November 29, 1867

THE ILLNESS OF D’ARCY MCGEE

It was earlier reported that D’Arcy McGee (Liberal-Conservative, Montreal West) is absent from the House of Commons owing to a serious illness. The Hamilton Evening Times reports that Mr. McGee is suffering from an ulceration of the ankle and is refusing to take the stimulants recommended to him by those charged with his care. Mr. McGee’s refusal is slowing his recovery and no one believes he will be seen in the Commons before that body breaks for Christmas.

THE ELECTION OF HON. JOHN ROSE

The by-election for Huntingdon was held yesterday but we have not received word whether or not Hon. John Rose (Finance) has been re-elected.

The writ for a new election was issued when Mr. Rose resigned following his acceptance of a position in Her Majesty’s Privy Council.

THE SPEAKER’S BILL

The Speaker’s Bill, allowing for the designation of temporary Speakers of the House of Commons received third reading yesterday.

THE INDEPENDENCE OF PARLIAMENT

Following two days of debate, Edward Blake (Liberal, Durham West), withdrew his motion suggesting that Hon. George-Étienne Cartier (Militia) did not have the right to sit in the House of Commons owing to his receiving a salary from the Crown with respect to his being the head of the Department of Militia.

In withdrawing the motion, Mr. Blake said that his intention in moving the motion was to ensure that when the new Parliament of Canada came to construct its own Independence of Parliament Act it would do so with the benefit of the objections raised by this debate.

Mr. Blake said he hoped that such a bill would protect against the possibility of allowing the “the Crown to fill the House with salaried officers, subservient to its will”.

There is no objection, Mr. Blake said, to the appointment of a set number of cabinet ministers as laid out in the constitution but that protection was necessary against the subsequent provision of salaries to additional members of the Commons, thereby securing those votes to the initiatives of the Crown.

The Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald has given his undertaking to the House that legislation will be forthcoming to regulate this issue.

THE “DUAL” MEMBERS

The debate on second reading of David Mills’ (Liberal, Bothwell) Bill to disqualify members from holding seats in both the Commons and provincial legislatures was held yesterday afternoon.

In leading off the debate, Mr. Mills said that the measure was necessary to preserve the independence of the provinces from the General Government.

Several members, including Brown Chamberlin (Conservative, Missisquoi), who is not a “dual” member, objected to the legislation on the grounds that members of parliament “had something better to do than to be tinkering at the constitution…. They came here to give the country some practical legislation.”

In joining the debate, Sir John A. Macdonald said “the constitution must be upheld until an evil is shown to exist; otherwise (we) would have philosophers and theorists continually making imaginary improvements upon the Constitution.”

Following a debate that lasted until nearly midnight, Mr. Mills withdrew the Bill in the face of opposition to it.