By 1941, the fact that after two years of war that the Canadian Army had not seen action once while the armies of the other nations of the "Commonwealth family" had all seen extensive action was leading to domestic criticism of Mackenzie King. By September 1941, many English-Canadian politicians and journalists were starting to display signs of jealousy as soldiers from Britain, Australia and New Zealand got all the glory of fighting the Axis forces in the Mediterranean while the Canadians sat on the sidelines in Britain, leading to demands that Mackenzie King dispatch Canadian troops to Egypt, which he stoutly resisted. Mackenzie King's adamant refusal to send the Canadian Army into action by 1941 was hurting morale as many soldiers complained that it was the airmen of the Royal Canadian Air Force who getting all the glory while they forced to engage in endless training for battles that the prime minister would not allow them to fight.
By 1941, the lack of combat experience by the Canadian Army during two years of war, as other Commonwealth nations' armies had seen extensive action, led to domestic criticism of Mackenzie King. By September 1941, English-Canadian politicians and journalists began showing signs of envy because British, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers were receiving all the glory fighting in the Mediterranean while Canadians remained on the sidelines in Britain, leading to calls for Canadian troops to be sent to Egypt, which Mackenzie King resisted. His refusal to deploy the Canadian Army by 1941 was hurting morale as many soldiers felt that it was the airmen of the Royal Canadian Air Force who were getting all the recognition while they had to endure endless training for battles that the prime minister would not allow them to fight.