The Constitution of Canada in Its History and Practical Working

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LECTURE III THE CONSTITUTION IN ITS ACTUAL WORKING The written Constitution as it has been displayed in the last Lecture would seem wholly to justify the pity and sympathy so freely shown us by some of our friends south of the International line.1 A King across the sea ruling by the Grace of God and with power not only to appoint the Governor-General but also to disallow any legislation the Dominion Parliament may pass?that Governor-General (not responsible to the people of Canada), with power to appoint the whole of one of the Houses of Parliament, to refuse to approve of any legislation he sees fit, to appoint a Privy Council to advise him in the government of the Dominion, to appoint all the Judges and Civil Servants, to dissolve Parliament and while it is in session to direct it as to what it may vote money for?and generally to act the autocrat. Why, Canada could not refuse to pay his salary of 10,000 or even cut it down Then in the Provinces, the Lieutenant- Governor himself appointed and removable by the Governor-General, an autocrat in Provincial where the Governor-General is in Dominion matters; and the Legislature holding by the will of the Lieutenant-Governor while ostensibly granted power of legislation in certain matters is subject to have its legislation reviewed and disallowed by the Governor-General at Ottawa. What an intolerable situation No citizen of an American State would consent to the appointment of a Governor of his State by Woodrow Wilson; any American would be indignant if the President of the United States were to assume to review and disallow State legislation. But we are not filled with discontent though we have the same feeling as respects personal freedom and political independence as Americans. The reason is to be found in the...