The 
 half-breeds in Manitoba had sold their scrip for $50, and 
 therefore the Government woulu not give the half breeds of 
 the North- West any scrip whatever. The half-breeds of 
 Manitoba had sold their lands to speculators and hud 
 been despoiled by speculators, and therefore the Govern- 
 ment would despoil the half-breeds of the North- West 
 of the whole of their lands. Sir, because the half breeds of 
 Manitoba had been injudicious in the management of their 
 affairs, it was monstrous that the half breeds of the North* 
 West should not be accorded any rights, and that the Gov- 
 ernment should break faith with them. If the half breeds 
 of Manitoba had been injudicious in the mana^gfement of 
 their property, there was a remedy. The remedy was the 
 one suggested by Archbishop Tach^ and by all those con- 
 versant with the matter. The remedy was to couple with 
 the legislation some safeguard, whereby the grants of land 
 might be kept to the people, and mi ght be put beyond the 
 reach of white speculators. But who has ever heard of such 
 a monstrous policy as the policy which was propounded and 
 carried out by this Government, namely, that because the 
 half-breeds of Slanitoba had been injudicious in the manage- 
 ment of their property, the half-breeds of the North- West 
 should have no property whatever ? it is again 
 
 *i ;•-• 
 
 ^ 
 
 h~ 
 
 )• 
 
 i. 
 
■K 
 
 4 p. 
 
 w 
 
 dl *-► 
 
 %> 
 
 
 'worth while to oonBider the motives of the ^oyera^ptMt. 
 ^ They say the half-hreeds of Manitoba disposoJof their lands, 
 '\ And that is the reaaon why they gave no land to the bi^f- 
 [breeds. Sir, is land sach a scaroe article with us that, the 
 Government of a sadden have become so parsio^ionipps ? 
 Is the land of such valae that the Government should qf; a 
 sudden b3 taken with such a fit of economy ? Whj jSir, did 
 the Government in this matter of the laod grant, consider 
 like the French gentleman of whom Balzac says, that " $he 
 soil was his mistress " ? It is true that the Government 
 have without remorse or compunction given away ^ilUons 
 of acres of land to their favorites, that they might indulge 
 in speculation, but the grant to the half-breed is only 1.60 
 acres because he, too, forsooth, might speculate. It has 
 been said several times that even if that grant ,w^s 
 refused to the half breeds even if they were entitled 
 to it still it was a very small grievance at ,1^est, 
 and was no reason for going into rebellion. Sir, that 
 is not the question. I do not examine here Whether 
 this was a cause sufficient for going into reSeJ^lion 
 or not, but I ask of this Parliament, was there any excuse 
 for this Government acting as they acted? Was their 
 course calculated to promote harmony and peace rather 
 than to promote discontent and produce all the conse- 
 quences of discontent ? Sir, this was in effect the course of 
 the Government ; their coarse was not calculated to bring 
 harmony and peace into the land, but was eminently cal- 
 culated to create discontent and all those consequences which 
 have actually taken place, and the eonsequences of that dis- 
 content was rebellion. It is said that this was a small 
 grievance. Sir, this question is irrelevant. What may 
 be of small value to you may be of great value 
 to me; wha; may be of small value to the rich 
 man in the east may be of great value to the poor man of 
 the west, and moreover, whether it was of great value or 
 small, did the half-breeds claim anything unfair, unjust,, or 
 unreasonable ? What the half-breels claimed was so just, 
 so fair and so reasonable, that their claims had actually 
 been guaranteed by a Statute of this Parliament. What the 
 half-breeds claimed was nothing but what the Parliament 
 of this country contemplated giving them. It is a thing of 
 small value, they say. Sir, nothing is of small when it is 
 
 f ranted by law. The half-breeds broke the law at last, but 
 charge against this Government that they themselvss 
 broke the law for six long years, when the Govern- 
 ment failed to solve this question, when they failed to 
 exercise the power which was vested in them by Par- 
 liament, I charge against them that it was an actual 
 2 
 
18 
 
 breach of the law. fiat as soon as the half-breeds broke 
 the law the Government then complied with the law. 
 What a sad commentary it is upon their oondaot that 
 after having for long years denied what had been 
 claimed by constitutional prayers they should at last give 
 to violence. But the Prime Siinister said that at last he 
 yielded for the pake of peace, that he made concessions. I 
 eay, on the f^ontraiy, that the Government made no conoes- 
 piona whatever. What the Government gave to the half- 
 breodH was not a concession ; it was simply the rights 
 which had been guaranteed them by Parliament, and it is 
 manifest — it must be manifest to every one — that any 
 settlement of that question which would not have given to 
 the half-breeds of the North-West the same privileges that 
 had been given to the half-breeds of Manitoba would have 
 been no settlement whatever. As my hon. friend beside me 
 (Mr. Blake) said last Session, it was a matter of justice. 
 He put it in a way which was forcible, and should be 
 recalled to the House. He said : 
 
 " Justice is the same everywhere, justice is the same whether it be on 
 the banks of the Saskatchewan, or on the ban^s of the Red Rirer ; jus- 
 tice demands that the same treatment which has been extended to the 
 half-breeds on the banks of the Red River shall also be extended to the 
 half-breeds on the banks of the Saskatchewan." 
 
 Certainly no one can take exception to that justice demanded 
 that those people should receive the same treatment as the 
 half-breeds of the Red River. Why was this not done ? It 
 was said that it would not be for the benefit of the half- 
 breeds. The point may be well taken, but surely the only 
 solution which could have reached the objection was to do 
 as was suggested by Archbishop Tach^ — to enable them to 
 legislate in such a way that the benefits given to the half- 
 breeds should remain in their hands It would have been 
 quite easy to put in the law a small paragraph by which 
 all sales of lands by half-breeds to white speculators should 
 be null, and if that had been done it would have 
 met the requirements of justice. I say that the Govern- 
 ment were bound to act by the very letter of the law; and 
 apart from any question of positive law they should have 
 remembered those principles of humanity and prudence 
 which are the basis of English law in this respect, as I have 
 shown already. They should have acted in the spirit 
 which is in licated by the expounders of the law; they 
 should have MCted in a conciliatory manner, for fear of the 
 Indians— or, in this instance, let us say the half-breeds — 
 should have destroyed the first planters, who are usually 
 too few to defend themselves, or refuse all commerce and 
 conversation with the planters. Those are the reasons 
 
 I,) 
 
 .)'■ 
 
 
 L 
 
19 
 
 )' 
 
 whioh should have indaoed them to act. There is some- 
 thing more which must have been extremely galling to 
 these people, and that is the contempt with which all their 
 demands were met by the Government. They petitioned 
 time after time, and all their petitions remained unan- 
 swered. Archbishop Taohd had told the Government 
 that the half breeds are a highly sensitive race; that 
 they keenly resent injury and insult, and that they make 
 daily complaints on that point. When they had thns been 
 warned by Archbishop Tach4, was it not enough to drive 
 them into the unfortunate course which was at last adopted 
 when they were treated in such a manner. I say that 
 there is no race of men jnder heaven which values its own 
 dignity and suffered the indignities that those people sufifered, 
 without resenting them in some manner. Sir, the conduct 
 of the Government is absolutely indefensible. So iodefen- 
 sible if> it that the ministerial press, at the outset of the 
 rebellion, more than once admitted that the half-breeds had 
 serious grievances to complain of, and I need not say that 
 the case must be desperate indeed if any organ of the 
 Administration could admit the possibility of wrong 
 on the part of the Government. But the attempt 
 of the Government has been to minimise their own 
 wrong, by saying that in the great majority of individual 
 cases no just demands had been presented to the Govern- 
 ment, but that those presenting such demands were not 
 acting bond fide but were speculators who having once 
 obtained their rights in Manitoba were attempting to obtain 
 another grant in the North- West Territories. We find the 
 Government presented papers or suppressed papers, accord- 
 ingly as the presenting or suppressing would lead to the 
 end in view. They refused to bring down papers which 
 were asked for and they brought down papers which 
 were not asked for. They refused to bring down 
 the files of the Department which would have given 
 a consecutive and complete history of the matter, 
 but they bring down reports prepared after the event 
 and prepared to suit the event. There is in connec* 
 tion with this matter a most important report which 
 we shonld have had on the Table of the House long ago* 
 I refer to the report of the commission appointed during 
 the month of March last year to investigate the claims of 
 the half-breeds of the North- West Territories. This report 
 should have been on the Table of the House upon the very 
 opening day of the Session ; and I say this to the majority 
 of this House, that if they had not abdicated their power 
 and right of supervision over this Government, this report 
 would have been upon our Table fit that time. Why, Sir, 
 
20 
 
 ...We was, a oommieeion appoiDted to inv«Btigate ft'iBABt 
 ,\iDAportantpnblio matter. This oommission haasat, and'its 
 ! .]feport has been presented to the Government' forinore 
 pt^^n six cr seven months now ; and yet the-6overDment 
 ..Stili retain the report and refase to bring it down. At the 
 j.Qpfining of the SesHion 1 myself enquired of* the Oovern* 
 vment n^hether it wonld be brought down, and the answer 
 riven to me was that I might move for it. I (did move 
 (or it on the 4th of March; and now we tare 'at the 
 \Qttx April, in the eighth week of the Session, and that re- 
 port ^as not yet been laid up on the Table. This delay is 
 not the result of aocident or of circumstances ; but it is 
 . wilful and deliberate. No rnan in his senses will pretend 
 (that the Government have not had the time or the means, 
 if they had so chosen, to obtain the information contained 
 in that report. Sir, it is no wonder to me that the petitions 
 pf the halKbreeds should have met with snoh contempt as 
 they met with at the hands of the Government when 'the 
 very mandates of this House are thus disregarded. The 
 majority in this House can excuse and tolerate such Aboees; 
 but the majority in this House should not forget that ^Bach 
 abioses against constitutional Government always rebound 
 in some way or other against the people who are guilty of 
 them. If such abuses are tolerated by an assembly of 'a 
 
 free people, I spmk my mind when I say that this assembly 
 is ,not worthy of tbe great duties imposed upon it. 
 
 It being Six o'clock, the Speaker left the Chair. 
 
 After Recess. 
 
 Mr. LAURIER. I stated to the Hcase this afternoon 
 that on the 4th March I had moved for the Report of the 
 Half-breed Commission, and that up to a recent date the 
 brder of the House which was then issued had not been com- 
 plied with. The motion which wuh then graoled by the 
 Honso ordered the Government to bring down ^11 reports 
 made by the commissioners appointed under the royal 
 commission, all proceedings of the said commissioners, all 
 instructions given to them, and all correspondence ex- 
 .changed between them and the Government. So far this 
 Order has not been complied with. It is true that in the 
 report of the Minister of the Interior, subsequently 
 laid before the House, ;;here is a garbled report 
 of the commission. This report upon its face is 
 garbled ; it shows that the most important and material 
 parts have been omitted. Now, Mr. Speaker, upon a qaes- 
 
 I 
 
y 
 
 .(■ 
 
 21 
 
 tion of this importance, it will strike everybody that it is' 
 not Buffio'ient to have truth, bat we must have the whole ' 
 trntili. It was not Bnfficient for the Government to com- 
 munioate to the House only suoh parts of the report as 
 suited them» It was their duty to bring the whole of it, 
 whether it was to their advantage or thair disadvantage/' 
 But while the Government ohone to bilng only such parts as" 
 they deem fit, some hon. members of the House on the" ^ 
 other side have been more fortunate than we on this sid^ 
 generally are. On the same day on which I moved for the 
 report to which I have just referred, the hon. member for'^ 
 Lisgar (l\ir. Boss), moved for : 
 
 " Return showing the number of half-breeds of the North- West Terri- ' 
 tories who proved their claims before the commission at Port Qn' Ar^ell«, ' 
 Touohwood Hills, Qu'Appeile Valley, Regina, Maple Creek, CAlgary, ; 
 FortMaoleod, Pinobf r Greek, Edmonton, idt. Albert, Fort Saskatohewall^' ' 
 Victoria, J'ort Pitt, Battleford, Prince Albert, Batoche, Duck Lakd',' 
 Forks of Saskatchewan, Fort ik la Uorne, Cumberland House, Modve ' 
 Jaw. and Willow Branch, in North- West Territories; also at Orani 
 Rapids in Keewatin, and Winnipeg and Oriswold in Manitoba, givihii; " 
 in each case the number of heads of families and minors ; also the num-;'' 
 ber of males and females ; also copies of all the petitions filed in the 
 Depai;tment of the Interior praying that grievances be redressed; with ' 
 the names of such petitioners, distinguishing those who had their claftnii 
 already <settU>d in Manitoba and those who had not ; also the nunibbr'bf 
 Manitoba half-breeds who proved their claims prior to the 20th of April 
 last oil the supplementary list, and those who have proved their olainlB' 
 Bince.that date." 
 
 On tfad 24th of March, just twenty days after this Order had' 
 issued, the return asked for by the hon. member for Lisgar 
 was J>roaghti down. It was not voluminous or bulky, bui ' 
 it showed that its preparation had entailed a great deal of 
 labor; " It selected ten different petitions, which had bben' 
 presented by half-breeds at different periods ; it went over 
 the names< of the petitioners, one by one, and classified theia' 
 under.three different headings— one, the half breeds wlio had ' 
 participated in the Manitoba grant; second, the half breeds 
 whoiwere'to receive scrip from the commissioners; and 
 third), the ihalf-breeds who had not proved their claims. This ' 
 returotsliowed on its face not only that it had entailed a good 
 deal^ labor, but that it was manifestly preptlred just to suit 
 the eventj ^It was not a copy of existing documefats '^Ji was 
 a carefal'Oompiiation, prepared with an object. What wa^ 
 the objeet of the compilation ? The object was to show ' 
 that 'tho great majority of thote who had signed those petl* ' ^ 
 tions.h&d>pai!ticip«tted in the grant in Mataitoba, and" thai* '^ 
 the )olaiiaB they were now preferring wero frau'durUnt' 
 olaim«/) Suob was the object contemplated,' and such'^as ^' 
 the oesolias set^rth in the ministerifltl {>refi6: On the'da^^ ' 
 after ithisipetutn* was brought' doWti; the JtfatT new^p8p'6r ''' 
 oostMoed the ISoUof^iDi; Mtiulo :'U- 
 
 If 
 
22 
 
 I I 
 
 " It Appears from a return presented by the Minister of the Interior 
 that of tliirty-one half-breeds of the Lalce Qu'Appelle district who peti« 
 tioned the Government in 1874 for land, sixteen had reoeired sorfp or 
 land in Manitoba, six did not prove their claims, and nine received scrip 
 certificates from the commission appointed last year. 
 
 " Of 147 residents of the Prince Albert settlement, thirty-six had 
 obtained their scrip in Manitoba, seventy-one did not prove their daimSf 
 and forty received scrip from the commission. 
 
 " There were 276 halt-breeds living in the vicinity of the Oypress Hills 
 who petitioned, and of these 101 had obtained their scrip in Manitoba, 
 161 did not prove their olaims, and fourteen obtained scrip from the 
 commission. 
 
 " Of peventeen settlers at Manitoba village who petitioned, five had 
 obtained their scrip in Manitoba, four did not prove their claims, and 
 eiffht received their scrii) from the commission 
 
 °' Of 116 settlers at Fort Qu'Appelle who petitioned, fifty-seven had 
 received scrip in Manitoba, fourteen did not prove their claims and forty- 
 four obtained >crip from the commission. 
 
 " In September, 1882, Gabriel Dumont and 45 others, mostly French 
 half-breedH, settled on the west bank of ihe Saskatchewan, in the Prince 
 Albert district, petitioned tne Government, and of those 36 had obtained 
 scrip in Manitoba and 10 did not prove their claims. 
 
 *' From St. Ijouis de Langevin a petition was presented, signed by 32 
 half-breeds, and of these 24 bad obtained their scrip in Manitoba and 
 eight did not prove their claims. 
 
 " Another petition from Fort Qu'Appelle bore 44 signatures, and of 
 these persons 30 had obtained scrip in Manitoba, three did not prove 
 their claims, and eleven obtained scrip from the commission. 
 
 *' The rising, it will be remembered, was confined to the half-breedi of 
 St. Laurent and iSt. Louis de Langevin, of whom 78 had petitioned the 
 Government for scrip under the Act of 1879, and of these no less than 
 60 had obtained their scrip in Manitoba, and were entitled to nothing, 
 and could legally receive no other treatment than that accorded other 
 settlers in the North-West." 
 
 Now, you see the innuendo of this article. It is not set down 
 in 80 many words, but the inference is thai the majority of 
 those who signed the petitions had already received Borip 
 in Manitoba, and were again applying for scrip, and thus 
 trying to obtain an unfair advantage over the Government. 
 This is a most foul slander. I denounce it as a slander on 
 the half-breeds, in trying to convey the impression that 
 they were dishonest in petitioning for rights to which they 
 were not entitled. Unfortunately they had more grievances 
 than one. They had the grievance, not only that they were 
 not fairly treated with regard to the extinguishment of the 
 Indian title, but also the greater grievance in relation to the 
 surveys. Not one of their petitions can bear the purport the 
 Mail puts upon in. Take the first statement of the Nail. 
 It said that of the thirty-one half-breeds of Qu'Appelle who 
 petitioned, sixteen had received scrip for land in Manitoba, 
 nine had received scrip from the commission, and six had 
 not proved their claims. You would deduct from that 
 statement that the thirty-one half-breeds of Lake Qu'Appelle 
 who had petitioned the Government had been asking again 
 for scrip ibr the extinguishment of the Indian title, when 
 
they had already received Horip for that purpose. Lot the 
 HouHe refer to the petition which in to be lound at page 
 T of the blue book. Whut do thoy uskod for? They asked 
 to be allowed to keep tho landrt thoy wuro in ] )Hrt088ion of; 
 they asked for certain HghtH for flHhing und hunting; they 
 asked for the participation of the Horaun Oat lolic iniHHion 
 in all the righlB of the half-breeds ; they uHked for regnlationH 
 for the hunting of butfalo and for tho oHtablit^hnient of Home 
 authority to admininter the affairH of the country. There 
 is no demand for tho extinction of the Indiun title, and 
 therefore the impression the Mail Hovku to convoy is a 
 slander on those people. Let us take the oti or petitionH 
 to which the Mail referred. Thero is the petition of 
 George MeKay and others, settlers and renidents of Prince 
 Albert, numbering 147. What do they ask ? They ask 
 first for surveys ; next, that the surveys be made accord- 
 ing to their present holdings, with narrow frontages; and 
 third, that the half-breeds who have not participated in the 
 Manitoba distributions should receive the same consider- 
 ation as was granted the half-breeds in Manitoba. Let us 
 take the fourth petition. Of these petitioners, the MaiU&Yfi : 
 Forty received scrip from the commission, thirty-six had 
 reoeived scrip in Manitoba, and seventy-one had not proved 
 their claims. Let us take the fourth petition, 
 that of half-breeds living in the vicinity of Cypress 
 Mountain. The Mail says TOl had received scrip 
 in Manitoba, 14 received scrip from the commission, and 
 161 had not proved their claims. Let us return to the 
 petition. It is that of David Lavergaere, and 2*77 others, 
 from Cypress Hills ; they ask for the privileges of hunting 
 the buffalo at all seasons ; they represent that the majority 
 among them had not participated in the scrip distributed at 
 Manitoba, and they make their demand accordingly, fairly 
 and honestly. I turn to the next petition. The Mail says 
 17 petitioned from Manitoba village, of whom 5 had received 
 scrip in Manitoba, 8 had received scrip from the commission, 
 and 4 had not proved their claims. 1 turn to the petition. 
 It is that of Charles McKay, and 16 others from Manitoba 
 village ; they represented that some of them, who belonged 
 to Manitoba, were absent at the enumeration, and did not 
 participate in the grant of scrip ; they, therefore, asked 
 that those be allowed to participate in tho grant as ii they 
 had been present when the enumeration was taken ; tbey 
 represent also that the half-breeds, who do not belong to 
 Manitoba, are entitled to the same treatment, and they aHk 
 the same treatment for them. Take the next petition. The 
 ilfazY says, that of the 115 half-breeds at Qu'Appolle who 
 petitioned, 57 had received scrir in Manitoba, 4^ had 
 
