Churches burn,
Communities withdraw into
Crenulated realms within and without.
Misery deepens,
And spills out to the untouched spaces,
As addiction overwhelms the seats of power.
Laws promulgate,
Scattered by bureaucrats in all directions,
To settle as a foretoken of transformation.
While the Oracle,
Tends bar at the Fort Garry and
Contemplates three promises made,
Peace.
Order.
And Good Government.
By W.N. Branson
MPs like to quote Churchill. No MP ever quotes Mackenzie King. One Conservative said King was guided by “the cold hand of political expediency” in the Second World War, perhaps forgetting both major parties campaigned against conscription in a 1940 general election for fear of losing seats in Québec.
Historian Jack Granatstein’s Canada At War documents the era in a compelling collection of essays. Consider the 1940 election. At the very moment Britain was rationing butter and evacuating schoolchildren from its cities, when Finland and the USSR were at war, when Japan was waging its brutal campaign of “kill all, loot all, burn all” in northern China, Liberal Party fundraisers were shaking down federal contractors for cash contributions: Canada Packers, Northern Electric, National Steel Car. “Companies were virtually forced to contribute to party coffers out of fear of losing their government contracts,” writes Granatstein.
One Liberal Party contributor bought the lieutenant governorship of Ontario for $30,000. Six other fundraisers won appointments to the Senate. “There were no problems whatsoever with money,” writes Granatstein. Mackenzie King won the election handily.
“Many Canadians, French-speaking and others, believed incorrectly that their interests, Canadian interests, were not directly threatened by Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo,” notes Canada At War. It is an arresting statement.
Granatstein describes Canada as “a small and weak country” at the time. “We are the safest country in the world as long as we mind our own business,” he quotes one Canadian diplomat of the era. When Churchill met Roosevelt at the famed 1941 Atlantic Charter conference at Newfoundland, Prime Minister King was not even asked to attend. Canada was “reduced to the status of a pest with its perpetual clamour to be present,” says Canada At War.
If the story ended there, it would rank as an inglorious chapter unworthy of being quoted by any MP. Of course the story does not end there.
Granatstein puts it best: “Like those of other prime ministers, King’s separate acts do not always appear honourable, fair or just. Too often expediency, power considerations or patronage appear to shape policy, and the individual parts of the whole often look pretty shabby. But the entire picture should not be distorted by too much emphasis on the bits and pieces.”
Canada did win its war. In a country of 11.5 million people a total 330,000 did volunteer to fight and die with the army, navy and air force by 1941. Canada did make a gift of billions in war production that helped turn the tide. Canada At War documents this in spirited anecdotes and tireless research.
A final word about the author: Jack Granatstein rates among those few historians who have devoted their lives to telling Canadian stories. Their work is indispensable. Everyone is richer for reading and enjoying it.
By Holly Doan
Canada at War: Conscription, Diplomacy and Politics, by J.L. Granatstein; University of Toronto Press; 328 pages; ISBN 9781-48752-4760; $21.42
New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh yesterday said he is “not afraid” to go to the polls. The 44th Parliament faces quick dissolution this fall after Singh formally rejected a pact that promised to keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in power until June 30, 2025: “I am not afraid of causing an election.”
Cabinet’s deputy secretary yesterday refused to tell MPs how much was paid to a disgraced Chief Human Rights Commissioner who described Muslim terrorism as a “well-calculated strategy.” Birju Dattani was appointed to the $394,000-a year post but never took office: “I understand in this case the Government of Canada saw fit to offer him a compensation package.”
The former chair of a now-disbanded “green slush fund” was selected from some 100 applicants for the job, the Commons public accounts committee was told yesterday. MPs questioned why cabinet chose Annette Verschuren, a Liberal Party donor with a conflict of interest: “It appeared one of the qualifications required to be appointed to this board is that you have a conflict.”
Parks Canada will not disclose details of its forest management prior to a July 24 wildfire that burned Jasper, Alta. Managers four years ago warned of “dead trees and the fuel load” at Jasper National Park: “Obviously one of the big concerns is the dead trees.”
Canadians fear climate change will lead to food shortages here, says in-house Privy Council research. Figures show Canada has been self-sufficient in food since Confederation and is one of the world’s largest food exporters: “Food is abundant with plenty to spare.”
