604 



QUEBEC. 



official residence (Spencer Wood) at Quebec of the 

 Lieutenant Governor. Since attaining office they 

 had done nothing in this direction, and during 

 the current session they came in for much criticism 

 not because they should have abolished the resi- 

 dence, but because they had promised to do so 

 and not tried. Messrs. Le Blanc and Nantel and 

 other Conservative leaders declared themselves in 

 favor of its maintenance, but they could obtain 

 no definite expression from members of the Govern- 

 ment. On March 10 Mr. Marchand introduced a 

 measure proposing to abolish the upper house of 

 the Legislature. His resolution merely stated that 

 " in the opinion of this house, it is desirable that 

 the composition of the Legislature of this province 

 be modified by the abolition of the Legislative 

 Council." He referred to various attempts made 

 in previous years to effect this end by both him- 

 self and the late Mr. Mercier. He declared that 

 the Council cost about $40,000 a year, which might 

 be better expended on colonization; that Ontario 

 and Manitoba got on very well without such a 

 body, and so could Quebec; that it did not repre- 

 sent aristocracy and landed wealth, as did the 

 House of Lords in England; that its members 

 were mainly political partisans; that the Assembly 

 did not need such a correcting and modifying in- 

 fluence; and that the people were in favor of its 

 abolition. Mr. E. J. Flynn, leader of the Con- 

 servative opposition, declared, in reply, that the 

 Government were insincere in the matter, or else 

 they would have introduced a specific measure in- 

 stead of an academic expression of opinion; that 

 the Council was an essential part of the Constitu- 

 tion constructed at confederation ; that the English 

 minority in the province was almost unanimously 

 in favor of its maintenance ; that it was the safety 

 valve of our system of Government, and repre- 

 sented the sober second thought of the people; 

 that in the past it had defended important inter- 

 ests, and was regarded by the city of Montreal 

 as the safeguard of its manufactures, capitalists, 

 and property rights; that it represented the Que- 

 bec aristocracy of merit and intelligence in pro- 

 fessional, industrial, and agricultural life ; and that 

 it had checked legislation subversive of public 

 order and the Constitution. He moved an amend- 

 ment as follows: 



" That this house is satisfied with the present 

 Constitution of this province, which is based on 

 that of Great Britain, and does not desire any 

 such innovation as that proposed, which would 

 have but one result that of imperilling our pro- 

 vincial institutions and very seriously affecting 

 the interests of this province as an integral part 

 of the Canadian confederation." 



The original motion was carried by a party 

 vote 38 to 21. In the Council itself a more formal 

 bill was introduced and debated at length, the 

 principal speeches being made by the Hon. Messrs. 

 Archambault and T. Chapais. Eventually an 

 amendment moved by the Hon. C. B. de Boucher- 

 ville, a former Conservative Premier of the prov- 

 ince, declaring that the Council should be main- 

 tained " in the interest of wise legislation and as 

 a safeguard for precious privileges " accorded by 

 the confederation act, was carried and the bill was 

 defeated. On March 23 the Legislature adjourned 

 after the Lieutenant Governor had assented to a 

 large number of measures, among which were the 

 following : 



To authorize guarantee companies to become 

 sureties before the courts. 



Respecting mining companies. 



To amend the mining law. 



To amend the law respecting the sale and man- 

 agement of Crown lands. 



To consolidate and amend the license law. 



To amend the law respecting industrial estab- 

 lishments. 



Respecting the construction of telephone lines. 



To amend the law respecting taxes upon com- 

 mercial corporations and companies. 



To incorporate the Montreal Mining Exchange. 



To incorporate the Great Northern Elevator 

 Company. 



To amend the law respecting admission to prac- 

 tice medicine. 



To incorporate the Labrador Electric and Pulp 

 Company. 



Concerning the Board of Catholic School Com- 

 missioners of Montreal. 



During the year important changes took place 

 in the personnel of the Government. On Feb. 13 

 the Hon. Joseph Shehyn retired from his office 

 of minister without portfolio in order to accept 

 a Dominion senatorship. Late in September the 

 Hon. F. G. Marchand, who had been an honorable 

 and much respected Premier, died, and on Oct. 3 

 a new Liberal ministry was sworn in under the 

 premiership of Hon. S. N. Parent a comparatively 

 young man who had been Commissioner of Lands, 

 Forests, and Fisheries in Mr. Marchand's ministry 

 and Mayor of Quebec city several years. Mr. 

 Parent retained his old portfolio in the Govern 

 ment, and Mr. Shehyn resumed his office. Th< 

 Hon. H. Archambault as Attorney-General, tin 

 Hon. F. G. M. Dechene as Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, the Hon. G. W. Stephens as member with- 

 out portfolio, the Hon. A. Turgeon as Commissioner 

 of Colonization and Mines (with the addition of 

 the provincial secretaryship), and the Hon. J. J. 

 Guerin, member without portfolio, retained their 

 posts. Mr. Lomer Gouin came in as Commissioner 

 of Public Works in place of Mr. H. T. Duffy, who 

 took the treasurership, and the Hon. J. E. Robi- 

 doux retired and was appointed to a provincial 

 judgeship. 



Finances. On Jan. 25, 1900, Mr. Marchand 

 presented his annual budget as Provincial Trea- 

 urer. His estimated expenditure for the year end- 

 ing June 30, 1901, was $4,780,652, an increase of 

 $200,000 over the preceding year's estimates. He 

 declared that on June 30, 1899, the total liabilities, 

 including the funded debt and its increase by the 

 conversion, the temporary loans, trust and railway 

 deposits, outstanding warrants, increased railway 

 subsidies, etc., amounted to a total of $37,320,504. 

 and the total assets to $10,654,642. leaving on that 

 date an excess of $26,625,562 of liabilities. Com- 

 pared with the previous year's statement, the in- 

 crease of the excess of liabilities was $795,038. 

 while the increase of the capital of the funded debt 

 conversion was $915.280, so that actually there had 

 been a decrease of $120,241 in the excess of liatiil 

 ities, apart from the increase by conversion of the 

 debt. 



On June 30, 1898. the funded debt outstanding 

 amounted to $34,238,841, and on June 30, 1899. 

 to $35,128,847, an increase of $845,006 also <lne t. 

 the conversion. There was invested (luring tin 

 year for the sinking fund $21,070, bringin-: that 

 fund up to $10,025.747 and leaving the net amount 

 of the funded debt $25,103.099. On June :>. I vi'.< 

 the floating debt, made up of temporary loaii- 

 trust deposits, railway guarantee deposits, out 

 standing warrants, unearned railway subsidies 

 amounted to $1,991.656, against which 'the Covern 

 ment held $201,970 cash in banks and $267,2$ 

 claims for loans and advances to individuals and 

 corporations, leaving the balance of the floating 

 debt at $1.522,462. and constituting a decrease ot 

 $18.897. The total amount of the debt converted 

 was $3,961, 743. which added $915,280 to the prin. -i 