24 
 
 it 
 
 received scrip from the commission, and 14 had not proved 
 their claims. This is the petition of Peter Lapierre, 
 and 114 others, from Fort Qu'Appelle. What do they 
 ask? They ask for the Northwest half breeds the 
 same participation in scrip as was given the half- 
 breeds in Manitoba ; they ask, as to the half-breeds of the 
 North- West Territory, that the Government will be pleased 
 to make a survey of their present holdings similar to old 
 settlers' claims on the Red and AssiQlboioe Eivers. Then, 
 as to the petition of Gabriel Dumont and forty six others. 
 The Mail says that thirty-six of them had received scrip 
 in Jilanitoba and had not proved their claims. Here, again, 
 you would suppose that Gabriel Bumont and the forty -four 
 others Settlers, who petitioned the Government in 1882 
 from the Prince Albert District, asked also for scrip on the 
 ground that they were entitled to it, whereas the purport 
 of that petition was not to ask for scrip, but to aak that the 
 Government should be pleased to cause surveys to be made 
 of their present holdings, and that they should have free 
 grants of the lai d of which they wore then in possession. 
 The Mail says of another petition of half breed settlers near 
 Qu'Appelle, numbering forty-four, that thirty had received 
 scrip in Manitoba, eleven from tne commission, and three 
 had not proved their claims. But this is the petition of 
 John Simpson, and others, whose names have become 
 unfortunately too famous in the rebellion. Did they ask 
 for Borip, and try to obtain an unfair advantage, as the Mail 
 says ? No, bir, they did not even mention that in the 
 petition. The only things they complain of are the surveys 
 and the patents. They represent that their lands were 
 invaded by the Ontario and Qu'Appelle Company, and prayed 
 for justice. That was the only grievance they set forth. 
 It is therefore manifest that this article in the Mail was a 
 most mslidious article, one calculated to convey the 
 impression that the half-breeds had really no grievances, 
 but that the most of those who had petitioned, had received 
 from the hands of the Government whatever they were 
 entitled to ; and that, therefore, the rebellion was not the 
 rebellion of people who were seeking the adjustment of 
 grievances, but of men who were trying to take unfair 
 advantage of the Government. I regret that the whole 
 report of the North- West Commission has not been brought 
 down. I have been told on good authority that Mr. Street, 
 the |)resideDt of the commission, bad again and again 
 expressed his admiration of the character of the half-breds, 
 and again and again stated that he had never met with a 
 more truthful people. That, in all these transactions, 
 though some two thousand people had appeared before 
 
 r 
 
 «,' i 
 
 i 
 
 W 
 
26 
 
 r 
 
 I 
 i 
 
 ^im, not one had endeavored to misrepresent facts or to try 
 to say anything which was not the truth. Under such cir- 
 cumstances, the bricgiwg down of such a report, with such 
 an object, and commented on as it has been by the press 
 supporting the Government, is another crime for which the 
 Government are liable. Is it not a crime .committed by 
 the Government againat those people ? In the same spirit 
 which called for the preparation of the return I have now 
 discussed, was another report prepared which was recently 
 placed upon the Table of this House. This report was pre- 
 pared by ])ir. Pearce, who is, if I recollect well, inspector 
 of mines of the North- West Territories. This report, as he 
 says himself, was prepared at the request of the Minister of 
 the Interior, who sent him to the theatre of the late insur- 
 rection, for the very purpose of bringing down the informa- 
 tion which the report contains. Thisrepct is dated the 15th 
 December ; it was placed on the Table of the House on the 
 15th April. It is true that certain ministerial newspapers 
 were more favored in this respect than the House, because 
 the report was communicated to certain ministerial news- 
 papers, and perhaps, if we have had it all, it is due to the 
 indiscretion of one of those newspapers, which discussed the 
 report as if it hskd been already brought down to the House. ' 
 This report Was also prepared with an object, with the, 
 object of showing that, in the locality to which the insur- 
 rection was confined, the settlers, or the great majority of 
 them, 92 per cent., as the report says, had really no griev- 
 ances againat the Government. The report goes on to say 
 that 92 per cent, of the «ettlers in that locality had no 
 grievances whatever against the Government, that 92 per ' 
 cent., and perhaps more of them, had received scrip in Mani- 
 toba, that 92 per cent., at least, of them had no grievances 
 against the Government in respect of surveys or of patents. 
 I will not discuss this report today at length, the question 
 it deals with is chiefly that of surveys, and, when we come 
 to discuss that question, it will be time to enter into that 
 matter and to show, as I believe, it will be possible to show, 
 how fallacious this report is in that matter. But there is 
 in this report a generrj purport which may well be discus- 
 sed here. The general purport which this report tends to 
 establish is that, since in the district to which the insurrec- 
 tion was confined, the majority of the people had no griev- 
 ances against the Government, there could not be any griev- 
 ances elsewhere, and that, therefore, the insurrection was 
 absolutely Ciuseless. The object the report has in view is to 
 establish that the rebellion was causeless since in the very 
 place where the people rebelled, they had no grievances what- ' 
 ever. The fact that the rebellion was oonfined to one paitioa* 
 
 w 
 
2d 
 
 Wi 
 
 lar section of the oonntry is no evidence that there were tk6 
 grievances in the other parts of the country, even if there 
 had bean no grievance in the part to which the inscrreotion 
 was confined. Look at the insurrection in Lower Canada 
 in 183*7, no one» will dispute to-day that the Lower 
 Canadians suffered from grievances of a more serious 
 nature. Those grievances were not particular to one 
 section of the country ; they affected the whole population 
 of the Province ; they extended through the breadth and 
 length of the land ; and the insurrection, when it took place, 
 did not spread itself all over the Province, all over the 
 district were these grievances were, for the insurrection wat^ 
 confined to two or three localities. Oat of twenty or twenty- 
 five counties which then exiHted, the insurrection was con> 
 fined to two or three at most. And, moreover, the very fact 
 that there was a rebellion in the North- West is the best 
 possible evidence that there were grievances which affected 
 the whole of that community. You never find a rebellion 
 anywhere unless tho^e who rebel receive the moral sympa- 
 thy of their fellow-countrymen. If there is an outbreak 
 anywhe' e— and this is a daily occurrence — and if those who 
 rise have not the moral support of their fello^-oountrymen, 
 you may have a riot, but you will not have a rebellion; You 
 will have a rebellion only when the community is deeply 
 affected. If only one section of it is affected, you will not 
 have a rebellion. The report goes on further, and tries to 
 show that Gabriel Bumont, Philippe Garneau, Baptiste 
 Boyer, and some sixteen others who are named, of the 
 leaders of the rebellion, had personally no grievances 
 whatever. What is the object of this statement ? The object 
 is to show that Gabriel Dumont, Boycr and the other 
 leaders of the rebellion did not act from any noble motive, 
 but simply from the malice of their heart This is a most 
 unfair statement to make against Gabriel Dumont and his 
 fellow leaders in the rebellion. There is one particular for 
 which I have always admired the British character, it is 
 that British men have never been chary of expressing their 
 admiration for a brave foe. At the ceremony of Her 
 Majesty's coronation, the one person who received the most 
 cheers of the assembled throng was not the young Sovereign 
 herself, popular as she was, but the French Ambassador, old 
 Marshal Soult. As history says, wherever the crowd could 
 get a glimpse of his face, they cheered with increased vigor. 
 And what was the reason ? It was that the British puhlic 
 remembered that Marshal Soult had fought their armies with 
 undoubted courage, and had proved himself a worthy foe 
 even of the Duke of Wellington. I am proud to say that 
 it has been admitted that Gabriel Dumont has proved that 
 
 ^J^ 
 
J- 
 
 i 
 
 he has a brave heart in his bosom. His oondnct in the field 
 drew from the First Minister himself the statement that he 
 was the hero of that rebellion. If he had no grievance of 
 hig own, it only proves not that his follow- country men had 
 no grievances, but that he had a greater heart even than 
 we gave him credit for. It would only show that, though 
 he had no personal grievances of his own, he took up arms 
 to defend the rights of others, though his own rights were 
 not imperilled. Would it be the first time in history that 
 men have rebelled though they had no grievances of their 
 own, that men took arms not to remedy their own 
 grievances, but the grievances of others who were 
 suffering? When William of Orange, for inetance, 
 with his Dutch companions, placed themselves at the head 
 of the English rebellion, surely he had no grievances against 
 the English Government of that day, he had no' personal 
 grievances to avenge against the Government of James. 
 Yet does the fact of his having no grievances alter the fact 
 that at that time the English nation had been tyrannised 
 over by tbe Government which was oasted on that occa- 
 sion? And, when the Marquis de Lafayette and his com- 
 panions forsook the splendor of the court of Versailles to 
 court death on the battlefield in order to aid the American 
 insurgents, it cannot be said that they had any grievances 
 to avenge against the British Government. But does 
 that alter the fact that the American colonies were 
 fighting at that time to uphold the British principle 
 that taxation is not to go without representation ? 
 I know the difference that separates these great men from 
 the poor and uneducated half-breeds that live in the North- 
 West, but though the difference is great, it only shows that 
 reason may be found in the breast of all men, without dis- 
 tinction of class ; and if these men had no grievance what- 
 ever, it is no evioence at all that the nation had no griev- 
 ances. Have we not the fact that the commission has been 
 dealing with a class of men who had grievances ? Have we 
 not the faot that that commission have issued scrip to some- 
 thing like 2,000 applicants ? Thereby you have evidence 
 that a great number of half-breeds in the North- West had 
 serious grievances against the Government. Archi- 
 bishop 'uiche had estimated the population at l,iOO 
 families, which would probably give a population of 6,000 
 souls, out of which number one-third actually had their 
 riprhte acknowledged by the commission. Will any one 
 say, in face of that fact, the people of the North- West had 
 no grievances ? Will any one say that Gabriel Dumont and 
 his fellow leaders in the rebellion, even if they had not 
 perBd&al grievances, wore not fighting for men who, at that 
 
f 
 
 I 
 
 
 ^8, 
 
 time, did have grievances against) this (jovervment ? No 
 doubt Gabriel Damon t and his fellow leaders, were wrong ^ 
 in taking up arms. Thongh their oomplaints had. been 
 ignored during so many years, they should still have per- 
 sisted ia their agitation, rather than take the supreme course 
 they adopted. Bat if they were wrong in taking up . 
 arms, still they were excusable. The contempt with wbiioh . 
 their demands had been received, the fact that their appefiU 
 to justice had always met with a refusal, made their action, 
 at last excusable. But what excuse can be made ' for 
 this Government in denying the rights of these people? 
 What excuse can they invoke to shield themselves from the 
 indignation of the people of Canada ?„ What ,exoa§e cap,, 
 they offer for having so long refused to act when they- had, : 
 been urged to do so ? What excuse can they bring ' fo? 
 having so long refused to do justice, when justice simply 
 meant the gtanting of a few acres of land ? What excuse . 
 can they offer for having allowed the hearts- of these men to 
 swell with bitterness, when a few simple words of right, ^ 
 would have softened them into docility ? What excuse oan . 
 they offer for having so long refused legitimate an4 coastj- . 
 tutional demands, which at last they yielde4 to vio^nce ? " 
 Sir, excuse there can be none. The Government have for- . 
 feited all claim to indulgence. Of all the rights, of all the .. 
 duties devolving upon the .Government, the prime duty is to 
 maintain peace and harmony in the land; and, when a .. 
 sect' m of the population becomes dissatisfied it is the duty ,^ 
 of the Government to investigate the causes thereof, and. to -; 
 remedy the complaint as speedily and as fairly as possible, , 
 consistent with justice, and if they fail in this, they fail, in 
 their most sacred duty. But- when the dissati^faotipii. prcK^ •« 
 ceeds from the fact that the Government have ignored thetr 
 own obligations, then. Sir, I say that the people^ ;of th^ .. 
 country would be remiss in their own duty if they were to . , 
 condone such an offence, for by so doing. they would strike . 
 at the very roots of their own liberty. I thinE; thes^ prin-; „ 
 ciples are true, I feel them deeply, and because X f^el ^engk. ., 
 deeply, I beg to move : 
 
 That all the words after the word "thatV be left .outi.and.tii^fc^" .ii- 
 lowing inserted ia Ilea thereof:— It was the doty of the Govei;anient to . 
 proceed with diligeace leader the authority they obtained from tParlia-" - 
 meat in 1879, to settle the claims ar^ing,Qiit of t^e ladi^n l^ieiof tbe ,}% 
 half-breeds of the North-West Territories, A^d.also tq 8e,ttje,the (QlaiiMi^of. ,,. 
 those of the Maaitoba half-breeds who were temporarily abseat apiriiig ;.^ 
 the enumeratioii, and that in this respect the > Governmtoiit baabeem .- 
 guilty of neglect, delay and mismag^gen^enlii preju4i)Bi«l^itothe9tao«if»M^«. 
 wel'^re apd good government of Oanada.. ' 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Card well). The>on. gentlem^jjn :thetVi 
 earlior part of his speech, befpre dinner, dealt tf^lQ>oe( '* 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 ill 
 
-h 
 
 :«±ClttiEltt«ly'witb tbe faet, as he i^lleged, that the Govern- 
 *'l&(»bi hltid reststed the peti lions made to them for theextia- 
 "jgitbhuidnVof * the Indiaq title by the half-breeds of the 
 ''^!R6i'tH'*West. tie pressed Dpon the House that all these 
 :'^6titi5tiB hiad special referenoe to the fact that thiese half- 
 "^eed^bad* the same claim a^ their bothers of Manitoba, 
 '^tthd tfiat'the GovernmeDt resisted the eztiDgaishment of 
 'Uteir^IlidiaQ' title by refasing to treat tb mas the half- 
 IDr^d^Of Manitoba had b^en treated. And then, Sir, towards 
 ^^e doto of his speech, he apparently, judging from the 
 ' Il6aar6ilrefal and logical manner in whieh the hon. gentle- 
 "mftn deals with pablic questions, having received new infor- 
 'matiiftn'since he left the Chamber at six o'clock, came back 
 atl'd tbtd OB these petitions did not ask for the extinguibbment 
 6f 'the Indian title at all, but that they were complaints of 
 '1^^' grievances which they had, irrespective ( f that question 
 "iittogether. Now. it seems to me that the hon, gentleman 
 ' should ' take dne ground or the other. If there were peti- 
 'ttonsconiing from the half-breeds of the Saskatchewan dis- 
 t^iet-^iand vrith these half-breeds especially we have to 
 debl — which complained that their Indian title had 
 'nidt b)ddn, extinguished, and that they were entitled 
 ""to 00n(!ieadi0n8 similar to those which the Manitoba 
 'half^briEietls have received, if he is prepared to take 
 ihat'ground, then. Sir, I hold that he has no right, as he 
 "did at the close of his speech, to claim that these petitions 
 dld'not at all ask for the e^tinguishmcLt of that title, but 
 on 'the contrary, dealt with other grievances, grievances 
 'comfnon to all parts of the JSorth-West, so far as com- 
 IJIi^nts are concerned, common, in fact, to new settle- 
 mehts in 'every country that I have ever heard of. Sir, 
 'the hOn. 'gentleman was guilty of what I must regard as 
 j^real; t^nfei'rness to the Department over which I have the 
 tonor, Unworthily, to preside, in saying that the 
 ^Gkyvemmemt had brought down improperly, certain returns 
 N^hteh huve been laid upon the Tabic. He referred to 
 one rettm particularly, in which was stated the number 
 of those "V^hose names were attached to the several peti- 
 tions V^ho had received their half-breed scrip in Manitoba. 
 Bir/that Wtts the question asked in this House; that was 
 thie order given by this House. An hon. member on his 
 ty^ft respoilBibility asked this House to order that the Gov. 
 eiMkttlidtit would anilyse those Beveial petitions and give 
 the House the result of that analysis by stating how 
 in&ny of the petitioners had had their Indian title extin- 
 gttiSntQd in Manitoba. Are we to be told here, especially at 
 a ttm^ When so much is being traid in relation to the 
 lAlleged rei^dal of the Government to bring down returns 
 
J* 
 
 t 
 
 Is 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 80 
 
 and 'nformatioa to Parliamenti that it was an offenoe on 
 the part of the Department that it should have done preoi- 
 Belj what was ordered to be done; that beoanse the inform* 
 ation coming to this Hoase in response to the order does 
 not meet the views of the hon. gentleman, therefore 
 the Department is in the wrong in bringing that 
 information down. Then, the hon. gentleman has 
 referred to the report by Mr. Pearce, which I presented a 
 few evenings ago. I regret veiy mach that the report w:3 
 not preBented some time earlier, as it might have been 
 bat for delay in the printing of the schedules by Lhe print- 
 ers. I can tell the hon. gentleman, so far from the acci- 
 dent, as he calls it, or the indiscretion of a newspaper in 
 publishing in advance certain information contained 
 in that report being the cause of its being brought 
 down, my expectation was that the report would 
 ha\e been brought down at least three days earlier 
 but for the delays in the printing office in con- 
 nection with the schedules attached to the report. But the 
 hon. gentleman says that was a report prepared expressly, 
 after the event, in order to influence the judgment of Par- 
 liament. Whether it was prepared before or alter the event, 
 all I have to say is this : It was prepared by the particular 
 officer of the Department who has perhaps had more to do, 
 both under the late Government and under the present 
 Government, ^ith matters in the Saskatchewan district 
 than any other officer in the Department, and therefore the 
 officer who was best qualified to obtain the information 
 which I desired to obtain, and which, in view of all the 
 demands made for information, this House ought to be glad 
 to obtain as well. If that report does not suit the views of 
 hoD. gentlemen opposite, it is certainly not my fault ; it is 
 thoir misfortune. And perhaps the further they probe into 
 the actual facts, however they may get them, whether by 
 sending emissaries into the country to enquire, or in any 
 other way, the less cause they will find for the outbreak of 
 last spring arising out of any improper conduct or neglect 
 on the part of the Government of the day. The hon. gen- 
 tlornan has confined himself in his speech largely to the one 
 quesiion of the half-breed claims, the one question of 
 the extinguishment of the Indian title, and he did that 
 notwithstanding the fact that he cited petition after peti- 
 tion in which he pointed out that the extinguishment 
 ol the Indian title was not a chiet cause of complaint in 
 those petitions. I propose to deal, if the House will permit 
 me, with the whole question of the grievances of those people 
 in the North- West Territories and to point out, as I think I 
 shall be able to point oat, that while in the very nature of 
 
r 
 
 V 
 
 I* 1. 
 
 81 
 
 thiDgfl there may have been, and nndonbtedly were, some 
 grounds of complaint in the flense in which every settler 
 who goes into a new country, and especially every half- 
 breed, every old settler who finds himself deprived of his 
 usual means of livelihood by the cbaae, will be almoi^it certain 
 to feel, that so far as the Department wao concerned, and so 
 far as regards the treaiment of quebtions connected with the 
 half-breeds, that treatment was one of which no reasonable 
 people could possibly complain, and in relation to which I feel 
 quite satisfied the people of the country will declare the 
 Government are innocent of the charge which ban been 
 made against them by hoo. gentlemen oppowite. This 
 question of the half-breed claims was not altogether a new 
 question. Hon. gentlemen oppOHito when they uat on this 
 side of the House had to deal with the question. And if I 
 refer to some of their proceedings in connection with it, 
 I desire to say at the very outset that I do not do it 
 for the purpose of justifying or even palliating any neglect of 
 which the Government of the day may have been guilty, but 
 simply for the purpose of showing that the difficulties.connect- 
 ed with the subject in tiie North- Wt.t Territories vere such 
 as to cause complaint when hon. gentlemen opposite were 
 on this side of the House, and they were such, moreover, as 
 met at their hands certainly not more prompt treatment 
 than has been accorded to them by the hon. gentlemen who 
 now occupy the Treasury benches. In the first place, we 
 know well from what has occurred that the question of the 
 recent troubles in the North-West, which have given rise to 
 these questions in Parliament, was not after all a new 
 question ; that Louis Biel did not for the first time last year 
 attempt to raise trouble in connection with the North- 
 West. We know from the svatement of Crowfoot given to 
 the Mail correspondent, who went through that country 
 during last spring, that long ago, some years ago, Kiel 
 attempted to raise the Indians in revolt because, as he 
 declared, the Government had not been treating him 
 properly. And we know after that from a statement made 
 by S&.T. Devoy, in an interview with a correspondent of the 
 New York Sun^ if I mistake not, Biel attempted not only to 
 rouse the Indians into revolt, but also to raise a feeling 
 among the Fenians of the United States with a view, if 
 possible, of enlisting them in his efforts to reconquer the 
 Worth-West Territories. In that interview Mr. Devoy 
 states that Biel described the frauds and trickery of the 
 land sharks. Becollect this description was given in 1878, 
 certainly not at a time when this Government was in any 
 way responsible for what was going on. The interview 
 ireads ; 
 
Hfq" 
 
 JJLLJt - JAW-g 
 
 «MMi 
 
 I'-i 
 
 m 
 
 "Be deioribed the fraad and trickery of the land sharks, Who were 
 ( protected in their nefarious practices by high officials of the Dominion 
 Government, who were in league with them and profited by their tiietts 
 of land belonging to the Metis. The wbole administration and system 
 of land management in the North- West he described as rotten to the 
 core. The wrongs of the Metis were intensified by the bitter race hatred 
 of the men who plundeied them. D«ep-rojted disaffection, he claitnnd, 
 existed among the whole half-breed population, botti in Manitoba and 
 the North-West Territory, and was sustained hj strong sympathy on 
 the part of the whole French Canadian population." 
 
