Laurier, Sir Wilfrid

Laurier, Sir Wilfrid (b. 20 Nov. 1841, d. 17 Feb. 1919). Prime Minister of Canada 1896–1911 Born at St-Lin (Canada East), he obtained a law degree from McGill University in 1864, and eventually settled in Arthabaska (Quebec), where he edited a newspaper. A Liberal member of the Quebec legislature from 1871, he soon dropped his early opposition to Canadian unity, and was elected to the national parliament in 1874. There he became the leader of the Quebec section of his party, and in 1877 became Minister of Inland Revenue. In 1885 he led abortive protests against the execution of the Métis leader Louis Riel (b. 1844, d. 1885), which particularly excited French Canadian opinion and led many Quebec Conservatives to swing their allegiance to his Liberal Party. As Liberal leader from 1887, he gradually built up a national and cohesive party, whose loss in the 1891 elections was due to his advocacy of favourable terms of trade with the USA. Despite his subsequent reputation for being pro-US and anti-British, he won the next elections and began a period in office marked by his pragmatic ability for making compromises whenever necessary, and exercising authority wherever possible.

He was Canada's first French-Canadian Prime Minister, holding the longest unbroken tenure of office. A firm believer in Canada's eventual independence, he resisted British attempts to create closer links within the Empire. He strongly promoted Canadian nationhood through the creation of two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, in 1905, and the greater unification of the country through the building of a second transcontinental railway beginning in 1903. In the last years of government he gradually lost support. Laurier affronted Catholics through his refusal to grant them separate schools in the new provinces. His plans to create a Canadian navy to support the British were insufficient for supporters of the British Empire, and too much for the French Canadians in Quebec. Finally, his attempt to revive plans for more liberal trade with the USA encountered further hostility from supporters of the Empire, and revived that most persistent of Canadian nightmares, that of a US takeover. He lost the 1911 elections to Borden, but continued as a vigilant leader of the opposition. Laurier strongly supported Canada's participation in World War I. At the same time, he recognized the hostility of the French Canadians towards conscription for overseas service, and in 1916 proposed a compromise through holding a referendum. His proposals were rejected, and he was unable to stop a split within his party, when many Liberals joined the Union government. He died before he could fully rebuild a united Liberal Party.