Cabinet is “too weak, too selfish” to deal with, New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh said yesterday in dissolving a vote pact with the Prime Minister. Singh’s formal rejection of the Supply And Confidence Agreement came nine months after cabinet reneged on its terms: “Do you now have to start thinking about maybe calling an election?”
A senior Department of Justice lawyer who compared journalists critical of the Government of Canada to animal urine deleted his remarks on LinkedIn. Senior Counsel Alexander Gay, author of the ‘dog pee’ post, earlier told an interviewer he was fit for appointment as a federal judge: “We are capable.”
A former Department of Industry manager has pleaded guilty to breach of trust without jail time, RCMP said yesterday. Evidence in the latest contracting scandal showed Marc Primeau of Long Sault, Ont. paid federal contracts to his own company and pocketed a 39 percent profit: “Is it not true at this very minute there are middle men just soaking Canadian taxpayers?”
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem yesterday said Canada’s economic future is uncertain and warned there “will always be new shocks.” His remarks followed repeated failed forecasts that downplayed inflation risks: “It’s not like we got everything right.”
The Privy Council Office plans a nationwide videoconference this fall “to reaffirm values and ethics” for federal employees. It follows disclosure of an internal report detailing crude bigotry by managers including use of the n-word: “Racialized employees experience a very, very different public service.”
The Department of Justice yesterday had no comment after its senior counsel wrote a vulgar social media post comparing media critics to animal urine. Remarks by Alexander Gay followed a department pledge that journalists “should never be subjected to intimidation or harassment for doing their critical work.”
Attorney General Arif Virani’s office did not reply to questions. Virani last May 3 on World Press Freedom Day said his department celebrated “the important work of journalists.”
“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democracy and enshrined in our Charter Of Rights And Freedoms,” wrote the Attorney General. “Journalists should never be subjected to intimidation or harassment for doing their critical work.”
Counsel Gay’s LinkedIn post Sunday was in reaction to a Sun Media commentary on Blacklock’s Reporter v. Attorney General, a case currently before the Federal Court of Appeal. The August 31 article by columnist Lorne Gunter was critical of officialdom.
“The only thing bizarre is the journalist that wrote this article and made up some random facts,” wrote Counsel Gay. “My late father would call this yellow journalism which I believe had something to do with a newspaper that was only good enough to train a dog to pee outdoors.”
The Department of Justice Values And Ethics Code mandates “respectful communication” by employees. Federal lawyers must “conduct themselves in a manner that does not harm the reputation of the department,” it says.
“As public servants we contribute to good governance, democracy and the well-being of Canadian society,” says the Code Of Conduct. “We are committed to respecting the law and upholding the highest standards of integrity and fairness.”
Made Up Urine Reference
Justice department employees must “uphold the public trust” and be civil in dealing with Canadians, continued the Code. “Treating all people with respect, dignity and fairness is fundamental to our relationship with the Canadian public,“ it said.
Authorities did not comment on whether the ‘dog pee’ post complied with the Code Of Conduct. “Journalists are the bedrock of our democracy,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said May 3 in observance of World Press Freedom Day.
“Canada will always stand up for journalists in the defence of media freedom and against misinformation and disinformation,” said the Prime Minister. “Journalists must be able to do their jobs free from threat or intimidation.”
Counsel Gay made up the claim that “yellow journalism” referred to animal urine. Records show the phrase originated as a 19th century pejorative against the New York Journal. The now-defunct daily published a comic strip called The Yellow Kid, “the adventures of an engaging slum urchin,” wrote William Swanberg, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the 1961 volume Citizen Hearst, a biography of Journal publisher William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst sponsored “Yellow Kids” fundraisers for orphans and an 1896 “Yellow Fellow” cross-country bicycle race. Critics adopted “yellow journalism” in criticizing Journal coverage of the 1898 Spanish-American War and dubbed Hearst the “yellow kid” in his 1902 campaign for the U.S. Congress.
By Staff
Federal collection of court fines has collapsed, records show. The Public Prosecution Service says it now collects only five percent of federal fines levied for tax avoidance and other offences: “It’s as if justice exists only on paper.”
Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs yesterday saved Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault from committee questioning over business dealings with a subsidized Montréal company. The Commons public accounts committee by a 6-5 vote rejected a Conservative motion to question Guilbeault: “Where there is smoke there is fire.”
