|
The Pacific Scandal was the result of solicitation by PM John A. MACDONALD, George-Étienne CARTIER, and Hector LANGEVIN of some $360 000 in campaign funds for the August 1872 general election, from promoters including Sir Hugh ALLAN. Macdonald and his Conservative colleagues needed money to fight the elections in Ontario and Québec, where a number of seats were in jeopardy. Notwithstanding his bribery of electors, Macdonald did badly, his 1867 majority being substantially reduced.
After the election Allan was rewarded with the contract to build the Pacific railway, on the assumption that he would divest himself of American control on his board of directors. Since Allan, unknown to Macdonald, had used American money to bribe the government, this proved difficult, and finally produced blackmail. The Liberals broke the scandal on 2 April 1873; a spate of damaging letters and telegrams appeared in Liberal newspapers in July. The government was stunned. It managed to weather a royal commission struck on August 14, but it could not survive Parliament. The Commons met on October 23; with the threat of new PEI votes against it, and its supporters in disarray, the Macdonald government was obliged to resign. Allan's company never did get started, and a new agreement had to wait until 1880.
 Cartier, George-ÉtienneSir George-Étienne Cartier was the key person in persuading French Canadians to accept Confederation (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-8007).
 Bengough, J.W.J.W. Bengough puts words into the mouth of John A. Macdonald at the time of the Pacific Scandal. Left is Alexander Mackenzie, Liberal leader who replaced Macdonald as PM (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-78604).
Author
P.B. WAITE
Links to Other Sites
Sir Hector-Louis Langevin
A biography of Sir Hector-Louis Langevin with photographs and other archival resources. This “Canadian Confederation” website is from Library and Archives Canada.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Casavant Frères. Illustrious and pre-eminent Canadian organ-building firm which celebrated its centenary in 1979. It was founded in St-Hyacinthe, Que, by the Casavant brothers Joseph-Claver (b 10 Sep 1855, d 10 Dec 1933) ... |
|
|
