Editing William Lyon Mackenzie King (section)

=== Corruption scandals ===
King called an [[1925 Canadian federal election|election in 1925]], in which the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservatives]] won the most seats, but not a majority in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]. King held onto power with the support of the Progressives. A corruption scandal discovered late in his first term involved misdeeds around the expansion of the [[Beauharnois Canal]] in Quebec; this led to extensive inquiries and eventually a [[Royal Commission]], which exposed the [[Beauharnois Scandal]]. The resulting press coverage damaged King's party in the election. Early in his second term, another [[corruption]] scandal, this time in the Department of Customs, was revealed, which led to more support for the Conservatives and Progressives, and the possibility that King would be forced to resign, if he lost sufficient support in the Commons. King had no personal connection to this scandal, although one of his own appointees was at the heart of it. Opposition leader Meighen unleashed his fierce invective towards King, stating he was hanging onto power "like a lobster with lockjaw".<ref>[[#Hutchison|Hutchison (1952)]], p. 152</ref>`