This was field marshall julian byng who was appointed the 12 th governor general of canada in 1921. Officially, the prime minister is appointed by the governor general of canada, but by constitutional convention, the prime minister must have the confidence of the elected house of commons. The election was called following an event known as the king byng affair. The kingbyng crisis during the year of 1925, the liberals and there leader prime minister king in the federal election won fewer seats then the conservatives. For the next four years until 1925, the liberals remained in power, in great part due to the support of the progressives. It revolved around byngs refusal to honour kings request that he dissolve. Nearly a century on, the kingbyng affair of 1926 is still considered the mother of all constitutional crises in canada and the example everyone turns to when serious drama breaks out in. Given theauthors span ofexperience and perceptive qualities, itisbound tomake aworthwhile book. It was also at this time that byng became acquainted with the lord. The statute of westminster, in 1931, was another step forward in canadas autonomy from britain. Julian byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy wikimili, the. Feb 12, 2017 this feature is not available right now. The conservative government established at byng s invitation lasted only five days before falling. In the midst of procedural mayhem, conservative leader arthur meighen assumed power for three days before falling to another nonconfidence vote and being granted the dissolution of parliament that governor general lord byng.
In his second term, king introduced oldage pensions. It was to avoid that vote that king asked the governor general, lord byng, to dissolve parliament. Even the king could have granted a pardon, but chose to let pitt, his political enemy, wear the fiasco. Prime minister william lyon mackenzie king s liberal party formed a minority government. Canada in 1926 in the kingbyng affair, in which canadian prime minister william lyon. The question of who had ultimate constitutional authority had been raised in canada in 1926 in the king byng affair, in which canadian prime minister william lyon mackenzie king challenged the powers of governor general julian byng in the context of a heated federal election campaign. The king byng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926, when the governor general of canada, the lord byng of vimy, refused a request by his prime minister, william lyon mackenzie king, to dissolve parliament and call a general election the crisis came to redefine the role of governor general, not only in canada but throughout the dominions, becoming a major. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up.
Im learning about the king byng affair in history class rn. Canada in 1926 in the kingbyng affair, in which canadian prime minister william lyon mackenzie king challenged the powers of governor general julian byng in the context of a heated federal election campaign. In the resulting election campaign, king accused byng, the queens representative. A new look at the kingbyng dispute volume 6 issue 1. That has happened at least twice before in canadian history. It began when prime minister william lyon mackenzie king asked governor general lord julian byng of vimy to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections. The 1926 canadian federal election was held on september 14 to elect members of the house of commons of canada of the 16th parliament of canada. Living warbirds is your largest aircraft and aviation resource.
The question of who had ultimate constitutional authority had been raised in canada in 1926 in the kingbyng affair, in which canadian prime minister william lyon mackenzie king challenged the powers of governor general julian byng in the context of a heated federal election campaign. For those of you who arent history nerds, the kingbyng affair was one of the key events in canadas development as an independent. On the other hand, characteristically, he handled the strikers at calais with sympathy and sensitivity. The 1925 canadian federal election was held on october 29 to elect members of the house of commons of canada of the 15th parliament of canada. Julian byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy wikimili, the free encyclopedia. In 1926, prime minister mackenzie king wanted to call an election to spare. It started with the general election of october 1925. There are other intriguing parallels with the king byng affair of 1926 in our current political crisis is history about to repeat itself. The king byng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis which occurred in 1926 between the then prime minister mackenzie king and the governor general viscount byng of vimy. The king byng affair is one major event where canada has moved forward in its independence from great britain because byng refused to call an election, it changed the job of the governor general, and it reduced the amount of power this job has. The delicate role of the governor general cbc news. The king byng crisis during the year of 1925, the liberals and there leader prime minister king in the federal election won fewer seats then the conservatives. Jul 30, 20 the king byng affair was a 1926 canadian constitutional crisis pitting the powers of a prime minister against the powers of a governor general. Byng was eventually forced to call the electionin the campaign, king appealed people by saying that what byng did was not democratic at all since the pm is elected by canadians.
