Attributed to Louis-Joseph Papineau, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada

“ Resolved, That this vicious system, which has been carefully maintained, has given to the Legislative Council a great character of animosity to the country than it had at any former period, and is as contrary to the wishes of Parliament, as that which, in order to resist the wishes of the people of England for the Parliamentary Reform, should have called into the House of Lords a number of men notorious for their factious and violent opposition to that great measure. ”

“ Resolved, That any combination, whether effected by means of Acts of the British Parliament, obtained in contravention to its former engagements, or by means of the partial and corrupt administration of the present constitution and system of law, would be a violation of those rights, and would, as long as it should exist, be obeyed by the people from motives of fear and constraint, and not from choice and affection ”

“ Resolved, That even if the present Governor-in-Chief had, by making a more judicious selection, succeeded in quieting the alarm and allaying for a time the profound discontent which then prevailed, that form of government would not be less essentially vicious which makes the happiness or misery of a country depend on an Executive over which the people of that country have no influence, and which has no permanent interest in the country, or in common with its inhabitants ”

“ The increase of the expenses of the Government without the authority of the Legislature, and the disproportion of the salaries paid to public functionaries for the services performed by them, to the rent of real property, and to the ordinary commanded by the exertions of persons possessing talent, industry and economy equal to, or greater than those of the said functionaries. ”

“ Resolved, That if, as this House is found of believing, His Majesty's Government in England does not wish systematically to nourish civil discord in this colony, the contradictory allegations thus made by the two Houses, make it imperative on it to become better acquainted with the state of the province than it now appears to be, if we judge from its long tolerance of the abuses which its agents commit with impunity; that it ought not to trust to the self praise of those who have the management of the affairs of the colony, passing, according to them, into a state of anarchy ”

“ The obstacles unjustly opposed by the executive, friendly to abuses and to ignorance, to the establishment of colleges endowed by virtuous and disinterested men, for the purpose of meeting the growing desires of the people for the careful education of their children. ”

“ The interference of the armed military force at such elections, through which three peaceable citizens, whose exertions were necessary to the support of their families, and who were strangers to the agitation of the election, were shot dead in the streets: the applause bestowed by the Governor-in-chief and commander of the Forces on the authors of this sanguinary military execution (who had not been acquitted by a petty jury) for the firmness and discipline displayed by them on that occasion. ”

“ Resolved, That this partial and abusive practice of bestowing the great majority of official places in the province on those only who are least connected with its permanent interests, and with the mass of its inhabitants, has been most especially remarkable in the judicial department, the judges for the three great districts having, with the exception of one only in each, been systematically chosen from that class of persons, who, being born out of the country, are the least versed in its laws, and in the language and usages of the majority of its inhabitants ”

“ Resolved, That the result of the secret and unlawful distribution of a large portion of the public revenue of the province has been, that the Executive Government has always, except with regard to appropriations for objects of a local nature, considered itself bound to account for public money to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury in England, and not to this House, nor according to its votes, or even in conformity to the laws passed by the Provincial Legislature ”

“ Resolved, That some of the said judges, through partiality for political purposes, and in violation of the criminal law of England as established in this country, of their duty and of their oath, have connived with divers law officers of the Crown, acting in the interest of the Provincial Administration, to allow the latter to engross and monopolize all criminal prosecutions of what nature soever, without allowing the private prosecutor to intervene or be heard, or any advocate to express his opinion as amicus curiae, when the Crown officers opposed it ”

“ Resolved, That the fair and reasonable expenses of the said two Committees of Correspondence, incurred by them in the performance of the duties entrusted to them by this House, are a debt which it contracts towards them; and that the representatives of the people are bound in honour to use all constitutional means to reimburse such expenses to the said Committee, or to such persons as may advance money to them for the purpose above mentioned. ”

“ Resolved, That it was in consequence of a correct idea of the state of the country, and of society generally in America, that the Committee of the House of Commons asked, whether there was not in the two Canadas a growing inclination to see the institutions become more and more popular, and in that respect more and more like those of the United States; and that John Neilson, esquire, one of the agents sent from this country, answered, that the fondness for popular institutions had made great progress in the two Canadas ”