262 



DOMINION OF CANADA. 



was a close analogy between the two countries. 

 In criticising Mr. McCarthy's statement that the 

 French Canadian was hostile to England, Mr. 

 Davin instanced the Province of Quebec with its 

 preponderance of French element, and stoutly 

 denied that there was any desire whatever on 

 their part to sever from the English flag. 



Mr. O'Brien (Equal-Rights member) denied 

 the statements made by Mr. Davin, and main- 

 tained that there was no analogy between Cana- 

 da and Switzerland. In the former, he said, we 

 had but one nationality, while in the latter coun- 

 try there were different races and different na- 

 tions. Mr. O'Brien supported the bill chiefly on 

 the grounds that it was the wish of the majority 

 of the people in the Northwest to abolish the 

 dual language, and argued that the maintenance 

 of such would exercise a bad influence by en- 

 abling the minority to retard measures that 

 would-be beneficial to the Northwest. Mr.. O'Brien 

 denied that Mr. Davin represented the wishes 

 of the people in the northwest, whom he was 

 sent to represent. The question was one for the 

 House to deal with, and should not be left to the 

 local legislature. 



Mr. White (Cardwell) complained that the 

 speech of Mr. McCarthy from beginning to end 

 had a tendency to offend the French Canadians, 

 and was not at all addressed to the question at 

 issue. He strongly supported the maintenance of 

 the dual language'as it had existed for nearly fifty 

 years, and said that any interference with this 

 would only tend to make the French Canadian 

 more exclusive instead of assimilating with his 

 fellow-citizens of British origin. 



Mr. Denison (Equal Rights), the seconder of 

 the bill, strongly advocated the abolition of the 

 dual language, as French, he said, was very little 

 spoken in the Northwest, and the attempt to- 

 maintain the dual language was in a great meas- 

 ure owing to the threats of Mr. Mercier, which he 

 altogether ignored. 



Mr. Mulock (Liberal) favored the maintenance 

 of the dual language chiefly on the grounds of 

 fair play to the French minority, and argued 

 that it was a question solely for the local Legis- 

 lature, who were in a position to obtain the most 

 direct evidence on the question. 



Mr. Curran strongly opposed the bill, which 

 was calculated to create ill-feeling between the 

 nationalities and tended to mar the prosperity of 

 the country. He maintained that the question 

 was not one of general interest, and should never 

 have been introduced into the Dominion Parlia- 

 ment, but settled locally, if anything required to 

 be settled. If this bill passed, it would certainly 

 put a stop to French-Canadian immigration into 

 the Northwest Territories, and encourage their 

 exodus to the United States. 



Sir Hector Langevin opposed the bill on the 

 grounds that it was not only uncalled for, but 

 no petition had ever been sent by the people of 

 the Northwest for interference in the matter. He 

 criticised McCarthy's injustice in trying to force 

 upon a portion of the people a language they 

 could not speak. The French in the Northwest 

 were there knowing they were subjects of the 

 Queen ; they were loyal, they spoke French only, 

 and as long as they did not speak treason they 

 had a right to have French recognized officially. 



Mr. Charlton (Liberal) supported the bill and 



maintained the advisability of having but one 

 official language. In support of this he instanced 

 the rapid prosperity of the United States as com- 

 pared with Canada or Switzerland. 



Mr. Blake (Liberal) opposed the bill becaus 

 it struck at the root of time-honored usuages,. 

 and urged the House to " declare its inviolable ad- 

 herence to the covenants in respect to the use of 

 the French language in Canada, and its deter- 

 mination to resist any attempt to impair those 

 covenants." 



Mr. Laurier (leader of the Opposition) de- 

 nounced the bill as nothing more than a prelimi- 

 nary step to the further oppression of the French 

 Canadians, and denied that it had been intro- 

 duced with any idea that it would be likely to 

 pass. He accused Mr. McCarthy of being guilty 

 of purely personal motives in introducing the bill. 



Sir John A. Macdonald condemned the bill as 

 being out of place altogether. Mr. McCarthy,, 

 he said, should have attacked the French lan- 

 guage in Quebec, where it was, and not in the 

 Northwest, where it was not, if he meant any- 

 thing by the measure. 



Mr. Chapleau opposed the bill, as it would 

 have a tendency to stop French emigration to 

 the Northwest, and this, he said, should be en- 

 couraged by all means, as the French made good 

 settlers, were suited to the country, and were 

 peaceable and loyal, and their right to have the 

 French tongue recognized as official should be 

 accorded to them. The French, Mr. Chapleau 

 argued, were the first settlers in the Northwest,, 

 and on this account also were entitled to consid- 

 eration. 



Sir Richard Cartwright (Liberal) demanded that 

 the French Canadians of the Northwest be ac- 

 corded the same privileges as those of Quebec, 

 and condemned the bill as needlessly affronting 

 and offensive to the French nationality. 



Sir John Thompson moved an amendment to 

 the amendment : 



That this House, having regard to the long-con- 

 tinued use of the French language in old Canada, and 

 to the covenants of that subject embodied in the Brit- 

 ish North America act, can not agree to the declara- 

 tion contained in the said bill as the basis thereof, 

 that it is expedient in the interests of the national uni- 

 ty of the Dominion that there should be community 

 of language among the people of Canada. 



That, on the contrary, this House declares its ad- 

 herence to the said covenants, and its determination 

 to resist any attempt to impair the same ; 



That, at the same time ; this House deems it expedi- 

 ent and proper, and not inconsistent with these cov- 

 enants, that the Legislative Assembly of the North- 

 west Territories should receive from the Parliament 

 of Canada power to regulate, after the next general 

 election of the Assembly, the proceedings of the As- 

 sembly and the manner of recording and publishing 

 such proceedings. 



The House divided on the amendment to the 

 amendment : yeas, 149 ; nays, 50. 



Offenses against Public Morals. An act 

 that was passed this session to amend the crimi- 

 nal law contains some noteworthy provisions in 

 the interests of public morals. The " age of con- 

 sent " is raised to fourteen years. For a guardian 

 to have illicit connection "with his ward, or for 

 any person to have illicit connection with any 

 woman under twenty-one, of previously chaste 

 character, and who by reason of her employment 



