276 



DOMINION OF CANADA. 



coalitions, past, present, and to come, as cor- 

 rupt and unholy things. In Nova Scotia, Mr. 

 Howe succeeded in arousing a strong and de- 

 termined spirit of resistance, not alone to the 

 new government, but to any union or closer 

 political connection with the Canadians, under 

 existing circumstances. 



Previous to the general elections to the Do- 

 minion Parliament, and to the several local Le- 

 gislatures (which in Ontario and Quebec both 

 took place on the same days), the Lieutenant- 

 Governor of each province was successful in 

 having a government formed for his particular 

 province. In Ontario, the Hon. J. Sandfield 

 Macdonald, an old Eeformer, had accepted the 

 task of constructing a government, which duty, 

 however difficult at the time, owing to the 

 factious spirit abroad, he successfully achieved, 

 taking into bis cabinet two Eeformers and two 

 Conservatives. In Quebec, the Hon. Joseph 

 Cauchon, now president of the Dominion Sen- 

 ate, signally failed in the endeavor, owing to 

 his unpopularity on a question of administra- 

 tive policy, and was forced to yield to M. 

 Chauveau, a younger, but more acceptable poli- 

 tician, who speedily overcame the difficulties 

 of the position, and formed a strong Conserva- 

 tive administration. In Nova Scotia and New 

 Brunswick, governments were also constructed, 

 which, like those in Ontario and Quebec, were 

 pledged to carry out the union principle. 



The result of the elections, in August and 

 September, gave the Dominion Government an 

 overwhelming majority in the House of Com- 

 mons (as the popular branch of the Legisla- 

 ture is called under the new constitution), in 

 all the provinces except Nova Scotia, where 

 but one Union candidate was returned. In 

 Ontario not only were the rank and file of the 

 obstructionists worsted at the polls, but the 

 chief of the party (Mr. Brown) and many of 

 its leading spirits were defeated by crushing 

 majorities, proving conclusively that the union 

 sentiment in that province at least was strong 

 and healthy. Each of the local governments 

 was also successful in its appeal to the people, 

 with the exception of the Nova Scotian one. 

 In that province the anti-unionists were victo- 

 rious. 



The Dominion Parliament met at Ottawa, 

 on the 6th of November, when the Hon. James 

 Cockburn was elected Speaker of the House 

 of Commons, and the Hon. Joseph Cauchon 

 was appointed to preside over the Senate. On 

 the following day the Governor-General de- 

 livered the following speech from the throne : 



Honorable Gentlemen of the Senate : 



GENTLEMEN OP THK HOUSE OF COMMONS: In ad- 

 dressing, for the first time, the Parliamentary repre- 

 sentatives of the Dominion of Canada, Tf desire to 

 give expression to my own deep feeling of gratifica- 

 tion that it has been my high privilege to occupy an 

 official position which has made it my duty to assist 

 at every step taken in the erection of this great 

 Confederation. I congratulate you on the legisla- 

 tive sanction which has been given by the Imperial 

 Parliament to the Act of Union, under the provisions 



of which we are now assembled, and which has laid 

 the foundation of a new nationality that I trust and 

 believe will ere long extend its bounds from the At- 

 lantic to the Pacific Ocean. In the discussion which 

 ? receded the introduction of this measure in the 

 mperial Parliament, between the members of her 

 Majesty's Government on the one side, and the dele- 

 gates who represented the Provinces now united on 

 the other, it was apparent to all those who took part 

 in these conferences, that while her Majesty's min- 

 isters considered and pressed the principle of Union 

 as a subject of great Imperial interest, they allowed 

 to the provincial representatives every 'freedom in 

 arranging the mode in which that principle should 

 be applied, in a similar spirit of respect for your 

 privileges as a free and self-governed people. 



The act of Union, as adopted by the Imperial Par- 

 liament, imposes the duty and confers upon you the 

 ( right of reducing to practice the system of govern- 

 ment which it called into existence, of consolidating 

 its institutions, of harmonizing its administrative 

 details, and of making such legislative provisions as 

 will secure to a constitution, in some respects novel, 

 a full, fair, and unprejudiced trial ; with the design 

 of effecting those objects, measures will be laid be- 

 fore you for the amendment and assimilation of the 

 laws now established in the several Provinces, relat- 

 ing to currency, customs, excise and revenue gen- 

 erally ; for the adoption of a uniform postal system, 

 for the proper management of the public works and 

 properties of the Dominion, for the adoption of a . 

 well-considered scheme of militia organization and 

 defence, for the proper administration of Indian 

 affairs, for the introduction of uniform laws respect- 

 ing patents of invention and discovery, the naturali- 

 zation of aliens, and the assimilation of the crimi- 

 nal law and the laws relating to bankruptcy and 

 insolvency. A measure will also be submitted to 

 you for the perfection of the duty imposed upon 

 Canada under the terms of the Union Act, of imme- 

 diate construction of the Intercolonial Railway, and 

 this great work will add a practical connection to 

 the legislative bonds which now unite the Provinces 

 comprising the Dominion. The liberality with which 

 the guarantee for cost of construction was given by 

 the Imperial Parliament is new proof of the hearty 

 interest felt by the British people in your prosperity. 

 Your consideration will also be invited to the im- 

 portant subject of Western territorial extension, 

 and your attention will be called to the best means 

 for the protection and development of our fishery 

 and marine interests. You will also be asked to 

 consider measures for defining the power of Parlia- 

 ment, and for the establishment of uniform laws re- 

 lating to elections, and the trial of controverted 

 elections. 



Gentlemen of the House of Commons ; 



The circumstances under which the Act of Union 

 came into operation rendered it impossible to ob- 

 fain the assent of the Legislature to the expenditure 

 necessary for carrying on the ordinary business of 

 the Government ; the expenditure since the first of 

 July has, therefore, been incurred on the responsi- 

 bility of the ministers of the crown. The details of 

 that expenditure will be laid before you and submit- 

 ted for your sanction. I have directed that the esti- 

 mates for current succeeding financial years shall be 

 laid before you. You will find they have been 

 framed with all attention to economy which is com- 

 patible with the maintenance of efficiency in the 

 different branches of the public service. 

 Honorable Gentlemen of the Senate : 



GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS : The 

 general efficiency of the volunteers and militia has 

 been greatly improved within the last year, and the 

 whole volunteer force of Ontario and Quebec is 

 already, by the liberality of the Imperial Govern- 

 ment, armed with the breech-loading rifle. 



I am happy to be able to congratulate you on the 



