King, (William) Mackenzie

King, (William) Mackenzie (1874–1950),Canadian Liberal politician who served as Canada's prime minister throughout the war.

After losing his seat in the 1911 general election, King was offered a post with the Rockefeller Foundation in 1914, and spent most of the First World War in the USA. But he retained his interest in Canadian politics—he ran for election in 1917 and lost—and in 1919 was elected leader of the Liberal Party. He became an MP again and, two years later, prime minister. Between the wars he had two periods in opposition and showed himself during this time to be a staunch supporter of an autonomous and increasingly independent Canada and, as one mark of this, he allowed a week to elapse before bringing Canada into the war. Once the two major political parties had pledged themselves against conscription for overseas service, his decision that Canada should enter the war had the support of both sides in parliament, and in the 1940 general election he obtained a record majority.

One of his first, and most important, acts after Canada became a belligerent was to bring about the British Empire Air Training Scheme—‘I suppose no more significant Agreement has ever been signed by the government of Canada,’ he noted in his diary—and throughout the war he worked closely with both Churchill and Roosevelt to maximize Canada's war effort. Before the USA became a belligerent he was a convenient conduit between the two statesmen in such delicate negotiations as the destroyers-for-bases agreement and he also helped to smooth some early differences between them. His relationship with Roosevelt produced the Ogdensburg agreement in 1940 and the Hyde Park Declaration the following year, and he strongly backed the UK war effort with economic assistance (see Canadian Mutual Aid) as well as men and matériel—the English Channel, he said, was Canada's first line of defence.

In 1942 a plebiscite was held in Canada on whether the government should be released from its pledge not to send conscripts overseas. When French-speaking Quebec (see French Canadians) voted ‘no’ King saw that the question of conscription for overseas service could split the nation and spent the next two years cleverly avoiding its introduction. Eventually, in November 1944, in a fruitless effort to avoid it, he ruthlessly replaced Ralston, his minister of national defence. But conscription had to be introduced anyway by Ralston's successor, General McNaughton, when an agreement was reached that 16,000 men conscripted for home defence should be sent overseas. This compromise caused bitterness amongst the French-Canadian population and the resignation of one of his cabinet, Charles Power. But King's government remained intact and in June 1945 he won a general election, though with a greatly reduced majority. When he eventually retired in 1948 he had served continuously as prime minister for thirteen years.

By the end of the war King had established himself as a respected elder statesman who had done much to ensure Canada's independence and stature. A lifelong bachelor and a devout Presbyterian, he was not a man who kindled affection in others and his ponderous speeches were notorious, but he kept Canada united at a vital period in her history. See also Canada, 3.

Bibliography

Pickersgill, J. and and Forster, D. , The Mackenzie King Record, 2 vols. (Toronto, Ontario, 1960–8).