The French-Canadian ministers in Cabinet, and Quebec in general, did not trust Defence Minister James Ralston, and King felt it was politically sensible to replace him as Minister of National Defence with the anti-conscription General Andrew McNaughton in November 1944. On the morning of 1 November 1944 when the Cabinet met, King who only informed his Quebec lieutenant Louis St. Laurent in advance, suddenly announced that he now accepted Ralston's resignation, which had been submitted back in April 1942. Given the length of time between Ralston's resignation and King's acceptance meant Ralston had been effectively fired as Defence minister. King had taken a gamble in firing Ralston as there was always the possibility that the other right-wing Liberal cabinet ministers like C. D. Howe and James Lorimer Ilsley who were also pro-conscription might resign in protest and thereby split the Liberal Party just as the Grits had been split in 1917; much to King's relief, Ralston walked out of the cabinet room alone with no-one following him. Ralston's ally, the navy minister Angus Lewis Macdonald ripped pieces of paper in frustration, but remained seated with the rest of the cabinet.