CANADIAN ELECTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23615, 27 March 1940, Page 8

CANADIAN ELECTION

The election campaign in Canada is now over, and it only remains to see how accurately forecasts have estimated the result. The predictions have largely agreed that Mr. Mackenzie King and his Liberals would lose a considerable number of seats, but that they were likely still to retain a sufficient majority to hold office and to be comfortably placed in Parliament. Mr. Mackenzie King may even be better off, if the prophets are correct, than he was before the dissolution. His majority of 111 in a house 2-15 strong was so large as to be unwieldy, and created all the risks attendant on-such overwhelming party strength. The campaign has run a brief but rather ! hectic course. At the time of the dissolution the London Times said: "In the forthcoming general election I the issue will simply be which party i can be trusted to show the greater ; energy and the greater efficiency in J the conduct of the war. It will be j a competition in those qualities, not jin any sense a conflict of opinion | about the essential righteousness of the war itself." Events have shown that view to have been only in part correct. It is true that the Conservative'leader, Dr. Manion, has made vigorous prosecution of the war one of the main points in his campaign, and that the dissident Liberal Premier of Ontario has played on a similar theme. However, as descriptions of the campaign have shown, numerous side issues have been introduced. There has been some political scandal-mongering, for. which episodes in the career of Mr. Mackenzie King's Ministry provided material. Nevertheless, as the Quebec provincial election in October showed, and as proceedings in the last Parliament also proved, Canada is solidly for wholehearted participation in the war, whatever the outcome of the election.