A ,‘ New Deal " for Canada ?
The political situation in Canada has taken a remark- able turn, for Mr. Bennett, with President Roosevelt to inspire, and an impending General Election to stimu- late, him, has swung so far to the Left as almost to leave Mr. Mackenzie King and the Liberals on his Right. He has followed up his striking series of broadcast addresses by launching a kind of minor New Deal pro- gramm-e, invoicing the institution of an unemployment insurance system, a minimum wage, a maximum working week, the 'reorganization of the civil service, the establishment of an Economic Council, as well as measures for the regulation of business. On top of that a reciprocity agreement, such as the Conservatives have always opposed, is in contemplation. With only three or four months left for legislation this is manifestly an election programme, and it may have some effect on the alignment of ,parties.", The Conservative Party is already split, owing to the personal differences between Mr. Bennett and Mr. H. H. Stevens, his former Minister of Trade and Commerce, and the opposition of another section to what it regards as the Prime Minister's new radicalism will complicate the situation still further. On the other hand Liberals will find it difficult to oppose most of the projected measures as they come up in the House, but that, in the present state of political feeling in the Dominion, is not likely to mean much transfer of Liberal votes to Mr. Bennett at the polls. * *
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