590 PARLIAMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS [PART III
nothing to protect provincial interests, but that it was less
partisan than the Lower House.
On the other hand, Sir R. Cartwright in the Senate pressed
for an elective senate and for further work ;1 more Bills to
be originated there, and under-secretaries to sit there, the
number of ministers to be limited accordingly.
Harmony 2is again prevalent, thanks to the long adminis-
tration of the Liberal Government, fifty senators, Conserva-
tives, having died and been replaced by Liberals since 1896,
and there is certainly no desire in Canada for any House
which should seriously interfere with the powers of the
existing House of Commons. Provision is contained in the
British North America Act under which, if at any time
on the recommendation of the Governor-General the King
thinks fit to direct that three or six members be added
to the Senate, the Governor-General may by summons to
three or six qualified persons, as the case may be, representing
equally the three divisions of Canada (that is Ontario,
Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces), add to the Senate
accordingly. But in the case of such addition being at any
time made the Governor-General shall not summon any
person to the Senate except on a further like direction from
the King on the like recommendation, until each of the
three divisions of Canada is represented by twenty-four
Senators and no more. This provision has never been
exercised, and it has been actually laid down, on the one
occasion when its use was suggested in Mr. Mackenzie's
administration, that it is a power which is only intended
to be used on a very extraordinary occasion, when parties
are nearly equal, to bring about a settlement of some
important dispute. In that case the application made,
which was due to the great disparity between the two
' Senate Debates, 1911, pp. 252 seq.
* For a case of an important amendment cf. House of Commons Debates,
1909, pp. 6444 seq. It is said to have rejected ninety-seven Bills since
federation, and Mr. Lancaster, in his attack on it on January 30, 1911,
asserted that it had blocked a railway Bill to compel railways to protect
level crossings for seven years, and eventually only accepted it in a mutilated
form.
