December 26, 1867

AHEAD OF THE OPENING OF ONTARIO’S LEGISLATURE

His Honour, Major-General Sir Henry William Stisted, will open the first session of the First Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario tomorrow afternoon. It is the first time in twenty-seven years that the people of Upper Canada will have legislative control over their own affairs.

The very first order of business for the Legislature, however, will be the choosing of a Speaker. When Major-General Stisted visits the Legislature tomorrow he will order the members to elect one of their number to that role before he will see fit to declare the causes for summoning the members. The Hamilton Evening Times reports that John Stevenson (Conservative, Lennox) will be the Government’s nominee for the speakership.

Toronto will mark the occasion by having a half-holiday.

The Speech from the Throne will then be delivered on Saturday, December 28, at two o’clock in the afternoon and the occasion will be marked with a parade. The entire Toronto Garrison, both regulars and volunteers, will turn out.

Admission to the legislative chamber to hear the Speech will be done by ticket and there will considerable accommodation for ladies on the floor of the chamber.

The most pressing issues to be dealt with by the Government, according to the Globe are the questions of public lands and grants to religious institutions.

On the matter of public lands, the Globe urges the Legislature to adopt a liberal policy with a view to “securing the settlement of our wild lands as rapidly as possible” and not letting any consideration of revenue stand in the way of that settlement.

On the question of funding for religious institutions, the paper warns that such grants are incompatible with the principle, long ago adopted in the province, of voluntary participation in the funding of such organizations. Even if no such principle existed, the paper writes, the impossibility of fairly apportioning any grants deals a fatal blow to any proposed scheme.