668 CANADA 



constituted as follows: R. L. Borden, Premier and President of the Privy Council; 

 George Eulas Foster, 1 Trade and Commerce; Robert Rogers (b. 1864), Interior; F. D. 

 Monk (b. 1856), Public Works; Francis Cochrane (b. 1852), Railways and Canals; 

 William T. White, 2 Finance; Louis P. Pelletier (b. 1857), Postmaster General; John D. 

 Hazen (b. 1860), Marine and Fisheries and Naval Service; Charles J. Doherty (b. 1855), 

 Justice; Samuel Hughes (b. 1853), Militia and Defence; William J. Roche (b. 1859), 

 Secretary of State; Thomas W. Crothers (b. 1850), Labour; Wilfrid B. Nantel (b. 1857), 

 Inland Revenue and Mines; John D. Reid (b. 1859), Customs; Martin Burrell (b. 1858), 

 Agriculture; George H. Perley (b. 1857), Albert E. Kemp (b. 1858), and James A. 

 Lougheed (b. 1854), members without portfolios. On October 22, 1912 Mr. Monk 

 resigned on the question of Mr. Borden's naval policy (see below) and his portfolio was 

 taken over by Mr. Rogers, Mr. W. J. Roche becoming Minister of the Interior in his 

 place. The office of Secretary of State was filled by Mr. Louis Coderre (b. 1865), the 

 member for the Hochelaga division of Montreal. On October 23, 1911 the Hon. 

 Auguste Landry was appointed Speaker of the Senate, and on November i sth Dr. T. S. 

 Sproule was elected Speaker of the House of Commons. 



The twelfth parliament of the Dominion of Canada was opened on November 15, 

 1911 by the Governor General in person. The address in reply to the speech from the 

 throne was voted on November 29, and on December 7th parliament adjourned over 

 the Christmas recess until January 10, 1912. On resuming, the main business was 

 financial, estimates including supplementaries being submitted for $169,389,716 divided 

 as to $117,981,831 to Consolidated Fund Account, and $51,407,885 to Capital Account. 

 On April i, 1912 parliament was prorogued. 



When the new session opened on November 21, 1912, it was known that the an- 

 nouncement of Mr. Borden's naval programme would be the business of outstanding 

 importance. The Governor General in the speech from the throne stated that, his ad- 

 visers having consulted with the Imperial government, it had been concluded that it 

 would be the duty of Canada at this juncture to afford aid for the purpose of strengthen- 

 ing the effective naval forces of the Empire; and on December 5th (see below) the 

 Premier announced an Emergency Contribution Bill, leaving the permanent Naval 

 Policy for future consideration. 



The Reciprocity Question. Sir W. Laurier's government had begun their official 

 negotiations for Reciprocity with the United States in January 1911, as the result of 

 private discussions in the previous year. The terms of the proposed Agreement were 

 announced in the Canadian parliament by Mr. W. S. Fielding, the Finance Minister in 

 Sir W. Laurier's cabinet, on January 26, 1911. It aimed at more free interchange of 

 products by removing duties on certain articles and reducing them in others. 



Among those which were to enter free in each country, if of the growth, product or 

 manufactures of the other, were live animals, poultry, wheat and other grain, vegetables, 

 fruit, dairy products, honey, cotton seed, oil and certain oil seeds, grass, garden, field and 

 other seed, fish except those preserved in oil, certain fish oils, timber (not sawn), brass (not 

 polished) rolled iron or steel sheets 14 gauge or thinner, galvanised, coated with zinc or tin, 

 crucible cast steel, galvanised iron, steel or wire, typewriting and typesetting machines, 

 barbed fencing wire, coke (round), wire rods, wood pulp, and cream separators. Among 

 the articles to be admitted into Canada from the United States and into the United States 

 from Canada at identical rates were the following: Fresh meats i\ cts. per lb.; bacon and 

 hams, not in tins or jars, I J cts. per lb. ; meats dried and preserved I \ cts, per lb. ; canned meats 

 and poultry 20 per cent; lards, etc., ij cts. per lb. ; barley, malt, per lop Ibs. 45 cts.; cereal 

 foods 12 -J cts. per 100 Ibs.; biscuits, wafers, cakes, 25 per cent; confectionery 325 per cent; 

 farm wagons 225 per cent; farming implements of various kinds 15 per cent; portable engines 

 with boilers and traction engines for farm purposes 20 per cent; roofing slates 55 cts. per 

 loo ft.; cutlery plated or not 27 J per cent; clocks, watches, etc. 27^ per cent; automobiles 

 30 per cent. Arrangements were made for special rates of duty on a moderate scale to cover 

 a large number of other commodities. 



1 See E. B. x, 732. Born in New Brunswick in 1847. In 1885 he was Minister of Marine 

 and Fisheries, and in 1888-96 Minister of Finance. 



2 Born at Hronte, Ontario, in 1866. He became a successful financier in Toronto, occupy- 

 ing until recently the position of Vice-President of the National Trust Company. 



