1. The King-Byng Affair

2. Election of 1925
Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King “lost” election to Arthur Meighan
100 seats
115 seats

3. Progressive Party
King receives support (and 28 seats) to remain in power.
That didn’t sit well
with Meighan or
Governor General
Lord Byng

4. In the meantime… A scandal erupts:
King’s Minister of Customs (Jacques Bureau) is discovered to have taken bribes and allowed liquor to flow freely to the US
King fires Bureau, only to appoint him to a Senate position

5. Progressive Party King’s handling of the scandal…
And his failure to follow through with promise that Alberta’s natural resources be transferred to provincial control…
Forced Progressive Party to distance themselves from the Liberals

6. ANOTHER election
Believing he will be defeated, King asks Lord Byng to dissolve Parliament and call a new election

7. Byng’s response
NO!
King should never have taken control of the government in the first place
REFUSES to dissolve Parliament

8. Conservatives take over briefly
King is forced to resign and Meighan is asked to form a new (minority) government
Meighan loses ensuing vote of confidence by ONE VOTE
Byng now FORCED to dissolve Parliament and call new election

9. Election of 1926
King’s Liberals won the election with enough seats (not a majority) to control government
Liberals 116
Conservatives 91
Progressives 11
United Farmers of Alberta 11
Liberal Progressive 8
Labour 4
Various Independents 4

10. King back in power
Wants changes in the role of Governor General… claiming that the appointed official of Britain should never refuse the Canadian Prime Minister’s advice
Result of the King-Byng Crisis: limited the role and power of our Governor General