Canadian Stalemate

Canada's long heralded and hotly contested general election (TIME, Sept. 21) took place last week, and loud were the rejoicings of Conservatives when that genial Liberal, Premier Mackenzie King, and nine of his Cabinet failed even to secure seats for themselves in Parliament.

Conservative chests puffed out for but a little while however. When all the returns were in, the election was found to have ended in the nearest approach to a deadlock in the history of the Dominion. The final results:

Conservatives 118

Liberals 102

Progressives 22

Independents 3

This tabulation, it will be observed, leaves the Liberals and Premier King with 16 fewer seats than Conservative leader Arthur Meighen and his cohorts can muster, and places the deciding vote in the hands of the Progressives. Now it happens that the Progressive Leader, Mr. Forke, and his supporters are low tariff men. Mackenzie King and the Liberals also have low tariff leanings. But Meighen and the Conservatives are die-hard supporters of a high tariff, and the election has been fought with the tariff as a distinctly major issue. Thus it appeared that Mackenzie King, by allying himself with the Progressives, might well continue as Premier with a "minority Government," as did Britain's only Labor Premier, Macdonald. Thus it was that Premier King, although "defeated," refused to resign. He announced that he would "discuss the situation with the Governor-General, Lord Byng, and then make a statement" of his intentions.

Significance. A general feeling prevails that another election will inevitably be necessary, by next year at the latest.

When Mackenzie King caused the present election to be brought about in this manner, he did so in the hope that the electorate would give him a definite "mandate" to continue his policies. And the Conservatives, of course, hoped just as devoutly for a "mandate" which would cause the Governor General to ask Mr. Meighen, or some other Conservative, to form a Government to their tastes, as Premier. Since at present no party can claim that the electorate has given its policies decisive endorsement, a widespread discontent is being expressed at the way in which the electioneering was conducted.

It is freely asserted that all parties ran more or less amuck over the tariff, and forced into the background the important issues of: 1) Senate reform. 2) Tax reforms. 3) Immigration. 4) Transportation. Since "the will of the electorate" is now an obscure oracle on all of these important questions of Government policy, it is certain that there will soon be much reading between the votes by Canadian statesmen.