90 



CANADA, DOMINION OF. 



Canada, and this bounty will continue until 

 June 30, 1889. From that date until June 30, 

 1892, the bounty will be $1 a ton. The amount 

 of bounty paid during the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1886, on pig-iron manufactured in 

 Canada was $39,269.56. The amount paid for 

 bounty between July 1, 1886, and May 1, 1887", 

 was $32,667.65. 



Treaty-Making Power. Sir Charles Tupper, in 

 his budget speech, announced that the Impe- 

 rial Government had decided to allow the 

 Dominion to negotiate its own commercial 

 treaties with foreign countries ; negotiations 

 to be conducted conjointly by the representa- 

 tive of Canada and the minister representing 

 Her Majesty's Government, the former being 

 clothed with plenipotentiary powers and placed 

 upon an equal footing with the latter. He 

 quoted the following extract from a letter sent 

 by the Foreign Office to the Colonial Office, 

 dated July 26, 1884, and referring to proposed 

 commercial negotiations between Canada and 

 Spain : 



If the Spanish Government are favorably disposed 

 a full power for these negotiations will be given to Sir 

 Robert Morrier (then British Ambassador at Madrid) 

 and Sir Charles Tupper jointly. The actual nego- 

 tiation would probably be conducted by Sir Charles 

 Tupper, but the convention, if concluded, must be 

 signed by both plenipotentiaries, and be entered into 

 between Her Majesty and the King of Spain, with the 

 special object of regulating Canadian trade with the 

 Spanish territories specified in the convention. 



Irish Home Rule. The following resolutions 

 were passed by the House of Commons on a 

 division of 135 against 47: 



That the Parliament of Canada in the year 1882 

 adopted a humble address to Her Most Gracious Maj- 

 esty the Queen expressing the hope that a just meas- 

 ure of home rule would be granted to the people of 

 Ireland j and 



That in the year 1886, by resolution of the House of 

 Commons, the sentiments of said address to Her Most 

 Gracious Majesty were earnestly reiterated and the 

 hope again expressed that such a measure of home 

 rule would be passed by the Imperial Parliament; 

 and 



That such measure of home rule has not been granted 

 to the Irish people, but, on the contrary, there has been 

 introduced into the Imperial House of Commons by 

 Her Majesty's Government a bill enacting the most 

 Otringent coercive measures for Ireland, by which the 

 Irish people will be deprived of rights most dear to all 

 British subjects. 



That this house has learned with profound regret of 

 the introduction into the Imperial House of Commons 

 of the Coercion bill above mentioned, and earnestly 

 hopes that a measure so subversive of the rights and 

 liberties of Her Majesty's subjects in Ireland may not 

 become law. 



That this house again expresses the hope that there 

 may speedily be granted to Ireland a substantial meas- 

 ure ofhome rule, which, while satisfying the national 

 aspirations of the people of Ireland for self-govern- 

 ment, shall also be consistent with the integrity of the 

 Empire as a whole. 



That the granting of home rule to Ireland vrill fit- 

 tingly crown the already glorious reign of Her Most 

 Gracious Majesty as a constitutional sovereign, will 

 come with special appropriateness in this her Jubilee 

 year, and, if possible, render Her Majesty more dear 

 to the hearts of her already devoted and loyal sub- 

 jects. 



Inter-Provincial Conference. In October, dele- 

 gates duly accredited by the governments of 

 Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Bruns- 

 wick, and Manitoba met at Quebec to con- 

 sider propositions for the amendment of the 

 British North America act of 18G7, of the Im- 

 perial Parliament, which embodies the consti- 

 tution of the Canadian Confederation. Since 

 this act, which was based upon a series of reso- 

 lutions formulated by a similar conference, was 

 passed, difficulties have from time to time arisen 

 between the Federal and provincial govern- 

 ments and legislatures as to its interpretation, 

 necessitating appeals to the Privy Council in 

 England to decide upon the constitutionality of 

 acts of the Dominion Parliament and Legisla- 

 tures. Most of the provincial governments of 

 the present day belong to the Liberal party, 

 while the Dominion Government is Conserva- 

 tive, and the issue between the advocates of 

 provincial autonomy and the advocates of cen- 

 tralization of governing power at Ottawa has 

 naturally assumed great importance. As a 

 matter of fact, most ef the resolutions adopted 

 by the Conference were in favor of increasing 

 the powers of the provincial authorities. The 

 delegates were, for Ontario: Oliver Mowatt, 

 Prime Minister; C. F. Fraser, Commissioner 

 of Public Works; A. S. Hardy, Provincial Sec- 

 retary ; A. M. Ross, Provincial Treasurer ; G. 

 W. Ross, Minister of Education. For Quebec: 

 Honore Mercier, Prime Minister; D. A. Ross. 

 Arthur Turcotte, Joseph Shehyn, Provincial 

 Treasurer; C. A. E. Gagnon, Provincial Sec- 

 retary ; James McShane, Commissioner of Pub- 

 lic Works ; George Duhamel, Solicitor-General ; 

 F. G. Marchand, Speaker of the Legislative 

 Assembly. For Nova Scotia: W. S. Fielding, 

 Prime Minister; J. W. Longley, Attorney- 

 General; A. MacGillivray. For New Bruns- 

 wick: Andrew G. Blair, Prime Minister; and 

 David McLellan, Provincial Secretary and Re- 

 ceiver-General. For Manitoba: J. Norquay, 

 Prime Minister; and C. E. Hamilton, Attorney- 

 General. Twenty-two resolutions were adopted 

 (subject to the approval of the several provin- 

 cial legislatures) as the basis upon which the 

 British North America act should be amended. 

 The resolutions provide for amendments to the 

 following effect : 



That the power of disallowing provincial statutes 

 be taken away from the Dominion Government and 

 placed in the hands of the Imperial Government, to 

 be exercised in regard to provincial legislation upon, 

 the same principles now recognized in regard to Fed- 

 eral acts. 



That, to prevent the Federal Parliament assuming 

 powers belonging exclusively to the provincial legis- 

 latures, equal facilities be afforded to the Federal and 

 provincial governments for testing the validity of 

 Federal or provincial statutes. That constitutional 

 provision be made for obtaining judicial determina- 

 tion on such acts, as well before as after they are en- 

 forced, the decisions to be subject to appeal as in other 

 cases in order to obtain final adjudication. 



That, to prevent uncertainty and litigation, the con- 

 stitutionality of statutes should not be open to ques- 

 tion by private litigants, except within a limited time 

 (say two years) after their passing. After the lapse 



