The Ontario Scrapbook Hansard

Ontario Scrapbook Hansard, 17 Jan 1940, p. 1

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Hitler and the enemy. he said, knew the forethought which Mr. King boasted had gone into the preparation for war. and it any one had now been lulled into a sense ot "laise security" regarding Canada's position it was not the enemy. It was not patriotic to remain silent in the thee ot incompetence. he said. and it Canada needed any object lesson in that regard she had only to reter to the successful outcome Canada. he said, was entitled to "more than mere words" from Ot. tawa. With the British Empire - Canada tor that matter, too-faced with the likelihood in three months' time of the greatest offensive of all warring times. the Federal Prime Minister and his Ministers were. he charged. asking Canada to become N nation of ostrlehes and hide our heads in the sands of censorship. while we repeat quietly to ourselves. tEvery day and in every way we grow stronger and stronger.' " "There is no reason," he contend- ed, "why this war should be waged in secrecy as though it were some shameful thing. From every part ot Canada comes the demand that our lull lighting strength be organized at the earliest possible moment. Never was there greater unity in Canada than there is today. That ttnity must not be destroyed by nerveless indecision." Want- More Than Words. Why should Canada maintain any longer. he asked. the pretense that there was satisfaction with the Dominion Government's war effort? With "nearly every man you meet" talking about the inefficiency of that effort. he charged. the time for silence had long passed. "This is the first of the Canadian Parliaments to meet in IMO," Colo. nel Drew reminded the Assembly. "We have an important role to play. We represent one . third of the population and one-half of the industrial production of Canada. We have a right to speak. " this Legislature we can sound a clear trumpet call to action. or we can utter pious and ineffective plat- ltudes about our faith in democracy. The choice is ours." Opposition Leader George A. Drew yesterday challenged the On. tario Legislature to take the lead tn forcing from Ottawa the vigor- ous action he claimed was required to correct what he described as "the disgraceful situation" into which the "propaganda" speeches of Prime Minister Mackenzie King and his colleagues. and the "ltalf-hearted efforts" of the Federal Administra- tion, generally. had plunged Can. Ida's war effort. Drew Asks House To Sound Demand For Ottawa Action SEES PRETENSE Time for Silence Is Post He Declares. Saying Effort Legs "If this vitally important task is to he undertaken two months from now. the force should be organized immediately. The Canadian Legion, the Canadian Corps Association and other veterans' organizations could give invaluable assistance in work. ing out the details of the organiza- tion. The beginning of such a force could he created very quickly, but it will take time to train men with- out previous military experience. "There are. for instance," he said, "the immediate requirements of the Empire Air Training Plan. The Canadian Government has done lit- tle or nothing to prepare tho air. ports necessary for training. Vital months have been lost and little work can now he done until the end of March. This makes it all the more necessary that some well- trained auxiliary force should be available two months from now to prepare landing fields. Install equip I ment. outfit the buildings and guard 3 the work under construction against l, sabotage. ; On three particular counts the Opposition Leader rapped the King Government as being derelict in its duty. With the Home Front almost as important as the Battle Front, it was Ottawa's obvious duty, he said, to undertake full responsibility for the protection of all sources of electrical energy against. the sabo- tage programs of Nazi agents. Fail- ure to create ~some system of De. tense Service Corps he also charged to the disinterest of the Ottawa authorities. The name for that corps did not matter. he said, but it should be open to voluntary enlist- ment by all physically fit for serv- ice in Canada. It would, he stressed, provide a trained reserve available for any emergency. is manned in this war. It is the war of our people" Cite. Three Counts. "Free speech was Justified then," said Colonel Drew, "by the strong Government which resulted from the demands of an aroused public. We have reason to remember those events when our inexcusable short- age of munitions is being hidden be- hind the veil of official secrecy. Those who condone the half.hoarted efforts of the Dominion Government must themselves accept some share of responsibility for the plight of our armed forces. We are told that our troops are completely equipped. That is not so. In spite of constant warnings we depend today on the workshops of Great. Britain for every weapon supplied to our armed forms. Those are unpleasant facts which must be faced it the necessary steps are to be taken to assure that our land. sea and air forces will be adequately equipped to perform their respective tasks." None dare suggest, he said. that such matters did not concern the members of a Provincial Parlia- ment. "it will he a sorry day for Canada," he warned, "it the doctrine is ever accepted here or elsewhere that interest in the successful prose- cution of this war is the exclusive prerogative of members of the House of Commons. Every Canadian of Britain's munitions scandal in 1914 and 1915. JANuAM l "Only it those things are said in public which are being said on all lsides today in private. will there be (any hope of that vigorous direction ; our war effort which will assure ,the effective organization of our 3 manpower and resources for the de- Lfense of freedom and the security to! Canada," he declared. "The time (has come to talk frankly of what 'has happened during the four and a half months that we have been at , war. i It was ot the gravest concern to ithe Legislature, said Colonel Drew, 1that "the splendid young men who toffer their lives for Canada" should i be equipped with the most efficient !weapons of modern warfare. "There is another important rea- son for the immediate organization of such a force. Following 'various announcements that recruiting was being resumed, thousands of young men gave up their jobs and crowd- ed to the military centres in an ef- tort to enlist. They have been told that they are not needed and have been treated in a manner which has done far more harm lo recruit- ing than tho combined speeches of every unbalaneed radical since the war began. We nerd trained men and we need them badly. This vol- unteer force would offer the oppor- tunity for service and give them preliminary military training until such time as they arc needed for the Active Service Force. "The creation of a defense force; of this kind tor home service is an i urgent military necessity. It would' meet three vital needs. First. it would i provide preliminary military training i for lame numbers of young men who will need that training in any _ branch of the service they ultimate- ' ly join. Second. it will provide an auxiliary form which is urgently needed in ronnoction with tho Em-, pire Training Plan. Third, it willl provide the home defense for the protection of vital enterprises across the whole of Canada." Tho best way to prove one's faith in democracy was to maintain the first principle of democracy - tree speech. Colonel Drew submitted. And he intended, he added, to as. sort that right. "We are told that our troops are well equipped. Not long ago I read a press despatch from Ottawa to the effect that our effort during the Great War would he puny compared with Canada's achievements in this war. The same day I read ah appeal from the Red Cross for socks for the troops who were in training. The truth is that from the beginning of the war right up to the present time our troops have been dependent to a very considerable extent on the Red Cross Society for socks. mitts and other supplies which should have been issued by the Department of National Defense. Had it not been for the magnificent work of the Red Cross Society. our troops would have suffered untold hardships right here in Canada. The Government must accept full responsibility for that inexcusable situation. The Red Cross Society was organized tor the purpose to meeting the emergencies created by war. famine, flood and fire. It was never intended that it should be the duty of the Red Cross Society to meet emergencies within Canada created by the glaring in- competence of our own Govern- ment." "We have a right to demand that this be done without delay," he ap- pealed. "We are engaged in a life- and-death struggle. There can be no halt-measures. Victory will not be ours for the asking. We are op-

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