Document Information

Date: 1905-04-10
By: Canada (Parliament)
Citation: Canada, House of Commons Debates, 10th Parl, 1st Sess, 1905 at 4200-4201.
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NEW MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR—HON. FRANK OLIVER.

     Mr. SPEAKER. I have the honour to inform the House that I have received a notification of a vacancy having occurred in the representation of the electoral district of Edmonton, by the acceptance of an office of emolument under the Crown, to wit : the office of Minister of the Interior, by Frank Oliver, Esq., member for the said electoral district. I have accordingly issued my warrant to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery to make out a new writ of election for the said electoral district.

     Sir WILFRID LAURIER. On Friday last I told my hon. friend (Mr. R. L. Borden) that if he renewed the question he then put to me I would give him an answer. The answer is before him now.

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Mr. R. L. BORDEN. I am very much gratified that my persevering efforts have at last been rewarded with success; I doubt very much if my right hon. friend would have screwed up enough courage if we had not stirred him up from day to day. However, I do not know that we can congratulate him very much on his courage after all, for it has taken six or seven weeks to bring it to the sticking point. It would seem to have been equally possible to have made this appointment some four, or five, or six weeks ago, and to have had the advantage of a Minister of the Interior during the discussion on this Bill. I do not know whether I am called upon to congratulate my hon. friend from West Assiniboia (Mr. Scott). He was pointed out to us by the Liberal press of the country as the gentleman who, above all others, was fitted to fill this position, and we were told in pretty plain and distinct terms that he would be selected. The ex-Minister of the Interior (Mr. Sifton) told us, just about as distinctly as such things are ever told in this House, that the late member for Edmonton (Mr. Oliver) was to fill the position of Prime Minister of one of the western provinces. The programme was very pretty—my hon. friend from West Assiniboia (Mr. Scott) was to be Minister of the Interior and Mr. Oliver was to be Prime Minister of one of the western provinces. That was the programme laid down by the government press, and it would be interesting to know why that programme has been so abruptly and suddenly changed. However, we are glad that the government have at last taken some action. I do not know whether my hon. friend from West Assiniboia (Mr. Scott) has in his pocket a letter of the description which was given some years ago to Mr. Francois Langelier, of Quebec, telling him what would be done at the end of the session. I sincerely trust that my hon. friend (Mr. Scott) has some oral or written assurance of that kind. Be that as it may, on this side of the House we can only wait and see what the developments will be.

Mr. ARMAND LAVERGNE (Montmagny). Now that the challenge of the hon. member for South York (Mr. W. F. Maclean) has been accepted by the member for Edmonton (Mr. Oliver), I wish to know if the resignation of the hon. member for South York has been tendered to Mr. Speaker. The absence of the hon. gentleman (Mr. W. F. Maclean) might indicate that; but, of course, I would like to know officially.

Mr. J. H. G. BERGERON (Beauharnois). I thought that I might be out of order had I referred to this subject, but the remarks of the hon. member for Montmagny (Mr. A. Lavergne) have given me an opportunity to speak. I may remind my hon. friend that some years ago Mr. Oliver, the new Minister of the Interior, was in a very ugly mood towards the Galicians who settled in

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his county. I am now informed there are now about 7,000 of these settlers, who are very good voters, and I have no doubt Mr. Oliver would not have accepted the portfolio unless he were able to count on the vote of these same Galicians. I commend to hon. gentlemen opposite the pages of ‘Hansard,’ in which they will find some very threatening language used by Mr. Oliver against these Galicians, but I have no doubt he will find them good enough now to try and get their votes.

Mr. A. LAVERGNE. That is not much of an answer to my question.

Some hon. MEMBERS. Order.