The King-Byng Crisis, 1926

1. The King-Byng Crisis, 1926 • Federal election 1925 • Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzieand his Liberal Government won fewer seats than the Conservative Party led by Arthur Meighen • But King wasn’t ready to go quite yet; he felt that he still had the majority of support in the HOC than the Conservatives: • King had the support of the Progressive Party, giving him the majority of support in the HOC • He kept in power based on a technicality…

2. King’s saving grace… • According to British and Canadian concept of responsible government, King stayed in power • Responsible Gov’t: • PM and Cabinet may stay in power as long as they hold the majority of votes in the HOC • Liberal + Progressive votes = majority/more than Conservatives • 101 Liberal seats + 28 Progressive • 116 Conservative seats • This was only a short lived sense of victory…

3. King vs. Byng • 1926, with Progressive support lessening, King decided he had better call an election before he faced the possibility of suffering defeat in parliament. • King ask Governor General Lord Byng of Vimyto dissolve parliament…this didn’t happen • Byng felt that King should have resignedwhen he lost the election to the Conservatives the year previous; he wantedKing to suffer defeat. • Due to his unwillingness to dissolve parliament and allowing for an election to be called, King resigned • Byng used his “reserve powers” in refusing King his request. • Reserve power is a power that may be exercised by the head of state without the approval of another branch of the government. 

4. King gone, but not for long… • Prime Minister Meighen came to power on June 28, 1926, but lost support of the HOC by the 25th of September 1926… • Originally when he took over from King, he did so without total support of his Conservative peers; he was the leader of the party so became PM by default. • Meighen lost a vote of confidence, he was then forced to dissolve parliament and call an election. • Mackenzie King won the election of September 1926, he was back in charge • LEGACY OF KING-BYNG: First time in Canadian history that a Gov General outright refused the request of a PM to dissolve parliament

5. Next: Role of Women: Social Roles • As mentioned during the war, the role of women changed during the first two decades of the 20th century • This continued on into the 1920s: • Women controlled their own lives • Held jobs that had belonged to men • Got involved in sports that were previously only associated with men, i.e. Boxing • Fewer clothing restrictions, i.e. “shocking” bathing suits, and shorter skirts • The Charleston dance, amongst other “scandalous” activities became the norm…

6. Role of Women II: WCTU & Prohibition • WCTU: Women’s Christian Temperance Union • They used their new found influence in the United States to convince the government to ban all production, sale and consumption of alcohol • Known as prohibition

7. Prohibition • Women in both the United States and Canada believed that alcohol was evil as it led to: • Wife abuse, child abuse, accidents, poverty, neglect of family, diseases, wife desertion, and even death • In Canada prohibition occurred for: • 3 years in Quebec • 4 years in BC • 48 years in PEI • Many of these perceived problems did disappear with prohibition, i.e. drop in crime and poverty rates

8. Problems with Prohibition • United States saw the increase in gangsterism (organized crime) in an effort to supply alcohol to “thirsty Americans” • Al Capone & others supplied “speakeasies” – secret places which sold alcohol • Canadians contributed to “bootleg” operations; Prairies provinces would produce moonshine, and deliver it to American rum-runners

9. Canadians & Prohibition • Many of Atlantic Canada’s best fishing captains and crews delivered to the rum-runners, some even losing their lives in the process. • Main area for these deliveries to be picked up, French Island off of NFLD. • Liquor produced in Montreal and Toronto • Loopholes in Canadian prohibition laws: • Ontario, legal to drink wine (28% content) • Most Provincial doctors could prescribe alcohol to patients • Due to difficulties in enforcing a complete ban on alcohol, the provinces began to sell liquor in government controlled liquor stores… prohibition in Canada was over

10. Back to Role of Women … • First Female Member of Parliament, 1921 • Agnes Macphail won her riding in rural Ontario,becoming Canada’s first female member of parliament. • Macphail’s contributions to Canadian politics included a call for prison reforms, investigations were launched into conditions of Canada’s prisons in the mid-1930s. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFAteXZGT_Y • Founded the Elizabeth Fry Society, an organization established to help women who had been imprisoned • Appointed to Senate in 1954, passed away before the appointment was fulfilled.

11. The Famous Five and the Persons Case, 1929 • 1918 all women had gained the right to vote federally, it was not until 1940 that women could vote in all provinces. • Prior to 1940, the idea of emancipation (freedom) was far from reality… • Despite contributions during WWI, women still found themselves in the role of the homemaker. • A group of women did their best to change this…

12. The Famous Five • Key Players: • Five Alberta women, Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney & Irene Parlby • The issue: • Asked the Supreme Court of Canada to consider and rule on the following: • Does the word ‘person’ in Section 24 of the British North American Act include female persons?

13. Persons Case: Key Elements • 1916, Emily Murphy was first women judge in British Empire; she was challenged on her right to preside in her own courtroom by male lawyers; claimed women were not “persons” as defined in BNA act • 1927, Famous Five asked Supreme Court to rule on women’s definition as a person • 3 months later, Supreme Court ruled that Fathers of Confederation (Sir John A. Macdonald et al) had not intended for women to be considered as “qualified persons” • 1928, Famous Five with PM King appealed to the British Privy Council – at the time Canada’s highest court – to consider the persons case • 1929, Privy Council responded by saying that the word “persons” does include both female and male; both being eligible to be members of Canadian Senate. • “to those who should ask why the word ‘person’ should not be include females, the obvious answer is, why should it not?”

14. Famous Five: Their Legacy • Paved way for greater participation of women in public life. • None of the Five gained the honour of serving in senate • Honour went to Cairine Wilson in 1930