Untitled

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12718, 13 August 1919, Page 4

A record in quick-fire legislation in Canadian parliamentary history was established early in June, when passage through both Houses of Parliament and the Royal assent were given to a Bill striking a blow against Bolshevism. A short time previously an amendment was made to the Immigration Act providing for the deportation of aliens who aimed to Overthrow the Government and constituted authority. But when the authorities started to take advantage of the new provision it was found that it did not apply to men of British birth who had become domiciled in Canada. Therefore an amending Bill was introduced to provide for the deportation of immigrants from Great Britain who identified themselves in any movement against constituted authority, and that Bill, in the short space of an hour, secured first, second and third readings in both the Senate and the House of Commons, and was assented to by the representative of the Governor. It was found that many of the prime movers of the agitation to establish Soviet government in Winnipeg were British-born, and the Government, once in possession of the facts, decided that, whether British-horn or not, any persons not native bora who became associated with movements in opposition to constituted authority should come under the regulation. The strike at Winnipeg, to which reference was made in cable messages, assumed such a menacing attitude that the Government determined upon the most drastic measures to deal with the situation. A special committee appointed to inquire into the question of seditious propaganda tabled a report in the House of Commons recommending the insertion of a, series of new sections in the criminal code. These recommendations provided that any association proposing to i bring about any governmental, industrial or economic change by use of force should he declaied unlawful; that any pronerty belonging to such an association may be confiscated to the State, and any person who is a member of such an association may be subject to imprisonment ranging fiom one year to twenty years; and that any person circulating or importing literature advocating changes by force may be imprisoned from five to twenty years- This is the manner in which the Canadian Government dealt with the attempt of extremists to upset constituted authority.