What New Roles Did Canada Play on the World Stage Consequences of the Great War in Canada

Growing Autonomy Autonomy- self-government or independence- key aspect of the Treaty of Versailles, the result of nationalism Many Canadians felt our war experience showed how independent we can be, new artistic movements showed that Canadians were beginning to view Canadians as having a distinct identity 4 key moments

Chanak Affair, 1922 Britain and France occupied Turkey post WW1 Greek forces attacked Turkey (a result of increased nationalistic feelings), Turkey attacked the outnumbered British PM Lloyd George (remember him) asked Canada for help (when Britain is at war, the empire is at war, right???) PM Mackenzie King refused!!!

Halibut Treaty, 1923 Before 1923 Canada could not sign treaties with another country- Britain had to do it for us The USA and Canada were aware of the possibility of overfishing of the Halibut stocks on the east coast Mackenzie King and the USA signed a treaty on their own- Mackenzie King didn’t allow Britain to know about it or sign it Why would USA be willing to sign a deal with Canada and not Britain after WW1?

King-Byng Crisis 1925-26 Minority vs. Majority Governments- 1926 GG Byng refuses to do what Mackenzie King asks- going completely against the custom- He was not a Canadian citizen Many Canadians saw this as simply Britain interfering in Canadian affairs Sing Byng, no GG has ever refused a request of a Prime Minister

The Balfour Report, 1926 1926 Imperial Conference in Britain The Balfour Report recognized the growing political and economic autonomy of the former British colonies and suggested that Britain should NO longer be making decisions for them 1931 the Statute of Westminster- Britain and its dominions were not considered equal Historian Norman Hillmer- “Canada’s official declaration of Indendence”