Evening star., 1942-01-04
Future Anglo>American Unity
May Hinge on Canada's Role
Dominion Will Have Chance to Serve as Catalyst
in Insuring Long. Range Cooperation of y. S.
and Britain in Postwar World
By FeIir Morley.


Canada occupies unique position IN
the British Empire" said Winston
Churchill in his speech at Ottawa last
Tuesday, because of its unbreakable ties
with Britain and its ever-growing friend
ship and intimate association with the
United States" And the British Prime
Minister went on to define the great
lf-governing Dominion as "a potent
magnet" drawing together the English
speaking nations on both sides Of the
Atlantic.
It is no qualification OF the Canadian
war effort, which, in Mr.. ChurchilPs
words, has been magnificent" to suggest
that the Dominion's greatest long-range
contribution in the world upheaval will
turn out to be of a political character.
For in Canadian hands, to very large
extent, rests the answer to the question
of whether or not present Anglo-Ameri-
can unity will prove permanent.
During the First World War the setup
for enduring solidarity between the
United States and Great Britain was very
much as it is today. Then, as now, Can
ada was theoretically in position to
modify and reconcile both British and
American policies in way which would
have furthered permanent peace.
But after the Armistice OF November
IL, 1918, reaction set In. In political and
In economic policies Washington and
London drifted far apart. The Smoot-
Hawley tariff on the one hand. the
Ottawa Agreements on the other. COM
bined to demonstrate the unreality OF
Anglo-German cooperation. There was
sardonic irony in attaching the name Of
the Canadian capital to a commercial
system of imperial preference under
which American loss was the measure of
British gain.
Impotent Role.
II Canada was magnet during those
critical years. 1t was one which proved
singularly incompetent to accomplish
anything permanent toward Anglo
American unity. During the early thir-
ties, indeed, the Dominion could have
been far more accurately defined as a
dangling tail Of the British imperial kite
The chief obstacle to effective Cana
dian leadership in securing permanently
closer relations between Great Britain
and the United States is psychological
Both for the political leadership Of the
British and for the industrial supremacy
OF the United States the average Cana
dian cherishes respect and admiration
| which fall not far short Of an inferiorit.
complex.
Canadas lack Of positive national con-
sciousness is well illustrated by wartim'
posters which throughout the Dominion
display the pictures of both Prime Min
lister Churchill and President Roosevelt
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mr.
Mackenzie King, may lack the dynamic
qualities OF these two outstanding fig
ures. Nevertheless it is arresting thai
Canadians themselves should be 50 con.
tent to advertise their role as subordi.
nate.
Those who do not assert themselves
are always in some danger of being pa.
troni1ed and in the attitude Of both Brit
ish and Americans toward the Cana.
dians, In the past at any rate, there ha.
been more than suspicion of patronage
Even in Mr.. Churchills speech al
Ottawa there was trace of this. perhaps
unconsciously revealed by his definition
| Of the Canadian role In Anglo American
relations as that Of a magnet"
| Industrial Progress.
For all its virtues, the magnet Is not {
very positive instrument. 1t Is not {
catalytic agent and does nothing to fus'
and permanently combine the material
which 1t attracts.
One Of the great changes brought b!
this war, however, is Canadian indus
trial evolution which will Of itself fore
a less colonial outlook among the peopl
| of the Dominion after hostilities hav
ceased. Mr.. Churchill himeslf drew at
tention to this on Tuesday when h
pointed out that Canadian shipbuildine
virtually non-existent before the war, /
now proceeding on a scale almost equa
to the building Of the United Kingdom.
This development is In no way unique
In steel, chemical and machine produc
ton, In the growth Of light as well q
heavy industry, in the expansion OF ny
droelectric plant and IN mining opera