A Curious Absence? Canada and the Desert War

Abstract

Johnston argues that Canada’s decision to avoid a combat commitment in the North African theatre was driven exclusively by Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. In existing historiography, it is argued that Canada’s major concern was avoiding a second conscription crisis, such as that which occurred in 1917 and divided English- and French-Canadians. Johnston demonstrates how Mackenzie King’s influence over this decision was more personal and influential than has been previously recognised. This chapter contends that Mackenzie King’s reasons for taking this action were largely determined by his view of Canada’s post-war place in the global order, especially as a close ally of the USA. This was part of a larger attempt to balance Britain’s influence in Canada through an increasingly intimate relationship with the USA.