In August 1922, the Turkish army reoccupied the Dardenelles region, an area that the 1919 Treaty of Sevres between Turkey and the Allied powers had designated as a demilitarized zone. The British garrison stationed in the region at Chanak did not have enough troops to challenge the Turkish incursion, and the British government immediately requested additional troops from the dominions.
Canadian prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King responded by informing the British government that parliamentary approval would be required before troops would be dispatched from Canada. For the British, it was a clear signal that the Canadian government would pursue an independent foreign policy.
