[bourinot] CANADA DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA 3i 



" in this province, and to trust its government to none but a decidedly 

 " English legislature," As a matter of fact, Lord Durham entirely 

 underrated the national instincts of the French Canadian population and 

 the tenacity with which they cling to their national life. Le Canadien 

 a newspaper established in French Canadian interests, in the early days 

 of this century, struck the key note of French Canadian aspiration, when 

 it adopted as its motto, " Notre langue, notre foi, et nos institutions." 

 Under the favourable conditions of the federal system Quebec has become 

 essentially a French Canadian province in which the English are actually 

 in a very small minority though it is one distinguished always by its 

 great intelligence and superior enterprise. In the province of Ontario 

 the French race has recentlj" controlled the election of more than one 

 county which heretofore has been English in its representation. At the 

 same rate of progress, and under an equally favourable condition of 

 things, five millions of French-speaking people will inhabit the Dominion 

 in four or five decades. In the nature of things they must always exer- 

 cise a powerful influence on the future destiny of the young confederation. 

 It is therefore all-important to understand their actual sentiment with 

 respect to the Union. At times, when they believe their nationality is in 

 danger or an injustice has been done to one of their race, they become 

 aggressive, but, happily for the peace and unity of the country, the con- 

 servative instincts of the leading classes ultimately prevail over the 

 passion and impulsiveness of the masses. 



While reason and common sense have the master}- in French Canada 

 all classes can hardly fail to see that the institutions which they value so 

 highly can oxûj be preserved by such a system of government as they 

 now 250ssess under the protecting influence of the Imperial State, and 

 were they, to-morrow, to find themselves in the ranks of the federal repub- 

 Uc, their position would, in all probability, become eventually, like that 

 of their compatriots in Louisiana, interesting from the point of view of 

 the antiquary and the student of human life, but insignificant from a 

 political or national aspect. No French Canadian writer or politician of 

 weight in the country now urges so impossible or suicidal a scheme as 

 the foundation of an independent French nationality on the banks of the 

 St. Lawrence. 



Sir Wilfrid Laurier, now the bi'illiant leader of the government in 

 parliament, only voiced the sentiments of his compatriots, conservative 

 as well as liberal, when he said, some months ago, in the presence of a 

 large English audience in the city of Toronto : — 



'•If there are any amongst my fellow-countrymen who have ever 

 '• dreamed of closing themselves into a small community of Frenchmen 

 '• on the banks of the St. Lawrence, I am not one of them. It would be 

 *' an act of black ingratitude if, after we have sought from England the 

 '' privileges and rights of British subjects, we were now to reject the res- 



