The British Government and the Red River, 1869-71 (Manitoba DoJ Report)

In 2002, The Department of Justice, Government of Canada commissioned a historical report on the intentions of the British government regarding the transfer of the Red River to the Dominion of Canada in 1869-71. The report focused on an argument associated with the case of the Manitoba Metis Federation et al. versus the Attorneys-General of Manitoba and Canada. The argument was that, by passing the British North America Act of 1871, the imperial parliament at Westminster had incorporated the terms of the Dominion's 1870 Manitoba Act as a fundamental part of Canada's constitution. With the able help of the London-based historical researcher Judy Collingwood, this interesting question permitted a re-examination of the British role in the founding of Manitoba.

 

Manitoba Report - Part 1
Part I outlines the general issue and identifies the personalities and processes involved and established the context of contemporary events and attitudes.
Full text...

 

 
Manitoba Report - Part 2
Part 2 discusses the British government's attitude to the Red River, its people and their rights. This involves two lateral explorations - into wider imperial problems, in Ireland and New Zealand, and into the complex mental processes of the prime minister, W.E. Gladstone.
Full text...
 
 
 
Manitoba Report - Part 3
Part 3 looks in more detail at the drafting and passage of the British North America Act of 1871.
Full text...
 
 
 
Manitoba Report - Part 4
Part 4 discusses the concept of 'constitutionalizing' legislation, arguing that it was alien to the British mode of legislation.
Full text...