The Great North-West. . 391 



Federal Union unless accorded equal privileges with the other partners of 

 the Confederation, and a modification of those duties which press so 

 heavily on the agricultural interests. 



" And further, that an appeal be made to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria> 

 and to her Privy Council, to so amend the British North America Act as 

 to allow of Manitoba withdrawing from Confederation, and graciously to 

 allow of this country being a colony of Great Britain, with a separate con" 

 stitution, separate laws, and with a Governor of its own : 



" And this Convention further pledges itself to sustain the Premier in 

 this course of action by any means in its power ; and feels sure that the 

 people of this Province will support them in securing that independence 

 and freedom so dear to every British subject." 



5t* -r -r 1 *7C 5p !|S H~ 



" That in the opinion of the Convention, the burdens laid on the people 

 of Manitoba are so great that agricultural operatious cannot be made to 

 yield a fair profit ; that emigration, before the removal of these burdens, 

 will benefit neither the Province nor the emigrants ; and that this Conven- 

 tion cannot advise emigrants to settle in the Province till full redress of the 

 grievances complained of by this Convention shall have been obtained." 



In the first place the sentiments of the above resolutions were 

 not those of any considerable number of the people, nor of the con- 

 vention; but, as I have said, they gained publicity through the 

 proceedings of the convention, and were regarded in many quar- 

 ters as representing the feelings of the people. Moreover, 

 they were- misunderstood, also, as to the cause which led 

 to their existence. Thousands of people in Europe regarded 

 the discontent as caused by some inherent defect of the coun- 

 try, or some permanent disadvantage which could not be over- 

 come, and were falsely persuaded not to settle within its limits. As 

 a consequence of these, along with other causes, all of a temporary 

 character, there has been a considerable falling off in immigration to 

 Manitoba. I refer to the matter, in this place, however, in order to 

 show that whatever of discontent may have existed, or may now 

 exist, in the North-West, it is not in any way traceable to any 

 disappointment of the settlers with the general advantages of 

 the country, but to causes that are transient. The establish- 

 ment of the Hudson's Bay Route will remove the last of these, and 

 place the people upon a better footing, commercially, than the 

 inhabitants of any other portions of Canada. 



