CANADA. Constitution and Government. THE basis of the political constitution of Canada is the Act of 31 Geo. III. cap. 31, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1791. By the terms of it, the old province of Quebec—which then embraced the whole of Canada-was divided into the two governments of Upper and Lower Canada, with representative institutions for each. The legislative authority was vested in a Legislative Council appointed by the Crown, and in a House of Assembly elected by the inhabitants; the Lower province was under a governor, whilst the Upper was under a lieutenant-governor. This constitution was suspended in consequence of the rebellion in Upper Canada in 1838, and a Special Council appointed. In 1840 the two provinces were reunited-by an Act 3rd & 4th Vic. cap. 35-and the Legislative Councils of the united provinces were consolidated. The new Legislative Council consisted of twenty members, appointed by the governor for life; while the people were represented in a House of Assembly, comprising eighty-four members, returned in equal proportions by the inhabitants of Upper and Lower Canada. A final modification of the constitution, by an Act passed June 14, 1853, comprises the fundamental laws now in force. The charter thus established vests the legislative authority in a parliament of two houses, the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. The former consists of twentyfour members nominated for life by the governor, and of twice the number elected by the people. The House of Assembly comprises 130 members, chosen in 125 electoral districts and boroughs. Members of the House of Assembly must be possessed of freehold property of the value of 8001. Electors in counties, by a law which took effect in 1855, are required to be possessed of, or to occupy, property of the assessed actual value of 50l., or the yearly value of 5l.; while electors in towns must be possessed of, or occupy, property of the yearly value of 71. 10s. Members of the House of Assembly, during session, have an allowance from the public funds. Clergymen of all denominations are incapable of becoming members. The House is elected for four years; but may be previously dissolved by the governor, in which case a new election must take place immediately. At least one session must be held annually, so that a period of twelve months may never elapse between each meeting of the legislature. All proceedings and records of the Legislative Assembly are ordered to be kept, by the Act of 1840, in the English language only. The speaker of the House of Assembly is elected by the members; while the president of the Legislative Council is appointed by the Crown for life. The executive is vested in a governor-general, styled 'GovernorGeneral of British North America,' and appointed by the Crown. He has a salary of 7,000l. per annum, and holds authority in the name of the sovereign of Great Britain. The governor-general has the power to give or withhold the royal assent to bills passed by the Legislative Council and Assembly, or to reserve the same till the royal pleasure be expressed. Such bills as are assented to by the governor in the name of the Crown are, nevertheless, subject to disallowance by the sovereign, within two years after the receipt of authentic copies by one of the principal secretaries of state in Great Britain; and no bills, reserved for the consideration of the Crown, can have any force, unless the royal assent be signified within two years after they have been presented to the governor-general. Governor-General.-Viscount Charles Stanley Monck, born 1819, the son of Charles Joseph Kelly, 3rd Viscount Monck, in the peerage of Ireland; member of Parliament for Portsmouth, 1852–57; Lord Privy Seal to the Prince of Wales, 1855-58; appointed GovernorGeneral of Canada, October 15, 1861. The governor-general is assisted in his functions by an executive council, or cabinet, consisting of twelve members, namely: 1. President of the Council.-Hon. T. D'Arcy M'Gee. 2. Minister of Agriculture and Statistics.-Hon. François Evanturel. 3. Solicitor-General of Upper Canada.—Hon. Adam Wilson. 4. Solicitor-General of Lower Canada.-Hon. J. J. C. Abbott. 5. Attorney-General of Upper Canada.—Hon. J. S. Macdonald. 6. Attorney-General of Lower Canada.-Hon. Louis V. Sicotte. 7. Receiver-General.-Hon. James Morris. 8. Provincial Secretary.-Hon. Antoine A. Dorion. 9. Postmaster General.-Hon. M. H. Foley. 10. Commissioner of Crown Lands.-Hon. Wm. M'Dougall. 11. Minister of Finance.-Hon. Wm. P. Howland. 12. Commissioner of Public Works.-Hon. Ulric J. Tessier. The members of the cabinet have a salary of 1,250l. each per annum. The president of the Legislative Council has the same salary, while the speaker of the House of Assembly has 800l. a year. Church and Education. There is no State Church in British North America. The United Church of England and Ireland is governed by five bishops; the Roman Catholic Church by one archbishop, and eight bishops; and the Presbyterian Church of Canada, in connection with the Church of Scotland, by annual synods, presided over by moderators. The number of members of each religious denomination, according to the census of 1861, was as follows: Upper and Lower Canada have separate school laws adapted to the religious elements prevailing in either. Each township in Upper Canada is divided into several school sections, according to the requirements of its inhabitants. The common schools are supported partly by Government, and partly by local self-imposed taxation, and occasionally by the payment of a small monthly fee for each scholar. The total amount expended on common schools in Upper Canada during 1858 exceeded 208,6271. In settled rural districts each school section has a good school-house, furnished with maps, authorised school books, and elementary philosophical apparatus. The salaries of teachers vary from 130l. to 40l. in country parts, and from 2801. to 751. in cities and towns. All common school teachers must pass an examination before a county board of education, or receive a licence from the provincial Normal School, empowering them to teach, before they can claim the Government allowance. The subjoined table gives the total number of schools and scholars, in Upper Canada, for each year from 1851 to 1859, and the total number of schools and scholars in Lower Canada, for each year from 1853 to 1859:: In the year 1862, the number of schools was estimated at 8,130, attended by 547,000 scholars.* The annual state endowment of education, in the same year amounted to 563,803 dollars, and the local grants to 2,327,262 dollars.† The schools are also endowed with 3,613,000 acres of land, granted by the Government at various periods, from 1797 to 1859. The Annual Report of the Chief Superintendent of Education showed an attendance in 1862 at the public elementary schools of 343,733 pupils in Upper Canada, and 139,474 in Lower Canada. This amounts to about twenty-two per cent. of the population of Upper Canada, and about eleven per cent. in Lower Canada. Revenue and Expenditure. The total revenue and expenditure of Canada during the three years ending 1860 is shown in the subjoined table. The vast increase of both income and expenditure in 1860 arose from financial operations on a large scale. The revenue is given after deducting charges for collection and outstanding balances : The following is a statement of the details of gross revenue in the years 1860 and 1861: *The Canadian Almanac. Toronto, 1863, p. 32. NN |