Into Parliament's Lap

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Across Canada, reinforcements officers were hustling potential infantrymen out from behind desks and into overseas combat units. War Services Minister Leo Richer LaFleche, a Quebecker, was campaigning to persuade French-Canadians to volunteer for overseas duty. Suddenly Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King tossed the sizzling reinforcements mess (TIME, Nov. 20 et ante) to Parliament. At his call, the House of Commons and the Senate convened this week in special session at Ottawa.

There was no longer any doubt that infantry reinforcements were needed (though Canada had more than enough R.C.A.F. men). The issue now was: should the Dominion's home defense draftees ("zombies") be forced to go overseas?* The Prime Minister gave no hint of his answer to this question. But as the House met, in an atmosphere surcharged with controversy and fantastic rumor, several courses were open to him. He might admit failure of the drive for volunteers, reluctantly announce a policy change in favor of compulsion. He might simply give the House of Commons all available information on the need for reinforcements, say in effect: "You decide what to do," and promise to abide by the House's decision. He might dissolve Parliament and call a general election.

Normally, Mr. King could count on a whopping majority in the House. His Liberal Party had 161 seats, compared with 73 for all other groups combined (eleven seats are vacant). But on the conscription issue, the division in the House was by no means clear-cut. Ex-Defense Minister James Layton Ralston, fired three weeks ago because he favored compulsion, was still in the House. He was expected to defend his stand. How many Liberals would side with him, no one could say. At least four Cabinet members were reported siding with Mr. Ralston and against Mr. King.

Meanwhile dispatches from Europe said that the war-worn Canadian Army was out of the line, resting. No one rested at home this week. The immediate future of Canada, and of Prime Minister King, was soon to be settled.

* Army figures made public on the day that Parliament convened showed that only 22,800 of the Dominion's zombies were Quebec residents when they were drafted. The others, province by province: 15,700, Ontario; 3,700, Alberta; 4,000, British Columbia and the Yukon; 3,800, Manitoba; 2,000, New Brunswick; 1,700, Nova Scotia; 4,800 Saskatchewan; 163, Prince Edward Island.

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