Unwanted: The Voyage of the St. Louis
The prime minister, William Mackenzie King, is away on business in Washington, and so you three have gathered to deliberate in his stead.
A thick silence hovers over the room. Oscar Skelton, the undersecretary of external affairs, has laid it out plainly before you. You and Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, have an important decision to make. There is a boat full of Jewish refugees sailing to their deaths and you have the power to reach out and help them.
Lapointe makes his case first, laying out the risks of letting in the Jews - times are tough and getting tougher. There is no room for more starving beggars. They are not your problem. He argues well, and you see that Skelton is nodding along. Both of them have come to this meeting with their decision already made.
Lapointe sits back in his chair and folds his hands in his lap, looking satisfied. He expects you to agree and the choice to be made. The two of them turn to you expectantly.
A thick silence hovers over the room. Oscar Skelton, the undersecretary of external affairs, has laid it out plainly before you. You and Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, have an important decision to make. There is a boat full of Jewish refugees sailing to their deaths and you have the power to reach out and help them.
Lapointe makes his case first, laying out the risks of letting in the Jews - times are tough and getting tougher. There is no room for more starving beggars. They are not your problem. He argues well, and you see that Skelton is nodding along. Both of them have come to this meeting with their decision already made.
Lapointe sits back in his chair and folds his hands in his lap, looking satisfied. He expects you to agree and the choice to be made. The two of them turn to you expectantly.