Strategy

1
Strategy Politics in the King-Byng Crisis

• Sources
• Duffy, John. Fights of our lives elections,
  leadership, and the making of Canada. (ON
  RESERVE)
• Neatby, William Lyon Mackenzie King, 1924-32 The
  Lonely Heights, Ch. 7-9
• Graham, The King-Byng Affair A Question of
  Responsible Government

2
Outline

• A House Divided
• The King Governments Fate
• The Dissolution Crisis
• The Election of 1926

3
A House Divided Background

• An indecisive election outcome
• The Election of 1925 (245 Seats)

4
A House Divided Background

• Three choices
• Dissolution
• Meighen form government on basis of plurality
• King continues in office on basis of Progressive
  support (Majority of 3)

5
A House Divided Background

• Basis of Liberal Progressive Alliance
• Opposition to Torys tariff
• Old age pension plan
• Agriculture bill
• Natural resource transfer to Alberta

6
A House Divided Background

• Problems on the Horizon
• Alberta resource transfer involves land bears
  on separate school issue
• Catholic-Protestant tensions inflamed in country
  in caucus
• Supreme Court has to rule delay causes tensions
  with Progressives

7
A House Divided Background

• Problems on the Horizon
• Customs scandal in Quebec
• Minister (Bureau) had been replaced
• New minister (Boivin) cleaning up department
• Parliamentary committee investigates

8
The King Governments Fate

• 16 June 1925, sees presentation of report
• 4 Liberals, 4 Tories, 1 Progressive
• Liberals Case
• Minister (Bureau) had been replaced
• New minister (Boivin) cleaning up the dept.
• Boivin limited too much re-organization
  admission of Bureaus complicity / laxity

9
The King Governments Fate

• Aziz case
• Moses Aziz arrested of smuggling liquor
• Liberal NB MP asks Boivin to delay sentence
• Boivin admits he was wrong to do so
• Tories want censure of Boivin

10
The King Governments Fate

• Government cant withstand censure
• Kennedy (Prog.) votes to defeat Tory committee
  motion
• Kennedy Boivins conduct unjustifiable not
  censurable
• motion also blames 3 Liberal 1 Tory MP for
  asking such favours
• Tory back down, but will amend final report in
  House to include censure

11
The King Governments Fate

• Internal Liberal caucus tensions
• The French Canadian Liberals were ready to
  defend Bureau and Boivin even if it meant forcing
  an election. They were rebellious in caucus next
  morning. Much was said of not sacrificing Boivin
  there was a damning of Progressives Kennedy
  in particular
• (Neatby, 1963, 135)

12
The King Governments Fate

• King tries to calm / cow his MPs
• I gave caucus to understand that if we were
  defeated in the House the Govr. General wd
  probably not grant me a dissolutn, but wd call
  on Meighen me to see that sufficient supply was
  voted to enable him to form a govt. have an
  election. I explained they wd have to agree to
  vote supply. I also stated we had no funds
  that the Tory party had mffrs. assocn at their
  back.
• (Neatby, 1963, 135)

13
The King Governments Fate

• Tories try to amend committee report
• Stevens amendment
• Admin of Customs Dept. wholly indefensible
• Boivins conduct utterly unjustifiable
  (Kennedys words)
• Deplored (w/o naming MPs) practice of appealing
  to Ministers

14
The King Governments Fate

• J.S. Woodsworth speaks
• We cannot vote on this question absolutely on
  its merits If the amendment carries, presumably
  the Liberals go out of office and the
  Conservatives come into office.
• (Neatby 1963, 137)

15
The King Governments Fate

• J.S. Woodsworth amendment
• No reference to Boivin
• Royal Commission
• Meighen challenges this as separate amendment to
  main motion (why?)
• Uproar adjournment

16
The King Governments Fate

• Next day
• King Tories playing politics to grab power
• Meighen Government avoiding responsibility for
  its Ministers conduct
• Progressives divided
• Kennedy agrees with Woodsworths view, but cant
  support it
• 5 Progressive vote with Tories
• Woodsworth amendment fails 122 to 120

17
The King Governments Fate
In the Left-Right policy dimension, the median
voter is a Liberal MP
116
101
24
2
Left
Right
18
The King Governments Fate
Censure (Clean out) Government
On the Clean Govt dimension, the median voter
is a Progressive
Current (Dirty?) Government
Right
Left
19
The King Governments Fate

• King wants new amendment watering down Govts
  culpability
• Wants Neill (Ind) to introduce it
• Fansher (Prog.) recognized
• Meighen convinced Fansher
• Use Stevens amendment criticism (utterly
  indefensible)
• Add Woodsworth enquiry
• Speaker Fansher amndt. out of order

20
The King Governments Fate

• Speakers ruling overturned by 2 votes!
• King desperate for adjournment, but defeated by 1
  vote
• Cant have 2 consecutive adjournment motions
• Damaging Stevens amendment remains on table
• Recall that all thats happened is the House has
  wrangled on if / how to amend Stevens amendment
• Whats King to do?

