Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE CHARTER 47members of the Cabinet who were also members of the SenateBanking Committee, the Hon. Edward Kenny 2 of Halifax,and the Hon. Peter Mitchell 3 of Montreal, though they hadbut seldom attended its deliberations, were present on thisoccasion to give him their support.It will be seen that the parliamentary session of 1870was a momentous one for the banks of Canada, as it produceda general banking Act which gave a prospect of permanenceand an equality of opportunity for all. It also placed TheCanadian Bank of Commerce in a position to meet the growingneeds of the business community by authorizing the increaseof its capital. To the success of both measures, its founderand his associates contributed by their unfailing vigilance andpersuasive influence. From 1870 the bank stands out as oneof the great banking institutions of Canada.Thomas Clark Street, M.P. (1814-72), son of Samuel Street, one of the earlysettlers in the neighbourhood of Niagara Falls. Educated as a barrister, he was calledto the bar, but never practised. He was president of the Gore Bank from 1862until 1868, and a director of The Canadian Bank of Commerce from July, 1870, untilhis death. He represented Welland in the Legislative Assembly of Canada from 1851to 1854 and from 1861 to 1867, and also hi the first Parliament of the Dominion ofCanada. For his portrait, see Vol. I, p. 177.'Sir Edward Kenny (1800-91) was a native of County Kerry, Ireland, whoemigrated to Nova Scotia and was called to the Senate of Canada at Confederation.He was Receiver-General of the Dominion of Canada from 1867 to 1869, andPresident of the Privy Council from 1869 until 1870. He was knighted in 1870.8The Hon. Peter Mitchell (1824-99) was a native of Newcastle, N.B. He studiedlaw and was called to the bar in 1848. For many years he was engaged in lumberingand shipbuilding. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of his native provincein 1856 and four years later was appointed to the Legislative Council, becoming amember of the Government of the province hi 1860. He was a strong supporter ofConfederation and a delegate to the conferences connected therewith. He was calledto the Senate of Canada in 1867 and was Minister of Marine and Fisheries from 1867 to1873. He resigned from the Senate in 1874, and was elected to the House of Commons.