 'And so on with a namber of other statements made by 
 Louis Biel at that time to Mr. Devoy, all pointing to the 
 fact that then, in 1878, when this Government was in no way 
 ro^ponsible for what had occurred, Riel complained, just 
 as he complained after v^ards, of the conduct of the Govern- 
 ment in connection with the administration of affairs in 
 , the North- West Territories. Now, was there any ground 
 for those complaints at that time ? It is well known that 
 petitions and letters were sent to the Government then 
 praying for the settlement of the land claims and for the ex- 
 tinguishment of the Indian title. Mr. Byan and Mr. Machar 
 had been appointed to settle matters in Manitoba, which 
 would have been settled long before but for the interfer- 
 ence of hon. gentlemen opposite with the steps taken by 
 their predecessors, before they went out of office, with a 
 view to the settlement of those land claims. They had the 
 opportunity of knowing when they came in that these mat- 
 ters were then exciting some interest in the North- West, 
 because in the report of a public meeting, held in 1873, 
 there appears a petition which was transmitted to the Gov- 
 ernment by Lieutenant-Governor Morris, and in that petition 
 among the claims made was this : . . 
 
 " We also ask of you our Lieutenant-Governor, give us lands in 
 compensation of our rights to the lands of the country as Metis." 
 
 That was in 1873, and yet until 1876 not one single step 
 was taken by the hon. gentlemen for the removal of those 
 difl&cul^^ies and the granting of those claims to those people 
 as half breeds. It was on the l9thof June, 1876, that the 
 Government took its first action, and at that time they asked 
 Mr. Matthew Ryan, then a stipendiary magistrate, to deal 
 with the question. On the 23rd of October, of the same 
 year, four months afterwards, Mr. Donald Oodd, Dominion 
 lands agent, telegraphed to Ottawa as follows : — 
 
 •'Ryan never received instructions referred to in your letter 12th 
 July. Important that he should be authorised to act by telegram." 
 
 So that after, in June of that year, pretending to take that 
 question up, it was not until they were urged to it by their 
 agent in Winnipeg, four months afterwards, that they took 
 the first serious step in connection with it. Two days after- 
 
 »-^ 
 
 i- 
 
TwmBmmm 
 
 i- 
 
 -h 
 
 33 
 
 Trards Mr. Donald Oodd sent a telegram to Ottawa as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Ryan aazioui to know on what autboritv he acte. He thinki old 
 «oinni!uion has ezpired. la it intended to keep result of half<breed 
 allotment strictly confidential?" 
 
 The anewer to that statement was as follows : — 
 
 *< To Matthiw Rtan, 
 
 "The acting Minister reqneits you. if willing to take sach additional 
 dnty, to contmue to take evidence of claimants to half-breed lands or to 
 scrip who may come before you in North-West Territories. On reply, 
 forms will be sent." 
 
 Now, Sir, Mr. Byan appears to have accepted the oommis* 
 sion entrusted to him. He entered on his duties, but on 
 the 3rd of Maroh, 1877, being then engaged in the perform- 
 anoe of his duties as stipendiary magistrate and those 
 supplementary duties connected with the half-breed claims 
 with which he was charged, he wrote rather a remarkable 
 letter, the full text of which I shall read to the House : 
 
 " Swan Ritkb, 3rd March, 1877. 
 " DiAB Snt,— In the matter of my continuing the half-breed lands inyest- 
 igation, as the only official communication I hold on the snbleot is a 
 telegram author ising me tc take the evidence of claimants who may 
 come before me in the North-West Territory; would you kindly inform 
 me, as soon as possible, whether it was the intention of the Department 
 that I should put myself in communication with half-breed claimants by 
 visiting the localities in which they reside, or that I should act in their 
 behalf as they might casualljr come before me in the course of the dis- 
 charge of my magisterial duties 7 If the latter were the intention, I tear 
 that no early practical good can be effected. The greater number of the 
 hiUf-breeds of the different settlements can only be met at certain periods, 
 before their departure to hunt, and after their return, and lam not aware 
 at present at what period or periods ( am likely to be engaged as a 
 magistrate at these respective places. My apprehension is, that to trust to 
 the coincidenee of our thus meeting would be to defer the investigations 
 indefinitely, and ultimately to cause many of the half-breeds anaothers 
 in the Territory the loss of the benefits intended for them by law. Would 
 it not be well, therefore, for me to make special endeavors in their behalf 
 during the coming seasons of spring and autumn ? I can conveniently 
 go to Lac Qu'Appelle in May, where, as I am advised by Mr. McLean, 
 agent of the Hudson Bay Company, and by the Oatholic cur6, the bulk 
 of the half-breeds can be met between the middle of that month and the 
 10th or 15th of the next. And later I may be able to visit, the Scotch 
 settlement of Prince Albert, and the French of St. Laurent, and so on. 
 I am not informed, either, as to the matter of expenses, but presume they 
 are to be paid under authority of the Department of the Interior. Would 
 you please instruct me on this head, and generally on the subject of the 
 latter, at yoar earliest convenience, and believe me to be. 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 " MATTHEW RYAN. 
 « D. Good, Bsq., Winnipeg." 
 
 That letter was dated on the 3rd of March, 18*77, and in a 
 postscript he says : 
 
 " P.S. — I would require no secretary or assistant, and would other- 
 wise be careful of cost.— M. R." 
 3 
 
i 
 
 84 
 
 Now, Sir, there was a pleading letter from the oommis* 
 Bioner appointed to enquire iuto the half*breed olaims^ 
 there was the deliberate statement on his part with a know- 
 ledge of the conntry, with a knowledge of the habits of the 
 people, with a knowledge of the Tooalities where they 
 might be foand most readily, that anle.<^ he was permitted 
 to go to particular looalitiee and meet tu'^m and give them 
 notice of his being there, the work with which he was 
 entmsted must result in no advantage to the half-breeds, 
 and consequently must result disastrously. And yet. Sir, 
 what was the answer given to that letter by the hon. 
 member for Bothwell (Mr. Mills), who at that time was 
 Minister of the Interior. Here it is, written in his own 
 handwriting across Mr. Oodd'a letter enclosing that of Mr. 
 Eyan: 
 
 "It it not neeenanr to look up p»rtiM who bare olaimi. If they oare 
 for their ioteieste taer will theouelres oome forward and eitablitk 
 their olaimi— D. U." 
 
 That, Sir, was the spirit in which the hon. gentleman, who, 
 with his fHends, is so solicitous about those half-breeds, 
 who complained that they had not been treated as ti'iey 
 should have been treated— that was the spirit in which he 
 dealt with the supplicating letter of his own commissioner, 
 asking that he might be permitted to visit the half-breeds 
 and deal with them as he there found them. But that is not all. 
 Mr. Byan appears to have been most solicitous in the mat- 
 ter, and he did, at his own expense as it turned out, go to 
 Lake Qu'Appelle with a view of meeting some of the half- 
 breeds there, and when he sent in his bill for $76 to pay 
 his expenses the hon. member for Bothwell (Mr. Mills), 
 then Minister of the Interior, refused to p^ these expenses, 
 and they were only paid after the present Government came 
 in and the present first Minister was Minister of the 
 Interior. That is the way in which hon. gentlemen dealt 
 with those questions. The letter, as I have told you, was 
 submitted to the Minister. Very little appears to have been 
 done in connection with the matter until the 24th of June, 
 1878, when Mr. David Laird, then Lieutenant-Governor of the 
 North- West Territories, a gentleman who was, I believe, 
 not in the best relations possible with the then Minister of 
 the Interior, telegraphed as follows :— 
 
 *< Obserre Mr. Ryan's anthority, InTestigate half-breed claims under 
 order 14th Jane, 1876, lapsed. Recommend time be extended one year. 
 He is now here. Applicants waiting answer." 
 
 On the 28th Jane, 1878, Mr. Eyan himself telegraphed 
 from Battlef ord : 
 
 i 
 
 4- 
 
 " Half-breeds pressing me. Will time of inrestigation be extended ? 
 
 >>■ 
 
 
V 
 
 85 
 
 And the answer was as follows :— i 
 
 " Minister hM inbjeot ander conaiderfttlon, and will probably aathor- 
 Im Mr. Duck, who nag been appointed Dominion landi agent tor Saa- 
 katohewan, to inreitigate each claimi." 
 
 And that, Sir, was about the last thing the hon. gentleman 
 did in oonneotion with the half-breed olaims ot the North* 
 West. He appointed a oommisaioner, and when the oommis- 
 sioner told him what was absolutely neoessary to be done, he 
 reftased to permit that to be done, and when the crmmis- 
 sioner, acting on his own sense of what was right, did !t, and 
 incurred a little expense in doing it, he refused to pav that 
 expense ; and then, when the Lieutenant-Governor tells him 
 first, and then the commissioner, that the half-breeds were 
 there waiting, but that the authority of the commissioner 
 had lapsed, the answer sent was that the matter was under 
 the consideration of the Government, and that probably Mr. 
 Duck, the newly appointed agent at Prince Albert, would be 
 appointed to investigate those claims. A.nd yet, with that 
 record, these hon. gentlemen move resolutions such as that 
 which has been moved to-day, and ask the condemnation of 
 the Government by Parliament and the country, on the 
 mnnd that they did not deal fairly, folly, quickly with 
 these half-breed claims in the North* West. During that time 
 it is well known that the importance of this matter was 
 pressed upon the Government by the Hon . Mr. Laird. In 
 addition, there were several petitions ftrom persons in the 
 North- West ; and Mr. Dennis, referring to those petitions, 
 and dealing w.th the question, wrote as follows: — 
 
 " The question raised by His Honor the Lientenant-GoTernor as to the 
 manner in which the cliums of settlers may be adjusted, who located 
 upon lands in the North-West Territories prerions to the transfer, 
 inrolring, as it does, a question of policy, is for the Minister to consi- 
 der." 
 
 So that it appears that up to that time, although a com- 
 missioner had been appointed, the Minister had arrived at 
 no conclusiou as to the manner in which he should deal 
 with those claims : 
 
 "The undersigned would, however, in reference thereto, venture to 
 express the opinion that land so settled on, without the same may possess 
 exceptional value owing to its situation, and had been taken up with a 
 view to speculation, if the claimant shall have been constantly residing 
 upon and cultivating it to a reasonable extent, should be granted free to 
 the occupant. To give effect to such a policy, however, legislation 
 would be required." 
 
 Now, Mr. Speaker, that was in March, 1877, anl it was a 
 question of simply giving to those people the land upon 
 which they were settled — doing for them, in fact, the very 
 thing the offering to do which afterwards, by this Govern- 
 ment, is denounced by the hon. member who has moved 
 
 3i 
 
Ill 
 ft* 
 
 I 
 
 this resolation, as a failure of jastioe to those people- 
 simply the graDting of the lands on which they were located, 
 and he is told thatlegislation will be neoessary in order to 
 enable him to do it. And yet, Sir, although another Ses- 
 sion of Parliament came and passed afterwards, daring 
 which he had the opportunity of gelting that legislation, 
 the Session opened and closed without any leg- 
 islation being attempted, the case ot the hali-Dreeds being 
 left precisely as it was, in spite of the recommendation of 
 Mr. Dennis, his own deputy. That, Sir, I think, may 
 fairly illustrate the manner in which the hon. gentle- 
 man dealt with those claims. He had claims of a simi- 
 lar kind to deal with in Manitoba. He had to deal 
 with what were usually called the stake claims; 
 and I find that when a schedule was submitted to him 
 of names for his decision as to whether they should have 
 their land or not, ninc'tenths of them were bracketed, 
 and the words were written after them, *' No <*— "D. M„" 
 to the effect that these people had no claims and should 
 not receive any consideration whatever. What was the > 
 condition in which those people were at that time ? I have 
 here a letter which, I think, will show the spirit in which 
 thebe hon. gentlemen dealt with affairs in the North-West. 
 The letter is dated Winnipeg, 29th September, 1877. It is 
 signed by the Rev. Father Lacombe, whose interest in 
 matters in the North West is well known. It is not 
 addressed to the hon. gentleman foi- reasons which I sup* 
 pose the postscript of the letter will Huffioiently explain. 
 It is addressed to a gentleman at ihat time a colleague of 
 the hon. gentleman, the Hon. Mr Pellf^tier, then Minister 
 of Agriculture, who had a seat in the Ov\er House. The 
 letter was to this effect : 
 
 '* Vbrv Dbab Sir,— Afl you desired me, during your visit to Manitoba, 
 to acquaint you privately with such information as might aid you in the 
 administration of our Province, I now franlcly and confidingly communi- 
 cate the annexed newspaper articles. 
 
 <* I take the liberty of drawine your attention to those articles, as 
 well as to the remarks which I shall add. 
 
 " It mast be understood that I am far from approving the violent and 
 unseemly language ot the Bnglish article. It appears to me that we 
 may protest without being insulting. 
 
 "I regret to say that many of the sentiments expressed in those 
 articles are participated in by a great many persons m our Province. 
 Resolutions, coming from Ottawa, threaten to ^ive a fatal blow to our 
 immigration. The Government ask $5 per acre tor land on the Red and 
 Assiniboine Rivers. It is too much even for speculation, as speculators 
 sell the same lands for $2 per acre. But above all it is a great deal too 
 much when we consider that those lands are occupied by immigrants 
 who have expended all they had to instal themselves on those lands. 
 If the Oovernment persevere in this determination thejr will raia many 
 who accepted the invitation they made them to settle in Manitoba. 
 
 t 
 
 ^ 
 
 IJ 
 
 ■1 
 
 1 
 
f 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 87 
 
 " I andentand, morcorer, that the qoMtion of ' lUke^laims (8t*k«- 
 elaimt) ii to bo regalated in a manntr itiU more anjnit : they wlah to 
 draw lotf in faror of the Metie children, for lands owned at Mat River 
 and eliawhere anterior to the tranpfer. For more than Mren years 
 thoie Unda. recognised among the population as the property of those 
 who took them, were frequently scldf and exchanged. And t>day, on 
 account of these exchanges, there are at Rat RiVer, in the pansh of 
 8t. Pierre, more than fifty resident families. These families established 
 themselTes in good faith, and behold it is now thought to dispossess the 
 greater part of them, of whom many are immigrants, who arrired In 
 spring, bought the land and made outlay for the purpose of establishing 
 themselTes. The pretext invoked is, that on certain farms there is 
 little or no cultivation— a pretext which to me seems ill-founded, because 
 those lauds were at any rate possessed by those who claim them, before 
 the reserves for Metis children were localised in this place or vicinity. 
 If the lands were possessed then, they are still the property of those 
 who claim them, and consequently an injustice is done in dispossessing 
 them of them. If, on the othdr hand, these lands were not owned at the 
 time of the localisation of the reserves, how can it bo pretended that 
 heir cultivation would have ensured their possession ? The Oovern- 
 ment has not yet said anytbiug ofBoially, and secretly they direcib the 
 lottery of these lands, so that the odium of disposaessicff the occupants 
 may fall on the children of the Metis, to whom these lands shall thus 
 come. 
 
 " Evidently the Government are ilMnformed. otherwise they would 
 not, for the sake of a few hundred acres of land, consent to draw upon 
 themselves the odium these resolutionf) would create, to paralyse immi- 
 gration, and to throw another brand of discord amonp^ the population. 
 
 « Such are the remarks, which in true friendship, I have thought 
 it my duty to submit for your consideration. 
 
 "I remain with much respect, your very humble and obedient servant, 
 (Signed). ALB. LAOOMBB, Ptre., O.M.I." 
 
 Then here is a personal postoript : 
 
 " Permit me to avail myself of this opportunity to offer you, with all 
 my heart, my best wishes for the New i ear. " 
 
 Here is a second postoript, which is an important one : 
 
 " I forgot to tell you that I advised Mgr. Tach6 to write to the Gov- 
 ernment. Although he regretted all these misunderstandings, he repl ed 
 that he would not venture to write to Ottawa, inasmuch as he had never 
 received anything but refusals, and he feared to compromise the case, 
 rather than benefit it, by writing on the subject.' ' 
 
 That, Sir, was the opinion of His G-raoe the Archbishop of 
 the manner in which hon. gentlemen opposite treated 
 questions concerning the North- West in which he felt a 
 deep interest, when he ventured to send either petitions or 
 letters to them with regard to those questions. Now, Sir, it 
 is well known that when the change of Government took 
 place, although hon . gentlemen opposite had done nothing 
 to provide by legislation for the settlement of these half- 
 breed claims, the Conservative Government, in its first 
 Session, that of 1879, passed an Act in which they took 
 power to settle these claims. That Act has been referred 
 to by the hon. member for Quebec Bast (Mr. Laurier) on 
 two or three occasions. He has referred to it to-night, and 
 intimated that the first thing done UDder it was the appoint- 
 
88 
 
 ment of the commission last spring. 1 do not desire, for a 
 single moment, to charge the hon. gentleman with mis- 
 stating, because I believe him to be incapable of wilfully 
 mis-stating ; bat I charge him with not having us carefully 
 studied the question as its importance deserves, and as he 
 certainly ought to have studied it. On the Ist June, 1883, 
 an Order in Council was pasi-ed, based on a memorandum of 
 the Minister of the Interior, of the 31st May, 1883, separ- 
 ating the offices of Surveyor General and Deputy Head of 
 the Department, creating Mr. Lindsay EussoU Surveyor Gen- 
 eral, with the rank of Deputy Head, and in this memo- 
 randum is the following clause : 
 
 " The duties of the Sor^eyor General will necessarily require that ke 
 shall spend a coasiderable part of each season in the North-West, so 
 that he may hare the opportunity of directing the operations of the staff 
 in the £eld ; in connection with and in addition to wnich the opportunity 
 would be afforded him ot investigating and finally settling upon the spot, 
 a large class of loDg-staudin^ and somewhat complicated claims to 
 land, arising at rarious points in the Territories. Invested as be would 
 be with the rank and authority of a Deputy Head, and bringing to bear 
 on the cases submitted for his adjndicati>n the experience he hai 
 acquired in the administration of Dominion lands, his decisions would 
 naturally command the respect and acquiescence of those whom they 
 most directly affect, as well as the confidence of the general public." 
 
 Then, by an Order in Council of 7th July, 1883, arrange- 
 ments were made for dealing with the claims of actual 
 settlers in the Prince Albert and Edmonton districts to 
 obtain titles to the lands they occupied, and it was the inten- 
 tion of Mr. Lindsay Eussell to have left at once for the 
 North-West where he would have been able to deal with t'le 
 claims question on the spot and settle them on terms reason- 
 able both to the country and the half-breeds and the other 
 settlers chiefly interested. But, as we all know, an accident 
 befell Mr. Bussell. He was detained in his room for a long 
 time, and was unable to go to the North-West, as he had 
 intended to do and as the Government desired. The case 
 was not one of such urgency as to require that a substitute, 
 that a less efficient man, should be sent in his place, and so 
 long as there was any hope that Mr. Eussell would be able 
 to undertake the important work, the Government, having 
 regard to his great experience and to his familiarity with 
 the English, French and Cree languages, witsely deferred 
 the appointment of any one else until they had to give up 
 the hope o: his being able to go at all. Now, there were 
 several classes of claims presented to the Government in 
 relation to the North-West. Tnere were of course a number 
 of other subjects referred to in the petitions. We 
 have heard them read to-night. There was permission asked 
 to hunt the buffalo, but I am not aware that anyone ever 
 prevented a half-breed or Indian from hunting the baffalo ; 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 k 
 
 A 
 
 IT 
 
 I 
 
 \l 
 
 
i^ 
 
 k 
 
 k 
 
 r 
 
 39 
 
 the miBfortnne was, there were no buffalo to hant. There 
 was also the qaestion of fishiDg rights, but I am not aware 
 — although, I am boand to say, I think it would have been 
 wise if it were otherwise — ^that anyone ever prevented a 
 half-breed, an Indian, or a settler from fishing as he pleased 
 or where he pleased, at his own sweet will. I think the 
 time, however, is rapidly coming when fishery regulations 
 will have to be adopted in the North- West to protect oar 
 valuable fisheries there. Bat, so far as the principal claims 
 are concerned, they may be rednced to two great classes : 
 First, the extinguishment of the Indian title ; and, second, 
 the giving of patents for the lands on which the people 
 were settled. As to the extinguishment of the Indian title, 
 it is well to remember that the rebellion occurred on the Sas- 
 katchewan, that there was no rebellion anywhere else, and 
 that, therefore, in so far as the rebellion may have been said 
 to have been caused by the non-extinguishment of the Indian 
 title, we have the right to enquire as to whether the persons 
 who petitioned from the Saskatchewan districts were entitled 
 to have any Indian title extinguished, or whether that par- 
 ticular grievance had not in their case been already removed. 
 The hon. gentleman (Mr. Laurier) has declared that the 
 suggestion that these people had had their Indian title 
 extinguished in the North- West, is an insult to them. He 
 has charged the Toronto Mail with having been guilty of 
 the grossest insult towards the half breeds, by implying that 
 they went into the rebellion for causes which were in fioct 
 no causes at all, because the particular grievance in ques- 
 tion in their case, had been settled. I have yet to learn 
 that it is an insult to state facts with regard to any people. 
 The particular facts in regard to this case are that the 
 people of the South Saskatchewan, where the troubles arose, 
 had, in the overwhelming majority of cases, their Indian 
 title already extinguished before the rebellion ; and that, as 
 to the men engaged as councillors of Louis Biel, a large 
 proportion of ibem had had their titles extinguished in 
 Manitoba, and, therefore, so far as the extinguishment 
 of the Indian title was concerned, there was no 
 ground whatever for the rebellion which took place 
 on the Saskatchewan, and it took place at that point 
 alone. The place where, perhaps, there had been fewer 
 halfbreeds with the Indian title extinguished than in 
 almost any other p«rt of the North- West Territories, was 
 in the E Imonton district at St. Albert ; yet, we know that 
 when the rebellion broke out at the Saskatchewan, the 
 young half-breeds of St. Albert enlisted on the side of the 
 Government, and were prepared to do battle for their 
 Queen and their country like the other settlers and volun- 
 
40 
 
 teers. They did not pretend, that although the Indian 
 title had not been eztiDgnished in their case, they had an^ 
 ground to rebel, bat, on the contrary, recognising that their 
 best interest was to be found in the preservation of the 
 peace and in the prosperity of the country, they enlisted 
 on behalf of their Queen and their country, and aided 
 in preventing the success of the rebellion. So far as the 
 half-breeds in the Saskatchewan district were concerned, 
 the Indian title had in fact been extinguished. Now,^ 
 Sir, as to this question generally, what are the 
 facts? There is no doubt whatever there were great 
 differences of opinion in the North- West as to the best 
 means of dealing with the Indian title. The hon. gentle- 
 man has read from the proceedings of the North- West 
 Council, their proposed method of dealing with this matter. 
 I will repeat the resolution of the council, but first let me 
 look at the recommendation of Archbishop Tachd than whom, 
 as the hon. gentleman very properly said, no one is in a 
 
 gwition to speak with more authority in relation to the 
 orth-West matters. Now, his Grace the Archbishop 
 recommended this : 
 
 " I estimate the half-breed popalation actually ia the North- West Uy 
 number about 1,200 families." 
 
