Document Information
Date: 1866-11-02
By: True Witness
Citation: “No title”, True Witness (2 November, 1866)
Other formats: TBA
There has been much activity amongst our Ministers of late, much flitting to and fro, much gathering together, so that it was plain that some great, or at all events difficult question, was under the consideration of the Cabinet. The Montreal Gazette, (Ministerial,) of the 24th instant, let us into the object of all these mysterious meetings and consultations; and certainly if our contemporary’s information is to be relied upon, that object is one in which the Catholics of the Province, but those of Upper Canada especially, are deeply interested. ‘The Gazette thus, semi-officially we suppose, lets us into the secrets of the Cabinet:—
“We have much pleasure in announcing that during the recent protracted sitting of the Cabinet at Ottawa, the subject of the position of the Lower Canada Education question was very fully considered. The Ministry were, we understand, desirous that Mr. Galt should be appointed as a delegate to represent the interests of the British population; but that gentleman felt that he could not accept unless he was assured as to the views of the Government on the points that so seriously concern his countrymen and coreligionists, and which so deeply rouse their feelings. We are informed that the Ministry entirely satisfied Mr. Galt of their determination to give practical effect to the pledges given in Parliament, and that gentlemen has in consequence accepted the appointment of delegate for the express purpose of watching over these important interests, as well as of lending his aid to the consummation of the measure of Confederation.
“We feel that our Protestant friends may rest assured that the man who resigned the honors and emoluments of office on this question will not, as a delegate, be found wanting to his trust as their representative. And we hail with great satisfaction the approaching settlement of a question which might have been fraught with so much danger to the kindly and cordial relations which have of late so happily subsisted between the people of different races and creeds in Canada.”—Gazette, Oct. 24.
The Montreal Herald, (Opposition,) of the following day, notices, and in the following terms comments upon, this exposition of the Ministerial policy, as made by its contemporary the Gazette:—
“What is to be done now? Is Mr. Galt to induce the Imperial Parliament to override by its authority the repeated promises made by Mr. Cartier that the Quebec scheme should not be altered; and this upon a subject on which the greatest interest is felt by the Lower Canadian majority, and upon which they have pronounced unmistakably against the dispositions of which Mr. Galt is put forward as the advocate? While it is pretended that the British Parliament is to be requested merely to homologate a scheme approved by the people of each of the separate Provinces, is it to be asked to incorporate into the Constitution an enactment on a subject which that Constitution, as agreed upon, has left to be regulated by the local Parliaments, and which the present representatives of the Lower Canada Parliament have refused to regulate in the sense desired by Mr. Galt?”—Herald, 25th Oct.
Our readers will observe with pain, if not with surprise, that there is not the slightest allusion to the case of the Catholic minority in Upper Canada; who as British subjects are entitled to quite as much, and to quite as favorable consideration as are their fellow-subjects, the Protestants of Lower Canada. That the latter should be allowed to educate their children as they please, receiving for that purpose their share of any sums allotted by the State for educational purposes, is but just; but it is no less just that the Catholics of Upper Canada should be dealt with in a similar manner. On this point the representatives of Lower Canada should take a firm uncompromising stand; for it would be an act of treachery on their part, were they to accede to the demands of the Protestant minority of Lower Canada, without insisting upon, and enforcing the equally legitimate demands of the Catholic minority of the Upper Province. If, under such circumstances, the wrongs whereof the former complain were to remain unredressed, they would have to blame only the dishonesty of their own coreligionists of Upper Canada, who rather than do justice to Catholics, are willing to perpetuate injustice to their own coreligionists in another section of the Province. It is therefore our duty towards our Upper Canadian brethren, as well as our legal right, to insist that every measure for the relief of the Protestants of Lower Canada shall march pari passu with an analogous measure for the relief of the Catholics of Upper Canada. If we fail in this we are guilty of the basest dereliction of duty, and we may be sure that our treachery, and pusillanimity will meet with well-merited punishment.
According to the terms of the scheme of Union agreed to at Quebec, it was determined that each Province should for itself regulate its own school laws: and so sacred were every word and syllable of the terms of that scheme declared to be when it was laid before the Canadian Legislature, that the slightest deviation from them was pronounced impossible, the attempt even to amend them, was held to be sacrilegious. If any man were to offer even to add to, or to take away from, the words of that scheme of union he was to be accounted Anathema; and now, if we have rightly seized the meaning of the Gazette, the Imperial Government, not its local or municipal legislature, is to be invited to settle definitively the school question of Lower Canada. We may be mistaken; but we confess that in an affair of so great importance, involving as it does an important principle as well as a very important question of detail, we should greatly desire some further explanation from our Ministerial contemporary, who has said either a great deal too much, or a great deal too little. In the meantime it behoves the Catholics of both sections of the Province to be on their guard, and to keep a bright look-out, that their interests be not sacrificed to the exigencies of party. Strong influences will be brought to bear upon the Ministry to enforce a settlement of the School Question to the advantage of Protestants in Lower Canada exclusively: to counteract these, the Catholics of both sections of the Province must be earnest in insisting that to both the same measure of justice be meted out, and that the same principles be applied.