Canada's Undecided Future: the Discourse on Unrestricted Reciprocity and Annexation in Québec, 1887-1893

nm u Ottawa L'Universite caiiadienne Canada's university FACULTE DES ETUDES SUPERIEURES l^s FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND ET POSTOCTORALES U Ottawa POSDOCTORAL STUDIES L'Univt'iMt^1 canadienric Canada's university Aaron William Boyes AUTEUR DE LA THESE / AUTHOR OF THESIS M.A (History) GRADETDEGREE Department of History FACULTE, ECOLE, DEPARTEMENT / FACULTY, SCHOOL, DEPARTMENT Canada's Undecided Future: The Discourse on Unrestricted Reciprocity and Annexation in Quebec, 1887-1893 TITRE DE LA THESE / TITLE OF THESIS Michael Behiels DIRECTEUR (DIRECTRICE) DE LA THESE / THESIS SUPERVISOR CO-DIRECTEUR (CO-DIRECTRICE) DE LA THESE / THESIS CO-SUPERVISOR Jeffrey Keshen Damien-Claude Belanger Gary W. Slater Le Doyen de la Faculte des etudes supeneures et postdoctorales / Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Canada's Undecided Future: The Discourse on Unrestricted Reciprocity and Annexation in Quebec, 1887-1893 By: Aaron W. Boyes Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MA degree in History University of Ottawa © Aaron William Boyes, Ottawa, Canada, 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-73808-5 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-73808-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lntemet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada i Abstract Canada's Undecided Future: The Discourse on Unrestricted Reciprocity and Annexation in Quebec, 1887-1893 Aaron W. Boyes Professor Michael D. Behiels August 2010 This study examines the third, and final, moment in which the prospect of annexation to the United States was addressed in the province of Quebec between 1887 and 1893. During the period under examination, the Dominion of Canada experienced a surge in discussion regarding its political future. Four 'options' emerged that garnered considerable public attention: maintenance of the status quo, Canadian independence, Imperial Federation and annexation to the United States. Unlike other studies where this final movement for annexation is merely discussed as a chapter in a larger study or as a small aspect of a broader idea, the movement for annexation will be explored as the focal point. Issues that are addressed include the origins of the movement, the impact of the 1891 federal election, and the rise and fall of annexationist sentiment. Where possible, the divisions between the majority French-Canadian community and the minority British-Canadian community have been highlighted to provide as much insight into the movement as possible. Primary documents compose the majority of the sources consulted as secondary material on this topic, although excellent, remains rather limited in scope and number. Whereas this topic has been seen as a continuation of the two previous movements for annexation (1849-1850, 1867-1871), the author argues that this third moment, although carrying similarities, was in fact a distinct period in which the prospect of annexation was discussed. Also, unlike in the period between 1849 and 1850, there did ii not appear to be an organized 'movement' for the annexation Canada in Quebec between 1887 and 1893. The main reasons for this were the lack of communication and cooperation between annexationists and the lack of popularity annexation garnered amongst the majority of Quebec's population. Despite the lack of an organized 'movement' for annexation, this topic remains a fascinating period in Quebec's rich history, as well as exploring Canada's political destiny and Canadian-American relations at the end of the nineteenth century. Ill Acknowledgements To complete a study of this scope I have relied on the help and motivation from numerous family members, friends and professors. I am grateful for the opportunity to mention a few of them here. Thank you to my supervisor, Professor Michael Behiels. His guidance and suggestions were invaluable to the completion of this study, especially near its conclusion. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to work under the direction of such a renowned scholar. A special thank you is reserved for Professor Damien-Claude Belanger who inspired me to pursue the topic of annexationism. I cannot thank him enough for his guidance and friendship throughout my academic career. I would not have been able to complete this M.A. thesis without his assistance which began when I was an undergraduate at Trent University. I also greatly appreciate the use of his unpublished doctoral thesis. I have far too many friends to thank to be able to list them all. Many thanks to my colleagues at the University of Ottawa; to my friends at Trent University for their many years of support; and to my friends here in the City of Ottawa, particularly those on my Ultimate team. This work would not have been possible without the access to the numerous primary materials that provided the backbone of my research. I would like to thank the extremely helpful and friendly staff at Library and Archives Canada for their assistance. And to Bibliotheque et Archives national du Quebec for painstakingly digitizing numerous newspapers from the nineteenth century which made researching much easier. I would also like to thank the families of Mr. William Jacques Beatty and M. Gaston Heon for the financial support in the form of academic bursaries through the Department of History at the University of Ottawa. Finally, and most importantly, a very sincere thank you is reserved for my family. My parents, Dann Boyes and Megan MacLennan, have provided me with love and support throughout my entire life. Words cannot accurately express the gratitude I have for all they have done for me. Without them none of this would have been possible. Also, thank you to my sister, Lindsay, and brother, Jordan, for their support and helping to keep me grounded. Aaron W. Boyes Ottawa, Ontario August, 2010 iv Contents Abstract Acknowledgements iii Table of contents iv Introduction 1 Chapter One: Origins of the Annexation Movement: 1887-1891 25 Chapter Two: The 1891 Federal Election and the rise of Annexationism 51 Chapter Three: The Public Response to Annexation, 1891-1892 77 Chapter Four: The Apex of Annexationism, 1893 102 Conclusion 126 Bibliography 134 1 Introduction The idea of political union with the United States was not a new phenomenon at the end of the nineteenth century in Quebec. In fact, roots of this ideology are evident throughout the Lower Canada rebellions of 1837-1838. During the rebellions, the radical faction of the Patriote Movement wanted to end the political connection with the mother country in British North America. Many Patriotes, such as Louis-Joseph Papineau, were republicans at heart who looked south to the United States and its republican ideals and system of government with fondness. Republicanism was very attractive for many young French Canadians who would expound upon this ideology through the Institut canadien and the Rouge party.' The first vestiges of annexation as a proper and semi-organized movement - this must be used in the loosest sense - occurred in 1849 in Montreal. The origins date back to 1846 when the United Kingdom revoked its preferential trade policy with its overseas colonies, placing the colonies on the same trading terms as every other nation.2 Fear quickly set in amongst the Lower Canadian business community that this repeal of preferential trade would lead to an economic depression and financial ruin. Nowhere was the fear more prominent than on the island of Montreal, British North America's economic centre of trade and commerce. The inhabitants of Montreal and the surrounding region looked immediately for alternative options to save their businesses. By 1849, one solution came to the forefront and attracted considerable attention: annexation to the United States. 'For a more detailed history of the origins of the Rouges movement in Quebec during the nineteenth century, see Jean-Paul Bernard's Les Rouges: Liberalisme, Nationalisme, et Antic lericalis me au milieu du XIXe siecle (Montreal: Les presses de l'Universite du Quebec, 1971). Donald F. Warner, The Idea of Continental Union: The Agitation for the Annexation of Canada to the United States, 1849-1893 (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1960) 4. 2 The Annexation Movement of 1849-1850 is a well documented event of history in Quebec as demonstrated by the historiography covering the topic.3 This is a period that does not need to be mentioned here at length.

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