HAD CANADA THE RIGHT TO HELP ENGLAND?
Not satisfied to do the best it could to persuade our French-Canadian
countrymen that they had been coerced into the war by England, our
"Nationalist School" extensively used the argument that Canada had not
the right to intervene into the European struggle. I refuted this
erroneous pretension by the following propositions, the very essence of
our constitutional rights and liberties:--
1.--The Canadian Cabinet had the undoubted constitutional right to
advise His Excellency the Governor-General to approve the measures to be
taken to give effect to their decision to participate in the war,
decision and measures for which they were responsible to the Canadian
Parliament and to the Canadian Electorate.
2.--The Canadian Parliament had the undoubted constitutional right to
approve or disapprove the decision and the measures of the Cabinet.
Parliament approved that decision and those measures, acting within
their constitutional right.
3.--Even at the time I was writing, it could evidently be affirmed that
the Canadian Electorate had approved the stand taken by both the
Canadian Cabinet and the Canadian Parliament according to well known and
defined constitutional usages.
Was it not proved beyond reasonable controversy, that the Canadian
people heartily approved the decision of their Parliament to help in the
great war?
Let me summarize the evidence as follows:--
1.--The war policy of the Cabinet, at the special session called in
August, 1914, for that very purpose, was unanimously approved by
Parliament, no Senator and no Member of the House of Commons moving to
censure the responsible ministers for their decision to have Canada to
participate in the war. The two great political parties have solemnly
sanctioned that decision.
2.--Public opinion was also very strongly proved by the almost unanimity
of the public press patriotically supporting the stand taken by
Parliament. The exceptions were so few, that, as usual, they contributed
to emphasize the soundness of the general rule.
3.--During the three years following the decision of the Canadian
Parliament, a great number of large public meetings were held throughout
Canada, and addressed by many leading and influential citizens all
approving the action of Parliament. The meetings enthusiastically
concurred in the powerful indorsation of the war policy of the speakers.
In a few public gatherings some disapproval was expressed, but not one
meeting would go to the length of passing "Resolutions" censuring the
Cabinet and the Parliament of Canada, or declaring that our Dominion
should not have interfered into the war.
4.--Not one petition against the Canadian intervention into the war was
addressed to Parliament.
5.--Leading Clergymen, of all denominations; leaders of political
associations almost of all shades of opinion; financial, industrial,
commercial leaders, all of them approved the patriotic interference of
Canada into the war.
6.--The evident general approval of the unanimous decision, taken in
1916, to extend the Parliamentary term.
7.--The wonderful success of the public loans raised for war purposes.
8.--The enlightened and generous patriotism with which the country has
accepted and paid war taxation.
9.--But, above all, the voluntary recruiting of four hundred thousand
men of all social conditions who have rallied to the flag of the Empire
for the defence of her existence and for the triumph of Civilization and
Justice.
I, therefore, drew the undeniable conclusion that, contrary to the
"Nationalist" pretension, Canada was participating in the war in the
most regular constitutional way, without even the shadow of a breach of
our Canadian autonomy, of our constitutional rights and liberties.