December 7, 1867

ONTARIO CABINET MEETING IN OTTAWA?

Three members of the Ontario cabinet are also members of the House of Commons: the premier and attorney general, Hon. Sandfield Macdonald (Cornwall), the treasurer, Hon. E. B. Wood (South Brant), and the commissioner of agriculture and public works, Hon. John Carling (London).

The other two members of the Cabinet, Hon. Matthew C. Cameron (Provincial Secretary) and Hon. Stephen Richards (Crown Lands) are without seats in the Commons (and Richards is also currently without a seat in the provincial legislature).

The Globe, perhaps seeking to sow new divisions where the old ones in Sandfield’s “Patent Combination” have failed to develop, is suggesting that since the three that hold Commons seats constitute a quorum they may be undertaking the business of the local government in Ontario, at least informally, without the input of their more “provincial” colleagues.

MEMBERS’ INDEMNITY BILL

The Members’ Indemnity Bill, having cleared the Commons, has now also cleared the Senate and been returned to the Commons.

The lone voice raised against the Bill was that of Senator Robert Wilmot of New Brunswick who complained that the travel allowance of ten cents per mile would be insufficient as his own expenses demonstrated. Senator Adam Blair of Québec said discussing the matter was useless since the Senate could not amend the provision; its only options were to accept or reject the bill in its entirety. Senator John Robertson of New Brunswick suggested this might not be correct but the matter was left to lie and the bill received third reading. It will now go to His Excellency the Governor-General for Royal Assent.

PARLIAMENTARY JOURNALISTS

The first forty-five minutes of yesterday’s meeting of the House of Commons was held with closed doors. It is understood that the members were discussing the admission of strangers to the parliamentary reading room and refreshment rooms.

The strangers, in particular, are journalists, the presence of which in areas outside the chamber has upset some of the members.

The parliamentary journalists, for their part, have argued that it is unfair to bar the journalists from these rooms which afford space for them to work that is otherwise not on offer (at least until the library is completed) when other strangers with even weaker claims on the parliamentary precinct are seen lounging about the reading and refreshment rooms.

At the conclusion of the discussion the banishment that had been in place was lifted.

COAL DUTY

Dr. Charles Tupper (Liberal-Conservative, Cumberland) presented a petition on behalf of the managers of Nova Scotia coal mines seeking the imposition of a duty on American coal that is equal to that imposed on Canadian coal entering the United States.