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Date: 1865-03-29
By: The Montreal Herald
Citation: “The Abandonment of Confederation by Nova Scotia”, The Montreal Herald (29 March, 1865)
Other formats: TBA

THE ABANDONMENT OF CONFEDERATION BY NOVA SCOTIA.

(Translated from Le Canadien.)

The news received from Nova Scotia is of the greatest importance. The project of Confederation is abandoned by the Government of that province who revive the scheme of a union between the Maritime Provinces. Added to this the Government is resolved to pursue immediately, certain railway works which were postponed until the question of Confederation was decided. Commenting on the news the Globe says that Confederation, having fallen to the ground at least for the moment our government will endeavor to execute the second part of their programme, the federation of Upper and Lower Canada. The Leader, on its side, believes that the indefinite delay caused by the Maritime Provinces to the accomplishment of Confederation, will put our government to the necessity of adopting a new policy to cure our internal difficulties. But our confrere is not heard to speak of the Confederation of Upper and Lower Canada which he has always repelled.—He is of opinion that it was only a form to preserve the dignity of Mr. Brown and lead to the belief that he had not ceded everything, that the promise to propose a project of federation between the two provinces, if the Confederation scheme fails, was made in the ministerial programme of the month of June. The Leader declares that the union cannot longer exist on the present basis, and he demands an augmentation in the representation of Upper Canada, based upon Confederation. The situation created for our government by the decidedly hostile attitude to Confederation assumed by the Maritime Provinces, one after the other, is full of difficulties, and it is necessary that there should exist amongst its members a grand unity of views, and a lively desire to maintain the coalition to surmount them. On the other side, the declarations of the two principal organs of public opinion in Upper Canada, demanding spontaneously, constitutional changes with a view of assuring the preponderance to their Province, are full of gravity for Lower Canada. But that which is grave in the news from Halifax, is that which destroys all illusion as to the realization of the project at an early day; it is that which takes away from those who for many years have been hostile to the conditions of the existing union, and have imperiously demanded charges, the pretext of which they had need to accept and discharge their office under the state of things which they so long rejected. In the expectation of a prompt realization of the project of confederation, Mr. Brown and the clear grits were able to justify themselves in not bringing in a remedy, a temporary remedy for the evils which they have so long assisted Upper Canada in lamenting. But all prospect of immediately obtaining confederation has disappeared. On what pretext then do they rest for maintaining the coalition with their old adversaries, and retarding federation?—Again there are in the Conservative party a group of active, ambitious men, who have at all times envied and disputed with the clear-grits the privilege and the benefits of the agitation of the subject of representation based on population, closely watching the occasion to supplant their rivals in the public favor. It is evident that there are not wanting men in the Conservative party who will be ready to take up again the role abandoned by Mr. Brown, and to sacrifice their old alliance with Lower Canada to run after popularity. Mr. Matthew Cameron, for example, spared nothing during the last session to establish himself on the ground of Mr. Brown. He will be able then to establish between the clear-grits and a certain number of conservatives a disastrous emulation, a course for popularity, for which we bear the cost. Lower Canada will not accept representation based on population, neither that which is offered by our good friends of the Leader, nor under the mitigated form of federation as presented by the Globe. We have not rejected representation based on population under this double form during ten years to accept it now. But the Chiefs of Lower Canada must exercise extreme prudence and great firmness to enable us to come out safe and sound from the new complications which are arising.