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Mackenzie King & Canadian Independence

Mackenzie King & Canadian Independence. Introduction. Canadians were not very interested in international affairs after WW1 Why? Canada was, however, still officially a British colony Great Britain controlled Canada’s economic and political relations with other countries

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Mackenzie King & Canadian Independence

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  1. Mackenzie King & Canadian Independence

  2. Introduction • Canadians were not very interested in international affairs after WW1 • Why? • Canada was, however, still officially a British colony • Great Britain controlled Canada’s economic and political relations with other countries • Why might Canadians not like this? • Mackenzie King did not want Britain to control Canada’s foreign policy • King wanted to take an isolationist stance: what does this mean?

  3. The Chanak Crisis, 1922 October 1922 • Turkish troops threatened British troops stationed near Chanak (a narrow strait between Europe and Turkey) • The British gov’t asks its colonies for military support (which it said to the press before its own colonies’ governments!) • According to King, this was the way of the past, but not the present or the future!

  4. The Chanak Crisis • Canadian P.M.’s had always been expected to agree. What do you think King does? • He refuses to send troops! (Remember that he was anti-conscription in WW1…) • King lets the CDN Parliament decide what to do… • Meighen, the opposition leader, wants to help Britiain. King does not. They debate. • By the time they’re done debating, the war was already over.

  5. The Chanak Crisis – Conclusion • King had made his point clear to Britain: • Canada would decide its foreign policy – its actions and international relations – on its own!

  6. The Halibut Treaty, 1923 March 1923 • Canada and the US sign a treaty covering the protection of the Pacific Halibut fishery • The treaty is signed by the Canadian Fisheries minister, and is the only signature representing Canada • The British gov’t protested initially, but gave in when King threatened to appoint a diplomatic representative in the US • Why would Britain care about that?

  7. The Imperial Conference, 1923 • Imperial Conferences are for countries under the British Commonwealth who get together every 3 or 4 years to talk about important issues. • King went to this particular conference, determined to resist British efforts to establish a “centralized foreign policy for all the Dominions” • Why doesn’t King want this? • King won!

  8. The Constitutional Crisis, 1926 • 1925: the economy is doing well, booming some might say • King decides to call an election: why? • (He thought he would be a shoe-in because the economy was doing so well!) • What happens? • Oops… The Liberals (King’s party) won only 99 seats. The Conservatives (Meighen’s party) win 116 seats. The Progressives (that farmers protest party) won 24.

  9. The Constitutional Crisis • Most people thought King should resign and let Meighen be prime minister. • Everyone, but King. He refused. • He wanted to get the support of the Progressive Party. • Government scandal in the Customs Dept. = King is forced to resign • King asked the Governor General, General Lord Byng, to dissolve Parliament and call an election (start over). Byng refused.

  10. The Constitutional Crisis • King asked Byng to consult the British government (oh, now he wants their help?). Byng refused again. • Byng asks Meighen to become prime minister. • In one week, Meighen loses a non-confidence vote. • King is returned to office with a majority in 1926, the highest ever.

  11. The Role of the G-G • The Governor-General had traditionally represented both the British monarch and the British government. • King argued that Byng had been wrong to refuse the prime minister’s request for an election. • When he came to power the second time, he tried to redefine the role as a “representative of the monarch” and not the British government. • This would mean that the G-G could not ignore the advice of the elected government.

  12. The Imperial Conference, 1926 • Canada does more for its own autonomy • Balfour Declaration: updates the relationship between Britain and the Dominions; frees Canada to make its own foreign policy decisions • Officially redefined the G-G’s powers: • CDN gov’t would communicate directly with the British gov’t instead of through the G-G • Canada expanded its Dept. of External Affairs, which previously only had 3 staff members!

  13. Homework • P. 52, Q. 1

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