The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1909. CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 444, 1 March 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1909. CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.

» — No doubt a good many earnest Imperialists have been greatly disturbed by certain recent cable messages from Canada. A fav/ days ago it was reported that Sir Wilfrid Laurier had introduced legislation at Ottawa to establish a Foreign Affairs Departmont for the Dominion. Following upon this intelligence came the news that the chairman of the Canadian section of the International Waterways Commission, in a speech before the Canadian Club, "praised British diplomacy, but thought tha time had arrived for Canada to be mistress in

her own house, and have control of her own foreign affairs." To-day wc are given some observations by the Toronto Globe, which is regarded as Sin Wilfrid Laurier's official newspaper, upon the relations subsisting between Canada and Great Britain. The Globe, we are told, admits that Canada's evolution is in the direction of independence, but it deprecates impatience in the matter. "On the whole," it says "it is better that it should be so slow as to attract little attention, and cause no irritation." Yt'hen it is remembered Hhat only a few months have passed since Judge Longlfa- created a sensation, and brought a storm of protest about his ears, by hinting at the tendency towards Canadian independence, the appearance of the Globe's statement reveals a startling change in the public attitude of responsible Canadians. Sir AVilfrid Laurieu would of course repudiate, and quite sincerely, any suggestion that his desires embrace more than a little greater freedom for the Dominion in its .dealings with other States. He has nevei\ disguised his dislike of the system which led to the antiCanadian work of the Alaska Boundary Commission, and he has constantly pressed for the deposition of greater original'authority in the Dominion Government. In September, 1907, he delivered a very outspoken attack upon the methods Qf British diplomacy, • under which, he said in effect, Canada was suffering and could not thrive. His remarks aroused a great deal of hostile comment in Great Britain, but the Canadian press rallied pretty solidly to his support. The Montreal Star, an independent organ, issued the best reply to those British critics who took the view that Canada, relying upon Great Britain for defence, should not ask for the privileges of an independent State. "Our understanding with regard to the navy," said the Star"is that Great Britain is today 'putting up' a navy for both of us while we create new provinces, build now transcontinental railways, construct new canal systems—all of use in the military sense. If this does not imply that we have a right to expect protection from the British Navy when we need it and our quarrel is just, the sooner wc know it the better for all concerned." The Toronto Globe declared that the Primo Minister's attitude towards Canada's treaty-making power was "identical with that of all thoughtful Canadians," and added that "British diplomacy has not been so successful as it should have been."

Since that date there has been a notable change in the British theory of tho colonies' treaty-making powers. Until 1006, the British authorities still held to tho position laid down by Loud Eipon in a dispatch to the colonial Governments on June 20, 1895. In this dispatch, it was declared that "to givo tho colonics power of negotiating treaties for themselves without reference to her Majesty's Government would be to give them an international- status as separate and sovereign States, a result which her Majesty's Government are satisfied would be injurious equally to the colonics and to the Mother Country, and would be desired by neither." This policy was formally renounced by Sir Edward Grey in a dispatch on July 4, 1007, in which Canada's right to make commercial treaties with Foreign Powers independently of the British Government was admitted. Tho result of this dispatch, which referred to the-Franco-Canadian treaty, was to restore Sir Wilfrid Laurier's good humour. On February 27 of last year, ho announced in' the Canadian House of Commons that "thero is no grievance whatever" respecting Canada's position. In tho meantime the Dominion has been taking full advantage of,its new autonomy. Towards the end of last year, when steps were being taken in Canada to arrange a commercial treaty, on tho basis of reciprocity, with tho United States, objection was madj that theso agreements were not in the interests of the Empire. The Toronto Globe, in discussing this objection, repudiated as a policy of "mutual hurts" the idea that the units of tho Empire should aim at trading only with each other. "It would bo unfortunate," said the Globe, "if the impression wero conveyed that British preference tied Canada's hands, and that she was thereby prevented from doing anything further to seek additional markets wherever she can find them." Of cpurse, the policy of "looking after number one" can be pursued by any unit of the Empire without necessarily impairing the constitutional relation between that unit and Great Britain. There is nothing anti-Imperial in Canada's insistence on commercial autonomy, or in the establishment of a Department to procuro, that Canadian interests shall count in the negotiations between Great Britain and other Powers. But it is something now to have the ultimate indopendonco of Canada already spoken of as being so clearly inevitable thai; the chief business of thg Dominion is to .make its coming as painless as possible. It need hardly be said that the development of Canadian affairs is a matter of supreme interest and importance to this quarter of the Empiro.