DIARY OF THE CONFEDERATION NEGOTIATIONS, 1870
Wednesday afternoon. [June 8.]
Had to wait as usual for half an hour. The ministers seem overworked.1 Sir G. said the same thing occurred with every province, but the peculiarity of our case was that our tariff was in reality higher than theirs. After due consideration there seemed to them two simple courses to pursue, either to take the Canadian Customs Act and Excise or to keep our own Act and Excise. To make a special tariff for B.C. would look very bad and indeed they could hardly face the Commons with it, because each province would then want something for itself specially and lead to great trouble, besides they could hardly propose a diminution of the revenue, because our whole scheme was based upon possessing so much revenue.
After some general debate, the conclusion come to, seemed to be, to allow our own tariff to continue until the Railway was built or until the legislature petitioned for the adoption of the Canadian Tariff and Excise. With regard to the Railway the Committee were enthusiastically in favour thereof. They do not consider that they can hold the country without it. It was a condition of union with the provinces2 and they could not see any reason why if agreed upon it should not be made a condition with us.
They agreed that a railway was necessary to Red River, ours or that of B.C. would only be an extension of the Railway from Red River. The Committee seemed to agree to put the railway in as part of the terms. They then had a long conversation about the Railway and country and Mr. Trutch proposed a plan for advertising, so as to obtain tenders for the construction of the road.
With regard to the Dry Dock3 [at Esquimalt] they did not see much difficulty in that, it was to guarantee interest upon a certain sum. It was a purely local work and Quebec and Ontario would object, but in such a case a similar guarantee might be given to those provinces for a similar work. The Committee thought they now had all the information required and they would report to the Privy Council. In the meantime we were to go to Montreal to see the Prince installed into various orders,4 having received an invitation from the Gov[ernorl General so to do. Mr. Tilley said he would go with us by steamer down the St. Lawrence to Montreal, and probably we would be asked to go to Quebec.
[Negotiations were not resumed until June 25, and in the interval the delegates visited Montreal and Quebec. The following paragraph in the dispatch by H. E. Seelye which was printed in the Victoria Colonist for July 8, 1870, is of interest:] -
"At the investiture of the Prince at Montreal our Delegates were honored with seats among the Cabinet Ministers of the Dominion. Hon. Mr. Trutch dined with the Prince, and in the evening the three Delegates attended a party given by His Royal Highness, by whom they were treated with marked attention, the Prince assuring them that he would visit Victoria as soon as the railroad was completed to the Pacific over British soil."
| June 8 |
|
|
June 2- |
Notes:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visit
SchoolNet Digital Collections