CONFERENCE COLONIALE DE

L'invite aux Colonies 0)

Confidential.

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN TO LORD MINTO.

London, January 2."!, 1902.

It is proposed by His Majesty's Government to takc advantage of the présence of the Premiers at Coronation to discuss with them the questions of political relations between the Mother-Country and the Colonies, Impérial I>efénce, Coninirrcial relations of the Empire and other matters of gênerai interest.

Should your Ministers désire to submit définitive proposais or resolutions on any of the above questions, or should they wish to suggest any further subject for discussion. I should be glad to be informed of purport by cable in order that the other Govcrnments can be communicated with.

With view to proposed Conférence, hope your Premier will be able to remain for u short time, say three weeks, after ceremony, as the guest of 'His Majesty's Government.

Please telegraph reply. Despatch follows.

(Sgd) CHAMBERLAIN.

LORD MINTO TO Mr. CHAMBERLAIN.

Ottawa, February :?, 1902.

Referring to your despatch of December 27, my Government accepts invitation extended to Prime Minister to attend Coronation. Hc expects to sail about .Tune 10, accompanied by Lady Laurier, but exact date cannot yet be fixed.

Referring to the several questions mentioned in your despatch of January 23, the only one which, in the opinion of my Ministers, grives promise of useful discussion is that of the commercial relations between the various sections of the Empire. The political relations now existing between the Mother-Country and the great self-governing Colonies, and particularly Canada, are regarded by my Ministers as entirely satisfactory, with the exception of a fcw minor détails, and they do not anticipate that in the varyinr conditions of the Colonies, there can be any scheme of défense applicable to ail.

In the opnion of my Ministers, there is thus but a limited range of subjects upon which the contemplated conférence can be productive of useful action. Neverthelcss, niy Ministers realize the desirability of taking advantage of every opportunity for the discussion by the public mon of the Mother-Country and the Colonies of questions of Impérial interest, and Canada's représentative will be prepared to give respectful considération to any proposais that inay be suhmitted by His Majesty's Government or by the représentatives of other Colonies.

Déclarations de MM. Laurier et Borden (-)

Le 15 avril 1902, au cours d'un débat soulevé par M. MACLEAN, sur "le commerce préférentiel avec l'Empire" : —

The PRIME MINISTER (Rt. Hon. Sir Wilfrid LAURIER) : It would be the

most suicidai policy that could bc devised for Canada to enter into the vortex in which the mitions of Europe, England included, are engaged at the présent time, and which

(1) Sessional Papers, 1902, No 64.

<2) Extraits des Debates of the House of Commons, 1902. Le chifTre de la colonne est indiqué après chaque citation.

compris them to maintain great military armaments. Sir, what is the relative position of Great Britain and Canada ? Great Britain is one of the foremost nations of the world, in maiiy ways, perhaps, the foremost nation, certainly the head of the greatest empire which exists to-day, the greatest which has existed since the Roman empire. Great Britain, by reason of her situation, has to maintain a large and permanent army. Hon. gentlemen are aware how répugnant to the British people ever was the necessity of maintaining a standing army ; hon. gentlemen are aware how the British people havc constantly fought against that idea, but they hâve been forced by events, forced by the position which the empire occupies in the world, to maintain a standing army, and to-day the principle item in the British budget is the expenses for naval and land armaments. N'ow my hon. friend says that Canada should follow in the same course, that we should take part in a scheme of Impérial military defence. Sir, Canada is in a différent position. Canada is a nation with an immense territory, but with a sparse population of five and a third million of soûls, scattered over an area [of] 3,000 miles in extent from east to west. The principal items in the budget of Canada are what ? Public works, the development of the country, the construction of railways and harbours, the opening up of ways of transportation. This is the work to which we hâve to dévote our énergies, and I would look upon it as a crime to divert any part of that necessary expenditure to the supply of guns, cannons and military armaments generally.

Mr. HUGHES (Victoria). — Ddd the right hon. gentleman say any part of the expenditure ?

The PRIME MINISTER. — I hâve no hésitation in saying that I share altogether the views which hâve been expressed by Sir Charles Tupper more than once, that Canada has done more for the defence of the British empire by the construction of the Intercolonial Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway, than she could hâve done by spending that money in military armaments. Certainly we must improve our own militia, and we hâve a scheme before us to-day for that purpose ; we must look after our own defences. But there is ail the différence in the world between undertaking this domestic military expenditure and embarking in such a scheme as is embraced by my hon. friend's vast conceptions. I do not share his views, and so long as my hon. friend wants to link together war and commerce, he will find me unalterably opposed to him. I cannot agrée to anything of the kind. — (2741-2)

Le 12 mai 1902, le leader de l'opposition, M. R.-L. BORDEN, interpelle le ministère sur "la prochaine conférence intercoloniale" : —

Mr. R. L. BORDEN : — With regard to the various suhjects mentioned by

the Colonial Secretary as suitable subjects for discussion, I wish to say, so far as the question of impérial defence is concerned, that theree seems to be no reason why this government should not discuss that question with the impérial authorities. As I hâve pointed out before in this House and in other places, I a m ready to uphold as strongly as any one, the necessity of the control by Canada of the expenditure of our public moneys and of the question of impérial defence relating to Canada. But holding this vicw, I see no reason why we should not be open to discuss that question with the impérial authorities. There are three possible futures before this country. One is existence as an independent nation; another is absorption in or annexation to the United States of America ; the third is a continuance of the relations which at présent exist between Canada to [and?] the mother country. The last is the future condition of this country to which I for one look forward as likely to be permanent; and so long as the tie which binds us to the mother country continues to exist, it seems to me that we must take into considération the question of the defence of this country ; and in connection with that, there is no reason why we should not at least discuss with the mother country, when invited in a courteous way to do so, the question of impérial defence. — (4706)

The PRIME MINISTER (Rt. Hon. Sir WILFRID LAURIER) :— ... .WhUe we are prepared to discuss this question of impérial defence, neither my colleagucs nor myself believe that any useful purpose can be served by such discussion. It is no use whatever, at this stage of the proceeding, on the floor of this Canadian parliament, to try to deccive ourselves as to what is intended by this subjcct of impérial defence. If it be intended simply to discuss what part Canada is preparcd to take in her own defence, what

share of the burden must fall upou us as being rcsponsiblc for the safety of the land in which we wcre born and to which wc owe our allegiance, in which ail our hopes and affections are centered, ccrtainly we are always prepared to discuss tbat subject. Nor do I believe that we need any prompting on that subject or that our attention should be specially called to it. Evcn this very session the government has given its pledge to the House that it is prepared to consider and to the fullest extent to carry out its duty on this score, and in that déclaration the government received the support of both sides. But there is a school abroad, there is a school in England and in Canada, a school which is perhaps represented on the floor of this parliament, which wants to bring Canada into the vortex of militarism which is now the curse and the blight of Europe. I am not prepared to endorse any such poliey (1726)

Mémoire des Délégués Canadiens 0)