Document Information

Date: 1867
By: Hewitt Bernard, John A. Macdonald, British North American Delegates
Citation: John A. Macdonald Fonds, Drafts of the British North America Act, 1867 – objection to Senate deadlock mechanism n.d. (MG 26 A, Vol. 47/1, p. 18305).
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Notes: Note: The dating of the draft remains uncertain. More study of the draft is required and is being undertaken by our team. Only a rough transcription has been completed and we hope to decipher the remaining text in the near future. Please check back for updates.

18305

Objection

The proposition in the first place offers an inducement to the Confederate [illegible] to [illegible] the Council, either for the purpose [illegible] support in the Senate or to gain support to their measures in the Lower House.

23. The number being increased to 84. The chances of a dead lock on [illegible] [illegible]as would exist with the fixed number of 72. The [illegible] vacancies occurring in the Senate will appear the same which both the smaller number as [illegible] in the larger. If with the 12 additional members [illegible] appointed [illegible] they will [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] the party represented in the Government [illegible] [illegible] [illegible] and in a change [illegible] Government [administration], the party coming into power will find themselves in a minority in the Senate, with no power to add to their number, until the number is reduced to below 72. If on the contrary, any [illegible] can, at pleasure, add 12 [illegible]to the Senate they [illegible]will destroy the independence + value of that body.