the United States at the time of the request, and the acting Defence Minister was Major Charles "Chubby" Power. Power had won the Military Cross in World War One, but the primary reason for his appointment as associate defence minister was because of his influence and popularity in his native Quebec. Power was an affable and bilingual Irish-Canadian from Quebec city whose Catholicism, skill as a hockey player and a sympathy for French-Canadian sentiments had established him as a leading spokesman for Quebec and hence his appointment as associate defence minister, even through as the Canadian historian Brereton Greenhous noted sourly that Power was not known for "the keenness of his intellect". The Canadian prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King privately considered Power to be a mental lightweight and kept him in the cabinet only because he was very popular in Quebec. In turn, Power consulted General Harry Crerar, the Chief of the General Staff, who favored approving the request. Many of the officers in the Royal Rifles of Canada regiment were relatives or friends of the Power clan of Quebec City, and Power's own son Francis was serving as a subaltern in the Royal Rifles. In 1940–1941, the Royal Rifles had served in the British colony of Newfoundland, charged with protecting it against the unlikely prospect of a German invasion, and for many officers in the Royal Rifles being transferred from the guarding the cold, fog-shrouded shores of Newfoundland to guarding the warm, tropical city of Hong Kong was a highly pleasing prospect. The Royal Rifles were tasked with guarding the Newfoundland Railway and the Gander airport, both of which were considered to be unglamorous duties. In September 1941, Major J.H. Price, the son of a Quebec lumber baron who was serving in the Royal Rifles, wrote to Power saying "with the interest you have in our welfare, you will be willing and able to convince military authorities that it is bad policy to keep a unit like ours killing time". Power in his reply to Price stated that he "made inquiries" about sending the Royal Rifles overseas and now had "some hope that events overseas may soon develop to the point where it is possible for your lot to have the opportunity it deserves". The matter was first discussed at the Cabinet on 23 September 1941 with Power speaking for acceptance of the request; Mackenzie King agreed provided