21
The King Governments Fate

• King accepts Fansher amendment while reserving
  right to
• to reject the amendment as amended, or to amend
  the amendment as amended, as the rules of the
  House may permit.
• Quoted in (Graham, 1967, 3)
• House adjourns. Note Stevens amndt. still on the
  table.

22
King-Byng Crisis Summary

• King reliant on Progressive support
• Scandal erupts at Customs Department
• Battle over committees report to Parliament
• Kennedy Amendment unjustifiable not censurable
• Steven Amendment utterly unjustiable
• Woodsworth Amendment public enquiry
• Fansher Amendment Stevens wording enquiry
• Government secures adjournment only by agreeing
  to Fansher amend.
• Stevens Amendment still on the table

23
The Dissolution Crisis

• King thinks he can still pass Neill amndt. but
  starts to worry about Progressive support
  optics
• Better not take chance on Progs agreeing to
  amendt passing, they might not do so then cndn
  worse they might do so then wd not vote for
  dissolution but to carry on
• (Neatby, 144)

24
The Dissolution Crisis

• King wanted dissolution from the start, noting of
  the vote on adjournment that
• I believed it to be the last vote I wd cast as
  Prime Minister in this prlt my thought being we
  should demand dissolutn and resign.
• (Neatby, 144)

25
The Dissolution Crisis

• Kings pleased to find his decision to seek
  dissolution has snookered the Progs.
• Meeting with Gardiner (Prog) Spencer (Prog)
• I did not say what I wd recommend to the Govr.
  Genl. They clearly did not expect dissolution,
  but Mr. Meighen following on in a manner which
  wld avoid an electionthey dont want an election
  will go with any every party to avoid it,
  tho they are the party of principles
  themselves these 2 men the best of them.
• (Neatby, 145)

26
The Dissolution Crisis

• King asks Byng for dissolution, 28 June 1926
• Byng refuses
• King suggests Byng cable Britain for advice!
  Thats rich!
• King always played on his great-grandfathers
  role in the Rebellions fight for Responsible
  Government
• Byng refuses
• King tenders resignation, i.e., abandons office

27
The Dissolution Crisis

• Byng asks Meighen to form government
• Meighen cannot refuse
• Yes plays into Kings hands
• No repudiates Byng validates Kings
  resignation
• Cabinet ministers must resign seats

28
The Dissolution Crisis

• The Double Shuffle Revisited
• Meighen resigns to seek by-election
• Appoints six ministers w/o portfolio
• Privy Councillors
• Do not draw ministers salary
• Not administering departments technically

29
The Dissolution Crisis

• King launches attack on two fronts
• The Threat to Responsible Government
• If at the instance of one individual a prime
  minister can be put into office and with a
  ministry which is not yet formed be permitted to
  vote all the supplies necessary to carry on the
  Government of Canada for a year, we have reached
  a condition in this country which threatens
  constitutional liberty, freedom and rights in all
  parts of the world.
• (Neatby, 154)

30
The Dissolution Crisis

• King launches attack on two fronts
• The Legality of the Ministry
• The Robb Motion
• If Ministers are legally administering
  departments, they should have vacated their
  seats
• If Ministers do not legally hold office, they had
  no right to govern

31
The Dissolution Crisis

• Meighens government falls by one vote
• King expects Byng to invite him to be PM again,
  but if not, thats OK
• I cannot but believe Lord Byng will now send
  for meconstitutionally it is his only course If
  another mistake were made on the Govs part we
  would wish for no finer election issue
• (Neatby, 156)

32
The Election of 1926

• Kings election strategy is two-dimensional
• Policy pensions, low tariff
• Co-ordination with Progressives
• Responsible Government
• Paint Tories as party to dictatorship
• Provides King with a niche to differentiate
  Liberals from Progs.

33
The Election of 1926

• Opposition Leader Opens Campaign With Accusation
  That Opponent Has Handed Insult to Parliament
• Declares this Issue Overshadows Everything Else
  That Present Premier Has Made the Crown a Party
  to a Series of Unconstitutional Acts Without
  Parallel in Parliamentary Institutions
• (Globe Mail, 24 July 1926)

34
The Election of 1926

• King defends his (questionable) role in affairs
• The first question I should like to ask is, Was
  I right or was I wrong in the advice I tendered
  his Excellency in saying that dissolution was
  necessary inevitable. If I was wrong on Monday
  in advising dissolution as the only solution of
  the existing situation, why was the same advice
  considered sound when coming from Mr. Meighen on
  Friday of the same week?

35
The Election of 1926

• Meighens initial reaction is to focus on
  corruption
• The late ministers of Mr. Mackenzie King and
  Mr. Mackenzie King himself, defeated by the
  people, censured by the representatives of the
  nation, these men surely have no title to be
  restored to office now. (Graham 1968, 68)

36
The Election of 1926

• but eventually he has to respond to the
  constitutional issue
• Whenever Mr. King is out of power, the
  constitution is in danger.
• (Neatby 161)

37
The Election of 1926

• and eventually try to redefine it
• to raise the spirit which actuated in his old
  grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie King that
  of rebellion. His motive is to stir up feelings
  against the British and Lord Byng, and we are
  determined to let the people know where he will
  lead them into the hands of the United States.
• (Duffy 2002, 144)