THE CANADIAN DISSOLUTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14746, 31 July 1911, Page 6

THE CANADIAN DISSOLUTION.

The stubborn resistance offered by the Canadian Parliamentary opposition to the confirmation of ' the reciprocity agreement with the United States has' been too much for Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who has < been compelled to seek a dissolution and to submit the question to the electors. The campaign threatened to be complicated by the appearance of two new ' political factors—the western graingrowers ' and :> the " Quebec " nationalists." According to this morning's cable news the western graingrowers' movement has been abandoned, to the great relief of the Government, but the French " nationalists" persist in their agitation against Sir Wilfrid's navy policy. It is evident, from recent incidents, that the great French-Canadian leader has carried his fellow-provin-cials as "far along the path :of Imperialism as they are prepared .to follow him unitedly, and it may be assumed that much of his latter inconsistency is due to his ; urgent need for their support in maintaining his Parliamentary majority. That majority commenced in 1896 when Canada returned 118 Liberals, 86 Conservatives, and eight Independents. It was continued in 1900 in 1904 it grew to. a majority of 52 in a House of 218 members; and was again renewed in 1908 when it amounted .48. It may be noted, however, that in spite of the inclusion of the almost solid vote of the French province of Quebec the total number of Liberal votes in 1904 was only 596,000, as compared to.a Conservative polling of 579,000. ; This may easily have been greatly affected by the enormous immigration of the past few years, so that the result of the September elections is - very doubtful and the outcome of the reciprocity;' negotiations extremely uncertain.