London Resolutions of 1866


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 * 19.
 * Until the first general election after the official census of 1871 has been made up there shall be no change in the number of representatives from the several sections.


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 * 20.
 * Immediately after the completion of the census of 1871, and immediately after every decennial census thereafter, the representation from each Province in the House of Commons shall be readjusted on the basis of population, such readjustment to take effect upon the termination of the then existing Parliament.


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 * 21.
 * For the purpose of such readjustments, Lower Canada shall always be assigned 65 members, and each of the other Provinces shall, at each readjustment, receive for the ten years then next succeeding the number of members to which it will be entitled on the same ratio of representation to population as Lower Canada will enjoy according to the census then last taken by having 65 members.


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 * 22.
 * No reduction shall be made in the number of members returned by any Province unless its population shall have decreased relatively to the population of the whole Union, to he extent of 5 per centum.


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 * 23.
 * In computing at each decennial period the number of members to which each Province is entitled, no fractional parts shall be considered, unless when exceeding one-half the number entitling to a member, in which case a member shall be given for each such fractional part.


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 * 24.
 * The number of members may at any time be increased by the General Parliament, regard being had to the proportionate rights then existing.


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 * 25.
 * Until provisions are made by the General Parliament, all the laws which at the date of the proclamation constituting the Union are in force in the Provinces respectively, relating to the qualification and disqualification of any person to be elected, or to sit or vote as a member of the Assembly in the said Provinces respectively, and relating to the qualification or disqualification of voters, and to the oaths to be taken by voters, and to returning officers and their powers and duties, and relating to the proceedings at elections and to the period during which such elections may be continued, and relating to the trial of controverted elections and the proceedings incident thereto and relating to the vacating of seats of members and to the issuing and execution of new writs in case of any seat being vacated otherwise than by a dissolution, shall respectively apply to elections of members to serve in the House of Commons, for places situate in those Provinces respectively.


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 * 26.
 * Every House of Commons shall continue for five years from the day of the return of the writs choosing the same, and no longer; subject, nevertheless, to be sooner prorogued or dissolved by the Governor General.


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 * 27.
 * There shall be a session of the General Parliament once at least in every year, so that a period of twelve calendar months shall not intervene between the last sitting of the General Parliament in one session and the first sitting thereof in the next session.


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 * 28.
 * The General Parliament shall have power to make laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of the Confederation (saving the sovereignty of England), and especially laws respecting the following subjects:--


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 * 29.
 * The General Government and Parliament shall have all powers necessary or proper for performing the obligations of the Confederation, as part of the British Empire, to Foreign countries arising under treaties between Great Britain and such countries.


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 * 30.
 * The powers and privileges of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland shall be held to appertain to the House of Commons of the Confederation and the powers and privileges appertaining to the House of Lords in its legislative capacity shall be held to appertain to the Legislative Council.


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 * 31.
 * The General Parliament may from time to time establish additional courts, and the General Government may appoint judges and officers thereof, when the same shall appear necessary or for the public advantage, in order to the due execution of the laws of such Parliament.


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 * 32.
 * All Courts, judges and officers of the several Provinces shall aid, assist, and obey the General Government in the exercise of its rights and powers, and for such purposes shall be held to be courts, judges, and officers of the General Government


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 * 33.
 * The General Government shall appoint and pay the salaries of the judges of the superior and district and county Courts in each Province, and Parliament shall fix their salaries.


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 * 34.
 * Until the consolidation of the laws of Upper Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, the judges of these Provinces appointed by the General Government shall be selected from their respective bars.


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 * 35.
 * The judges of the courts of Lower Canada shall be selected from the bar of Lower Canada.


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 * 36.
 * The judges of the Court of Admiralty shall be paid by the General Government.


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 * 37.
 * The judges of the Superior Courts shall hold their offices during good behaviour, and shall be removable on the address of both Houses of Parliament.


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 * 38.
 * For each of the Provinces there shall be all executive officer styled the Governor, who shall be appointed by the Governor-General in Council, under the Great Seal of the Confederation, during pleasure; such pleasure not to be exercised before the expiration of the first five years except for cause, such cause to be communicated in writing to the Governor immediately after the exercise of the pleasure as aforesaid, and also by message to both Houses of Parliament within the first week of the first session afterwards, but the appointment of the first Governors shall be provisional and they shall hold office strictly during pleasure.


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 * 39.
 * The Governor of each Province shall be paid by the General Government.


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 * 40.
 * The Local Government and Legislature of each Province shall be constructed in such manner as the Legislature of each such Province shall provide.


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 * 41.
 * The Local Legislature shall have power to make laws respecting the following subjects:&mdash;


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 * 42.
 * All the powers, privileges, and duties conferred and imposed upon Catholic separate schools and school trustees in Upper Canada, shall be extended to the Protestant and Catholic dissentient schools in Lower Canada.


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 * 43.
 * The power of respiting, reprieving, and pardoning prisoners convicted of crimes, and of commuting and remitting of sentences, in whole or in part, which belongs of right to the Crown, shall, except in capital cases, be administered by the Governor of each Province in Council, subject to any instructions he may from time to time receive from the General Government, and subject to any provisions that may be made in this behalf by the General Parliament.


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 * 44.
 * In regard to all subjects over which jurisdiction belongs to both the General and Local Legislatures, the laws of the General Parliament shall control and supersede those made by the Local Legislature, and the latter shall be void so far as they are repugnant to or inconsistent with the former.


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 * 45.
 * Both the English and French languages may be employed in the General Parliament, and in its proceedings, and in the Local Legislature of Lower Canada, and also in the Federal courts, and in the courts of Lower Canada.