 The House will excuse my repeating the quotation made 
 by the hon. gentleman : 
 
 " Well, let the Government make twelve reserves for them in the very 
 places the half-breeds themselves would like to have them. 
 
 " Each reserve should be for 100 families at least, and contain an area 
 of 12 square miles of available land — that is to say, the extent of four 
 townships. All the half-breeds, men, women and children, residing in 
 North-West on the iBt January, 1879, ought to receive two non-negoti- 
 able scrips for 80 acres of land each ; to be located by them in anyone of 
 the twelve above-mentioned reserves." 
 
 You will notice that the Archbishop's suggestion is that 
 they should have 160 acres of land, precisely the qnautity 
 of land which the hou. gentleman says was inferior to that 
 which was given in Manitoba, where the children of half- 
 breeds had 240 acres, and for proposing which he condemned 
 the Government — 
 
 "Said lands could neither be sold, mortgaged nor taxed before they 
 should have passed through the hands of at least the third geueration of 
 these who received them, or of their representatives. I say, at least, 
 because I am strongly inclined to believe that it is desirable that such 
 land be entirely unalienable ; and euch idea cannot seem unreasonable 
 to those who consider the advantages deriving from a similar policy 
 with regard to real and inalieubble estates of noblemen. Raise the 
 half-breeds to the condition of landlords ; you will thereby confer a real 
 benefit on them and we will not see a repetition of tne regrettable occur- 
 rence which took place in Manitoba." 
 
 That was the suggestion of His Grace the Archbishop. Look- 
 ing at it as a practical man, and not pretending lor u moment 
 
 **5 
 
41 
 
 "^ 
 
 to have anything like the authority in dealing with the 
 affairs of the half-breeds that His Grace has, I think the 
 people of this oonntry, as a whole, would not have favored 
 the setting apart of twelve reserves, whioh were to be abso- 
 lutely inalienable, and were not to be subject to taxation, 
 and to establish, in fact, a system of landlordism in the 
 North-West. But, leaving that aside, what had we from 
 the North- West Council ? This is a body representing the 
 people of the North- West, a representative Dotly .vhioh is 
 suppc'sed to speak for the people of the North- West, and the 
 very llrst resolution they presented was a condemnation of 
 the policy of His Grace. In their first resolution they 
 declare : 
 
 " That it woald be injndiciouB to set apart reseryes of land for th& 
 half-breedi of the North- West Territory, or g^re them n^gotiaole scrip."' 
 
 So you will see that the first people to object to the policy 
 suggested by His Grace were the representatives of the peo- 
 pie of the North* West themselves, in council assembled, 
 in the very petition for not obeying whioh, for not accept- 
 ing which, for not dealing in accordance with which, this 
 Government has been attacked both in Parliament and in 
 the country. What did they propose? Here was their 
 proposition : 
 
 " That in view, however, of the fact that grants of land or issaes of 
 scrip were made to the half-breeds of Manitoba towards the extinguish- 
 ment of ttie Indian title to the lands of that Province, there will 
 undoubtedly be general dissatisfaction amou,; the half-breeds of the 
 said Territories unless they receive some like consideration. That this 
 consideration would most tend to the advantage of the half-breeds were 
 it given in the form of a non-transferable location ticket for, say 160- 
 acres to each half-breed head of a family and each half-breed child of 
 parents resident in the said Territories at the time of the transfer thereof 
 to Canada, the ticket to be issued immediately to any half-breed eighteen 
 years of age or over, on furnishing evidence of claim, and to evei-y child 
 on arriving at that age, and furnishing the necessary evidence." 
 
 So you will see that the proposal there was again 160 acres, 
 to be given to the head of a family, and to the child on 
 arriving at the age of eighteen years : 
 
 " That each half-breed holding such a location ticket should be 
 allowed to locate it upon any unoccupied Dominion landd, bat the 
 title of the land so entered should remain in the Grown for ten yeais: 
 and if, at the expiration of three years after such entry, the half-breed 
 locatee has made no improvement on the land, his claim thereto shall 
 be subject to forfeiture." 
 
 That was the proposal of the North- West Council, a proposal 
 which would have placed every half-breed in an interior 
 position to any ordinary f jttler going into the North- West. 
 They were to have 160 acres each ; any settler can go into 
 the North- West and get 160 acres. They were to make 
 improvements for three years or were to bo deprived of the 
 
43 
 
 land ; any settler can, on making improvements on bis land 
 for three years, get his patent ; but they were not to get 
 their patent ; the land was to be inalienable for seven years 
 longer, and they were to continue to reside npon it during 
 that time. So that the proposal of the NortlinWest Council 
 was one that would place every half-breed in a position 
 inferior to that of a white settler going in there, and would 
 have left him without any claim, not even the right whi^h 
 is given under the law to any man who chooses to 
 take up a homestead in the North- West. Would anyone 
 pretend to say that the Government would have met the 
 views of the half-breeds if they had accepted that propo> 
 sition ? When the time came to settle these claims with 
 the half-breeds, when they had the opportunity of taking 
 240 acres for each child of a half-breed born in the Ter- 
 ritories before 18*70, how many of them took the land? 
 Why, an infinitesBimally small number took the land, the 
 great majority taking scrip instead. The papers before the 
 House tell us that a meeting was held at Fort Qu'Appelle 
 at which were adopted resolutions in which the naif- 
 breeds declared that they would not take scrip, bat 
 would insist upon having land. That was telegraphed 
 down to Ottawa by Mr. Street. Mr. Street was at 
 once instructed to comply with the request of the half- 
 breeds, and give them their settlement in the manner most 
 conducive to their wishes. Yet, when the time came to 
 settle the matter, when the opportunity was given them, I 
 think I am right in saying that but two took land out 
 of all those who put in claims, all the rest taking the 
 half-breed scrip instead. So we have the recommendation 
 of His Grace Archbishop Tach^, we have the recommenda- 
 tion of the North- West Council, both of which recommended 
 that land alone should be given, both of which recommended 
 that the half-breeds should remain upon that land on penalty 
 of forfeiture, both of which recommended that land should 
 be inalienable for a certain period, the one for three genera- 
 tions, and the other for ten years ; and yet, when the half- 
 breeds came to deal with the matter in their own way, they 
 all took simply scrip, which I am sorry to say most of them 
 sold for a very small sum indeed. They took scrip and 
 thus showed that they did not agree with the suggestion 
 made by those who were perhaps best fitted to advise them, 
 but they took the course which the Government permitted 
 them to take as a last reeort rather than allow them to 
 continue to feel that they had any grievances at all. I 
 made this statement in the west a short time ago, and Mr. 
 Jackson, to whom reference h.'\8 been made, who is a perso- 
 nal friend of my own, with whom I have friendly corres- 
 
 '(^ 
 
 '.^ '^ 
 
 Ar^ 
 
 i. 
 
 ■f.v 
 
'(^ 
 
 43f 
 
 '.^ "^ 
 
 'V^ 
 
 I 
 
 ■f.k 
 
 poDdenoe all the time, delivered a speech in Fort Qa'Appelle 
 m which he undertook to answer this part of the statement 
 which I made in a speech delivered in Ontario. He said : 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, with regard to the aaestion of the issue of scrip 
 or land, just let me say this— and mj rriend, Mr. Fisher, who was 
 there, will bear me out in it— that, at the first sitting of the commis- 
 sion, I myself and other gentlemen who were presumed to have influ- 
 ence with the half-breeds, urged upon them the almost absolute neces- 
 sity of taking land. On the first day, about 70 per cent, agreed to take 
 land instead of scrip. In the meantime, and about this time, the fight 
 at Duck Lake had taken place. The Indians felt there that they had 
 whipped the troops. Riel despatched ranners and agents all over the 
 country. One was despatched to Fort Qu'Appelle to circulate reports 
 oftbeir success amongst the half-breeds. Aoout this time the rumor 
 reached here from half-breed sources that Riel was to prove yictorious, 
 that the half-breeds had better not take land ; that they should take 
 ■crip, buy what they could, and the land would ultimately belong to 
 them. That is what induced them t)take land. (Ur. Fisner. That is 
 80.) These are facts." 
 
 Now, Sir, what does that mean ? It means that what these 
 people were rebelling for was not the extingaishment of 
 their Indian title but to obtain possession of the country ; it 
 was not the permission to hunt for buffalo, nor to fish, but it 
 was simply for the purpose of getting possession of the whole 
 country. As soon as ever, according to the testimony of Mr. 
 Jackson their own friend, there was a prospect of getting the 
 whole country, then they took the scrip. They said : We will 
 take this from the Government in the meantime, it is 
 Government money, and we will have the whole land in the 
 JNorth-West afterwards. Now I shoald be sorry, for one, to 
 believe so ill of the half-breeds of tbe Qu'Appelle district, 
 but the testimony comes from tw. of their friends, from 
 Mr. Jackson, their representative in the North- West 
 Council, and from Mr. Fisher, who was one of their 
 most sincere admirers and trusted leaders, and we 
 cannot do otherwise than to assume that these gentle- 
 men knew what they were talking about when they made 
 such a serious charge against the half breeds as that they 
 took the scrip because they thought they would get all the 
 land afterwards, and not in any sense in extinguishment of 
 their Indian titles. There were, let me say, other griev- 
 ances, other complaints, made by the half-breeds. Keference 
 has been made to the letter of Bishop Grandin, und to 
 letters and interviews by father Leduc and Mr. Maloney. 
 Well, Sir, so far as Bishop Grandin is concerned, I am 
 inclined to think that the most important petition presented 
 by him was presented to the late Government, and that as 
 to the principal parts of it, it was dealt with by the late 
 Government. Bishop Grandin said : 
 
 " Ist. Before all, I ask some encouragement for tbe settlers. The 
 Oatholic missionaries have done almost impossible things in this direc- 
 
44 
 
 tion. Thej' hare at diflferent plaoea three milla. For the third time we 
 have tried to erect oae in the colony ot St. Albert^bnhold more than 
 Jb'900 atg. which we have sacrificed for it ; and we are still oncertain 
 whether we shall succeed. That the GovernmeDb may, on their part, 
 deign to do something to encourage agriculture. 
 
 "2nd. Aid for a hospital— at least to construct it, and put it in a oom- 
 ditlon to : :GeiTe the sick. 
 
 *< 3rd Aid for schools. The Government makes large outlay for 
 education in all Oanada Is our North'West to be alone withheld assist- 
 ance ? It cannot be said that we required help less than other parts of 
 the country. 
 
 " 4th. Aid for our orphan asylums, that we may increase these estab- 
 lishments, so as to be able to take in a greater number of little savages. 
 
 *' 5th. Ooncession of land for each orphan asylum or model farm. 
 
 " 6th. Reserve of land for the children thus brought ap, and aid to 
 help them on to a little farm once thpy are married. 
 
 '' 7th. And lastly, that the reserves to be made over to the Indiana be 
 of arable land, and situated near fishing lakes" 
 
 Now, Sir, these claims were dealt with as far back as 1375, 
 in a letter addressed by Lieutenant-Governor Laird to 
 His Lordship, under instructions, of course, from the 
 Goveroment here. This is what he says : 
 
 *< The Superintendent General cannot but congratulate Your Lordship 
 upon the efforts made by the mission, especially by the establishment of 
 mills to enable the settlers to utilise the grain raised in your diocese." 
 
 Well, Sir, there was some taffy in that, but there was not 
 much sabstance. 
 
 " The Supericiendent General wishes to remind you that this is a sub- 
 ject which will properly come within the province of the Local Govern- 
 ment soon to bd inaugurated in the North-West. He thinks, however, 
 that it is obvious that the measures now being taken by the Dominioa 
 
 Governmeut to carry a railroad and telegraph line through the Terri- 
 tories must have the effect of opening up the country and of facilitating 
 transfer through it, and in this way caanot fail to give an impetus to 
 the agricultural interest of the Territory." 
 
 Well, Sir, the hope held out to Bishop Grandin was that 
 this Pacific Railway, built on the line which hon. gentlemen 
 oppouite say it should have been built on, gradually, as 
 settlement went on, some day or other would reach them, 
 and that they must keep their courage up until that event 
 occurred, when probably they would have the advantage of 
 the transportat'loi) that line could afford then. He goes on : 
 
 " The second, third and fourth heads referred to by you, are all matters 
 w^icb come especially within the province of the Local Legislature. 
 
 There was not much encouragement in that. 
 
 " With regard to the third bead, I may remark that the Dominion 
 Lands Act makes pri^vieion by a liberal land grant to aid general 
 educatiocal purposes in the Territories, and bo far as the Indians are 
 .oncerned, the iJominion Government will, no doubt, be prepared, when 
 the Territory is surrendered, to make the same provisions there as else- 
 where by treaty for Indian schools. In the meantime, I am directed by 
 the Minister to transmit to Your Lordship an official cheque for the sum 
 of $300 in aid ot the school at St. Albert, autb^.ised by Orderin Council 
 
 i 
 
 f 
 
 m 
 
mum I 
 
 L 
 
 45 
 
 of the 22nd October, 1873. As is Msamed from Your Lordsbip's report, 
 that the average attendance of Indian children at tbia school ia not less 
 than the number required by the Order in Oouncil, viz., twenty-five. 
 
 So that (300 seems to have been the whole extent of the 
 answer given to these several propositions of Bishop 
 Grandin : 
 
 '* Any one of the other schools which Your Lordship may think proper 
 to select will be entiUed to a similar one for the current year, provided, 
 of course, the average attendance of Indian children throughout the year 
 is not lesa than twenty- five. 
 
 " As to the fifth head, namely, concessions of lands lor orphan asylnms 
 and mode < farms, the Superintendent General is not prepared at present 
 to make any definite pledge on behalf of the Government. On this 
 point, the Superintendent General will be able to speak more definitely 
 after a treaty has been made, and when the question of the extent of 
 land asked for, tor the purposes above mentioned, is more accurately 
 known. 
 
 " The sixth head refers to large question of public policy, on what it 
 would be manifestly too premature at present to pronounce an opinion. 
 The settlers of the North- West have good grounds for believing that the 
 Dominion Government will deal liberally with them. There is a sufiB- 
 cienoy of land in the Territory fur all of them and their children, and it 
 is earnestly to be hoped that they vill cultivate as much of it as possible, 
 and secure for themselves comfortable homes in the country to which 
 they belong. 
 
 " As regards the seventh head, namely, the reserves for the Indians. 
 This matter has hitherto been fully provided for, and all treaties made 
 with the Indians, by which assistance in money and agricultural imple- 
 ments has always been secured to them, and there can be no reason to 
 doubt that these matters will be dealt with in a similar spirit of liberality 
 in future treaties. 
 
 "The reservation secured to the Indians will, no doubt, have a fair 
 
 Proportion of arable land, and will include, when it is practicable, any 
 shing lakes which the Indians may desire to avail themselves of." 
 
 Now, Mr: Speaker, that was the answer to the petition of 
 Bishop Grandin, and I will abk hon. gentlemen opposite 
 whether it gave mach encouragement to his Lordship to 
 hope that his prayers would be acceded to. There was, in 
 addition to this answer by the Lieutenant-Governor, an 
 answer by the hon. Minister of the Interior himself to similar 
 requests, which was dated on the 17th March, 1878, and in 
 that we have this statement of his views of the position of 
 the half-breeds of the North- West, and the manner in which 
 they should be dealt with : 
 
 " The application of the petitioners to be aided by the Government with 
 seeds and agricultural implements in their farming operations, I confess 
 I am not disposed to view favorably. I do not see upon what grounds 
 the half-breeds can claim to be treated in this particular differently from 
 the white settlers of the Territories. 
 
 " The half-breeda, who have in some respects the advantage over new 
 settlers in the Territories, should be impressed with the necessity of 
 settling down in fixed localities, and direct their energies towards 
 pastoral or agricultural pursuits, in which case lands would be no doubt 
 assigned to them in the same way as the white settlers. But beyond 
 this they must not look to the Government for any special assistance in 
 their farming operations." 
 
46 
 
 
 I'.;i .' 
 
 So that was the opinion of the late Minister of the Interior, 
 the hon. member for Both well (Mr. Mills). He took the 
 ground that the half-breeds, if they oonsulted their own 
 interests and the interests of the country, would settle down 
 and become ordinary settlers, pointing out to them that in 
 doing so they had large advantages over white settlers, 
 they being old residents of the country and knowing a good 
 deal about it. So much for that matter. Then there' was 
 the question of surveys, about which a good deal has been 
 said. I think no ol ^ will pretend to say that so far as the 
 question of surveys was concerned this Parliament is not 
 omnipotent The law was passed in lb71 which fixed the 
 method of survey in the North-West. The law was 
 continued by hon. gentlemen opposite, and the surveys 
 were made on the same principle As they began, 
 so the present Government continued, and the instnic> 
 tions went to the surveyors that whenever they found 
 settlers upon land, and those settlers desired survey on 
 the river lot principle, the surveys were to be given 
 to them on that prmoiple, and thev were as a matter 
 of fact so given to them. The only place where those 
 surveys were not given was in the ramous parish of 
 St. Louis de Langevin, and, as we know from the evidence 
 already furnished to the public, at the time the surveys 
 were made, there were but two settlers on the land, and, 
 therefore, it was not a case in which survey by river lots 
 could be adopted. Settlers went in afterwards and took np 
 land, some of them according to the section or block system of 
 survey, and some have made entry in accordance with that 
 survey. They have aslted since that the system be changed. 
 They have been informed, and they have always Men 
 informed, that if they chose to take their lands in ten chains 
 or twenty chains frontage, they would have the privilege 
 of doing so; but that the principle cannot be recognised, 
 that the Government having once surveyed territory unoo> 
 cupied at the time of survey, persons going into that terri- 
 tory afterwards cannot demand that a different system of 
 survey be adopted. I think there is nothing unreasonable 
 and nothing improper in that, because, in so far as the sur* 
 veys are concerned, it cannot be said that the half-breeds 
 should have any more rights than any other class of set- 
 tlers who might choose to go in, and a fiEirmer from Ontario 
 going into any part of the Norlh-West and preferring the 
 Ontario system of '^urvey, might as well ask to have that 
 plan followed — having gone in there after the surveys had 
 oeen made — as that the half-breeds, who went in after 
 survey could demand a change in the system. But, as I have 
 said, they have been assured from the .first, that if they 
 
•«v 
 
 47 
 
 desire to have the land in ten or twenty chain lots, they can 
 have it on that principle, and that information has 
 been given by the officer of the Gover*tment on the 
 spot, so that they can get their lands in that way 
 if they desire. Then there is the question of the lands 
 themselves, of the patents. I venture to make this state* 
 ment, and no one has hitherto at any rate, that I have heardy 
 ventured to contradict it, that no single half-breed has ever 
 been put off his land by any applicant, that no single half- 
 breed has ever lost en acre of land by any action of the 
 Government. They have, on the contrary, been pressed to 
 make their entries, and, if, to-day, they have not their 
 patents the fact is due, not to the eystem adopted, but 
 entirely to the fact that they themselves had not taken 
 reasonable steps to get their patents. Let me point out to 
 the Houite what the Government have done in relation to 
 patents for land; and after all I think it was of the greatest 
 poissible importance to them that they should procure the 
 land on which they had settled, which they were tilling 
 and on which they had made their homes. I have here a 
 letter addressed to Mr, William Pearce, a member of the 
 Land Board, by Mr. G^rge Duck, who was agent at Prince 
 Albert, and I will read that letter simply for the purpose 
 of showing what pains the Government took in oraer that 
 those people might be informed how they cjuld get their 
 patents, in order that they might be indncK., if possible, to 
 secure their patents, and in tLat way remove all possible 
 doubt as to their legal posseission of their property. The 
 letter is as follows :— 
 
 ** Pbinoi irLBiBT, 17th December, 1886. 
 
 " Dbab Sib,— It having been reported to the Minister of the Interior 
 daring his late visit here that there were a large number of claimants to 
 lands within the parishes of St. Laurent, St Loois de LanseTin and in 
 tibe vicinity of the South Saskatchewan River, more particularlv among 
 theFrdnch-8;.jakinffpopnlation, whose claims to the land had not yet 
 been investimted and who therefore coold not obtain entry, this state- 
 ment is based on iasa£Bcieat data, as the lists of those claimants which 
 I have assisted you in preparing will show." 
 
