WHAT DO WE OWE ENGLAND?
To this question raised by Mr. Bourassa, and argued at length by himself
in the negative, I answered by a chapter of my book:--"_L'Angleterre, le
Canada et la Grand Guerre_"--"_England, Canada and the Great War_."
Great Britain, ever since she came to the conclusion that the days of
the old colonial policy were passed, and agreed that we should freely
govern ourselves, with ministerial responsibility, within the powers set
forth in our constitutional charter, has scrupulously respected our
political liberty. We have administered our own affairs at our own free
will. The Imperial Government never attempted to interfere with the
development of our federal politics. They would surely have declined
such interference, if it had been asked for.
As long as we form part of the British Empire, it is evident that we owe
to England that loyalty which every colony owes to her mother-country.
Granted by the Sovereign Power ruling Canada the freest institutions,
having the best of reasons to be fully satisfied with our relations with
Great Britain, we are in duty bound to be loyal to her flag. We must be
true to our allegiance.
We have freely decided to incur the sacrifices we are making for the
war. We have so decided because we considered it of the greatest
importance, for the future of Humanity, that the German ambition for
universal domination be foiled; that the British Empire be maintained;
that France should continue a first class Power, as expressed by Mr.
Asquith; that before all, and above all, the eternal principles of
Right, Justice and Civilization, shall not be trampled upon by the
terrific assault of teutonic barbarism. Moreover, we are also in duty
bound to judge with fairness England's part in the great society of
nations, and, especially, that she plays in the great events of the
present crisis. Beyond doubt, a truly loyal Canadian must refrain from
poisoning foreign opinion and that of his fellow British subjects
against Great Britain in attributing her course to selfish interests,
wilfully taking no account of her broad and admirable foreign policy,
ever inspired by the steady desire to maintain peace.
In the first mentioned work, Mr. Bourassa lays great stress on the fact
that for nearly a century and a half, previous to the South African War,
Canada did not participate in the wars of the Empire. He extensively
quotes from the documents and the discussions between Canada's
representatives and the Imperial Government, respecting the defence of
our country, and that of the Empire herself. He concludes by pretending
that the result of all these negotiations and conventions was the
agreement that Canada would have only to attend to her own defence, and
that Great Britain was always obliged to protect us against all outside
attacks. From these pretensions he draws the startling conclusion that
all those who do not stand by the conventions he did his best to
emphasize are doing revolutionary work.
The answer to such extravagant notions is rather plain and easy. There
was not the slightest necessity for the Nationalist leader to multiply
lengthy quotations to prove what mere common sense settles at first
thought:--
First:--That any country, whether it be independent or a colony, must
defend itself when attacked by an enemy.
Second:--That a Sovereign State is bound to defend all the territory
under its authority and covered by its flag.
But all this has nothing whatever to do with the very different question
of Canada's participation, outside her own territory, in a war in which
Great Britain is engaged, which participation Canada has freely,
deliberately approved and ordered. Such was the case in 1914. The
Parliament and the people of Canada at once realized that in the
gigantic conflict into which Germany had drawn all the Great Powers of
Europe, our future destiny as much as that of England herself was at
stake. Without the slightest hesitation, unasked and unsolicited by the
Mother Country, we decided that we were in duty bound to do our share
to defend the great Empire of which we are a very important component
part, and to help saving the world from tyrannical domination.
Much too often giving to words a meaning which they positively cannot
convey, Mr. Bourassa argued at length to prove that the agreements,
conventions, and understandings arrived at between the Imperial and
Canadian Governments, at different dates, were a _solemn treaty_.
How false and untenable such a pretention is, surely needs no lengthy
argument. International Law knows no treaties but those made between
Sovereign States. It is most absurd to pretend that a Sovereign State
can make a treaty between herself and its own colony. Where is the man
with the slightest notion of Constitutional Government who would
pretend, for instance, that the British North American Act is a treaty
between Great Britain and Canada. It is an Act passed by the Legislative
authority of the Sovereign State to which we belong, enacting the
conditions under which Canada would enjoy the rights and privileges of
constitutional self-government, participating in the exercise of
Sovereignty within the limits of the powers enumerated in the Act
creating the Dominion. It was precisely because we knew we were acting
within the limits of those powers, that we decided to join with England
and her Allies in the great war.