North then justified the enlargement of the limits of the colony,
and the concessions which the bill made to the Roman Catholics. He
observed:--"The honourable gentleman dislikes the omitting the assembly;
but the assembly cannot be granted, seeing that it must be composed of
Canadian Roman Catholic subjects, for otherwise it would be oppressive.
On the other hand, as the bulk of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics,
to subject them to an assembly, composed of a few British Protestant
subjects would be a great hardship. Being, therefore, under the
necessity of not appointing an assembly, this is the only legislature
you can give the Canadians, and it is the one under which they live at
present. The governor and council really have been the legislature
ever since our conquest, only now it is put under some regulation."
As regarded the question of law, he reminded the house, that the most
material part, that of the criminal law, was to be English, and that if
the French civil law should be found incompatible with the wishes of the
colony, the governor and council would have power to alter it. Returning
to the question of religion, North remarked, that the free exercise of
it was confirmed to the Canadians by treaty, and that the laws of Great
Britain permitted the full and free exercise of any religion different
from that of the Church of England, in any and all of the colonies. It
was another question, he added, whether it is convenient to continue
or abolish the bishop's jurisdiction; though, at the same time, he
asserted, no bishop could be there under papal authority, as such
is expressly forbidden in the act of supremacy.
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