 These lists are attached to the report of Mr. Pearce, which 
 has been submitted to the House. 
 
 "Upon receiving your instmctions in March, 1884,"— 
 
 That was some months before Biel came into the country. — 
 
 " to investigate these claims I consalted with the Reverend Pdre Andr6, 
 the superior of the distdct, as to the best time to carry out the invest- 
 igation and obtain the information desired. He told me that as many of 
 the claimants were then away from home engaged in freighting, 
 I bad better postpone my visit until after Easter, when tbey woufd 
 all be at home putting in their cropo. I did so t * left here for Batoche 
 early in May. On my way up I called in at Oranuin, where I met Fire 
 Andr6 who told me that he had been waiting for me to tell me that the 
 
 „ -. ^ -_'?=-LtrTur*Krt 
 
48 
 
 ptople bad been boldiag a series of meetiDgs tbroushout tbe settlemeat 
 and they had decided amooff other things that they would make no 
 applications for entry for their lands in the oiBce here. After oonsnltatioh 
 with him I thoaght it advisable to secure hit lervices to explain fully 
 and clearly tbe nature of my mission and to show to the people the 
 fatility of any such resolution on their part. He went with me u> 
 Batocne, and at an interview held in the house of Binmannel Obampagn'e 
 explained fally rov object and adrised them to fyle affidariti in support 
 of their claims. The investigation w*^ then proceeded with in as careful 
 and tborongh a manner a* possible, and it will be seen upon reference 
 to the list numbered 2 before referred to that of the ^38 claimants 99 were 
 Included in tbe investigation held by me and whose claims were reported 
 upon, 20 had settled upon lands and had not then or afterwards made entry 
 in accordance with the section survey, 2 had settled in 1S84 and made 
 no application for entry or iSled any evidence of 'occupation, leaving 
 17 claimants whose claims were not investigated, which number includes 
 the names of Mo'ise Ouellette and others who refused to prefer any 
 evidence in regard to their land matters. It was reported to me as long 
 ago as 1882 that these people, even those who had settled and claimed 
 their lands in accordance with the existing survey, had been advised by 
 . oertain interested parties not to make entry for their lands, for what 
 reason I am unaware unless to coerce the Government into another 
 system of survey on the banks of the river. From the suheUuie prepared 
 you will see how few weie then settlers, on the river, some 42 la all, of 
 whom 22 could have obtained entry if they so desired at that time. 
 
 " With reference to the list numbered 1, which includes the names of 
 76 claimants, 65 have made entry, 1 (Oardinal) has settled on a school 
 section subsequent to the|^|«^^the township being received at the 
 office here, leaviuir 19 wM^^Blever applied for entry but who could 
 have made entrv if they ui^Bb desired. In accordance with your 
 instructions to Mr. Oauvreau, tBe assistant agent here, in August, 1883, 
 that gentleman visited tbe different parts of the district in MaU numbers 
 1, 2 and 3, and explained to them tolly the Lands' Act as bearing upon 
 their claims. Upon his return he informed me that the chief reply that 
 he had received from the people he visited was that they were poor and 
 bad not the money to make entry. There were no other conplaints of 
 anv nature. 
 
 '< With reference to list number 3 of the schedule containing the 
 names of 46 claimants, 7 have made homestead entry, 24 filed evidence 
 of claim before me in July last, 9 were file i before you, this month, of 
 whom tbe majority were absent at the time of my visit, while the 
 remainder failed to represent their claims although requested by me to 
 do so. Of the remainder, 6 have failed to make any application at all 
 before anyone by reason of their «it»5ence either as refugees in the 
 United States or as prisoners at Hegina, on account of the recent out- 
 break, this number includes the claim of the Roman Gatholic mission, 
 and as so much has been said about this land I mi^ht say that no claim 
 has ever been preferred by any of the Oblats for this land. 
 
 " I might state that in reference to the question of hay permits repre- 
 sentation was made by me to the Depanment in June, 1884, to the 
 effect that whereas the hay question was not of that character to warrant 
 the imposition of dues for the protection of the small settler as against 
 the stockman, instructions were sent me not to collect any such fees, 
 and no permits have been issued in this district. 
 
 " I have the honor to be. Sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 " GEO. DUCK. 
 " William PKAiiuB, Psq , 
 
 "Superintendent, Land Board, Winnipeg." 
 
 That is the letter from Mr. George Duck, showing that in 
 1883 Mr. Gaavreau was sent there to impress on these peo- 
 ple the necessity of procuring their patents and to instruct 
 
TTT 
 
 h 
 
 Vi 
 
 . 
 
 ,: 
 
 49 
 
 th^m as to the manncir of obtaioing them; thi^t in 188^ Hr. 
 Back prooared the assiatanoe of Father Andr^, a|id f{g^[u 
 attempted to explain to the people hqw tbe^ ooul^ ^et lifeir 
 Up(^8| and that the diffionlty ia their obtaining their fan^ 
 was not dne to any act of the Governjoaent, or anything over 
 
 which thciy had control, hut w^ 4^® ^^ ^^® ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ 
 them to their poverty and in the case of others to their 
 uiiwmingi)^ to ma^o entry at 'all. Th^ ig np doubt i^ 
 l^i: f^ th9 patjonts ^ the lan^ flir^ pQi^cer^(»4> t^4t if t\ke 
 halfbreeds have not their patepts to-day, to them and 
 io theij^ ^\9^P i<3 4uc tljat fact. Thep. Sir, we hacj the 
 ft^tequjEll^t m%4e— rW tiPnight, |t is tru^, oat ^e have h«d 
 it disoasMd all over toie oonnury, we l^ave bad it disoassea 
 in Parliamftnt, apd on the hustio^, that the Government 
 li^d ijp^ually feven t^p p^plo tf? rebJfllion, by gra^jViflg 
 
 % portion of the lands upon whiph they ^ 
 
 tieatoaopk 
 
 •ttomptAd tc _ 
 
 h^re the affidavits of every settler in the parish of St. 
 I^We 4p Lwgevin, ^ith ope or t^o exoeptipns. I sl^alj 
 not trouble the 4ouee witli reading ^^i^. ^at with the8<» 
 exceptions every one of the setttoiB on that tract of conn- 
 try, which was sapposed to \)^ given to the Prince A.lbert 
 Colonisation Commuiy, declared either that he did not knpw 
 of the existence of such a coinpanj;, apd therefpre ooald not 
 hnow that the land had been awardea to the company, and in 
 the case of one or two who did know it, they had been assured 
 by the agent that they u^ i^ot> be ii^ the slightest degree 
 alarmpfl* bepai^se the cpmpai^y had np ppwpr to turn t^pm 
 0^ the laud, being pimply the ((geijts of the Government 
 for tjie s^lbtlement of tlie land, ^nd tliey were guaranteed 
 by the Government tlhe possession of at least 320 acres 
 like other settlers. 
 
 Mr. PAYIfiS. Will the hon. gentleman lay the affidavits 
 on the /Table. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). I will put them in Hansard, 
 which is better, and will save time. 
 
 Mr. DAYIES. Better put them on the Table first. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). I am endeavoring to comply 
 with the rule of the hon. member for North Iforfolk (Mr. 
 Charlton), whose resolution I entirely approved of, in rela- 
 tipp to short speeches, and will therefore not detain the 
 House by reading all the affidavits. V^ith its permission I 
 will band them to the reporters. Here is one affidavit 
 which was made by Mr. Norman McKenzie. You heard it 
 re^ th^B mprning, sp I dp not think it is worth while red- 
 ing it again. 
 4 
 
60 
 
 An hon. MBMBEK. The Houo was not in Session this 
 morninff. 
 Mr. WHITB (Oardwell). True ; so I will read it. 
 
 f I, Normaa McKen/Je, of Seo. 12, Tp. 46, 
 ( R. 27, W. 2ad U., make oath and Bay :— 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 NORMAN MoKENZIE. 
 
 North- WiBT Tirbitobiib : 
 To Wit : 
 
 iBt. In the autamn of 1883 1 parohaied the claim of one Oiborne to a 
 
 Sortion of leotioni 12 and 18, in townihip 4S, ranse 27, west of 2nd, and 
 aring the visit of Mr. Pearce to Prince Albert in January and Febmary, 
 1884, when adJOBtinft the olaimB of BCttlers in the Prince Albert diBtrlet, 
 I Bpolce to mm abont that claim, Btating I anderetood that portion of 
 township 46, R. 37, W. 2, lying aouth of the river, had been handed 
 over to the Prince Albert Oolonization Company, and aslied if I woald 
 be safe in going on and improving the claim. His reply was that I was 
 perfectly safe in going ahead, that bo far as settlement in advance of 
 their opening their agency, and even afterwards, when on even sections, 
 was just thD same as any other lands in the Prince Albert district. That, 
 so far as the even sectionB were concerned, the Oolonization Oompany 
 was merely agent tor the Minister of the Interior, to grant homestead 
 and pre-emption entries thereon, and any settlers on odd sections, in 
 advance or the Oolonization Oompany establishing their agency, the 
 Minister of the Interior reserving in the agreement with the Oolonization 
 Oompany the right to srant to each and every such settler, land to the 
 extent of 320 acres, and in my case, if I was a bend fide settler, I wonld 
 most certainly be protected. 
 
 2nd. I never was told by anyone that I would not obtain my entry 
 as desired. In fact, it was always represented to me by the Department 
 of the Interior land officials, that I would obtain my entry, and Lave 
 been notified that I can malce entry, and purpose doing so shortly. 
 
 Sworn before me, in Township 47, 
 Range 26, west of 2nd M., this Uth 
 day of December, 1886. 
 
 (Signed) Wn. Pbaroi, 
 Snpt. 
 
 That is the affidavit of Mr. Norman MoKenzie. 
 
 Mr. LAURIBE. What is the date ? 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Oardwell). The date is the 11th of Decern- 
 her, 18S5. I suppose the date does not affeot the veracity 
 of the man who swears. I hope the hon. gentleman after 
 his frightfal attack upon the Government for having 
 insulted the half-breeds, by bringing down a return, is not 
 going to suggest that all the half breeds swore falsely, in 
 order to help the Government out of a difficulty. 
 
 Mr. LAUKTER My question did not imply that. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Oardwell). If not that, it implies nothing. 
 Here is another affidavit, from one of the two first settlers : 
 
 '°^"- (oath and say: 
 
 Ist. That I am 23 years of age^ came with my fa ''her, Jean Baptiste 
 Boucher, my sister, Marie LaviUie, a widow, and my brothers, Jean 
 Baptiste Boucher, junior, and Oharles Eugene Boucher. The latter 
 attained the age of 18 years on the 1st December, 1882, together with 
 several other younger brothers and sisters, in August^ 1882 ; and have 
 resided in my father's house on the N.W. |-sec. 11, m said township, 
 continnously since, up to this date. Oame From Baie St. Paul, and par- 
 ticipated in the Manitoba half-breed grant. 
 
 "i 
 
 4 
 
ei 
 
 )! 
 
 i» 
 
 •«; 
 
 
 lad. That my lister, Marie LaTlIlie, and my brother, Obfts. Kagine 
 Boaeheri have also been in mj father's house, oontinaorslj, Binoe 
 AagQSt, 1882, except my sister, who has lired in Prinoe Albert since 
 last Maroh. 
 
 3rd. About 2 weeks after we eame here, this township was sarveved. 
 At that time we had about 2 aorps of brealcing ; my brother Oharles 2 
 ftarrows ; my sister Marie had about 1 acre ; my brother Jean Baptiste 
 Boucher, junior, not certain whether lie had any or not. 
 
 4tb. My sister, Marie LaviUie, has 1 child, and has done no further 
 imprOTeraents on the land. 
 
 •th. I hare now at least 10 acres of breaking, set of house logs worth 
 about $50, and fencing to the extent of 20 chains, worth $30. 
 
 6tb. My brother Bug&ue has 2 acres breaking and a set cf house logs 
 which he sold, and also 30 chains of fencing. 
 
 7th. At the time of the survey we were told by the surveyor that we 
 were on a school section ; but be said he supposed it was all right, and 
 that we would obtain entry. Since th<>n have never been told that we 
 eould not obtain entry. Deferred urging to obtain entry, thinkintr this 
 would be surveyed into river lots, or entry eranted so as practically to 
 give that. Heard this land was within a colonisation company's tract, 
 but no official of that company ever said anything to me, nor do I 
 believe, to any of the family, or I should have neara of it. The fact of 
 this land being within a colonisation company's tract never gave my 
 father, brother, sister, or myself any concern whatever, as we always 
 believed we woald eventually obtain entry as we desired. 
 
 Sworn before me, at Township 46,> 
 Range 24, W. 2ni1 Meridian, this 9th day 
 of December, 18s.j, having been first read 
 over and explaiued to him, and he seemed ' 
 thorouffhly to understaud the same. 
 (Signed) Wm. Piaroi, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 SOLOMON BOUCHER. 
 
 North-Wbbt Tbbbitobiib 
 To wit : 
 
 '"^tion 
 (.2ndi 
 
 Jean Baptiste Boucher, junior, of Sec" 
 10, Township 45, Range 27, west of the 
 meridian, farmer, make oath and say 
 
 Ist. That I have heard read over to me the foregoing affidavit of Sol' 
 omon Boucher, my brother, concerning the lands mentioned by him and 
 now claimed by myself, my brothers, a sister and mother (and by my 
 mother on behalf of my father, Jean Baptiste Boucher, senior), ang that 
 the same is true and correct in every particular, with the except)<^n that 
 at the date of the survey by Hugh Wilson, D.L.S., in 1882, 1 had 1^ acres 
 of breaking on the westerly 10 chains of section 11-45-27, W. 2, which 
 land I now claim as a pre-emption, and that I particularly state I never 
 heard, nor do I think my family ever heard that the Government had 
 disposed of the land, and that I could not eventually obtain entry there- 
 for, nor that any of the settlers in Township 45, R. 27, W. 2 M. could 
 not obtain entry for their lands as claimed. 
 
 Sworn before me at Township 47, Range' 
 26, West of 2nd Meridian, this Uth day of 
 December, 1885. iiaving been first read 
 over and explained, and he thoroughly 
 seemed to understand the same. 
 
 (Signed) Wh. Pbarob, 
 
 Superintendent. ^ 
 
 (Signed) 
 J. BAPTISTE BOUCHER. 
 
 North- Wist Tbrritoribs : ) I, William Bremner, of Section 10-45-27, 
 To wit : j west 2nd M., farmer, make oath and say : 
 
 1st. That I came from the parish of St. Charles, in Manitoba, in Aug- 
 ust, 1882, with my sons Moise Joseph and Alexander, and my aon-in-law 
 J. Baptiste Boucher, to township 45-27, W. 2, and have resided here ever 
 since ; lived in St. Charles about 40 years previously. 
 
 4J 
 
42 
 
 ^od. Tbftt %boi^ttvQw«iAk| fiftQc I iQttled h9re 
 by qugb WUlOAi u.L.% At the time qf Bjurvej I 
 
 the iQTTey ifaa mtd* 
 
 broken, «n(| the fqanqatipn of » hoa«« i^id. Hj aon Uoiaa had nq im- 
 proreraentB and remained with me till the foUowinfr spring. Uj tian 
 41eximd«r had the foandation of 41 hooae laid qo the 6.-W. i 10, which 
 he g%Te to my 9on WUlit^m, whq arrived the followiog year, and then 
 began to hare building mentioned on E ^ of W. ^ section S, %nd com- 
 pleted the houae and commenced to reiide thereon in the autnmn of 
 1884. My son Jofeph had qq imprqrementq at time of gnnrey. Cfqm- 
 menoed to prepare for building in the winter of 1882-83, and commenced 
 residence in the antnmn qf 1885, bqt has been farming it for the past two 
 years, liring, however, with me My son William, since the summer of 
 1888 has been living on the S.-W. ^ section 10 till the summer of 1889. 
 
 3rd. That at the time of sarvey we had not made up our minds how we 
 would take the land. I came vp here on account of my family. They 
 desired the land to be taken up as river lots, and we decided to try and 
 obtain it that way. My son Alexander concluded he would be too much 
 criunped sq gave his claim to William Bremner and moved to secticn 6. 
 We nev^r applied fqr entry at p. L. office, Prince Albert, waiting to 
 |ee whether entry wonld be granted in 10 chain river frqnta^e or not. 
 
 4th. That I never w^e tqlq, nqr do ^ beliisve, my sqns or son-in-law 
 were, or 1 should have heard qf it, that we wnld not qbtain entry foe 
 the land as we desired it Qlel qnc9 tcld me, possibly we wqula no^ 
 obtain it Had we believed htm we would ^hen nave abandoned it, nor 
 continued to mf k^ tt^tther improyements as we have done. 
 
 Bworn before me at Prince Albert, ' 
 this 9th day of Deceipber, ^885,' aftqf 
 
 plained to him thoronghlv whifl^ h^ 
 seemed to understand fully. 
 (Signed) William Prarob, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 KM) WIPI'IAM + QB9MNJSB. 
 mark 
 
 No^fTif- 
 
 ^r^i??'"'°"'"= { 
 
 I, Molae Brepiner, of Secticn 10, Tp. 46, 
 Range 27, W. 2nd M., farmer, make qath 
 and say : 
 
 lat. That I am the Moiae Bremner mentioned in the foregoing affidavit 
 qf my father. Wm. Bremner, and that I have heard read qver tq m^'the 
 fqrieigping affidavit qf aaid Wm. Bremner, and that all the atatemeniij 
 therein contained are true in substance and in fact, and I particularly 
 declare that I, nor do I believe any of the settlera in Townabip 45, Range 
 27, W. 2nd M , were ever told by any que who cquld speak with any 
 authqrity qr whq knew anything reliable abqut qur land claimi, that 
 anyqne would Iqse his qr her claim. 
 
 Sworn before me at Section 10—45—27, 
 W. 2nd, this 9th day of December, 1886, 
 having first been read over and explained 
 to him, who seemed to fully understand 
 the same. 
 
 (Signed) Wx. Pbaroh, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 MOISB BREMNER. 
 
 North- Wbst Territories 
 Tq Wit : 
 
 fl, Jqseph Bremner, qf Sectiqn 10, Tp. 46, 
 Range 27, W. 2nd M., farmer, make qath 
 and say : 
 
 1st That I am the Jqseph Bremner mentiv'ued in the affidavit qf Wm. 
 Bremner, my father, corroborated by my brothers Moise and Alexander 
 in ah affidavit dated the 9th December, 1886, respecting the laud claims 
 of the said William Bremner, Moise Bremner and Alexander Bremner, 
 
 
 ii 
 
M^ 
 
 53 
 
 and my own claim, and those of settlers fieaerally in. Township 4S, 
 Rao^e 27, West 2nd H., particalarly those portions relating .to not 
 obtaining our claims, the land eoTeried by tnem baring been nud^d 
 OTer or sold by the Government to other individnals, eorjpctatidn or 
 colonisation company, and declare that the statements contained in this 
 declaration of Wm. Bremner, corroborated by the said Moise and Alex- 
 ander Bremner, are traeand correct in every particular, except regard- 
 ing the statement of said Wm. Bremner as to date Alexander commenced 
 residence on his claim, it being, as stated by Alexander, in April, 1884, 
 not autumn, 1884, as stated by William Bremner. 
 
 Sworn before me at Township 48— 27, W. \ 
 2nd, this 12th day of December, IddS, it j 
 having been first read over and explained f (Signed) 
 thorough! V, and he fully understood what > 
 he was subscribiag to. I 
 
 (Signed) Wu. Piabob, I 
 
 Superintendent. ' 
 
 JOSBPH BREMNER. 
 
