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Sir George Etienne Cartier: His Work for Canada and His Services to Montreal

Chapter 11: FOOTNOTES:
By John Boyd
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About This Book

An address delivered to the Canadian Club offers a concise biographical and political sketch of Sir George Étienne Cartier, tracing his progression from youthful involvement in the 1837 upheaval to a leading parliamentary career from 1848 to 1873. It outlines his embrace of constitutional methods, alliance with LaFontaine and Baldwin in securing responsible government, advocacy for British institutions and national unity, and central role in Confederation and municipal improvements in Montreal. The speaker emphasizes Cartier's conciliatory leadership, public service achievements, and lasting contributions to Canada's political development while placing the remarks in the context of a forthcoming memorial history.

O CANADA, MY OWN BELOVED LAND![7]

From the French "O CANADA, MON PAYS, MES AMOURS,"
of Sir George Etienne Cartier.

By John Boyd

For the Cartier Centenary.

"One's own land is best of all,"
So an ancient adage says;
To sing it is the poet's call,
Mine be to sing my fair land's praise.
Strangers behold with envious eyes
St. Lawrence's tide so swift and grand,
But the Canadian proudly cries,
O Canada, my own beloved land!
Rivers and streams in myriad maze
Meander through our fertile plains,
Midst many a lofty mountain's haze,
What vast expanse the vision chains!
Vales, hills and rapids, forest brakes—
What panorama near so grand!
Who doth not love thy limpid lakes,
O Canada, my own beloved land!
Each season of the passing year,
In turn, attractions hath to bless.
Spring like an ardent wooer, dear,
Besports fair flowers and verdant dress;
Summer anon prepares to wrest
The harvest rare with joyful hand;
In Fall and Winter, feast and jest.
O Canada, my own beloved land!
Canadians, like their sires of old
Revel in song and gaily live,
Mild, gentle, free, not overbold,
Polite and gallant, welcome give.
Patriots, to country ever leal,
They, foes of slavery, staunchly stand;
Their watchword is the peace and weal
Of Canada, their beloved land.
Each country vaunts its damsels fair,
(I quite agree with truth they boast)
But our Canadian girls must share
The witching charm of beauty's host,
So lovely they and so sincere,
With that French charm of magic wand,
Coquettish just to make them dear.
O Canada, my own beloved land!
O my country, thou art blest,
Favoured of all the nations now!
But the stranger's vile behest
Would the seeds of discord sow.
May thy brave sons for thy sake
Join to help thee, hand in hand,
For thy great day doth e'en now break,
O Canada, my own beloved land!

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Dr. Parkin—Life of Sir John A. Macdonald.

[2] John Lewis, Life of George Brown.

[3] Dr. Parkin—Life of Sir John A. Macdonald.

[4] A. D. DeCelles, Cartier Et Son Temps.

[5] Sir Adolphe Routhier-Conférence sur Sir George Etienne Cartier, issued by the Cartier Centenary Committee in pamphlet form.

[6] See following pages.

[7] The above which is a faithful translation of the famous French-Canadian national song, "O Canada Mon Pays, Mes Amours," is intended simply to give the sense of the original. The song was composed in 1835 by George Etienne Cartier, then a young man of 21 who was destined to become one of the most illustrious figures in Canadian history. Cartier was for some time secretary of the St. Jean Baptiste Association which was founded by Ludger Duvernay in 1834, and it was at the first celebration of St. Jean Baptiste day held in Montreal in 1835, that the song was sung for the first time by Cartier himself.

As the result of the indefatigable efforts of the president of the Cartier Centenary Committee, Mr. E. W. Villeneuve and those associated with him in this patriotic undertaking, the Centenary of Sir George Etienne Cartier's birth will be commemorated in 1914 by the unveiling of a magnificent monument on Mount Royal, and a series of historic celebrations. A brilliant success is assured for the Centenary celebration, and the splendid memorial which will stand on one of the slopes of Mount Royal will forever commemorate the illustrious career of Cartier and the great work of Canadian Confederation with which he was prominently identified.