CANADA'S PART

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23511, 27 May 1938, Page 9

CANADA'S PART

FOREIGN POLICY DEFINED NOT BOUND BY LONDON DECISIONS PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) OTTAWA, May 25. “ Canada is unlikely to engage in war on her own account or to be attacked, and cannot be drawn into war by the League of Nations. Canada will not join the Empire in war, except by Parliament’s decision.”

Thus was Canada’s policy defined by the Prime Minister (Mr W. L. Mackenzie King) during a debate in the House of Commons on foreign affairs. The debate lasted six hours.

Mr R. B. Bennett contended that Canada, as a member of the British Commonwealth, would automatically be at war if the Empire were attacked. The only alternative was separation from the Empire, which would not be the choice of Canadians. Mr J. S. Woodsworth (Commonwealth Federation) stated that Canada should act to relieve herself from any obligation to fight in any war but war in defence of her own shores. If war came, wealth should also be conscripted. No Commitments The Prime Minister declared that Canada had no commitments and shoulcT not have any. No advice was offered to London, whose decisions were not binding on Canada, despite assertions to the contrary. All three leaders denounced Japanese aggression. Mr Bennett issued a warning to Hitler agents working among Canadian minority groups, stressing alleged rights. He cited Czechoslovakia, where the German .minority demanded homeland military action to compel the Czechs to give them what they wanted. No language was too strong to describe the difficulty of the European situation.