Spring Election?

In the Ontario riding of Grey North, the political temperature rose. Cried CCF Candidate Albert Earl Godfrey: "We should . . . conscript wealth and industry as well as men." Cried Tory Candidate Garfield Case: his opponents were "outsiders," the CCF was fascist, General McNaughton was "incompetent." Cried Liberal Candidate Andrew B. L. McNaughton, National Defense Minister: "The Canadian Army overseas is being adequately reinforced."

As the campaign entered its final week, more & more shouters appeared. National Tory Leader John Bracken, home from a monthlong tour of European battlefronts, was ready to stump for Candidate Case. Overseas, he said, he had found plenty of evidence that reinforcements were inadequate. He would tell the voters so. To offset his speeches, Navy Minister Angus L. Macdonald reportedly was rushing home from London. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King himself leaped into the campaign again. To Grey North's voters he addressed two messages.

"Unwarranted and Unworthy." He pleaded for General McNaughton's election. He assailed the opposition. All through the war years, he said, he had sought to avoid "unnecessary . . . political controversy." Mr. King had hoped that McNaughton, needing a seat in Parliament, would be unopposed. Instead, the two opposition parties were stirring up controversy. This attitude in wartime, said Mr. King, was "unwarranted and unworthy." He warned that unless the two opposing candidates withdrew, "it will obviously be the duty of the Government to consider whether any useful purpose could be served by attempting to hold another session of Parliament." Even if General McNaughton should win a contested election, said Mr. King, he doubted whether another session of Parliament would be advisable. For had not the Tories and the CCFers shown that they would be obstreperous from now on?

When Candidates Case and Godfrey stated flatly that they would not withdraw, Mr. King announced that the Grey North election would go on as scheduled. But plainly, win or lose, he was getting ready to call it a day. In Ottawa, practically everyone was betting that dissolution of Parliament was just around the corner, that Canada's next general election would probably come in the spring.

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