Ernest Lapointe, minister of fisheries (1921-1924) and later minister of justice (1924-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1941), shown here in a cartoon by the brilliant artist Robert Lapalme, quickly became Mackenzie King's most important colleague in the Cabinet. Unlike many of his Liberal colleagues from Quebec, Lapointe took a deep interest in international affairs. In 1923, Lapointe was the first Canadian to sign an international agreement (the Halibut Treaty with the United States) by himself without the accompanying signature of a British representative. Lapointe was also a supporter of the League of Nations and on occasion headed the Canadian delegation to the annual assemblies in Geneva, Switzerland, the home of the League. On international questions Lapointe was often the only other member of the cabinet whose opinion King sought. King did not, however, allow Lapointe to have the position he most wanted - secretary of state for external affairs. The prime minister kept that post for himself.
Courtesy: Lapalme, Robert. The First Twenty Years of the Canadian Caricaturist/Les vingts premieres annÄes du caricaturiste canadien (Montreal, Le Cercle du Livre de France, 1950), p. 74
