Proclamation by the Provisional Government, Dec. 8, 1869. 1 Whereas, it is admitted by all men, as a fundamental principle, that the public authority commands the obedience and respect of its subjects. t is also admitted, that a people, !hen it has no Government, is free to adopt one form of Government, in preference to another, to "ive or to refuse alle"iance to that !hich is proposed. n accordance !ith the above first principle the people of this country had obeyed and respected the authority to !hich the circumstances !hich surrounded its infancy compelled it to be subject. # company of adventurers $no!n as the %&udson 'ay (ompany,% (ompany,% and invested !ith certain po!ers, "ranted by &is )ajesty *(harles +, established itself in upert-s and, and in the /orth0West erritory, for tradin" purposes only. his (ompany, (ompany, consistin" of many persons, re2uired a certain constitution. 'ut as there !as a 2uestion of commerce only, their constitution !as framed in reference thereto. 3et, 3et, since there !as at that time no Government to see to the interest of a people already e4istin" in the country, it it became necessary for judicial affairs to have have recourse to the officers officers of the &udson 'ay (ompany. (ompany. his inau"urated that species of "overnment !hich, sli"htly modified by subse2uent circumstances, ruled this country up to recent date. Whereas, that Government, thus accepted, !as far from ans!erin" to the !ants of the people, and became more and more so, as the population increased in numbers, and as the country !as developed, and commerce e4tended, until the present day, day, !hen it commands commands a place amon"st the the colonies5 and this people, people, ever actuated by the above0mentioned principles, had "enerously supported the aforesaid Government, and "ave to it a faithful alle"iance, !hen, contrary to the la! of nations, in )arch, 1869, that said Government surrendered and transferred to (anada all the ri"hts !hich it had, or pretended to have, in this erritory, erritory, by transactions !ith !hich the people !ere considered un!orthy to be made ac2uainted. #nd, !hereas, it is also "enerally admitted that a people is at liberty to establish any form of "overnment it may consider suited to its !ants, as soon as the po!er to !hich it !as subject subject abandons it, or attempts attempts to subju"ate it, !ithout its consent to a forei"n po!er5 and maintain that no ri"ht can be transferred to such forei"n po!er. /o!, therefore, first, !e, the representatives of the people, in (ouncil assembled in pper 7ort Garry, on the th day of /ovember, 1869, after havin" invo$ed the God of /ations, relyin" on these fundamental moral principles, solemnly declare, declare, in the name of our constituents, constituents, and in our o!n o!n 1
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names, before God and man, that, from the day on !hich the Government G overnment !e had al!ays respected abandoned us, by transferrin" to a stran"e po!er the sacred authority confided to it, the people of upert-s and and the /orth0West /orth0West became free and e4empt from all alle"iance alle"iance to the said Government. Government. i"hth day of December, in the year of our ord, ?ne thousand ei"ht hundred and si4ty0nine. @ohn 'ruce, Pres. ouis iel,
