188 ALL AFLOAT 



up to date consisted of five years' discussion 

 and a little three-year-old navy which had far 

 less than half the fighting power of New 

 Zealand's single Dreadnought. 



The two great parliamentary parties agreed 

 on the general proposition that Canada ought 

 to do something for her own defence at sea, 

 and that, within the British Empire, she en- 

 joyed naval advantages which were unobtain- 

 able elsewhere. But they differed radically on 

 the vexed question of ways and means. The 

 Conservatives said there was a naval emergency 

 and proposed to give three Dreadnoughts to 

 the Imperial government on certain conditions. 

 The principal condition was that Canada could 

 take them back at any time if she wished to use 

 them for a navy of her own. The Liberals 

 objected that there was no naval emergency, 

 and that it was wrong to let any force of any 

 kind pass out of the control of the Canadian 

 government. Nothing, of course, could be 

 done without the consent of parliament ; and 

 the consent of parliament means the consent 

 of both Houses, the Senate and the Commons 

 of Canada. There was a Conservative majority 

 in the Commons and a Liberal majority in the 

 Senate. The voting went by parties, and a 

 complete deadlock ensued. 



