Federalism in Canada and Australia

W.H. Heick

Description

This book is a comparison of the history and politics of two sister societies, comparing Canada with Australia, rather than, as is traditional, with the United Kingdom or the United States. It is representative of a particular interest in promoting more contact and exchange among Canadian and Australian scholars who were investigating various features of the two societies. Because some of them were individually involved in aspects of federalist studies, an examination of the early evolution of federalism in what once were the two sister dominions seemed quite an appropriate area in which to begin comparisons.

The book discusses Canadian federalism from about 1864 to 1880 and Australian federalism from about 1897 to 1914. It examines the background and changes wrought on early Canadian federalism and early Australian federalism.

Sujets

• Political science
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 30 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781554587049
• Langue: English

Extrait

Federalism in Canada and Australia: The Early Years
E DITED BY B RUCE W. H ODGINS D ON W RIGHT W. H. H EICK
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Federalism in Canada and Australia
Includes index. ISBN 0-88920-061-0
1. Federal government - Canada - History - Addresses, essays, lectures. 2. Federal government - Australia - History - Addresses, essays, lectures. 3. Canada - Politics and government - Addresses, essays, lectures. 4. Australia - Politics and government - Addresses, essays, lectures. I. Hodgins, Bruce W., 1931- II. Wright, Don I. III. Heick, W. H., 1930-
JL27.F43 321 .02 0971 C78-001441-3
Copyright 1978 Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche, or any other means, without written permission from the publisher.
Preface
This volume grew out of a desire on the part of the editors and some of the other contributors to see the history and politics of our two sister societies compared with one another rather than, as is traditional, with that of the United Kingdom and the United States. Some of us were particularly interested in promoting more contact and exchange among Canadian and Australian scholars who were investigating various features of the two societies. Because some of us were individually involved in aspects of federalist studies, an examination of the early evolution of federalism in what once were the two sister dominions seemed quite an appropriate area in which to begin comparisons.
The project was initiated by Bruce Hodgins when in 1970 he spent two terms as an honorary fellow of the history department of the Australian National University in Canberra. Close ties were then established among Don Wright, Ron Norris, the Reverend John Eddy and himself. We agreed that no single historian in either country then had the knowledge, inclination or wit to write a comprehensive comparative history of early federalism in the two societies. Even an introductory study would have to be a multiauthor effort, and most of the individual chapters would have to deal with an historical aspect of only one of the two federations. Comparisons would flow implicitly from the overall collection and explicitly from the Introduction and Epilogue. Bruce Hodgins returned to Australia for a month over Christmas-New Years, 1973-74, to facilitate final Australian and joint arrangements.
Meanwhile, we were putting together the Canadian part of the team. Three of the Canadians, Welf Heick, Ken Pryke and Bruce Hodgins, had all studied British Empire history, with a dominion emphasis, under the late W. B. Hamilton of Duke University s Commonwealth Studies Center. Tom Tanner was unique among the group in that he was a Canadian, teaching in Canada, who had obtained his doctorate in Australia on an Australian topic. Elwood Jones, Brian Young, Peter Toner, Donald Swainson and Rob Edwards had all been actively engaged in research connected with the regional aspects of the immediate pre- or post-Confederation years.
Coordination halfway around the world, even among friends, was not easy. Delays and frustrations were, perhaps unavoidable. Finally, we were able to assemble and edit the collection which is here presented by the editors, with thanks to all the other contributors.
Chapter One, The Plans of Mice and Men, attempts a comparative overview of the planning and evolution of Canadian federalism from about 1864 to 1880 and of Australian federalism from about 1897 to 1914. In the notes for that chapter are explicit references to the other chapters of the volume, where matters being discussed only briefly in the Introduction are considered in greater depth. The chapters in the Canadian section examine the background and changes wrought in early Canadian federalism, generally relating the regional perspective to the national scene but ending with a study of the operation of federalism from the centre during the five years, 1873-78, when the Liberal prime ministership of Alexander Mackenzie interrupted the long Conservative reign of Sir John A. Macdonald. The chapters in the Australian section look at early federalism in that country more from the continental perspective, as befits its greater territorial social homogeneity, although there is a chapter on New South Wales before union and one examining the conflict among three states over the resources of an area, the Murray River valley, a conflict only resolved by major central intervention.
We should like to thank the many persons and institutions that made this volume possible. Individual authors would have their own lengthy lists. The Canada Council assisted Bruce Hodgins with three grants for research assistance and made his essential second trip to Australia possible. A generous grant from Trent University and assistance from the Australian National University Press facilitated publication. Thelma Chuter typed and retyped much of the manuscript and dispatched scores of letters and packets around Canada and across the Pacific. Archivists and librarians throughout the two societies were always cheerful and most helpful.
Bruce W. Hodgins Don Wright Welf H. Heick July 1978
Contributors
Editor: Bruce W. Hodgins Professor of History Trent University
Coeditors: Don I. Wright Senior Lecturer in History University of Newcastle Welf H. Heick Professor of History Wilfrid Laurier University
Other Contributors: J. J. Eddy, S.J. Senior Fellow in History Research School of Social Sciences Australian National University Robert C. Edwards Statistics Canada Elwood H. Jones Associate Professor of History Trent University Ronald Norris Senior Lecture in History University of Adelaide Kenneth Pryke Professor of History University of Windsor Donald Swainson Associate Professor of History Queen s University Tom Tanner Algonquin College of Applied Arts Technology Peter Toner Assistant Professor of History University of New Brunswick Brian Young Associate Professor of History McGill University
Abbreviations CAO Commonwealth Archives Office CHA Canadian Historical Association CHR Canadian Historical Review CLR Commonwealth Law Reports CO Colonial Office CPP Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers NLA National Library of Australia PAC Public Archives of Canada
Proclamations
V ICTORIA S P ROCLAMATION
Copy of historical document of Queen Victoria announcing Confederation of Canada s Provinces

