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Date: 1870-03-23
By: Dominion of Canada (Parliament)
Citation: Dominion of Canada, Parliament, “RETURN: To an Address of the HOUSE OF COMMONS, of the 28th ult., praying that a Statement be laid before the House, shewing the sums paid from the vote of $20,000 last Session, “To defray expenses for the Commission for making provisions for the uniformity of the Laws of the Provinces;” shewing the dates of payment and to whom paid, and the nature of services rendered for such payment” in Sessional Papers (1870).
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83 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 45.)

RETURN

To an Address of the HOUSE OF COMMONS, of the 28th ult., praying that a
Statement be laid before the House, shewing the sums paid from the vote
of $20,000 last Session, ” To defray expenses for the Comimiission for
making provisions for the uniformity of the Laws of the Provinces ;” shewing
the dates of payment and to whom paid, and the nature’of services rendered
for such payment.

By Command.

J. C. AIKINS,

Secretary of State.

DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE,
OTTAWA, 23rd March, 1870.

COPY of a Report of a Comnittee of the Honorable the Privy Council, approved by His
Excellency the Governor Gencral in Council on the 21st Dccember, 1869.

The Committee have had under consideration the annexed memorandum, dated 20th
December, 1869, from the Hon. the Minister of Justice, having reference to the appropriation Made by Parliament for a Commission for making provision for the uniformity of the Laws
of the Provinces, and they respectfully advise that the action taken by the Minister on this
luatter as reported in his said memorandum, and the suggestion submitted therein be approved
and uanctioned.

Certified.

Wm. H. LEE,
Clerk, P. C.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OTTAWA,
December 20th, 1869.

The undersigned thinks it desirable to bring under the notice of Your Excellency, that
although a vote of twenty thousand dollars was taken last Session, to defray the, expense of
the Commission for making provision for the uniformity of the Laws of the Provinces, no
Commission has as yet been issued.

On considering the subject the undersigned came to the conclusion that the formation of the Commission would, at present, be an unnecessary expense. Before the Commisioners
could begin to carry out the object of the Commission, by preparing m’easures of uniformity, it would be necessary to form a basis upon which to work by collating and comparing the
existing Statutes of the several Provinces. This is a work which could be better done by one competent person than by a body of Commissioners, and of course at much less expense.

The undersigned has therefore availed himself of the presence in Ottawa of the lon.
John Hamilton Gray, Q. C., as one of the arbitrators between the Provinces of Ontario and
Quebec, and has been so fortunate as to secure his services in the collation of the Provincial
Statutes. With the assistance of a single Clerk ho is making considerable progress in his
work, and will, ere long, complete it.

A Commission can then be appointed, should it be thought expedient to do so; but the
undersigned would suggest that perhaps its issue had better be postponed for a time, in the
hope that the remaining Provinces in British North America may, ere long, be added to the
Dominion. The Commissioners could then report measures rendering uniform the Laws of
all the Provinces, and not merely of the four which now compose the Dominion.

All which is respectfully submitted.

(Signed,) JOHN A. MACDONALD.

RETURN to an Address of the HOUSE oF COMMONS, praying that a Statement be laid before the House, shewid*g the sums paid from the Vote of $20,000 last Session, ” To defray expenses for the Commission for making provision for the uniformity of the Laws of the Provinces ;” shewing the dates of payment and to whom paid, and nature of service rendered for each payment.

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