THE SENATE.

Thursday, February 26, 1920.

The Senate met this day at 2.30 p.m. in the Chamber of the House of Commons in the new Parliament Building; the Speaker in the Chair.

NEW SENATORS INTRODUCED.

The following newly-appointed Senators were severally introduced and took their

seats:

Hon. Thomas Chapais, LL.D., of the city of Quebec, introduced by Hon. Sir James Lougheed and Hon. Mr. Blondin.

Hon. Lorne Campbell Webster, of the city of Quebec, introduced by Hon. Sir James Lougheed and Hon. Mr. Blondin.

OPENING OF THE SESSION.

The Hon. the SPEAKER announced that he had received a communication from the Governor General's Secretary informing him that His Excellency the Governor General would proceed to the Senate Chamber to open the session of the Dominion Parliament on Thursday, the 26th February, at 3 o'clock.

The Senate adjourned during pleasure. THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE. At three o'clock His Excellency the Governor General proceeded to the Senate Chamber and took his seat upon the Throne. His Excellency was pleased to command the attendance of the House of Commons, and that House being come, with their Speaker, His Excellency was pleased to open the Fourth Session of the Thirteenth Parliament of the Dominion of Canada with the following Speech: Honourable Gentlemen of the Senate:

Gentlemen of the House of Commons: I congratulate you that after an enforced absence of four years, it is possible for you to assemble in your new legislative home, resting in trustful security upon the old foundations and surrounded by the picturesque and historic setting of Parliament Hill. Though not entirely completed, its noble proportions, its wide and convenient spaces, its beauty of design

and chasteness of finish and its unique local situation mark it as a most striking and dignified structure, worthy of the people whose national life it will henceforth serve.

Since the last Session of Parliament events of importance have taken place which have brought appreciably nearer the much desired settlements of peace. Following the exchange of the final ratifications, the Treaty of Peace between the Allied Powers and Germany has been brought into full force and effect and has rendered possible the constitution of the League of Nations and the establishment by it of the various Comissions and mandatories authorized by the Treaty to be carried out under its direction. It is satisfactory to note that the status of Canada as a member of the League has thus been definitely fixed.

The Treaty of Peace with Bulgaria has been concluded and will be submitted for your approval. Negotiations for the conclusion of Treaties of Peace with Hungary and Turkey are noW well advanced and, if concluded in time, will be laid before you during the present Session of Parliament.

The first meeting of the International Labour Conference, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Peace, was held at Washington in October and November of last year and was attended by representatives of my Government and of the Canadian employers' and employees' organizations. It will be gratifying to learn that Canada was selected as one of the twelve Governments whose countries are entitled to representation on the governing body of the International Labour Office.

When the remaining Treaties shall have been concluded and the functions of the League of Nations and the various tribunals authorized thereby become fully operative, it is confidently hoped that the end will have been reached of the confusion and uncertainty consequent upon the long and regrettable delay in bringing into operation the provisions of the Treaty and an effective beginning made in the improvement of national conditions and the adjustment of international relations which will ensure the continued blessings of peace.

The forces which Canada contributed to the war have now nearly all been returned and and mostly demobilized the great majority have resumed their avocations and again become active and important factors in civil life. The Department of Soldiers' Civil Reestablishment and the Soldiers' Land Settlement Board continue to provide vocational training and opportunities for permanent occupation which greatly aid in the solution of the problem of readjustment, whilst the work of the Labour Employment Bureaus and the helpful service of the Canadian Patriotic Association in administering the emergency fund provided by Parliament, have materially assisted in solving the problem of temporary non-employment.

In the European economic field clear vision is still impossible and the unsettled state of Exchange, the lack of International Credits, and the inflation of paper currency, combined with the scarcity of raw materials and the demoralization of labour and transport conditions, combine to retard production and to restrict the exchange of products necessary for the proper sustenance of life and the rebuilding of the waste and destruction caused by the great war. From every quarter of the world is being impressed, often by severe privation and suffering, the one great lesson that increased production through increased work, combined with thrift and economy in individual and state, is the only sure hope of business improvement and future prosperity.

After four years of war and a year and three months of confusion and dislocation which has succeeded thereto, it is satisfactory to know that business in Canada has been well maintained, that production has been large and that general conditions are on the whole satisfactory. It is cause for thankfulness that of all countries affected by the war, Canada has maintained a record of social order and industrial and commerical prosperity second to none.

The ratification of The International Opium Convention renders it necessary to obtain legislation to carry into effect its provisions relating to the sale of opium, cocaine and other deleterious drugs. A Bill will be laid before you for that purpose.

A Bill to provide for a Dominion Franchise will be introduced, dealing with the qualifications of voters and the procedure necessary to enable all persons legally qualified to register their votes.

Other Bills will be presented for your consideration including a Bill respecting Copyrights and Bills providing for the amendment of the Patent Act, of the Loan and Trust Companies Acts, the Indian Act, and the Exchequer Courts Act.

