CANADA AND WAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 23, 27 January 1940, Page 13

CANADA AND WAR

GOVERNMENT'S EFFORT

OPPOSITION ALLEGES

FAILURE

ELECTION PLATFORM

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

OTTAWA, January 26.

The General Election is expected to be held late in March. Parliament will meet immediately the returns are declared.

The Opposition parties have agreed that their main platform will be the Government's alleged failure to press Canada's war effort. But while the Conservatives and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation are in agreement on the Government's alleged shortcomings in this respect, there is Only a slight possibility that the parties will unite in ah effort to defeat Mr. Mackenzie King. The Conservatives and Liberals will contest all 245 seats, and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation about 150 seats.

Meanwhile, the Government will continue to function with extraordinary wartime powers and administrative funds provided by Orders in Council. The Speech from the Throne remains unadopted, just one of the many precedents set in the shortest and most dramatic session in Canada's history.

What has maddened the Opposition particularly is that Mr. Mackenzie King's move bids, fair to deprive them of all the political ammunition they expected to obtain against the Government by obtaining access to Government documents through demands on Ministers on the floor of the House.

The Premier of Alberta, Mr. Aberhart, commented that the Government's action was strategic rather than democratic and left the people bewildered and resentful at the summary dismissal of their representatives without a chance of expressing their views.

It is evident that there is dissatisfaction with the Liberal Administration, but the idea that there is disunity of a serious nature in Canada is questionable.

The Prime Minister asked in the House before the dissolution how it could be expected that he should do what was necessary in wartime if he were surrounded by the enmities of political opponents seeking to undermine the Administration's every effort.

The Leader of the Conservative Opposition, Dr. Manion, declared that Mr. King was playing unscrupulous politics by preparing for an election instead of war, seeking a snap decision.

The Canadian House of Commons is elected for five years and the last election took place on December 14, 1935. The state of the parties is: Liberals 175, Independent Liberals 4, Conservatives 37, Independent Conservative 1, Social Credit 17, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation 7, Reconstruction 1, United Farmers 1.

(Daventry Broadcast.:)

LONDON, Friday' Night,

When Mr. Mackenzie King moved the adjournment, Dr. Manion, the, Conservative Leader," protested. He complained that he had not received the usual advance copy of the Speech, from the Throne, and accused Mr. King of a political trick in calling an election without warning. Dr. Manion also attacked the Minister of Defence for being inefficient, and accused the Liberal Government of not doing enough to prepare for war before last September. He alleged that soldiers had been called up without any proper equipment.

The Leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, which is sometimes described as the Canadian Labour Party, said that he for once found himself in agreement with the Conservative Leader, who, he said, was standing for the fundamental rights of Parliament and democracy.

The decision of Cabinet to dissolve Parliament came as a complete surprise to everyone except Cabinet Ministers.