Naval Aid Bill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Naval Aid Bill |
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Parliament of Canada buildings in 1913
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| Parliament of Canada | |
| An Act to authorize measures for increasing the effective naval forces of the Empire. | |
| Citation | Bill 21, 12th Parliament, 2nd Session |
| Enacted by | House of Commons of Canada |
| Date passed | May 15, 1913 |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Sir Robert Borden |
| First reading | December 5, 1912 |
| Second reading | February 18 to 28, 1913 |
| Third reading | May 15, 1913 |
| Introduced by | James Alexander Lougheed |
| First reading | May 20, 1913 |
| Second reading | Defeated May 29, 1913 |
| Related legislation | |
| Naval Service Act | |
| Summary | |
| Bill to provide three battleships or cruisers to the British Royal Navy | |
| Status: Not passed | |
The Naval Aid Bill was a proposed law introduced in Canada's House of Commons on December 5, 1912. It was brought forward by Sir Robert Borden, who was the Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party.
The bill suggested that the Canadian government spend $35 million. This money would be used to build powerful warships, like battleships or armoured cruisers. Canada would then offer these ships to the British Royal Navy to help defend the British Empire.
Even though Prime Minister Borden's party had more members in the House of Commons, the bill faced a challenge. It passed in the House of Commons, but it was later defeated in the Senate. The Senate at that time had more members from the Liberal Party, who opposed the bill.
Contents
The federal election in 1911 was partly about Canada's role in defending the British Empire. At this time, Britain was in a "naval arms race" with the German Empire. This meant both countries were trying to build more and more powerful warships.
Both the Liberal and Conservative parties agreed that Canada should have its own navy in the long run. However, they disagreed on how to achieve this.
Liberal Plan vs. Conservative Plan
The previous Liberal government, led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, had passed the Naval Service Act in 1911. This law called for Canada to start building its own navy right away. Laurier's plan was to build a Canadian-operated fleet of five cruisers and six destroyers.
However, Robert Borden, then the leader of the opposition, thought Laurier's plan was not enough. He believed the British Empire needed more immediate help.
In 1912, Prime Minister Borden visited the United Kingdom. There, he met with Winston Churchill, who was in charge of the British Navy. Churchill encouraged Borden to help finance the construction of three large warships for Britain. These ships would be either dreadnought battleships or armoured cruisers.
Borden agreed to this plan, which would cost Canada $35 million. This was much more expensive than the Liberal plan. Also, Borden's plan would not create any jobs or benefits for Canadian industries, as the ships would be built in Britain.
Debates in Parliament
The proposed law, the Naval Aid Bill, was discussed in both parts of Canada's Parliament: the House of Commons and the Senate.
House of Commons Discussions
On December 5, 1912, Prime Minister Borden introduced the Naval Aid Bill in the House of Commons. He presented it as a one-time payment to help Britain's navy.
The bill itself was quite short, with only five sections. It allowed the Canadian government to spend up to $35 million. This money was for building "battleships or armoured cruisers of the most modern and powerful type." Once built, Canada would give these ships to the King for "the common defence of the Empire."
The debate over the bill in the House of Commons was very long and intense. It often went on late into the night and lasted for 23 weeks. The debate on the "second reading" (when members discuss the main idea of the bill) took ten days, from February 18 to 28, 1913.
The Conservative government had a strong majority of members in the House of Commons. So, they passed the bill at the second reading with a vote of 114 to 84. This vote happened very early in the morning on February 28, 1913.
The bill then moved to the "committee stage." This meant that every member of the House of Commons could speak about the bill many times. The opposition Liberals used this rule to speak for a very long time, a tactic known as a filibuster. This stage began on February 28, 1913, and continued until May.
To speed things up, Prime Minister Borden used a new rule called "closure" on May 9, 1913. This was the first time closure had ever been used in the House of Commons. It limited how much longer members could speak. The bill passed the committee stage early on May 10, 1913. Finally, it went to a "third reading" and was passed by the House of Commons on May 15, 1913, by a vote of 101 to 68.
Senate Discussions
After passing the House of Commons, the bill went to the Senate. Unlike the House of Commons, Senate members are appointed, not elected. Since the Liberal government had been in power for 15 years before Borden, most Senators were Liberals. This meant the Senate had a strong Liberal majority.
On May 20, 1913, James Alexander Lougheed, the government leader in the Senate, introduced the bill for its first reading. The bill came up for its second reading on the same day.
Senator Lougheed gave a long speech, repeating the arguments the government had made in the House of Commons. Then, George William Ross, the Liberal leader in the Senate, spoke. He repeated the opposition's views and agreed that supporting the British Empire's defense was important. However, Ross argued that the Naval Service Act passed by the Laurier government was already enough.
Ross then proposed a change to the bill. He suggested that the Senate should not approve the bill until the Canadian public had a chance to vote on it in an election. The Senate voted on this change, and it passed by a vote of 51 to 27. A second vote was then held on the bill itself, and the Naval Aid Bill was defeated with the same number of votes.
What Happened Next
If the Naval Aid Bill had passed the Senate and become law, the money would likely have been used to build three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships. These ships might have been named Acadia, Quebec, and Ontario.
However, the bill's failure did not greatly affect the naval arms race. The First World War began about 14 months after the bill was defeated. At that time, none of the five Queen Elizabeth class battleships that were eventually built for the Royal Navy were ready for service.
When the war started, Britain had 22 dreadnoughts, while Germany had 15. Britain also had 13 more dreadnoughts being built, even without Canada's help. By then, Germany was only building five more dreadnoughts. With the help of France and Japan's navies, and later Italy and the United States, the Allied forces controlled the seas. Germany then focused on building submarines instead of large warships to challenge this control.