A PROCLAMATION
For uniting the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into One Dominion, under the Name of CANADA.
VICTORIA R. Whereas, by an Act of Parliament passed on the Twenty-ninth Day of March, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the Thirtieth Year of our Reign, intituled-An Act for the Union of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and the Government thereof, and for purposes connected therewith after divers Recitals, it is enacted that it shall be lawful for the Queen, by and with the Advice of Her Majesty s Most Honourable Privy Council, to declare by Proclamation that on and after a Day therein appointed, not being more than six months after the passing of the Act, the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick shall form and be One Dominion under the Name of Canada, and on and after that Day those Three Provinces shall form and be One Dominion under that Name accordingly: And it is thereby further enacted, that such Persons shall be first summoned to the Senate as the Queen by Warrant under Her Majesty s Royal Sign Manual thinks fit to approve, and their names shall be inserted in the Queen s Proclamation of Union. We therefore, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, have thought fit to issue this Our Royal Proclamation and we do Ordain, Declare, and Command, that on and after the First Day of July, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, shall form and be One Dominion under the Name of Canada. And we do further Ordain and Declare, that the Persons whose Names are herein inserted and set forth are the Persons of whom We have, by Warrant under our Royal Sign Manual, thought fit to approve as the Persons who shall be first summoned to the Senate of Canada.
Given at Our Court at Windsor Castle this Twenty-second Day of May in the Year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven and in the Thirtieth Year of Our Reign.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
By the QUEEN. A PROCLAMATION.
V ICTORIA R.
W HEREAS by an Act of Parliament passed in the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Years of Our Reign intituled, An Act to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia, it is enacted that it shall be lawful for the Queen, with the advice of the Privy Council, to declare by Proclamation, that, on and after a day therein appointed, not being later than one Year after the passing of this Act, the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, and also, if Her Majesty is satisfied that the people of Western Australia have agreed thereto, of Western Australia, shall be united in a Federal Commonwealth under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia.
And whereas We are satisfied that the people of Western Australia have agreed thereto accordingly.
We therefore, by and with the advice of Our Privy Council, have thought fit to issue this Our Royal Proclamation, and We do hereby declare that on and after the First day of January One thousand nine hundred and one, the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia shall be united in a Federal Commonwealth under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Given at Our Court at Balmoral this Seventeenth day of September, in the Year of o