450 Our North Land. 



government proved very unsatisfactory. Meanwhile the state of 

 feeling in Ontario became greatly fermented and the people 

 demanded prompt action on the part of the Government. Nor was 

 the agitation quieted until the people were officially assured that 

 measures for maintaining Her Majesty's Government and rule in 

 the North-West would be promptly undertaken by the Dominion 

 and Imperial authorities conjointly, and that troops were to be sent 

 to Fort Garry without delay to restore order. 



In the session of 1870 Sir John Macdonald introduced into the 

 Canadian Parliament an Act to establish and provide for the 

 Government of the Province of Manitoba. Mr. Mackenzie who was 

 leader of the Opposition at the time opposed the Act on the ground 

 that the North-West was not then ripe for Provincial autonomy. 

 He urged the importance of a territorial form of government until 

 such time as there would be sufficient population to create a 

 Province properly ; but the French were in favour of a Provincial 

 Government for the Red River country, and their influence carried 

 the day. It is probable that if Mr. Mackenzie's advice had been 

 taken the difficulties between the North- West or Manitoba and the 

 Federal authorities, which still remain unsettled, would not have 

 been experienced. The Province was created in a hurry, and not 

 being placed on an equal footing with the older Provinces of the 

 Dominion, the people have felt themselves unjustly treated ever 

 since. 



Sir John's Act was considerably modified in its passage through 

 Parliament and has since been changed, but it still lacks in many 

 important details, and the Provincial Government is annually 

 importuning the Federal authorities for improvements. The original 

 Act placed the affairs of the Province under the control of a Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, an Executive Council, and a Provincial Legislature, 

 consisting of a Legislative Council and Assembly. The duration 

 of the Assembly was placed at four years. The Legislative Council 

 has since been abolished. The Province having no public debt, 

 interest at five per cent, per annum on $472,090 was allowed to it, 

 in addition to a yearly subsidy of $30,000, and eighty cents per head 

 on a population estimated at 17,000. This capital sum of $479,090 