Gentlemen of the House of Commons:

The accounts for the last fiscal year will be laid before you. Estimates for the next fiscal year will be submitted at an early date, making provisions for the various services of the Government of Canada. These have been formed with a view to strict economy having due regard to the requirements of the public service and the obligations of the Country. Honourable Gentlemen of the Senate:

Gentlemen of the House of Commons:

In inviting your careful attention to the im-portant subjects which will engage your attention I pray that the blessings of Divine Providence may attend your deliberations.

His Excellency the Governor General was pleased to retire, and the House of Commons withdrew.

The sitting of the Senate was resumed. CONSIDERATION OF HIS EXCELLENCY'S SPEECH.

On motion of Hon. Sir James Lougheed, it was ordered that the speech of His Excellency the Governor General be taken into consideration to-morrow.

MESSAGE FROM HIS MAJESTY THE KING.

The Hon. the SPEAKER informed the Senate that he had received the following communication from His Majesty King George V:

London, February 23, 1920.

I desire that you will convey to my faithful Senate and House of Commons of Canada my warmest greetings on this the first occasion of their assembly in the new buildings with the erection of which my son is proud to have been associated. It is my firm assurance that the deliberations of the Parliament of Canada will as in the past redound to the happiness and prosperity of the great Dominion whose well-being is so vital to the whole Empire. George Rex.

BILL PRO FORMA.

Hon. Sir JAMES LOUGHEED presented a Bill entitled, an Act relating to Railways. The Bill was read the first time.

COMMITTEE ON ORDERS AND
PRIVILEGES.

Hon. Sir JAMES LOUGHEED moved.

That all the Senators present during the Session be appointed a committee to consider the Orders and Customs of the Senate and Privileges of Parliament, and that the said Committee have leave to meet in the Senate Chamber when and as often as they please. The motion was agreed to.

COMMITTEE ON SELECTION.

On motion of Hon. Sir James Lougheed, the following Senators were appointed a Committee on Selection to nominate Senators to serve on the several Standing Committees during the present session: Hon. Messieurs. Béique, Belcourt, Bostock, Daniel, Robertson. Tanner, Watson; Willoughby and the mover.

The Senate adjourned to meet in the Railway Committee Room of the House of Commons to-morrow at 3 p.m.

THE SENATE.

Friday, February 27, 1920.

The Senate met at 3 p.m. in the temporary Chamber of the Senate, the Speaker in the Chair.

Prayer and routine proceedings.

THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S SPEECH.

ADDRESS IN REPLY.

The Senate proceeded to the consideration of His Excellency the Governor General's Speech at the opening of the session.

Hon. WILLIAM PROUDFOOT rose to move that an address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General to offer the humble thanks of this House to His Excellency for the gracious Speech, which he has been pleased to make to both Houses of Parliament. He said:

The

Honourable gentlemen, in rising to move that a vote of thanks be presented to His Excellency the Governor General in reply to the Speech from the Throne, I wish first of all to thank the honourable the leader of the Government for the honour he has done me in selecting me to make this motion. As a newcomer to this Chamber I feel it an especial mark of confidence, in that I have not had the pleasure of participating in the many and important measures which have been before the present Government during its term of office, and many of which must be amplified and developed during the present session. It is an especial honour too, in that the present is. I am quite convinced, one of the most crucial times in the history of our country and to a marked degree Canada's future will stand upon what we build now. way is open for a Canada such as before the war we but dreamed of. Honourable gentlemen may not agree with that statement, yet it is true. When they consider they will find that we take for granted what before the war we aspired to from different points of view, but, I venture to say, with conviction on the part of none that the end would be achieved without years of gradual national and constitutional development. His Excellency refers to the ratification of the Peace Treaty with Germany and to the treaties with other belligerent nations which are to be brought before the House for approval. The first meeting of the International Labour Conference has been held, and, as His Excellency points out, Canada has been selected as one of the twelve Governments whose countries are entitled to representation in the governing body of the International Labour Office. Look at the Empire how you will; decide for yourselves what should be the constitutional organization for the Empire: there is not the slightest question that Canada will occupy in the Imperial Conference, to meet this year, a position that but for the war she could not have occupied.

We can thank our gallant soldiers for this in a large measure. From the moment that our first contingent set foot in England an indefinite change took place. It was just a matter of getting better acquainted, an opportunity which had been denied to the masses of the people on both sides of the

Atlantic. The second battle of Ypres, when the Germans first used gas, when our gallant lads stepped into the breach from Gravenstafle to St. Julien and stopped the savage horde which would have swept through Ypres to the sea, cemented the change. Our battered first division, when it emerged from that conflict, found that in the hearts of the people of Great Britain each and every one of them was a hero. The reception of the wounded in England was touching. These boys' mothers and sisters were too far away to tend to them, but self-constituted foster mothers and sisters were ever ready to do their utmost for their kin by blood and by tradition. And so the mutual knowledge and affection grew as our first thirty thousand was followed by many other tens of thousands. When on leave or in hospital, they came into touch with the people and made friends in, I venture to say, practically every city and town in England, Scotland and Ireland. When they did not themselves become acquainted with the people, some English Tommy, or Scottish kiltie, or Irish fusilier, came home and talked of his Canadian pal. I have been told on good authority that when British Tommy and Canadian or Australian Tommy met, the salutation was, "Well, mate, how goes it?" The term colonial " was forgotten-and how many of us were unconsciously annoyed by that term in prewar days. Think of the attitude of even the Prince of Wales on his visit to Canada. To other people he was a guest and a prince, even if no retinue of courtiers stood between. To the veterans he was one of themselves. I am told-and I mention it to show how our army impressed even the enemy that the Germans in a quiet part of the front, when the lines were close together, have been known to call out: "What are you fellows, British or Canadian?"

