CANADA, DOMINION OF. 



131 



Commons sat on one occasion for fifty-seven 

 consecutive hours. The most important amend- 

 ments obtained by the Opposition gave the right 

 of appeal from the decision of the revising offi- 

 cer, when that officer is not a county court 

 judge, to the county court judge ; limited the 

 Indian franchise to the Indians living on the 

 reserves of the old settled provinces, and with 

 the same property qualification as white men ; 

 prohibited revising barristers from becoming 

 candidates for Parliament ; and excluded the 

 Chinese from the electorate. 



Legislation. In addition to the Franchise 

 Bill, to which reference is made above, many 

 other important measures occupied the atten- 

 tion of the Dominion Parliament this year. 

 The Koyal Commission appointed in 1884 to 

 inquire into the subject of Chinese immigra- 

 tion, including its trade relations and the so- 

 cial and moral objections taken to it, made a 

 report to Parliament (particulars concerning 

 which will be found in the article on British 

 Columbia). A bill based upon this report was 

 introduced by the Hon. J. A. Chapleau, one 

 of the members of the Royal Commission, and 

 became law. The act imposes a duty of fifty 

 dollars upon every person of Chinese origin 

 entering Canada, except, first, the members of 

 the diplomatic corps or other Government rep- 

 resentatives, their suite and servants, consuls, 

 and consular agents; and, secondly, tourists, 

 merchants, men of science, and students who 

 bear certificates of identity issued by the Gov- 

 ernment whose subjects they are, and indorsed 

 by a British consul, charge d'affaires, or other 

 accredited representative of her Majesty. No 

 vessel carrying Chinese immigrants to carry 

 more than one for every fifty tons of its ton- 

 nage ; the owner to be liable to a fine of fifty 

 dollars for every one carried in excess of this 

 number. Eeturn certificates are to be issued 

 to Chinamen residing in Canada and wishing 

 to leave the country temporarily. The Chi- 

 nese are forbidden to take part in the organi- 

 zation of courts or tribunals, and the penalty 

 incurred by any Chinese person for evading 

 any of the provisions of the act is twelve 

 months' imprisonment, or a fine of five hun- 

 dred dollars, or both. 



The want of an insolvent law having been 

 pressed upon the attention of the Government 

 by deputations of English merchants that wait- 

 ed upon the Premier while he was in Eng- 

 land, by representations made by the Domin- 

 ion Boards of Trade, and by petitions to the 

 House of Commons, the question was brought 

 before the House by the introduction of three 

 bills for the distribution of insolvent estates, 

 one introduced by Mr. J. J. Curran, embody- 

 ing the views of the Montreal Board of Trade. 

 The measures were referred to a select com- 

 mittee, with instructions to draw up a bill tak- 

 ing Mr. Curran's measure for its foundation. 

 The committee amended the bill by allowing 

 the debtor a discharge. The bill was very lib- 

 eral in its treatment of debtors, and provoked 



considerable hostility among the representa- 

 tives of the agricultural districts. Under the 

 bill, a debtor whose estate would pay 66f per 

 cent, could get a discharge upon obtaining the 

 consent of a simple majority of his creditors 

 in number and amount of claims. A debtor 

 whose assets would only pay between 33| per 

 cent, and 66$- per cent, would require the con- 

 sent of a majority of his creditors, two thirds 

 in number and three fourths in amount. A 

 debtor whose estate would pay less than 33-J- 

 per cent, would require the consent of a ma- 

 jority, three fourths in number and four fifths 

 in amount. To qualify a creditor to vote for 

 the discharge of an insolvent, his claim must 

 be not less than one hundred dollars. At the 

 end of the session the bill was dropped. 



A similar fate overtook a factory bill, and 

 Mr. Charlton's celebrated bill to make seduc- 

 tion a criminal offense, passed in previous 

 years by the House of Commons, but nega- 

 tived by the Senate, was also "slaughtered." 

 A bill to prevent Sunday excursions was re- 

 jected on the ground that such legislation ap- 

 pertained to the provincial legislatures, and a 

 similar bill was subsequently passed in Onta- 

 rio. 



A deadlock was brought about between the 

 two houses of Parliament in consequence of an 

 attempt on the part of the temperance advo- 

 cates to amend the Scott Act (the Canadian lo- 

 cal-option law) so as to provide better ma- 

 chinery for the punishment of offenders against 

 that statute. The Senate took the opportunity 

 to amend the act further by introducing a 

 clause permitting the sale of beer and light 

 wines in Scott Act counties, and permitting 

 physicians to sell intoxicating liquors for me- 

 dicinal purposes. The Senate's amendments 

 provoked much indignation in the temperance 

 ranks, and the upper house was accused of not 

 keeping faith with the counties that had al- 

 ready adopted the Scott Act. The House of 

 Commons refused to concur in the Senate 

 amendments, and as the Senate persisted in 

 upholding them, the bill to amend the Scott 

 Act fell to the ground, and the act consequently 

 remains in precisely its original form. The 

 Senate's course was denounced at indignation 

 meetings. 



One of the results of the Northwest rebellion 

 was the passing of a measure prohibiting per- 

 sons in the Northwest from having in their 

 possession any improved fire-arms requiring 

 fixed ammunition. It was explained that the 

 law would only be enforced in certain districts 

 on being proclaimed. When a district is pro- 

 claimed, any loyal citizen wishing to retain his 

 rifle must obtain a permit from the Lieutenant- 

 Governor. The rebellion also led to the pass- 

 ing of an act to increase the mounted police 

 from three hundred to a thousand men. 



The Liquor Licenses Act of 1883, taking away 

 from the provincial legislatures the right of 

 licensing the sale of liquors, having been pro- 

 nounced unconstitutional by the Supreme Court 