He is best known for his leadership of canada throughout the second world war. Apr 12, 2011 what followed was the constitutional crisis known as the king byng affair, which one usually needs a scorecard to follow. The liberal government under william lyon mackenzie king won the election, holding a minority of 101 seats, with. King framed the dispute as one of britain, represented by the. Field marshal julian hedworth george byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy, gcb, gcmg, mvo 11 september 1862 6 june 1935 was a british army officer who served as governor general of canada, the 12th since canadian confederation. This unusual interlude has been known ever since as the king byng affair or, better still, the king byng thing and has been a reference point for every governorgeneral on election night when the possibility of a minority government looms at the polls. Byng king affair in the federal election of october 1925, king byng affair occurred between governor general julian byng and prime minister william lyon mackenzie king, when liberals won 101 seats and conservatives won 116 in the election. The power to prorogue and dissolve parliament gives the prime minister a lot of power in controlling when elections are held, and. Julian byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy history of world war. Cambridge core institutional access books catalogue individuals.
S3e3 a constitution in question the kingbyng affair of 1926. Prime minister mackenzie king, carrying on in the house. The kingbyng crisis background in the 1921 election, william lyon mackenzie kings liberals came to office with a minority government. For example, the other day during the 2004 election campaign i mentioned to someone that the liberals could be asked to form a government even if the new conservative party won. King byng crisis the king byng affair of 1926 was a complicated constitutional maneouver by prime minister mackenzie king which involved the governor general, julian byng. Instead, byng invited the opposition conservatives to replace kings liberals as the government. On march 14, john byng was forced to kneel before a crowd of sailors and officers from the fleet assembled on the deck of hms monarch and was shot by a firing squad. The kingbyng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926, when the governor general of canada, the lord byng of vimy, refused a request by his prime minister, william lyon mackenzie king, to dissolve parliament and call a general election. He rejected mackenzie kings request and asked meighen to try forming the government. The constitutional crisis of 1926, aka the king byng affair, aka the king byng wing ding, was underway. The evolution of the canadian crown the kingbyng affair, 1926.
Also known as the kingbyng thing, a constitutional crisis arising from mackenzie kings test of governorgeneral byngs authority to call an election when requested by a prime minister. What followed was the constitutional crisis known as the king byng affair, which one usually needs a scorecard to follow. The background to the affair is complex in nature and involves three separate questions. The kingbyng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926, when the. A constitutional crisis, known as the king byng affair, is precipitated when governor general byng refused prime minister king s request to dissolve parliament and call an election, instead asking opposition leader meighen to form a government, which in turn was quickly defeated. There is one further detail of history that is of special note for canadians, in that admiral byng had a successor who played his own controversial role in history. Nov 23, 2014 this new canadian history can be seen at its most whiggish, however, when it discusses a 1926 event known as the king byng affair. Sep 01, 2011 history would have a different view of king if the diaries had not been released to the public. From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the kingbyng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1925 when the governor general of canada, lord byng of vimy, refused a request by the prime minister, william lyon mackenzie king, to dissolve parliament and call a general election. William lyon mackenzie king the king byng affair there are many lessons learned in the earlier days of canadas history that are totally lost on canadians today. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content mvmws 279 at anyrate,hereistheautobiography ofahistorian raised inonecanada, teachinginanother, andstillactive inathird.
I have to await the verdict of history to prove my having adopted a wrong course, and this i do with an easy. However the kingbyng affair also set another precedent. King won that election and, since that time, no governor general has publicly refused the advice of a prime minister. Claude belanger, department of history, marianopolis college. From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the king byng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1925 when the governor general of canada, lord byng of vimy, refused a request by the prime minister, william lyon mackenzie king, to dissolve parliament and call a general election. Williams claims that byng was the man behind the british legion. The kingbyng affair studies on the canadian constitution. The curious case of admiral byng anglican way magazine. He eventually proved his case and had the contractors changed. In 1926, kings minority government became embroiled in a customs scandal see so called adscams are not something new. Julian byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy history of world war i ww1 the great war history of the airplane over 10,000 airplane videos and growing. The book is well written and meticulously researched. The king years borden departed the prime ministers office in july 1920, having governed canada through what is arguably the most dramatic decade in its history. Jun 09, 2019 bill gave some basic background to this post, and then commented at length on the post itself with a lot of good background on the history of canadian constitutional law, especially of the kingbyng affair.
William lyon mackenzie kinga life guided by the hand. The kingbyng affair was a 1926 canadian constitutional crisis pitting the powers of a prime minister against the powers of a governor general. Borden was the author of some of that drama, to be sure, but he never had to defend his record at the polls outside of wartime. It revolved around byngs refusal to honour kings request that he. It began when prime minister william lyon mackenzie king asked governor general lord julian byng of vimy to. The conservative government established at byngs invitation lasted only five days before falling on a nonconfidence vote. The friends of the canadian war museum early mornings at the smithfield market to learn the meat trade. Governor general julian byng was having none of it. William lyon mackenzie king om cmg pc december 17, 1874 july 22, 1950, commonly known as mackenzie king or by the initials wlmk, was the dominant canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. Jun 16, 2016 history isp king byng affair anna wang. Each day for 150 days leading up to the opening of the canadian history hall, were presenting one moment among the many that have shaped our country.
