March 1883. 



The Prot/ress of the New Dominion. 



359 



it date tljc 

 of Canada. 

 !.ssion was 

 tlic Brit- 

 llicy were 

 nafje tlieir 

 e iiitcrfer- 

 ttate. By 



18G7, the 

 sscssion of 

 in their 

 Tovcrnnicnt 

 ppoint and 

 - governors 

 lonstituting 

 ablisli now 

 ist Nortli- 

 cxclusively 

 3 constitu- 

 !ntral Gov- 

 t of disal- 

 i provincial 

 ey conflict 



cither in 

 cessary im- 

 ion Parlia- 

 isallowancc 

 vcral occa- 

 )ve a source 

 •m time to 

 il provinces 

 iicnt. The 

 system of 

 's us very 

 5 members 

 ays regard 

 picion any 



legislative 

 tral author- 

 ctly within 

 its consti- 

 order that 

 may move 

 ich, sooner 

 roublesome 

 nt we only 

 / constitu- 

 awino; the 

 le Govcrn- 

 the Act of 

 ?re not for 

 lign is still 

 or-General, 



that Canada is not yet allowed to 

 make commercial treaties with for- 

 eign countries, and that the people 

 have still a right of appeal to the 

 Judicial Committee of the I'rivy 

 Council, the Dominion \\ould be 

 practically an independent State. 

 Even the right of Canada to make 

 her own commercial treaties has 

 been distinctly adirmed by a power- 

 ful party in the Canadian Parlia- 

 ment. Indeed the history of the 

 Reciprocity Treaty which existed 

 between Canada and the United 

 States until 18GG, and of the Wash- 

 ington Treaty of 1872, sutliciently 

 shows the desire of the imperial 

 Government to meet the wishes of 

 the colonies in all nuitters affecting 

 their commerce ; and the time is 

 undoubtedly near at hand when 

 arrangements will be made to place 

 the commercial relations of the 

 Dominion on a far more satisfac- 

 tory basis than at present. But, 

 of course, any arrangements that 

 are made must keep in view the 

 interests of the imperial connec- 

 tion. 



By the written constitution of 

 the Dominion, each province has a 

 Lieutenant-Governor, and a Legis- 

 lature of either one or two Houses, 

 and an Executive Council. These 

 provincial Legislatures have the 

 right to pass laws with respect to 

 education, local works, and other 

 matters of a municipal or provin- 

 cial character. Trade and com- 

 merce, the raising of a general 

 revenue by taxation, postal affairs, 

 militia and defence, the organisa- 

 tion of the territories, and all mat- 

 ters of a Dominion or national 

 importance, are within the juris- 

 diction of the central or federal 

 Government, to which are also 

 reserved all powers not expressly 

 given to the provincial Govern- 

 ments. This system, so far, has 

 worked to the common advantage 

 of the Dominion and provinces, 

 and seems well adapted to con- 



serve the varied interests of the 

 several members of the confedera- 

 tion. Like the United States, 

 Canada has a Supreme Court to 

 which cases arc brought on ap- 

 peal from the various provincial 

 tribunals, and which is proving 

 itself a valuable auxiliary to the 

 harmonious operation of the Union 

 by its interpretations of the im- 

 perial Act of 1807; and there can 

 be no doubt that, in the course of 

 time, the people will fully {.pprc- 

 ciate the advantac'e of havinic an 

 impartial learned body, removed 

 from all sectional influences, ready 

 to decide important issues of con- 

 stitutional law. The Governor- 

 General is advised by a Privy 

 Council responsible to and depen- 

 dent on the support of a majority 

 in the House of Commons; and the 

 same wise principle of responsibil- 

 ity to the people through their 

 representatives in Parliament is 

 strictly carried out in all the 

 [)rovinces. The Civil Service is 

 composetl of a permanent body of 

 oflicials, who hold their positions 

 during good behaviour, and can 

 look forward to public support 

 when old age incapacitates them 

 for work. The judiciary is ap- 

 pointed by the Crown, and no one 

 of its members can be removed 

 except on the address of the two 

 Houses of Parliament. These fea- 

 tures of the Canadian svstem of 

 government are in direct opposi- 

 tion to the principles of the Amer- 

 ican svstem, and show the essen- 

 tialiv British character of Canadian 

 institutions. A permanent Execu- 

 tive, a Ministry directly responsible 

 to Parliament, a non-political body 

 of public servants, and an indepen- 

 dent judiciary, are all absolutely 

 necessary to the healthy political 

 development of a country ; and 

 Canadians have never been tempted 

 by American influences to swerve 

 from these wise, conservative 

 methods of government. Indeed, 