 North-Wkst Trrritoribs 
 To wit : 
 
 : 1 I, Alexander Bremner, of Section S-45-27, 
 J West 2nd, farmer, make oath and say : 
 
 Ist. That I am the Al(>xacder Bremner spoken of iu the foregoing affi- 
 davit, of my father, William Bremner, and state that everything men- 
 tioned therein is true and correct in every particular, except that I began 
 residence on Section 6 in April, 1884, not autumn of 1884, as he states. 
 
 !Sknd. I further state that the foregoing statementd of mv father, 
 William Bremner, and my brother, Mofiie Breipner. referring to the 
 land claims of settlers in township 4tS-27, W. of 2nd, neing handed ovisr 
 to any corporation, individual or colonisation company, are true and 
 correct. For my part I always believed 1 would have to treat with the 
 Government and no one else, atad, T believe, all the other settlers thought 
 likewise. The only delay we anticipated being in obtaining entry as 
 we desired in 10 chains, not in quarter sections as surveyed tefore I took 
 itap. 
 
 Sworn before me at Sec. 6-46-27,') 
 West 2Dd M., this 9th day of Dec , ' 
 1885. Having been first read over 
 (3 aftdavits) caiefhlly, and seemed {^ 
 fally to understand the same. | 
 
 (Signed) Wm. Pbarci. , | 
 Saporintendent. j 
 
 (Signed) 
 ALEXANDER 
 
 his 
 
 X BREMNER. 
 mark. 
 
 w^«-,„ m^cm 'P««..»,».T„. . f h Job as Laviolette, of Township 46, 
 Nobth-WestTerbitobibs: \ j^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^j j^^ Meridian, faimir; 
 
 ^° "" • (make oath and say :— 
 
 Ist. That I have lived in this neighborhood ever since the summer of 
 1882— the sreatAr portion of the time in Township 46, Range 28, West 
 of the 2nd Meridian. 
 
 2nd. That when I purchased Wm. Swain's claiin, to which I now claim 
 entry, that is, E. | of L. S. 4, 6, 12 and 13 of Sec. 3, and E } of L. 8. 4 
 and 6, of Section 10, Tp 46, R. 27, W 2nd, supposed I would acquire 
 the right to make homestead entry lor said claim ; I asked Lcnis 
 Schmidt, and he told me he thought I could- The neighbors and 
 people generally who live in this vicinity informed me to the same 
 efl«ct. I never beard the Government bad sold or given this land, or any 
 land in. this lownsbip, to any person or corporation. Never heard that 
 any of the settlers in this viciniiy had been told by anyone that they 
 
/Il 
 
 54 
 
 would not obtain their claims, and believed that eventually entry 
 would be granted in 10-chain claims, fronting on the river. 
 
 r Sworn before me at Township 45, Range \ 
 27, W. 2nd M., this 9lh day of December, j 
 1886, having been read over and inter- f His 
 
 preted in French to him by Louis Mariot,> JONAS X LAVIOLLETTB 
 and he seemed to understand the same. 1 mark. 
 
 (Signed) Wm Prabobi, 1 
 
 Superintendent.' 
 
 y- 
 
 i;^ 
 
 I certify I way present and heard the foregoing translated into French 
 to«deponent, and he seemed to thoroughly understand the same. 
 
 (Signed) GEO. DUCK. 
 
 St. Loms db Lanobvin, 
 9th December, 1886. 
 
 *' At the time I settled upou this land, though it was surveyed, I did 
 not know anything about quarter-sections. Found there was a piece 
 fronting on the river which no one claimed ; I took possession ol it. 
 Never applied for entry, nor was I told the land belonged to anyone 
 except the Qovernment. Never was told my claim had being sold by the 
 Government to anyone, or corporation, or colonisation company Sup- 
 posed I would obtain entry whenever I might apply. No one ever told 
 me I would not obtain my land, nor did I ever hear it stated that any of 
 the settlers in township 46, range 27, west of 2nd meridian, or in any 
 other locality along the river, would not obtain their land." 
 
 Extracted from a statement made under oath by Elzevir Swain con- 
 cerning his claim to part of sections 3 and 10, township 46, range 27, 
 west of the second meridian, and sworn to before Hr. Superintendent 
 Pearce, at township 46, range 27, was 2nd meridian, on the 10th day ot 
 December, 1886. 
 
 "I wished to move to Bale St Paul, Ifanitoba, so as to have schooling 
 for the children, and urged my husband to sell ovt. He offered the place 
 and its improvements for $200 to one McLeod in June last. At the time 
 we settled it was surveyed ; desired to settle on the river on account of 
 obtaining fish. We mi^ht possibly have obtained a quarter-section, but 
 the settlers genetally wished to have 10-chain lots fronting on the river, 
 so we concluded to take it the same way. Never applied at the land 
 office for entry, always thought we would obtain it as desired, but did 
 not expect to obtain entry till we asked for it. Always supposed that 
 the Government would give it us when we applied for ft. Never was 
 told by anyone we would not obtain it, nor that it had been sold by the 
 Government to any individual, corporation or colonisation company." 
 
 Extract')d from a statement made and sworn to by Elizabeth Ricnard, 
 concerning her husband's, Antoine Richnrd, claim to portions of sections 
 4 and 9, township 46, range 27, west of the second meridian, before Mr. 
 Superintendent Fearce, at township 46, range 27, west 2nd meridian, on 
 the 10th day of December, 1885, being her answers to questions No. 2, 
 40 and 42 of said statement. 
 
 Her statement is corroborated by an affidavit sworn toby her husband. 
 
 " Never was told, nor did I ever hear, that the Government had 
 granted this land to anyone or corporation, nor did I ever believe we 
 would not obtain entry. The only thing that I was afraid of vfas tuat 
 entry would be granted by quarter-sections, but held on, Iioping to 
 obtain entry as I now apply for it.' ' 
 
 jN 
 
y- 
 
 55 
 
 The above is an extract from a statement made and sworn to by 
 William Bruce, concerning his claim to portions of sections 4 and 9| 
 township 46, range 27, west of 2nd meridian, being in answer to question 
 No. 42 of said statement before Mr. Superintendent Pearce, at township 
 46, range 27, west 2nd meridian, on the 9th day of December, 1886. 
 
 i;- 
 
 jN 
 
 " Never was told by any one that my husband could not obtain entry — 
 or since his death— myself. 
 
 " It was inconvenient for me to go and fyle my application before Mr. 
 Dnck here last summer. I wanted my son, Magloire, to enter for it, bnt 
 he refused, wishing me to have it myself 
 
 " Always supposed we would get this land in 10 chains fronting on the 
 river. If my husband or myself ever imagined we would lose th's land 
 we would have abandoned it long ago, and not gone on to make 
 i uprovements. " 
 
 The above is an extract from a statement made and sworn to by 
 Marguerite Boyer, concerning her claim to portions ot sections 4 and 9, 
 township 45, range 27, W. of the second meridian (being her answer to 
 question 42 of said statement) before Mr. Superintendent Pearce, at 
 township 46, Range 27, W. 2nd. meridian, on the 9th day of December, 
 1886, and corroborated by the following affidavit : 
 
 NO.TH.W.ST T„..T„»,« = f,/i,i- ?p't'«S|nV°;^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 ■ ( meridian, make oath, and say : — 
 
 That I claim homestead entry to B } lots 2, 6, 11 and 14 of section 4, 
 and east i of lots 3 and 6 (south of river) of section 9, 45—27, W. 2. 
 Have lived in township 46 since 1883, and know whereof I state, and I 
 most emphatically state I never was told by anyone that entry could 
 not be obtained by the settlers in township 46—27, W. 2, for the lands 
 claimed by them. 
 
 Sworn before me at Prince Albert, ' 
 this 11th day of December, in the 
 
 J ear of our Lord one thousand eight 
 ondred and eighty-five, having been 
 read over carefully to him, and he 
 seems perfectly to understand. 
 (Signed) Wh. Pbabob, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 his 
 
 J. BAPTISTS X BOYER. 
 mark. 
 
 NOBTH-WlST TbKBITOBIKS 
 
 To wit : 
 
 { 
 
 I, Magloire Boyer, of township 46, r*nge 
 27, W. of 2nd Meridian, make oath, and 
 say : 
 
 That I know Marguerite Boyer who has made oath to the affidavit 
 hereto attached, and so far as her answers to questions numbers 1, 3, 6, 
 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 27, 28, 28, 30, 32, 36, 40, 42 and 46, I know 
 them to be correct in every particular. 
 
 That I most emphatically state T never was told b^ anyone that entry 
 conld not be obtained by the settlers in this township, or that the Qov< 
 ^rnment had sold the land to any corporation. 
 
 Sworn before me at Prince Albert, 
 N.W.T., this 13th day of December, 
 in the year of our Lord 1885. 
 (Signed) Wm. Pbarcu, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 > (Signed) MAGLOIRE BOYER. 
 
8ti 
 
 NbttTB-WUT TlRAltOBIIB 
 
 To Wit: 
 
 ■I 
 
 of Ind Itbrtdiaii, fftibr^ teUt) 
 
 27, Wisit 
 
 biith ind Hv :— 
 
 l8t. Thi&t I elaim to dnter for B} of B) 6, ixxi that portion of the SB| 
 of section 8, lying south of the river, all in Township 45, Range 27, west 
 of 2nd meridian. 
 
 2nd. That I hare lired daring the past five years in the neighborhood 
 of this land, living nearly the whole time in township 46—28 W. 2nd, 
 and first U\d claim to the above lands in 1882 ; first made improvemehts 
 on jaid cli^im in 1883, have never lived on it. 
 
 3rd. Never was told that the Oovernment had granted any portion of 
 township 4S-27, W. 2nd meridian, to any person or corporation, and that 
 entry therefor could not be obtained ; nor did I ever hear anyone state 
 he or Ehe had been told the same or anything to that effect, and always 
 thought entry would be granted in 10-chain claims. The delay in 
 making entry was to obtain it in such claims fronting on the river, one 
 of which I desired as a homestead, and the other as pre-emption. 
 
 . Sworn before me at Township 4S, 
 Bange 27, West of 2nd Meridian, this 
 9th day of December, 188S. Having 
 been first read over and explained, 
 and he seemed to thoroughly under- 
 stand the same. . 
 
 (Signied) Wm. PbabOi, 
 
 Superintendent. . 
 
 (Sighed) ALADB Ll^QARft. 
 
 -1" 
 
 * M 
 
 '* Never was told I could not obtain entry for this. Other people 
 wishing to have thieir claims in 10 chain lots, concluded I would also- 
 have one. Never was told the Oovernment had sold or granted this 
 land to any individual, corporation or colonisation c« mpany, and always 
 thought that eventually entry would be given as the other settlers in 
 this township desired. Never was told by Kiel that I would not obtain 
 entry for this land as claiibed." 
 
 The alcove extract is from a statement made under oath by Hodeste 
 LaviblettiB cohcerhihg his t\a\m to a portion of Section 6 Township 46, 
 Bange 27, Wiesfc of the 2nd Meridian, being bis reply to question No. 42, 
 of this statement. Sworn before Mr. Soperihtendent Pearce, at PHnce 
 Albert, on the 12th day of Decembei-, 1886. 
 
 NokTk-#iRST Tbrbito&ibs 
 To wit : 
 
 •{27 II 
 (say: 
 
 I, Solomon Boucher, of Township 46 Range 
 West 2Dd M., Farmer, make oath 4nd 
 
 iBt That the WaUb of a bailding on the. North-West quarter of Section 
 6, TP-,46^ B. 27j W. 2 M., intended for a chapel were erected in the spring 
 of 1^4. The building is 21 x 32, the logs in the same are flattened on 
 two sides and as they stand are worth $1.25 each. 
 
 2nd. One William Bruce had the contract to put on a shingle roof, but 
 failed to do so. Brnce was paid to some extent on said contract. 
 
 Sworn before me at Township 45 ft., 27, ' 
 W. 2 M., this 9th day of December, 1886, 
 having been read over and explained to 
 him and he appeared thoroughly to under^ 
 stand the same. 
 
 (Signed) Wm. Pbabob, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 (Signed) 
 SOLOMON BOITOHBR. 
 
V! 
 
 ••-*• 
 
 IIOBTH-WIBT TaBRITOBlifi 
 
 To wit : 
 
 . r I, i 
 
 (.■ay: 
 
 Magloire Boyeir, of Townihip 46, R&n|^ 
 West of 2nd Meridian, make iMth And 
 
 That I know Margnerlte 
 
 ^(nrierWho hMm4de oath to the affidaylt 
 hereto attached a?i^BO iMr aa ner answers to questions nuOibered 1, 3, 6^ 
 12, 13, 16^ 17, 18, 20, ^T, 21. 26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 40, 42 and 43, 1 know them to 
 be correct, and beUeye tne remainder are trae and correct in erery 
 particular. 
 
 That I most emphatically stiate I neyer was told by anjrone that entry 
 could not be obtained by the settlers in this township or that the 
 Oovemment had sold the land to any corporation. 
 
 Sworn before me at Prince Albert N -W. l 
 
 T., this 13th day of December, in the year I 
 
 of our Lord 1886. ^ 
 
 (Signed) Wii. PkiBoi, j 
 
 Superintendent, j 
 
 (Signed) 
 MA.GLOIRB B07BB. 
 
 •.. 'V 
 
 Nobth-Wbst TbbritObiis : I - 
 To Wit : 
 
 In addition to the above affidavit taken 
 I before George Duck on the 23rd day of 
 V July last, I further state : 
 That I claimed this as ia 10-chain river lot. My neighbors Wishing 
 to have it in lO-chain claims, I supposed I would also obtain a 10- 
 chain lot. Knew it was surveyed into quarter-sections iat titne I took 
 up claim ; never applied for entry and always supposed I would obtidn 
 one. Never was told by anyone that this land had been sold or 
 granted in any way by the Government to any corporation, individnal, 
 or colonisation company . Never was told by Riel that entry could not 
 be obtained for this land or any ot it in township 46, range 27, 
 west 2nd meridian, nor did I hear any of the settlers in said township 
 state they could not obtain entry for these lands. 
 
 Sworn before me at township 45, range 
 27, west of second meridiaut this 10th day 
 of December, 1886, having first been read^ 
 in Frencn by Louis Mariot and he seemed! 
 thoroughly to understand to what he was | 
 subscribing. 
 
 (Signed) Wii. Pbabcb, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 ALEX. LAHIRANDB. 
 
 Appendix to affidavit taken before Geo. Duck at St. Louis de Lan^-> 
 vin, on the 23rd day of July, 18l36, and sworn to by ihe said Alexandre 
 Lamirande. 
 
 (farnier, make oath and say: 
 
 Iat. That when I settled on this land in November, 1884, I took op 
 this claim as I did because it was generally considered that entry would 
 be given us by legal sub-divisions or portions thereof so as to give the 
 setuers a river frontage extending back from the river about 1^ to 2 
 miles. 
 
 2nd. That I never was informed that anv portion of this township 
 belonged to a colonisation company, &nd nave not been to this day 
 notified to that effect, having always understood that the colonisation 
 company's tract did not extend further north than the southerly limit 
 of township 46, range 27, west of 2ad meridian. 
 
58 
 
 ->• 
 
 3rd. That I hoped to obtain entry, 
 back 1 mile from the river. 
 
 Sworn before me at township 45, range 
 27, west of 2nd meridian, this 9th day of 
 December, 1885. Uaring first been read 
 OTer to him and thoroughly explained and 
 was understood perfectly by him. 
 (Signed) Wm. Piabob, 
 
 Saperintendent. 
 
 20 chains in width, extending 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 hii 
 ALBX. A MoDOnOALL. 
 mark 
 
 North-Wist Tkrritoriss 
 To Wit : 
 
 fl, Charles Eugene Boucher, of section I, 
 township 45, range 27, west of 2nd meri- 
 dian, farmer, make oath and aay : 
 
 That I am the Oharles Eugene Boucher mentioned in the attached 
 a£Bdavit of my brother Solomon Boucher ; that I hare heard read over 
 to me the said affidavit of my brother concerning the lands mentioned 
 by him, and now claimed by myself, my brothers and sister and by my 
 mother on behalf of my father, Jean Baptiste Boucher, senior, and that 
 the same is true and correct in ever^ particular, and that I particularly 
 state that I never heard nor do I think that any of mv father's family 
 ever heard that the Government had disposed of the land, and that we 
 could not eventually obtain entry in the land oflBee therefor, nor that 
 any of the settlers in township 45-27, west of 2nd meridian could not 
 obtain entry for their lands as claimed. 
 
 Sworn before me at Prince Albert this 
 17th day of December, A.U., 1885, having 
 been first read over and he thoroughly 
 seemed to understand the same. 
 (Signed) Wm. Piarob, 
 
 Superintendent , 
 
 (Signed) 
 OHAS. sua. BOUOHER. 
 
 1 1:<elieve there were only two who ever heard there was 
 a company, all the others swearing that they did not know 
 there was such a thing. Now, Mr. Speaker, I think I may 
 fairly say that under these ciroamstanoes the hon. gentle- 
 man and those who join with him in attacking the Govern- 
 ment can hardly claim that they have succeeded in making 
 out any case against the Government. We have this 
 important fact, that no half-breed has ever been removed 
 from his land by any act of the Government, that no half- 
 breed has ever been disturbed in the possession of his land ; 
 and I know of countries where the people would be happy 
 if they could say the same thing. Why, Sir, in the 
 adjoining county of Ottawa, when the hon. gentleman 
 who sits opposite (Mr. Langelier) was Commissioner of 
 Crown Lands for the Province of Quebec, settlers were 
 attempted to be driven off their lands because they had not 
 complied with all the conditions imposed by the Govern- 
 ment. Ihen we have this further fact, in relation to their 
 patents, that the Government, so far from refusing them 
 patents, sent their officers in order that they might 
 
 - 
 
 I 
 
-.'i. 
 
 J, 
 
 69 
 
 personally impress upon the half-breeds the manner in 
 which patents could be obtained, and urge them, if pos* 
 sible, to make the entry necessary to obtain their 
 lands. In the North- West it is absolutely necessary in the 
 obtaining of lands, that there should be general rules which 
 all persons must follow ; and it was not too much for this 
 Government, nor is it too much for any Government, to ask 
 that those who have possession of lands in the North-West 
 shall use the reasonable means and conform to the condi- 
 tions required by the Government in order to get the entry 
 of those lands, and to obtain their patents. The Govern- 
 ment not only did this, bat they adopted a principle by 
 which the settlement duties performed in advance of survey, 
 andf in advance of the entry of lands, even where they were 
 permitted to make their entries long after survey, should 
 all count as if they had been performed after survey. The 
 ordinary white settler going into the North-West and settling 
 on surveyed lands is required at once to make entry. There 
 is no such thing recognised by the law as a squatter 
 upon surveyed lands, fiut we have dealt in an entirely 
 different manner with those half-breeds. They have been 
 protected against the cancellation which white settlers in 
 similar ciicumstances are subject to; and they were given, 
 and are still being given, time to make their entry, their 
 own convenience alone being consulted, and their whole 
 time being counted as if that time had been spent after the 
 entry was made. Then, as to the surveys, the principle 
 has been adopted that wherever a considerable number of 
 settlers were on the land at the time the survey was made, 
 that survey should be made according to the principle 
 required by the settlers; but when the surveyor went 
 into a district where there were no settlors, or where, 
 as in the case of the parish of St. Louis de Langevin, 
 there were but two settlers, the system adopted all over 
 the North-West was followed ; but even in such cases, these 
 people were told that they could have their patents upon 
 the principle of the river lot survey if they chose to 
 take their land upon that principle, and to make the 
 necessary sub-division. Then, as to the Indian title, we 
 know that the Government as far back as 1883 passed an 
 Order in Council that Mr. Eussell should go to the North- 
 West, and being on the spot, should enquire into and make 
 a report upon all these claims. The difficulties that 
 existed in dealing with that question were difficulties 
 arising out of a conflict of opinion between those parties 
 who were, from their position, supposed to be best able to 
 |ndgeofthe necessities of the half-breeds in the North- 
 est and not from the Government refusing or ignoring 
 
 W 
 
60 
 
 tbeir jnst rights. As to the general treatment of these 
 people by the Government^ it has been of the moat 
 kindly natnre, ard for the very best of all i^ea- 
 sons, that being the original inhabitants of the 
 country, having been there in advance of our occa- 
 pation of the country, they were entitled to the greatest 
 possible consideration; and that consideration has been 
 given to them in every respect. I am perfectly satisfied, 
 Mr. Speaker, that the attempt made by hon. gentlemen 
 opposite to make oat that the Government were iu any way 
 responsible for the outbreak of last spring, or that the 
 refusal of these claims for the extinguishment of the Indian 
 title had anything to do with it, will utterly fail. In fact, 
 the hon. gentleman himself, in his closing remarks, pr&oti- 
 cally admitted as much by pointing out that the people 
 in the district in which the outbreak took place^ in 
 their petition did not ask for the extinguishment of the 
 Indian title, but askod for other things, some of which are 
 asked for by white settlers in the North-West as well — all 
 matters of public policy relating to the interests of the 
 whole country, and not to be dealt with exclusively for any 
 one section. Sir, I leave the matter entirely in the hands 
 of the House, and I am perfectly satisfied that the verdict 
 of the House — sustained as I believe that verdict will be 
 by the country — will be that the so-called grievances of the 
 half-breeds of the North West had no basis to justify, or 
 even to palliate the troubles thai occurred last spring, still 
 less, Sir, to justify or palliate the language which has been 
 used in this House in relation to those supposed grievances, 
 and in relation to those who took up arms ostensibly to 
 redress them. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, and the House 
 for the attention you have given me. 
 
