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One man who cast an appreciative eye at this knowledgeable engineer was Canada's Veteran Liberal Prime Minister, Mackenzie King. In 1935, King called Howe in for a chat and asked him to stand as a Liberal candidate in the upcoming federal election. Howe, wary of politics, politely refused, but canny old Bachelor King had an ace up his sleeve. He phoned Mrs. Howe, and shrewdly suggested that as an M.P., her husband would have much more time at home than as a busy engineer. Says Howe: "So I ran, was elected, and I've hardly been home since." Once, returning home after a long day on Parliament Hill, he was met at the door by his entire family. "Children," said Alice Howe, "this is your father. I'm sure you've often heard me speak of him."
The first professional engineer ever named to the Canadian cabinet, Howe got two portfolios—Minister of Railways & Canals and Minister of Marine. For efficiency, he combined them into a single Ministry of Transport. Next he tried to interest private capital in an all-Canadian airline. When no one would take a chance, he put the government into the aviation business by founding Trans-Canada Airlines. T.C.A. started with a 122-mile route and 23 U.S.-trained pilots. Now it is one of the top ten international airlines, with an unexcelled safety record; it is also one of the most successful government-owned airlines in the world ($4,000,000 net in 1951)
When World War II began, Prime Minister King gave Howe full authority to expand Canada's adolescent industry for war production. There was ample room for growth; the country was then producing 252 planes a year and a few thousand rifles. Only 4,000 men worked in all Canada's shipyards.
First Nibble. Howe's first move was a ruthless raid on private industry for administrative talent; he brought droves of dollar-a-year men bustling into Ottawa. Many of them left just as quickly, after being judged unfit. Howe, unhampered by politics, was determined to have a good team.
Howe's first nibble at a foreign war order was a long British query on whether Canada could turn out some 40 items of military equipment never before produced in the Dominion. Howe and his staff sweated through a weekend figuring out answers, planning factories, estimating costs. They cabled a detailed answer on Monday morning. A few days later, with no reply from Britain, Howe's impatience asserted itself. He issued orders on his own authority to produce the war tools. "If we lose the war it won't matter that we acted without authority," he said. "If we win, it will all work out."
Thanks to Howe's impetuosity, goods and weapons were rolling off the assembly lines just when Britain suddenly found that she needed them desperately. Said Lord Beaverbrook, then Britain's Minister for Aircraft Production: "Britain owes Howe a debt for splendid assistance."