Declaration of war by Canada
Encyclopedia
A declaration of war by Canada is a formal declaration issued by the Government of Canada
indicating that a state of war
exists between Canada
and another nation. Since gaining the authority to declare war under the Statute of Westminster 1931
, Canada has declared war only during the Second World War
.
invaded Poland
on September 1, 1939, the United Kingdom
declared war on September 3. To assert Canada's independence from the U.K., Canada's political leaders decided to seek the approval of the Canadian Parliament
to declare war. Parliament was not scheduled to return until October 2 but returned to session early on September 7 to consider a declaration of war.
The Senate approved a declaration of war on September 8, and the House of Commons approved it on September 9. On September 10, Prime Minister
Mackenzie King
and the Cabinet
drafted an Order in Council to that effect, King George VI
granted the royal assent
, and Canada had officially declared war on Nazi Germany.
In his capacity as the government's Official Recorder for the War Effort, Leonard Brockington
noted, "King George VI of England did not ask us to declare war for him—we asked King George VI of Canada to declare war for us."
declared war on France
and the United Kingdom. National Defence Minister
Norman Rogers
had been killed in a plane crash that day. Both houses of Parliament approved a declaration of war, and the Cabinet issued the Order in Council the same day.
At the urging of the Soviet Union
, the United Kingdom declared war on Finland
on December 6, 1941. At the U.K.'s urging, the Canadian Cabinet issued a proclamation declaring war on Finland, Hungary
, and Romania
the next day.
That same day, the Empire of Japan
attacked the United States
at Pearl Harbor
and declared war upon the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Prime Minister King and the Cabinet decided to go to war with Imperial Japan that evening and issued a proclamation declaring war the following day. That same day, the U.S. and U.K. also declared war on the Japanese Empire.
When Parliament returned on January 21, 1942, King presented the Cabinet's proclamations of December 7, 1941, declaring war on Finland, Hungary, and Romania, and the Cabinet's proclamation of December 8, 1941, declaring war on Imperial Japan.
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
indicating that a state of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
exists between Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and another nation. Since gaining the authority to declare war under the Statute of Westminster 1931
Statute of Westminster 1931
The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Passed on 11 December 1931, the Act established legislative equality for the self-governing dominions of the British Empire with the United Kingdom...
, Canada has declared war only during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Nazi Germany
After Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on September 1, 1939, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
declared war on September 3. To assert Canada's independence from the U.K., Canada's political leaders decided to seek the approval of the Canadian Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
to declare war. Parliament was not scheduled to return until October 2 but returned to session early on September 7 to consider a declaration of war.
The Senate approved a declaration of war on September 8, and the House of Commons approved it on September 9. On September 10, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
and the Cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
drafted an Order in Council to that effect, King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
granted the royal assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
, and Canada had officially declared war on Nazi Germany.
In his capacity as the government's Official Recorder for the War Effort, Leonard Brockington
Leonard Brockington
Leonard Walter Brockington, CMG, QC, LLD was a Canadian lawyer, civil servant, public figure, and the first head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ....
noted, "King George VI of England did not ask us to declare war for him—we asked King George VI of Canada to declare war for us."
Fascist Italy
On June 10, 1940, ItalyKingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
declared war on France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United Kingdom. National Defence Minister
Minister of National Defence (Canada)
The Minister of National Defence is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces....
Norman Rogers
Norman McLeod Rogers
Norman McLeod Rogers, PC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman. He served as the member of parliament for Kingston, Ontario, Canada and as a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. He was also an early biographer of King.Rogers was born in Amherst, Nova...
had been killed in a plane crash that day. Both houses of Parliament approved a declaration of war, and the Cabinet issued the Order in Council the same day.
Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Imperial Japan
Parliament adjourned on November 14, 1941, and was not scheduled to return until January 21, 1942.At the urging of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the United Kingdom declared war on Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
on December 6, 1941. At the U.K.'s urging, the Canadian Cabinet issued a proclamation declaring war on Finland, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
the next day.
That same day, the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
attacked the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and declared war upon the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Prime Minister King and the Cabinet decided to go to war with Imperial Japan that evening and issued a proclamation declaring war the following day. That same day, the U.S. and U.K. also declared war on the Japanese Empire.
When Parliament returned on January 21, 1942, King presented the Cabinet's proclamations of December 7, 1941, declaring war on Finland, Hungary, and Romania, and the Cabinet's proclamation of December 8, 1941, declaring war on Imperial Japan.
See also
- Military history of CanadaMilitary history of CanadaThe military history of Canada comprises hundreds of years of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Canada, and the role of the Canadian military in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For thousands of years, the area that would become Canada was the site of sporadic intertribal wars...
- List of conflicts in Canada
- Military history of Canada during World War II
- Declaration of war by the United KingdomDeclaration of war by the United KingdomA declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a national government indicating that a state of war exists between that nation and another. In the United Kingdom, only the Monarch has the power to declare War and peace, under the Royal Prerogative. There has been a debate regarding whether...
- Declaration of war by the United StatesDeclaration of war by the United StatesA declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a national government indicating that a state of war exists between that nation and another. For the United States, Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution says "Congress shall have power to ... declare War"...