 Mr. DAVIES. I very much fear. Sir, that the hon. Min- 
 ister of the Interior has delivered the wrong speech. The 
 hon. gentleman has the reputation of being somewhat of a 
 skilled debater, and no one knew better than he did that 
 the issue that was tendered for the consideration of the 
 House by my hon. friend from East Quebec was a single 
 issne, clear, definite, and distinct. The hon. gentleman has 
 not attempted to grapple with that issue at all, except in a 
 very limited degree, to which I will refer directly. In fact, 
 in his opening remarks he told the House that it was not 
 his intention to do so, that he intended to deal with the 
 whole question of the North-West grievances. Well, Sir, 
 I for one regret very much that the hon. gentleman took 
 that course. I regret it liecause the question is so large 
 and intricate that the di»vussion of one point at a time, 
 
 1- 
 
 4 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 61 
 
 Baoh as that tendered by my hon. frieud, will vastly faoili- 
 tate the arrival at jast oonoiasioDs on the part of members 
 of the House and the country. Hon. members will 
 remember well that last year, when the leader of the 
 Opposition presented a resolntion to this Hoase on the 
 
 Seneral topio of the North*West grievances, and when 
 e delivered a luminons, len|;tby and able speech, in which 
 he massed all the evidence together, and submitted a 
 resolution based on his conclusions, he wan reprimanded 
 by the leader of the Government, who complained bitterly 
 that all th( se matters had been mixed together, so that 
 it was impoesible to answer them in detail. Why, he 
 asked, does the hon. gentleman mix up the question of civil 
 rights wiih those of colonisation oomitanieB, surveys of land, 
 thd Indian title and others ? It is impossible for anyone 
 to answer him on all these points in one speech, and the 
 result will be the public mind will be so perplexed as to be un- 
 able to draw any fair conclusions from the debate. My hon. 
 friend from Huron (Mr. Cameron) initiated the other night 
 a new policy. He tendered a distinct issue to the House as 
 ta the manner in which the Government dealt with the 
 Indians, and that question was discussed separately from 
 other questions. The hon. member for Quebec East (Mr. 
 Laurier) has tendered a distinct issue to-night, namely : 
 
 " That it was the duty of the Gorernment to proceed with diligence, 
 under the authority they obtained from Parliament in 1879, to settle the 
 daims arising out of the Indian title of the haU-breed claims of the 
 Korth-West' Territories, and also to settle the claims of those of the 
 Manitoba half-breeds who were temporarily absent daring the enumera- 
 tion." 
 
 And concluding that the Government has been guilty of 
 
 neglect, delay and mismanagement in that regard. Here 
 
 was a clear, definite issue presented to the House. How has 
 
 that been met ? My hon. friend (Mr. White), in his speech 
 
 an hoar and a half long, treated the House to a dissertation 
 
 on the claims of the settlers, and the action of colonisation 
 
 companies, and claims he has proofs that no settlers were 
 
 dispossessed of their lands, — questions altogether alien to 
 
 that before the House. But those who have watched the 
 
 hon. gentleman for some time will understand why he took 
 
 this course. He did so, evidently, because he was not able 
 
 to answer the indictment presented upon this issue. The 
 
 evidence introduced by my hon. friend from Quebec Ea«it 
 
 (Mr. Laurier), in support of his resolution, was overwheim- 
 
 ing, and the hon. Minister knew that the only coarse open 
 
 to him in his defence, was to distract the minds of the 
 
 members, if possible, from that issae by mixing it up with 
 
 others. The hon. gentleman brought down a number of 
 
 affidavits to which I will not refer now. We made a short 
 
62 
 
 time ago serions oomplaints that we were not famished with 
 proper information, and the hon. gentleman then con- 
 tended that we had all the information necessary on which 
 to base an opinion ; yet we see him here, day alter day, as the 
 political exigencies of the case reqaire, bringing down to 
 this House jast such papers as salt him. I ask if this is a 
 fair way of dealing with the House ? The hon. gentleman 
 referred to the report of Mr. Pierce, a report, I understand, 
 prepared at his instigation, and the instructions for the pre- 
 paration of which have been withheld, but that report does 
 not deal, directly or indirectly, with the proposition now 
 before the House, nor, if every word of it were true, and if 
 the inferences to be fairly derived frori all the facts it 
 states were massed together, would they onable us to form a 
 conclusion bearing on the resolution my hon. friend has 
 submitted. It has nothing to do with tha extinction of the 
 Indian title : it has nothing to do with t'ais great grievance 
 which the hon. gentleman knows tendod to bring about 
 very largely the insurrection. The hon. gentleman has 
 referred to the Order in Council made in 1883, and the 
 report directing that the office of which he is now the head 
 should be sub-divided in a certain way, so that Mr. Lindsay 
 Eussell might be appointed Surveyor-General and proceed 
 to the North-West. Why did the hon. gentleman make that 
 statement ? Did he wish us to conclude from it that the 
 Government or Mr. Eassell had done anything ? Does 
 he state that in that Order in Council the Govern- 
 ment showed any evidence of a disposition to settle 
 the Indian title question ? Did Mr. Bussell proceed to the 
 west to make an enumeration of the half-breeds ? or did h.9> 
 act on the power which, in 18*79, the Government took from 
 the House? No; when the hon. gentleman drags this into 
 the debate, he does it for the purpose of inducing those who 
 have not carefully studied the question, to believe that the 
 Government really took some steps to mitigate this great 
 grievance. Why, their action had nothing more to do with 
 the matter than have the affidavits the hon. gentleman 
 referred to. The hon. gentleman stated further that, as 
 regards the point where the rebellion rose, the major part 
 of those who took part in it had their Indian title already 
 extinguished, and that therefore that grievance was not the 
 oanse of the rebellion. The hon. gentleman must surely 
 have listened to the argument, he did not attempt to con- 
 trovert it, presented by the mover of the resolution, in which 
 the latter showed that if it was only the local girevance 
 existing in the minds of the leaders of the rebellion, that 
 they were tbd main spring of the revolt, it would have been 
 a mere riot and not a rebellion. No ; it was the moral effect 
 
63 
 
 those iDBargentB derived from the ezistenoe of great 
 grievances throughout the country that gave force 
 to the rebellion, and no man knows better than the 
 hon. gentleman that if it had not been for the 
 existence of those grievances, for the removal of which the 
 half-breeds had petitioned year after year, and to facilitate 
 the removal of which thenon. gentleman and his friends 
 never, until the laet moment, raised a finger, the rebellion 
 never would have assumed ^eater proportions than those 
 of an unlawful assembly or riot. The hon. gentleman went 
 to the North-West last year, as the Minister of the Interior. 
 I think he did right. 1 think it is a matter for regret that 
 his predecessors had not taken the same course years ago. 
 It was their duty to have informed themselves, person- 
 ally, with reference to the facts of the grievances stated in 
 the petitions which, year after year, poured into the Depart- 
 ment, and which were pigeonholed with that masterly in- 
 activity that characterised the Department in the past five 
 or six years. But when the hon. gentleman returned, after 
 having saturated his mind with the facts, did he arrive at 
 the conclusion that it was because of the settlers' grievances 
 alone the rebellion assumed the important proportions it 
 did ? He knows well that the conclusion he formed in his 
 mind was, that bad the grievances of the North-West half- 
 breeds, relative to the extinguishment of the Indian title, 
 been removed years ago, there never would have been 
 a rebellion at all. He stated when he returned from 
 his trip, in a speech he delivered on 16th December, 
 at Weston, that the very action taken by the Govern- 
 ment, the tardy incomplete action in January, 1885, 
 when the rebellion was almost under way, precipitated the 
 rebellion itself. What action ? The action taken to settle 
 the North-West half-breed grievances in relation to the 
 extinguishment of the Indian title alone. That the hon. 
 gentleman said was the backbone of the rebellion, and it 
 was, he said, their efforts to settle that, their tardy efforts 
 to extend the right hand of fellowship to the half-breeds, that 
 precipitated the rebellion ; becaase the leader of the rebellion 
 knew that if we settled that question, we would have 
 removed many grievances and taken from him the aupport 
 of a large number of his followers. What did the hon. 
 gentleman say ? ' 
 
 " Now then, gentlemen, it Trill be asked, how then did the rebellion 
 occur ? How was it that, if these things were settled, this rebellion broke 
 out? I believe it broke out because ot the action of the Qovernment, and 
 not because of its inaction. It broke out, as Mr. Astley has stated in his 
 letter, and which information he got from Riel himself, because Riel, 
 seeing that the Qovernment had taken action and that the half-breed 
 claims, such as they were, were about to be settled, believed that hit 
 little game will be spoiled." 
 
H 
 
 61 
 
 The hon. gMtleman, remark yQii, ha4 oome back Arom th^ 
 Korth-Weat, he bad aoquired peraonal knowledge of th<^ 
 ii»ot8, he knew that tbeoe grlevaaoea bM rankled in t)^e 
 hreaste of theie anfortnnate people fQc yearn and yeftre, ao4 
 he knew, when he stated that, that if they had taken timc| 
 by the forelock, if they hiid moy«d a year, or even %i^ 
 months earlier than they did, th« oa9Be of the rebellion 
 would have been removed, and we never would have had ^ 
 rebellion at all. I think I am justified in making th^ 
 charge, and basing it upon the hon. gentleman's own ev}> 
 denoe, that, if it had not been for the delay and inaction of 
 the Qovernment, and for their subsequent ill-advised action 
 at the wrong time, the rebellion would never have takep 
 place. Sc much for that point. Then tl^e hon. gentlemft^ 
 went on to ahow that eertain Qu'ApiMlle half-breeds w^^fl 
 not influenced by any grievances of (heir own as to the e^tin- 
 guis^iment of the Indian title, but that their object wa<| to 
 
 Set piosseaaion of the whole of the lands of the Morth-Weat 
 tut did the hon. gentlftman state whep that if^ind toolif, 
 e>s8ee8iQn of the haii> breeds? Wafl iha^t their inipd b^for^t 
 iel rose and before the I>UQk X<ake tragedy ? No» but it w#l 
 their mind ^fter the sucoese of Biel had induced tt^o^j 
 unfortunate people to believe that he waa going to be sno: 
 oessful all around, and so their he^a wwre tnrnod* ^h(|1j 
 was their state of mind after the rebelUoo bimke out. but it 
 was not their state of mind wnon the rebellion hro)ce ont^ 
 and it was not that which induced the rebellion. Let uf| 
 look for a few moments — I promise the Hou^e not to b^ 
 very lengthy upon the subject—at one or tifro prominent 
 iaots in connection with this particular question now befbri^ 
 the House, in order that we may judge whether or pot this 
 question entered largely into those motives "ffhioh indi^oe4 
 the North- West half-breeds to rebel. Qow maqy h^lf-breeda 
 do we find there are in the Dorth-West? I think I am 
 speaking correctly when I say something about 4,80Q. If I 
 am incorrect, I will thank the hon. gentleman to correct 
 me. Of those 4,800, it appears by the evidence produce4 
 by the G-overnment themselves that their own commissioner 
 has reported that 2,000 had just claims which were unre- 
 dressed. The hon. gentleman shakes his head. I thinly J. 
 am not far astray. 1 am speaking, of course, with refer- 
 ence to the whole question of the half-breeds of Manitoba 
 and the North- West. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). Dead and alive. 
 
 Mr. DAVIE8. I think Mr. Street reports that he has 
 settled nearly 2,000 claims. 
 
1^ 
 
 66 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). He settlod 1,710 olaims, 
 that includes the dead whose heirs were settled with. 
 
 ud 
 
 Mr. DAVIBS. Does the hon. gentleman say that these 
 were all that were settled ? There were 300 settled besidM, 
 making about 2,000. I may be a few astray, bat I am 
 approximately near the truth, so near it that I may say 
 there were nearly 2,00J settled with. So that out of 4,800 
 half'breeds, nearly 2,000 were shown to have real grievances 
 whioh were acknowledged by the Government oommissicner 
 and reported upon. That was an enormous proportion, and I 
 think I shall be able to show that these were not grievances 
 of a day, but, as shown by my hon. friend who moved this 
 reeolution, were of long-standing, and had been presented to 
 the Government not once or twice but scores of times, not by 
 the half-breeds alone, but by all those who had knowledge oi 
 the matter and who lived in that country, by their priests, by 
 their bishops, by their magistrates, by the only body they had 
 to represent them, the North- West Council,by the liieutenaat- 
 Governor of the North- West, by the membiers of the North* 
 West Council individually and by the council collectively ,and 
 by all those whose duty it was to bring this matter to the 
 notice of the Government. Let me for a moment go back 
 to the inception of this matter, and I will rapidly run over 
 the historical points. I wish to call attention to the real ques- 
 tion at issue and to eliminate those side issues which the non. 
 gentleman (Mr. White), for a purpose of his own, has intro- 
 duced into this discussion. I wish to do this in order that 
 we may come to a clear and intelligent conclusion upon 
 the clear issue which is presented to us. We know that in 
 1870, 1,400,000 acres were set apart to settle the Afanitoba 
 half-breed claims under the Administration of the present 
 leader of the Governinont. Only the children of the half- 
 breeds of Manitoba were to participate in that grant. From 
 1870 to 1873, when the hon. gentleman went out of power, 
 nothing whatever was done to carry out the law. We find 
 that, when the hon. member for East York (Mr. Mackenzie) 
 came into power in 1874, he introduced a Bill extending 
 to the heads of families as well as their children the right 
 to participate in thene grants ; and in April, 1875| the 
 Dominion lands agent at Winnipeg, and Messrs. 
 Byan & Machar, the commissioners, were appointed 
 to take the census of the unenumerated half-i)reeds. 
 W© find that, in 187fj, they reported, and re* 
 ported that their work was still incomplete, and Mr. Kyan 
 was ordered to take evidence anywhere in the Territories 
 within two years. I understand the hon; gentleman to 
 complain that there was inaction on the part of the 
 5 
 
Government of the hon. member for East York. There 
 may have been inaction ; I am not sufficiently well ao* 
 qnainted with the facts to undertake to reply on that point ; 
 but, from reading the papers which have been brought 
 down, it appears to me that all that was ever done in the 
 matter was done by those gentlemen before they went out 
 of power. They appointed these commissioners to take 
 evidence in order to carry out the law ; they directed them 
 to take the evidence wherever they went, and they did more 
 than that, and that is what the hon. gentleman complains 
 of. At that time remember that the half-breeds had not 
 settled in settlements as they did later. The buffalo were 
 not all gone from the plains then. Many of the half-breeds 
 were engaged in buffalo hunting; and the only complaint 
 the hon. gentleman makes is that the Government did not 
 order these commissioners to follow the buffalo and to 
 follow the half-breeds with the buffalo, and to take their 
 evidence as they roamed about the plains. But they 
 did order them, and it seems to me reasonable, 
 wherever they wore, in the discharge of their duties, when 
 a half-breed offered his evidence to take it. And they did 
 take it. In IStT Newcome and Mills, at Emerson and 
 Portage la Prairie, wore ordered to take evidence, and in 
 June, l^s78, the then Minister of the Interior announced 
 that he had appointed Duck to make an investigation, and 
 I believe in February, 1878, ho reported that he had made 
 that investigation. Hon. gentlemen may ask was this 
 matter of the half-breeds' grievance in relation to the extin- 
 guishment of the Indian title brought to the notice of the 
 Government ? Was there not neglect on their part in lying 
 by? Did they not, by allowing it to lay in abeyance, , 
 almost waive their claim ? If you look at this mass of ' 
 papers, which I say, after a thorough examination of it, is 
 a disgrace to the Department which brought it down 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). Why? 
 
 Mr. DA VIES. Because the papers are so inextricably 
 mixed up that it is impossible to find what you require. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). After they had been handled 
 by your leader, and tok.'^ed about. 
 
 Mr. BLAKB. Mr. Speaker, I must not allow that obser- 
 vation to go without an immediate challenge. I answered 
 it before, and I suy it is indecent for the hon gentleman 
 to repeat it. I got those papers as they were sent to me 
 by tne directions of the Clerk of this House, and they 
 reached the printers in the precise form and order in which 
 they were brought down to the House. I state that now. 
 Sir, upon my responsibility as a member. 
 
 L 
 
 J. 
 
 I. 
 
*■•» 
 
 L 
 
 
 I 
 
 1. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell)* How does the hon. gentleman 
 know that they reached the printers as he carried them 
 away? 
 
 Mr. BLAKE, I know how they were when I handed 
 them back to the Clerk. 
 
 Mr. WsHITB (Card^ell). They were handled by him 
 and others, and I know, as former chairman of the Printing 
 Committee, that we used to have the greatest difficulty in 
 getting papers that went into his hands, be; ause they used 
 to be handled by him in such a way and kept back until 
 we had to send for them. 
 
 Mr. DAVIBS. This insinuation of the hon. member only 
 makes the matter worse, in my opinion. The hon. gentle- 
 man knows that these papers are arranged with no order. 
 I looked through them myself. When he was in a calmer 
 mood the other day he distinctly acknowledged in this 
 House that the arrangement of the papers wa& disgraceful. 
 
 Mr. WHITE (Cardwell). I say so now. 
 
 Mr. DA VIES. Notwithstanding this disgraceful arrange- 
 ment, notwithstanding the almost — I was going to say — 
 design apparent on their face, by which they are so arranged 
 that nobody could understand them, I have tak<>n a good 
 deal of trouble in going through them; and I have no hesita- 
 tion in saying that from 1878 down to 1885, not a year 
 went by without petitions being forwarded from those half- 
 breeds, and those who represent them, to the Department 
 of the Interior, praying that thoy would take up this ques- 
 tion and settle it. We find in June, 1878, a petition from 
 Prince Albert, forwarded through Captain Moore, and 
 signed by 151 of these half breeds, as I find it upon page 29 
 of these precious papers. These petitioners represent : 
 
 " Your petitioners would humbly represent that their rights in the 
 participation in the issue of half-broed or settlers' scrip are as valid and 
 binding as tho3e of the half-breeds anl old settlers of Manitoba, and are 
 expected from them to be regarded by the Canadian Government as 
 scrupulously as in that Proviace, and with a view to the adjustment of 
 the same, your petitioners would humbly request that a census of said 
 half-braeds and old settlers be taken, at as early a date as may con- 
 venien;ly be determined upon, with a view of apportioning to those of 
 them who have not already been included in the census of Manitoba, 
 their just allotment of land and scrip." 
 
 In February, 1878, Gabriel Dumont and John Fisher, chair- 
 man and secretary respectively of a public meeting of 
 half-breeds held at St. Laurent, presented another petition 
 to the Lieutenant-Governor of the North- West, praying for 
 similar treatment as that accorded to the Manitoba half- 
 breads. This is found on page 28, and reads as follows :— 
 
I . 
 
 68 
 
 
 " That there be granted to each half-breed head of family, and to their 
 children, who have not participated in the distribution of scrip and 
 lands in the Province of Manitoba, a like amount of scrip and like land 
 grants as in Manitoba." 
 
 Then in April, 1878, Lieutenant-Governor Laird forwards a 
 petition of the half-breeds of Prince Albert, praying for 
 similar treatment ; to be found on page 25, whtyein they 
 pray : 
 
 " That all the heads of families of half-breeds and their children who 
 have not participated in the distribution of scrip and lands in the 
 Province of Manitoba, to allow such like scrip and grants of lands to 
 those allowed in the said province, at least that bush land be granted to 
 them." 
 
 Then we find in August, 1.878, the North -West Council 
 passing a resolution, praying that the half-breed claims be 
 granted— to be found on page 36. I will road that resolu- 
 tion, because I deem it of more than ordinary importance. 
 It is a resolution of the only representative body that these 
 poor people possess; it is a resolution of intelligent, edu- 
 cated men, men who felt tholr responaibility in making 
 their statements ; and we may assume that the North- West 
 Council would not put upon record statements of that kind 
 unless they personally know them to be true. They say : 
 
 " That it would be injudicious to set apart reserves of land for the 
 half-breeds of the North-West Territories, to give them negotiable 
 scrip. 
 