Byngking affair in the federal election of october 1925, kingbyng affair occurred between governor general julian byng and prime minister william lyon mackenzie king, when liberals won 101 seats and conservatives won 116 in the election. The governor generals course of action in what came to be colloquially known as the king byng affair remains debated, though the consensus amongst constitutional historians is that byngs moves were appropriate under the circumstances. During a house session lasting 15 minutes on june 28, king announced his resignation. The prime minister of canada is an official who serves as the primary minister of the crown, chair of the cabinet, and thus head of government of canada.
The kingbyng affair since the kingbyng affair, no governorgeneral has refused a request from a prime minister to prorogue or dissolve parliament. Julian byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy, was a very popular governor general. The king byng affair is what happened when the monarchs representative didnt get the memo that the dominion parliament had the same powers and privileges as the british parliament and that he didnt get to decide whats best for the troublesome colonials. Byng loathed pageant and was furious with his wife for attending the occasion when the king of belgium entered brussels after the end of the war. It revolved around byng s refusal to honour king s. He served as the tenth prime minister of canada in 19211926, 19261930 and 19351948. Dec 06, 2015 letter requesting resolution to the kingbyng affair. I have to await the verdict of history to prove my having adopted a wrong course, and this i do with an easy conscience that, right or wrong, i have acted in the interests of canada and implicated no one else in my decision. Left holding the bag some of historys best known scapegoats. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Project muse changing perspectives in canadian history. Byng had been the british general in charge of the canadians at vimy ridge during the first world war.
In 1925 after election, king needed progressives support to stay in power however failed. The evolution of the canadian crown the king byng affair, 1926 liberal prime minister mackenzie king came to office in 1921 with a weak majority government one. In the 1925 federal election, prime minister william lyon mackenzie king s liberal party of canada won fewer seats in the house of commons of canada than the conservatives. Guest post the king byng affair putting down uprising. He led the conservative party from 1920 to 1926 and from 1941 to 1942. The king byng affair was a 1926 canadian constitutional crisis pitting the powers of a prime minister against the powers of a governor general. King resigned, and byng asked meighen to form a new government. When meighens government was defeated in the house of commons a short time later, however, byng called a new election in 1926. It revolved around byngs refusal to honour kings request that he dissolve parliament and call for fresh. To understand this it would be helpful to define the basic difference between tories and whigs under the westminster system. The kingbyng crisis of 1926 is still paying it forward nearly a. Studies on the canadian constitution and canadian federalism. The kingbyng affair was a 1926 canadian constitutional crisis.
Im learning about the kingbyng affair in history class. He was the last admiral to be executed in the royal navy. Normally, this is the leader of the party caucus with. The king byng affair since the king byng affair, no governorgeneral has refused a request from a prime minister to prorogue or dissolve parliament.
King byng crisis the king byng affair was a canadian constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926 when governor general byng, refused a request by the prime minister, william lyon mackenzie king, to dissolve parliament and call a general election. Letter requesting resolution to the kingbyng affair wikisource, the. Therefore, king decided to call a reelection before he lost support of progressives. The kingbyng affair in 1925 demonstrated how the political system in canada works when minority governments are elected. As a refusal by a governorgeneral to accept the advice of a prime minister is a serious step at any time, and most serious under existing conditions in all parts of the british empire today, there will be raised, i fear, by the refusal on your excellencys part to accept the advice tendered a grave constitutional question without precedent in. This is a biography of the great war general famous for commanding the canadian corps, the victor at vimy ridge, being commander of the third army up to the end of the great war, the battle of cambrai and for being the governor general of canada.
Julian byng, 1st viscount byng of vimy wikimili, the best. King refused to resign becuase of his support from the progressives. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. The constitutional crisis of 1926, aka the kingbyng affair, aka the. Sep 15, 2015 however, in what was to be the heart of the celebrated kingbyng affair, the governor general later insisted that he had told king that should king and the liberals fail to win a vote of.
During the first world war, byng was as commander of the canadian corps at vimy ridge. Byng, julian hedworth george byng viscount 18621935. Letter requesting resolution to the kingbyng affair. A tory and a whig can both support the system of parliamentary monarchy.