Canadian Autonomy in the Interwar Years:

1
Canadian Autonomy in the Interwar Years
From a Colony toward a Country

1. League of Nations
2. Chanak Crisis
3. Halibut Treaty
4. Balfour Report
5. Statute of Westminster
6. King-Byng WingDing

2
1. League of Nations

• Canada gets her own seat at the League.

3
A Flag for Canada!!
4
2. Chanak Crisis

• WWI is over but British troops are still in
  Chanak, which is near the Dardanelles
• British were being threatened by Turkish
  nationalists
• British Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill
  appealed to the dominions for aid
• Before the telegram from Churchill could be
  decoded, King was informed by the press
• King, who opposed imperialism, had no desire to
  be dragged into another overseas conflict
• He argued that Parliament should decide Canadas
  role
• By the time Parliament debated the issue, the
  conflict was over.
• This showed that King strongly supported Canadian
  autonomy from Britain

5

• Sure, but where
• is it???

6
Did you know

• Chanak is the closest urban centre to the ancient
  city of Troy

7
3. Halibut Treaty

• During the 1920s, Halibut were in decline as a
  species
• Canada and US signed the Halibut Treaty which was
  designed to protect the Pacific Halibut fishery
• When they learned of the treaty negotiations,
  Britain wanted to sign the treaty along with
  Canada but King refused
• Until this time, Britain had always ratified
  international agreements that Canada made so this
  was a first
• This also set a precedent for independent treaty
  signing authority, and paved the way for further
  Canadian autonomy

8
UmmmHalibut
9
Imperial Conference 1923

• These conferences were gatherings of government
  leaders from the British Empire
• The conferences gave dominions the chance to air
  grievances and strive for autonomy
• In 1923, King fought proposed plans for British
  foreign policy to become policy for all dominions
• He was successful in blocking this proposal
• Also, Britain formally recognized the treaty
  signing authority of dominions

10
Balfour ReportImperial Conference 1926

• King did not argue for absolute independence, but
  rather for more autonomy
• King was on a committee that drafted the Balfour
  Report
• The report proposed that dominions be considered
  autonomous communities,equal in
  status,..members of the British Commonwealth
  (This term replaced the word Empire)
• This meant that Canada would no longer be
  considered subordinate to Britain
• The Governor General became a representative of
  the queen instead of the British government

11
6. Statute of Westminster

• Independence!!!
• Formally accepted the recommendations of the
  Balfour Report
• British Empire became a Commonwealth with this
  Statute.
• However, the power of Constitutional amendment
  was still in Britain.

12
The Statute
13
4. King Byng Crisis

• DingDing here we go
• In the British corner we have Lord Byng, War
  hero, Governor General and representative of the
  Queen and
• In the Canadian Corner we have Prime Minister
  King, the democratically elected leader of
  Canada.
• In the archives

14
Time for Timelines

• Your turn to workold school. No computers just
  poster paper and imaginationyes imagination.
  Its like an X-box or Playstation without the
  X-box or Playstation!!
• YAY Old School Fun!!!
• Lets Get It On!!!