Abundance Of Westminster 1931 Essay

Before 1931, Canada was under the British crown, meaning the Canadian government abided by the decisions made by the Queen. However, Canada has long escaped the rule of Britain as portrayed though many instances in Canadian history and it can be proven by many instances throughout history. Canada not only demonstrated it was a self-governing nation, but it was also a strong one. Specific examples of Canada’s growing independence are the Chanak Affair, the Balfour Report, and the Statute of Westminster

In 1922, the Chanak Affair was Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's first significant foreign policy test. The British troops were posted beside the region of Chanak (today it is known as Canakkale). This area is a small seaport on the Dardanelles strait, which is the international sea route that divides Europe and Asia. In 1922, Turkish forces had effectively pushed the Greek army out of the country and threatened the British forces that were at Chanak. On September 15th, Britain sent a telegram to the Dominions that included to contribute soldiers. At this time, Canada was a member of the League of Nations, however Canada did not have a distinct foreign policy or a

foreign affairs minister. The Prime Minister of Britain, David Lloyd George, had anticipated that Canada would go along with Britain’s demand. Nonetheless, Prime Minister King was unclear on whether Canada would send troops or not. On September 18th, King's Cabinet decided that only the Canadian Parliament could resolve these types of matters. This was one of Canada’s first steps on the path to an independent voice in world affairs.
On July 1st, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created. It was , now considered the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The other provinces and territories joined later on. The Dominion had its own Parliament, but Britain still had the power to disallow any legislation it passed (although this power was never used). Not only that, but. For instance, the government in Ottawa did not fully control Canadian foreign policy. Above all, only the parliament of Britain could make changes to the British North America Act. This was the constitutional statute that underpinned Canada's system of government. In 1926, there was concern as to who had final constitutional authority that had been brought up in Canada during the King-Byng Affair, where Prime Minister King had tested the powers of Governor General Julian Byng. The King-Byng debate was one of the reasons that lead to the Committee on Inter-Imperial Relations at the 1926 Imperial Conference in London. Under the leadership of a British Cabinet minister, Lord Arthur J. Balfour, this committee examined and changed the legal relationship amid the self-governing nations of the British Empire. Mackenzie King and South African Prime Minister J.B.M. Hertzog played a large role in creating the Balfour Report. In 1926, this report stated that . This was a momentous document that authorized Canada as a fully self-governing country, joint with Britain and the other Dominions within the Commonwealth.
The Statute of Westminster not only played a huge role in allowing Canada to become an independent nation, but it also had a large impact on many other Dominions under Britain’s rule.

The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Therefore, Before this, the British government had certain unclear powers, and overriding authority upon legislation passed by the Dominions such as Canada. However, things began to change when the First World War had ended. This is because the sacrifices of Canada and many other Dominions on European battlefields had created feelings of nationhood, and desires for more self-sufficiency from ‘the mother country’. Without the Statute of Westminster, Canada and many other country’s today would not be known as what we know them

now.
In conclusion, the road to becoming an autonomous country was a long one. However, in the end the efforts of Canada and its people were made worthwhile in the end. Today, Canada is a very strong and independent nation.