 ** That in view, however, of the fact that grants of land or issue of 
 scrip were made to the half-breeds of Manitoba towards the extinguish- 
 ment of the Indian titles to the lands of that Province, there will un- 
 doubtedly be general disisatisfaction aoaongst the haif-breeds of said 
 territories, unless they receive some little consideration." 
 
 The Government here are informed, on the responsibility 
 and the authority of the only representative body in that 
 country, that there will be generi,l dissatisfaction until they 
 take this matter up and grant some relief to the half breeds. 
 Then they go on to suggest a form in which that grant 
 should be given ; but I need not trouble the House with it 
 because the Government wore bound to act under the autho- 
 rity they took from Parliament in 1879. They did not sug- 
 gest a particular plan for settling these grievances ; they 
 only asked Parliament to give them power to deal with 
 them. They were then bound, after taking that power, to 
 take proper evidence and to find a proper way to act upon 
 the evidence so as to remove the grievances, but they did 
 not do it. Going on with the record, we find that in August, 
 1878, a petition from the Cypress Mountain half-breeds was 
 forwarded to the Government, to be found at page 32, in 
 which they also set forth their grievances, and state : 
 
 " That the majority of us, upon the cession of the Province to the 
 Canadian Government, were temporarily abaent, and were thereby 
 
 I. 
 
69 
 
 t- 
 
 t 
 
 7- 
 
 deprived of the benefits of the scrips given to those half-breeds who were 
 at that time present in the Province.'' 
 
 Then we have Mr, Laird's despatch, in which he urges the 
 Government to take action upon it. We have that despatch 
 acknowledged, and on the 2&th December, 1878, we have 
 Col. Dennis submittiDg that celebrated memorandum to the 
 Minister, and asking his immediate attention to it. That 
 memorandum was read by the mover of the resolution, and 
 1 need not read it again. The Deputy- Head of the Depart- 
 ment was fully apprised of the importance of this question 
 and of the necessity of dealing with it immediately. He 
 was informed, that if they did not deal with it immediately, 
 it would be a cause of general dissatisfaction, natural dis- 
 satisfaction, which we would feel ourselves, had we been 
 some of those unfortunate half-breeds. Well, Sir, what was 
 done with that memorandum of the Deputy- Head ? It was 
 very properly, I think, submitted to Archbishop Tache, to 
 the Bishop of the Saskatchewan, to Lieut.-Governor Laird 
 and to Mr. Eichardson, the magistrate, to obtain their 
 opinions upon it. They made each of them their 
 reports, and the Government are in possession of 
 the suggestions they made with respect to that 
 memorandum. I charge, Mr. Speaker, that although 
 they were in possession of these, although they had got, 
 ostensibly, all the information they asked for, and although 
 they were in a position to deal exhaustively with the ques- 
 tion, they followed that policy of masterly inactivity for 
 which they are so much renowned — they did nothing. 
 Now, let us look for a moment at the powers this Govern- 
 ment took from Parliament. Section 125 of the Dominion 
 Lands A.ct, 18*79, enacts : 
 
 " The following powers are hereby delegated to the Governor in 
 Council:— • * * 
 
 ** (e) To satisfy any claim existing in connection with the extinguish- 
 ment of the Indian title, preferred by half-breed residents in the North- 
 West Territories outside of the limits of Manitoba, on the 15th day of July, 
 1870, by granting lands to such persona, to such extent and on such 
 terms and conditions as may be deemed expedient." 
 
 Now, Sir, the Minister of the Interior has criticised at some 
 length the reports made to the Deputy Minister, to whom 
 those suggestions were sent. He has shown that in some 
 particulars the suggestions made by Archbishop Tache 
 and some others were not prudent suggestions. But are we 
 here to discuss at this late day whether the suggestions 
 were prudent or not ? Why the Government should have 
 determined in 1879 what portions of these sugges- 
 tions were prudent, and they should have acted upon 
 them. The petitions should have been taken out of the 
 pigeon«hoIeB, and the Minister instead of hieing away to 
 
YO 
 
 England and other parts Bhonld have hied himself away 
 personally to the North- West and should have enquired 
 into the facts connected with the grievances, and have put 
 forward his hand and dealt with them, remeiied them and 
 removed them. Bat he did not do it, and we have sad 
 results in 1885. But the matter did not end there. In the 
 spring of 1880 the half-breeds in Manitoba village, in the 
 North- West Territory, petitioned Sir John A. Macdonald 
 again. That petition is to be found on page 41. They are 
 getting restless; they are wondering that the petitions 
 forwarded by them and endorsed by their priests, bishops 
 and magistrates, by the North- West Council and all the 
 legally constituted authorities ot the country, should have 
 been treated with contempt, and they are forwarding other 
 petitions in which they set forth at still greater length their 
 grievances in this regard. They state : 
 
 " And whereas the continued delay in ascertaining and investigating 
 said claims is creating great and general dissatisfaction throughout the 
 Territories, we your petitioners do humbly pray that you will cause a 
 commission to be issued at an early day to enquire into and con6rm the 
 said clRims, not only with regard to scrip and allotments of land as 
 provided for in Manitoba, but, moreover, to confirm the titles of land 
 occupied by or purchased by parties from occupants of claims taken 
 previously to the transfer of the Territories to the Uominion of Oanada." 
 
 The Government were not only aware of the existence of 
 those grievances, the fact had been pressed on them time 
 and again, month after month, but there was the further 
 and important fact, which had been pressed on them, that 
 the existence of those grievances and the delay in their 
 removal were causing great and general dissatisfaction 
 from one end of the Territory to the other. What, then, is 
 the use of the hon. gentleman urging to*day, in the face of 
 facts so plain and palpable, that those grievances had 
 nothing io do with the outbreak in 1885. Following in the 
 same string we have the petition of a large number of resi- 
 dents near Edmonton. I am afraid to say how many; I 
 did not count them, but their names covered two columns 
 of a whole page and must number 100. I will not trouble 
 the House by reading them. They repeat the statements 
 in a previous petition respecting delay, I will read some 
 of their own words : 
 
 "And whereas the continued delay in ascertaining and investigating 
 said claims is creating great and general dissatisfaction throughout the 
 Territories." 
 
 I will not weary the House by reading further from the 
 petition. So the record goes on ; month after month, year 
 after year, these poor people petitioning the authorities at 
 Ottawa, praying and begging for some relief in this regard, 
 
 J- 
 
 t 
 
ix 
 
 J- 
 
 and receiving in retarn the stereotyped reply that che G-ov- 
 ernment will take the matter into consideration, or that it 
 will be submitted to the lifinister for his consideration, fiat 
 nothing is done. I say, therefore, the mover of the resolu- 
 tion was right in arraigning the Government and in charg- 
 ing them with neglect, grievous and criminal neglect, to- 
 wai'ds those poor people, and with having waited, before en- 
 tertaining their grievances, until those people rose in rebel- 
 lion when it wau too late. The Goverument thus adopted 
 the vicious system followed by all tyrants throughout the 
 world — refusing to concede what is right at the proper 
 time, and yielding to force when it is too late, and that in 
 the wrong manner. I will not weary the House by going 
 through the events of 1833-84. 
 
 Some hon. MEMBEBS. Hear, hear. 
 
 Mr, DA VIES. I do not wonder at hon, gentlemen cheer- 
 ing. It is a record of shame and disgrace to hon. gentlemen 
 opposite. But we come down to the action which hon. 
 gentlemen opposite did take. The hon. Minister has said 
 they moved. When was the first record of their motion ? 
 In January, 1886, the Minister of the Interior came down 
 with a recommendation of what ? That a commission issue 
 to settle those grievances and entertain ihe claims of the 
 half-breeds? No. But a recommendation ihat a com- 
 mission issue to take evidence of the unenumei ated half- 
 breeds of Manitoba and confir.ing it to them alone, repudia- 
 ting by inference the claims and rejecting by infere::ce the 
 claim of all the half-breeds of the North- West outside of 
 Manitoba to be treated in the same raaniier as the i^lanitoba 
 half-breeds were When hon. gentlemen oppodito say they 
 moved before th'e rebellion, let us understand cleiM-ly what 
 they did do. I refer to the report of the Minister, to be 
 found on page 17. I want to place it on record, because I 
 have heard it stated more than once by leading members 
 of the Government that they did not wait till after the 
 rebellion took place to meet the grievances, buc they had 
 taken steps months before the rebellion broke out ; and I 
 say that statement is not in accordance with the record. 
 The report of the Minister is as folio v?.' :— 
 
 " Certified copy of a report of a Committee of the honorable the Privy 
 Council, appoved by His Excellency the Governor General in Council 
 on 28th January, 1835. 
 
 " On a memorandum, dated 26th January, 1885, from the Minister of 
 the Interior, submittiaj? that it is de.sirable, with a view to settling 
 equitably the claims of balf-breeds in .Vlinitoba and the North-West 
 Territories, who would have been entitled to land had they resided in 
 Manitoba at the time of the transfer and fiU^d their claims in due course 
 under the Manitoba Act, and also of those who, though not residing in 
 Manitoba and equitably entitled to participate in the grant, but did not 
 
12 
 
 do so. to ascertain the number of auoh half-breeda ; and reoommending 
 that he be aathorised to obtain an enumeration of them, and to employ 
 three persons to make such enumeration. 
 
 « The committee concur in the foregoing recommendationB, and they 
 advise that the requisite authority be granted." 
 
 So this recommendation, meagre as it was, short as it was, 
 did not go further than the Manitoba half-breeds. It did 
 not touch the half-breeds of the plains ; and it did not say 
 what the policy of the Government was. It held out no 
 promise ; it did not point out to what extent the Govern- 
 ment would yield, whether it would grant certain parts of 
 the petitions or the whole. It is merely a recommendation 
 of one part of the claim and one part only. Then we find 
 nothing more is done. We find events moving very rapidly, 
 reports tumbling in on the Government that their inaction, 
 their criminal inaction, is bearing its legitimate fruit. We 
 find the Government being told that the half breeds, des- 
 pairing of redressing by politioDs and by legitimate moans 
 their grievances, ar^ unfortunately rising in arms. We 
 hud a telegram coming in on Llth March, from Superinten- 
 dent Crozier, stating that the half-breeds are excited, that 
 they are moving about more than usual and are preparing 
 arms. On llth March there was another despatch from 
 Superintendent Crozier, stating : 
 
 " Half-breeds greatly exciced ; reported they threaten on Oarleton 
 before 16th. Half-breeds refuse to take freight or employment for Gov- 
 ernment ; will stop all freight coming into country after 16th of this 
 month ; getting arms ready ; leader will not allow people to leave home 
 as they may be required," 
 
 On 14th March, Lieut.-Colonel Irvine telegraphed : 
 
 " Lieutenant-Governor received telegram, dated Oarleton, to-day, 
 from Crozier, saying half-breed rebellion may break out any moment, 
 and joined by Indians, and asking that his division be largely increased. 
 Would recommend that at least 100 men be sent at once, before roads 
 breakup. Please instruct." 
 
 We find a telegram to Colonel Irvine, dated Ottawa, 15th 
 March : 
 
 " Start for the north, quickly as possible, with all available men up 
 to 100. Telegraph marching 'out ; state and report when passing tele- 
 graph stations." 
 
 On 19th March there is a telegram from Superintendent 
 Deane, dated Eegina : — 
 
 "The following received from Superintendent Crozier; 'Rumor 
 to-night Indians being tampered with ; large force should be sent with- 
 out delay that arrests may be made if necessary to prevent fui'ther and 
 continuous trouble from Riol and followers.' " 
 
 In a word, we find that the Government poHoy of masterly 
 inactivity h*id borne itR legitimate fruit, that their policy 
 of criminal inaction had borne the only legitimate fruit 
 that could be expected from it. We find that these people 
 
 i 
 
•73 
 
 r 
 
 
 took up arms, and then only action was taken by the Gov- 
 ernment. On 30th March, after the rebellion had broken 
 out, we fipd a report of the Committee of the Privy Council 
 acknowledging that their previous report of January, to 
 which I have referred, was altogether incomplete, and 
 reciting that it was necessary to go much further. 
 
 <* T ue Minister of laterior, on representations made that it was desir- 
 able to have made an enumeration of the half-breeds in Manitoba and 
 the North-West Territories, who would hare been entitled to land had 
 they resided in Manitoba at the time of the transfer, was anthorised by 
 Your Excellency in Council, under date the 28th of January last, to 
 appoint commissioners and the followinf; gentlemen were accordingly 
 appointed to carry into effect the said order of Your Excellency in Ooan- 
 oil, namely : William Purvis Rochford Street, of the city of London, in 
 the Province of Ontario, one of Her Majesty counsel learned in the 
 law, who is to be chairman of the commission j Roger Goulet of the 
 town of St. Boniface, in the Province of Manitoba, dominion lands 
 surveyor ; and Amcdee Bdmond Forget, of the town of Regina, in the 
 Provisional District of Assinaboia, clerk of the North- West Uooncil and 
 barrister-at-law. 
 
 " The Minister of Interior is of opinion that the scope of the enqoiry to 
 be made by the commissioners appointed under the authority of the 
 order of Your Excellency in Council above mentioned should be enlar 
 ged." 
 
 The rebellion had changed their position. It had enabled 
 them to grasp things which they should have grasped 
 months and years before ; it enabled them to see that the 
 policy of inaction and delay would not do any longer, 
 because we find the Minister recommending the enlarge- 
 ment of the scope of the commission, so as to include the 
 half-breeds of the plains outside of Manitoba, as well as the 
 others. That is what we have, on the 30th day of March, 
 after the rebellion is in fall force, and, therefore, when the 
 Government claim that they took action which ought to 
 have prevented the rising, we appeal to the record and let 
 it show that their action was taken long after the rebellion 
 broke out. Even on the 4th of April, 1885, the authority 
 which they gave was not complete ; they had not fully 
 mastered the subject yet, and the commissioner appointed 
 to take evidence, telegraphed them on the 4th of April, to 
 the following effect :— 
 
 <* SocTH Obntri, Manitoba, 4th April, 1S8S. 
 
 * ' If desired by half-breeds, would it not be advisable to grant scrip one 
 sixty or two forty dollars, permitting them to acquire title to lands in 
 occupation through possession? Otherwise Government really girei 
 nothing for Indian title." 
 
 That telegram is explained by a letter forwarded by the 
 commissioner next day. The Minister and his Deputy 
 evidently did not understand the question. It Is true that 
 some years previously, when a petition came from the half- 
 breeds setting forth tJieir grievances, the Deputy Minister 
 said that he could not understand the petition and Mr. Law- 
 6 
 
74 
 
 rence Clarke came to his rescue, and pointed out what the 
 Minister and his Deputy evidently did not know that an 
 Act of Parliament had provided the means whereby this 
 claim of the half-breeds to the Indian title should be 
 extinguished — pointed out that it was the duty of the 
 Government to act in that way, and if they were ignorant 
 of their own Acts they were to blame and not the half- 
 breeds. There appears to have been a repetition of this 
 state of things in 1886. They did not seem to know then, 
 and Mr. Street follows up the telegram I have already read 
 with the following : 
 
 " Oommission agree in recommending that power be granted them to 
 deal with occupying balf-breeda in the manner summarised in my mea- 
 lage of yesterday ; alao, if possible, to enable commission to settlcj 
 claims of supplementaiy Manitoba half-breeds by allowing them the 
 same terms as North- West half-breeds." 
 
 That was followed the next day by this letter to the 
 Minister : 
 
 " WiNNiPB*, 5th April, 1885. 
 
 << ]|y Dear Sir David, — We arrived here earl v this morning. I met 
 my fellow-commissioners at the Dominion Lana Office at ten o'clock. 
 They introduced the subject as to which I telegraphed you yesterday, 
 sad spoke very strongly as to its being one which was likely to be a 
 serious stumbling-block in our dealings with the half-breeds. Lest you 
 should not fully have understood my telegram, I will shortly state the 
 
 Soint. Suppose we find that a half-breed has been, upon and since 5th 
 aly, 1870, in occupation of a parcel of, say 160 acres, under circum- 
 stances which, if he were e white settler, would entitle him to a grant 
 of the land under the homestead clauses of the Dominion Lands Act : 
 under the authority we now possess we could, if he were the head of a 
 family, allow him nothing more than 160 acres ; we could allow him 
 nothing for his claim as a half-breed ; and, inasmuch as the Government 
 has all along been purporting to deal with the half-breeds as if they had 
 some generu rights beyond those of ordinary incominj^ settlers, my 
 fellow-commissioners say that great dissatisfaction and disappointment 
 will be created if we give to these occupying half-breeds only that which 
 any ordinary settler can claim, and nothing for the extinguishment of 
 bis Indian title." 
 
 This shows to me that this matter had i>ever received from 
 the Government of the day and from the Minister in charge, 
 that consideration aiid examination whicl it ought to have 
 had, or else we muet accept the other pre position which is 
 probably the correct one, that the Govt-iPment did not 
 desire and never intended to give to these half breeds any 
 of the concessiom^ which they were authorised and directed 
 to give by Statu to, and had taken power to give as far back 
 as I8t9. They led these poor people to believe, by passing 
 a Statute enabling them to confer on these half- breeds the 
 s^me rights as had been conferred on the half-breeds of 
 Manitoba — they led them to believe that these same rights 
 would be granted them; they kept that hope dangling 
 
 "I ^ 
 
 /. 
 
75 
 
 / 
 
 before them for five or six years ; they worked them 
 np to a state of dissatisfaction and discontont, and 
 as the mover of the resolntioo said to-day, even when the 
 rebellion was on the verge of breaking out the real 
 meaning and intention of the Government can be gathered 
 from the speech made by the leader of the Governiuont in 
 this House, on, I think, the 26th day of March, wherein he 
 stated that the half-breeds must make their choice between 
 the rights which the Indians could get and the rights which 
 white men could get, but that they had no other rights. 
 Well, Sir, it is known that they had other rights. Those 
 rights had been conceded to the Manitoba half-bi-eeds ; those 
 rights had been ratified by Parliament in 1879, and recog;- 
 nised by the authorities time and ngain, and on the 2b'th of 
 March, he comes in and gives you the key to the meaning 
 of the Order in Council of the 26th of January in the follow- 
 ing words: — 
 
 " Ab a whole the half-breeds bare been told that if they desired to be 
 •PQlidezed as Indians there are most liberal reserves that they could go 
 with the others ; bat that if they desired to be considered as white men 
 thev would get 160 acres of land as homesteads. But they are not 
 satisfied with that ; they want to get land scrip of equal quantity— I 
 think upwards of 2(Ky acres — and then get, as a matter of course, their 
 homesteads as well." 
 
 That is the conclusion of the whole matter. After five or 
 six long weary years, after money has been spent by the 
 half- breeds in their efforts to get their rights, after petitions 
 and delegations had been sent to Ottawa in their efforts to 
 
 get their rights, after memorials from the North-West 
 bnnoil, and from individual members of that Council had 
 been forwarded begging that those rights should be given, 
 when the whole country is in a state of turmoil, and the 
 half-breeds are on the verge of rising to get by force that 
 which is denied to them by peaceable measures, the hon. 
 gentleman rises, and practically he says : You have no rights 
 except as Indians or as white men, and those rights, which 
 as half-breeds, the Parliament of Canada has guaranteed to 
 ^ou time and again, I for one do not recognise. That then 
 IS the conclusion of the whole matter, and if it did not bring 
 about the rebellion, it contributed largely to bringing it 
 about, and I say that hon. gentlemen can fairly be arraigned, 
 and I charge them before this Parliament, and before this 
 country, of having, by their inaction, by their cold, cruel 
 and callous neglect, by what they are pleased to term 
 their masterly inactivity, with having contributed 
 to drive those people into a state of despera- 
 tion, when the only conclusion to their ignorant minds 
 was that redress which they could not get by peaceable mea- 
 
16 
 
 suros they could get by a resort to armp. Unfortunately 
 they resorted to arras, and that unfortunate termination 
 resulted, it is true, in th^ir getting their rights ; but it 
 resulted, uIho, in the expenditure of vast millions of money 
 by the taxpayers of this country, and the shedding of the 
 blood of many of our fellow countrymen. I f^ay the Minis- 
 ter of the Intel ior has evaded the charge made by my hon. 
 friend ; that he has not dared to come forward and state 
 that anyone of those petitions were not forwarded ; that 
 any one of the facli=« on which ho based his charge were not 
 true, but he evades it, and he talks about settlers' rights 
 and colonisation companies, and affidavits, and other sub- 
 jects altogether foreign to the one before the House, in the 
 attempt to lead the House and the country to believe that 
 there is nothing in this motion. Believing as I do, that the 
 statements made in that motion are not over-charged, and 
 believing that the Government are directly and criminally 
 responsible for the rebellion — responsible for their neglect, 
 for their IndiflFerence, and for the contempt with which they 
 treated all the petitions of these men, I will cordially 
 second the motion and give my vote in favor of it. 
 
 Printed by MoLian, RoeiR 4 Co., ParlUmentary Printen, WeUingtoa 
 
 Street, Ottaw*.