And in another way too, thanks to our gallant lads, the way is open. The greater proportion of those who are fit and well are back in their homes, scattered from coast to coast, and either settled or in the way of settling down, but with a different prospect and a wider outlook. It is wonderful to think that 400,000 and more of the best of our young blood have been in the Old Land and had an opportunity of studying its ways and conditions. Nine out of every ten of these men have grown in ambition and in confidence in the possibilities of their country. What a great educational factor this is, and what a spirit it is for us to encourage, to foster and to help!

And again, what a stimulus to immigration! England has in a measure educated

our boys, and in return our boys have educated the British. Glowing tales have been told of this Canada of ours. Given the proper opportunities and encouragement, thousands of hearers will be eager to come out to take their part in the develop ment of Canada.

And so I say that in the new knowledge and understanding that has grown up out of the relations of our boys with the people of the Mother Country and have, consciously or unconsciously, changed the relations of Canada to the Old Land, and, in a wider sense, the conception of the Empire by the world at large, a new foundation has been laid for the development of our country. I may safely say that we have a new self-confidence, a new autonomy which but for the war and our part in it, we should have been years in attaining. Friendships and mutual understanding of our needs and our desires have been developed in a way that would otherwise have been impossible. This, as I have tried to point out, we owe in the largest measure to the boys who have fought for us. Of the debt we owe to them and how we are to pay it I shall speak later. At the moment I wish to emphasize that the greatest opportunity for Canada's future has arrived-is now in our hands-and it is our grave responsibility to see that by wise and provident legislation we take advantage of it to the full not only within Canada but also abroad: within Canada in its development, enrichment and betterment; without Canada in its development in relation to the Empire and to the world at large, commercially and politically. Of the latter phase I shall have but little to say. We have the opportunity. We must develop it and its development depends in a large measure on the success of our internal expansion, which will give weight to our outside influence. Yet I desire to speak briefly of what we must attend to in our external relations. Personally I am as resolute as any Canadian in devotion to the Imperial idea, but I do believe that in the colonial idea there is danger, as well as retrogression, and safety and unity may be found only in the concession of complete national autonomy to the Dominions and in equal and independent co-operation with the United Kingdom for common objects and the common security of the imperial structure. Our status was generously assumed by the Mother Country. Canada was recognized by the other allied powers as one of the nations which should sign the Treaty of Peace. Certain honourable gentlemen could see no particular significance in the Treaty as affect

ing Canada and some even contended that the Dominion would be committed to grave and dangerous obligations incompatible with national autonomy and involving a costly partnership in the defence of other nations. With all due deference to the opinions of these honourable gentlemen who regarded the Treaty as of little significance to Canada, their viewpoint indicates to me a lack of foresight, of imagination, of convic tion in the future of our country. I would ask these gentlemen if they think that Canada would have been asked to affix her signature if she had not participated in the war. I would ask the other honourable gentlemen if there was any compulsion, any force exerted upon Canada to enter the late war, and if not then, how much less for any future wars. I am quite convinced that the power of the Parliament of Canada is in no sense impaired. I am at one with the Hon. Mr. Doherty when he

says:

If unjust aggression occurs. I have no doubt the Parliament of Canada would act on the advice of the Council of Nations, but there is nothing in the Treaty of Peace or the Covenant of the League of Nations that provides machinery for the expenditure of a single dollar or the raising of one soldier if the Parliament of Canada is unwilling,

1

It is true we have no direct representation on this Council, which consists of、 representatives of the principal allied and associated powers, Great Britain, France, the United States. Italy and Japan, together with representatives of four other members of the League, selected by the assembly from time to time, at its discretion. It is reasonable to think that Great Britain will continue to have direct representation on the Council and that so long as she does a second British representative will not be chosen. For this reason it is doubtful it any representative of the Dominions will be elected to membership, but our technical right to it is the recognition by the League of the equality of Canada with other nations. This new status which we have, I say we must retain in our relations to the world at large.

As to its effect within the Empire, I can see in our new position only a sign of greater growth-a new cohesion and unity on a basis commensurate with the size and influence of Canada. I repeat that I look for complete national autonomy and independent co-oper ation with the United Kingdom, but whether we are to achieve that through the theory of equal nations or organic federation, I have confidence that the genius of British statesmanship will develop the machinery necessary to ensure the security