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Date: 1866-04-17
By: Montreal Herald
Citation: “NEW PHASE OF THE CONFEDERATION QUESTION” Montreal Herald (17 April, 1866)
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NEW PHASE OF THE CONFEDERATION QUESTION.

—It is quite obvious that our government have abandoned all expectation of seeing Confederation consummated on the basis of the resolutions of the Quebec Conference, which constituted, they maintained, a treaty, not a line or letter of which could be changed by the Canadian Parliament, even with the assent of Ministers, without a breach of faith. Dr. Tupper, the Premier of Nova Scotia, and the leading representative of that Province in the Conference, without venturing to ask his Parliament to ratify the treaty he had signed, now moves practically to set it aside and to refer the whole subject to the Imperial government; and from the terms of triumph in which the step is announced by the leading advocates of Confederation here, there can be no doubt that our Ministers have assented to it, if they did not actually instigate it. They must, therefore, it is to be assumed, contemplate the submission of the whole subject, principle and details, to the renewed consideration of the Canadian Parliament, before seeking the enactment of any measure by the Imperial Parliament; for they cannot without a degree of treachery, which we should be sorry to impute to them, consent to any departure from the terms of the Quebec agreement, without the sanction of Parliament. To this they pledged themselves unequivocally in the debates on the address, praying Her Majesty to give effect to the resolutions of the Conference. To guard against the possible introduction into the proposed Imperial Act of provisions, not contemplated by the Legislature, and which may prove very unacceptable to the people of this country, an amendment to the address was moved, praying that the Imperial Act should only take effect on the issuing of a proclamation, founded on an address from the Canadian Parliament. Ministers resisted this most reasonable amendment, and successfully, it is true; but solely on the ground that their honor was pledged that the resolutions, in their letter and spirit should be faithfully adhered to. We quote Mr. Cartier’s word’s words in reply to Mr. Dorion:— “In reply to what the hon. member for Hochelaga has just said, I shall merely tell honorable members of this House that they need not take alarm at the apprehensions and predictions of that honorable gentleman. I have already declared in my own name and on behalf of the government, that the delegates who go to England will accept from the Imperial government no act but one based on the resolutions adopted by this House, and they will not bring back any other. I have pledged my word of honor and that of the government to that effect.”

If this pledge be not violated, it is quite clear our government must get the assent of Parliament to a vote similar to that of Dr. Tupper, now pending before the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, before becoming parties to the line of action contemplated by that resolution; and if this pledge be observed, it is equally clear that no Imperial legislation on the subject can take place during the present session of the Imperial Parliament.