Evening star., 1942-05-17
Canada and Quebec

S0nQ00 and QuebeC
The resignation Of P. J. A. Cardin.
senior French-Canadian Minister,
from the Cabinet of Prime Minister
Mackenzie King emphasizes the rift
between the Province Of Quebec and
the rest Of Canada over the overseas
service issue. In the recent plebiscite
held to release the government from
its prediction pledge on that mat
ter, Mr.. Cardin. like several other
French-speaking members of the
government, urged the voters in
Quebec to vote "Yes" But their ad-
vice was emphatically disregarded,
and the province went u per cent
mo-" whereas Canada as a whole
voted eyes" by nearly 81 per cent.
That meant enormous "yes" major
tiles in most of the English-speaking
provinces.
The emphatic, negative Of Quebec
voters left their parliamentary rep
resentatives out on a political limb.
When the government brought in
bill to remove present restrictions
upon overseas service. Mr.. Cardin
felt he could no longer support the
government in a policy which his
constituents overwhelmingly dis
approved. His sentiments are
undoubtedly shared by most French
Canadian M, P.'s; so the chances are
that Quebec's delegation will oppose
the bill in Parliament.
This will mean. in practice, a dis
ciplinary breach In the ranks OF the
Liberal party, which now governs
Canada. For 1t must be understood
that the French Canadians have
traditionally been almost solidly
Liberals; so the Province OF Quebec,
with its sixty-five seats. has been
the sheet-anchor of the Liberals,
politically as dependable as our own
Democratic "solid South"
However, the detection Of Quebec
on this issue would not necessarily
mean the downfall of Mr.. Mackenzie
Kings Liberal government, because
in the last elections the Liberals
swept the country so decisively that
they have nearly two-thirds Of all
the 243 seats in Parliament. Even
a solid detection of the French
Canadian M. P's would still leave the
Liberals with a working plurality,
provided the French did not vote
with the Opposition. But this they
can hardly do. because the Conserv-
ative party is more vigorously
conscriptionist than the English
speaking Liberals So any political
cooperation between Quebec French
and Conservatives is unlikely.
Party lines and party discipline in
Canada are SO strict that there is
scant likelihood of a coalition gov
eminent Of English-speaking Liberals
and Conservatives. What is more
likely, If the crisis develops, is a
dissolution OF Parliament and gen.
eral elections fought on this issue.
incidentally, it should be under
stood that the governments present
bill merely strikes out the clause in
the present conscription law which
limits the draft to home defense,
making overseas service dependent
upon voluntary selection. Up to now,
the number Of volunteers has ex-
ceeded the quotas needed for overseas
duty. Passage of the current bill
would thus involve no change in
existing procedure. 1t would merely
give the government the right, at
some unspecified future date. to send
drafted soldiers overseas If an emer-
gency arose. 1t is this fact on which
the government bases its hope that
Quebec will not assume the rebel
lious attitude it did in the last war,
and will refrain from open opposi-
ton, once the bill has passed Parlia-
ment and become the law OF the
land. Mr.. Mackenzie King can be
depended upon to do his best to
avoid rift which would not only
split his own party but confront
Canada with the ugly nationalist
controversy that beset the Dominion
in the other war and left an evil
legacy for years afterwards. Yet the
English-speaking majority is deter
mined that Canada shall wage this
war with full efficiency. and will not
be deferred from any necessary
action should Quebec stand stub
bornly In the way.
In the Right Place