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Canada
avoided overseas military commitments,
either to Britain or the League of Nations,
the predecessor of today’s United
Nations. In 1931, Britain passed the
Statute of Westminster, giving Canada
the legal status of an independent country.
Still, Canada remained a member of the
British Commonwealth of Nations and British
foreign policy continued to influence
Ottawa.
By
the mid-1930s, the government began slowly
to modernize and re-equip the armed forces.
The defence of Canada’s seacoasts
was its top priority, but the government
allowed that Canadian forces might be
available to assist Britain in the event
of a major war.
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