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 * 46.
 * No lands or property belonging to the General or Local Governments shall be liable to taxation.


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 * 47.
 * All Bills for appropriating any part of the public revenue, or for imposing any tax or impost, shall originate in the House of Commons or House of Assembly as the case may be.


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 * 48.
 * The House of Commons or House of Assembly shall not originate or pass any vote, resolution, address, or Bill for the appropriation of any part of the public revenue, or of any tax or impost, to any purpose not first recommended by message of the Governor-General or the Governor, as the case may be, during the session in which such vote, resolution, address, or Bill is passed.


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 * 49.
 * Any Bill of the General Parliament may be reserved in the usual manner for Her Majesty's assent, and any Bill of the Local Legislatures may, in like manner, be reserved for the consideration of the Governor-General.


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 * 50.
 * Any Bill passed by the General Parliament shall be subject to disallowance by Her Majesty within two years, as in the case of Bills passed by the Legislatures of the said Provinces hitherto; and in like manner any Bill passed by a Local Legislature shall be subject to disallowance by the Governor-General within one year after the passing thereof.


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 * 51.
 * The seat of Government of the Confederation shall be Ottawa, subject to the Royal Prerogative.


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 * 52.
 * Subject to any future action of the respective Local Governments, the seat of the Local Governments in Upper Canada shall be Toronto; of Lower Canada Quebec; and the seats of the Local Governments of the other Provinces shall be as at present.


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 * 53.
 * All stocks, cash, bankers' balances, and securities for money belonging to each Province at the time of the Union, except as hereinafter mentioned, shall belong to the General Government.


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 * 54.
 * The following public works and property of each Province shall belong to the General Government. to wit:--


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 * 55.
 * All lands, mines, minerals, and royalties vested in Her Majesty in the Provinces of Upper Canada, Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, for the use of such Provinces, shall belong to the Local Government of the territory in which the same are so situate, subject to any trusts that may exist in respect of any such lands, or to any interest of other persons in respect of the same.


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 * 56.
 * All sums due from purchasers or lessees of such lands, mines, or minerals at the time of the Union shall also belong to the Local Government.


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 * 57.
 * All assets connected with such portions of the public debt of any Province as are assumed by the Local Governments, shall also belong to those Governments respectively.


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 * 58.
 * The several Provinces shall retain all other public property therein subject to the right of the General Government to assume any lands or public property required for fortifications or the defence of the country.


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 * 59.
 * The General Government shall assume the debts and liabilities of each Province.


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 * 60.
 * The debt of Canada, not specially assumed by Upper and Lower Canada respectively shall not exceed at the time of the Union 62,500,000 dollars. Nova Scotia shall enter the Union with a debt not exceeding 8,000,000 dollars, and New Brunswick with a debt not exceeding 7,000,000 dollars. But this stipulation is in no respect intended to limit the powers given to the respective Governments of those Provinces by legislative authority, but only to determine the maximum amount of charge to be assumed by the General Government.


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 * 61.
 * In case Nova Scotia or New Brunswick should not have contracted debts at the date of Union equal to the amount with which they are respectively entitled to enter the Confederation, they shall receive by half-yearly payments in advance from the General Governor the interest at 5 per cent on the difference between the actual amount of their respective debts and such stipulated amounts.


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 * 62.
 * In consideration of the transfer to the General Parliament of the powers of taxation, the following sums shall be paid by the General Government to each Province for the support of their Local Governments and Legislatures:--




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 * Upper Canada	|| $ ||align=right|80,000
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 * Lower Canada || ||align=right|70,000
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 * Nova Scotia || ||align=right|60,000
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 * New Brunswick || ||align=right|50,000
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 * Total || $ ||align=right|260,000
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And an annual grant in aid of each Province shall be made equal to 80 cents per head of the population, as established by the census of 1861; and in the case of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by each subsequent decennial census, until the population of each of those Provinces shall amount to 400,000 souls, at which rate it shall thereafter remain. Such aid shall be in full settlement of all future demands upon the General Government for local purposes, and shall be paid half-yearly in advance to each Province; but the General Government shall deduct from such subsidy all sums paid as interest on the public debt of any Province in excess of the amount provided under the 60th resolution.


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 * 63.
 * The position of New Brunswick being such as to entail large immediate charges upon her local revenues, it is agreed that for the period of ten years from the time when the Union takes effect an additional allowance of 63,000 dollars per annum shall be made to that Province; but that so long as the liability of the Province remains under 7,000,000 dollars, a deduction equal to the interest on such deficiency shall be made from the 63,000 dollars.


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 * 64.
 * All engagements that may before the Union be entered into with the lmperial Government for the defence of the country shall be assumed by the General Government.


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 * 65.
 * The construction of the Intercolonial Railway being essential to the consolidation of the Union of British North America, and to the assent of the Maritime Provinces thereto, it is agreed that provision be made for its immediate construction by the General Government, and that the Imperial guarantee for £3,000,000 sterling pledged for this work be applied thereto, so soon as the necessary authority has been obtained from the Imperial Parliament


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 * 66.
 * The communication with the Northwestern Territory, and the improvements required for the development of the trade of the 6reat west with the seaboard, are regarded by this Conference as subjects of the highest importance to the Confederation, and shall be prosecuted at the earliest possible period that the state of the finances will permit.


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 * 67.
 * The sanction of the Imperial Parliament shall be sought for the Union of the Provinces on the principles adopted by this Conference.


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 * 68.
 * That Her Majesty the Queen be solicited to determine the rank and name of the Confederation.


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 * 69.
 * That a copy of these resolutions, signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Conference, be transmitted to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
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(Signed) JOHN A. MACDONALD, Chairman

H. BERNARD Secretary.