Sir Wilfrid Laurier,
GCMG,
PC,
KC, baptized
Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier (20 November 1841 – 17 February 1919) was the
seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 5 October 1911.
As Canada's first francophone prime minister, Laurier is often considered one of the country's greatest statesmen. He is well known for his policies of conciliation, expanding Confederation, and compromise between French and English Canada. His vision for Canada was a land of individual liberty and decentralized federalism. He also argued for an English-French partnership in Canada. "I have had before me as a pillar of fire," he said, "a policy of true Canadianism, of moderation, of ." And he passionately defended individual liberty, "Canada is free and freedom is its nationality," and "Nothing will prevent me from continuing my task of preserving at all cost our civil liberty." Laurier was also well regarded for his efforts to establish Canada as an autonomous country within the British Empire, though he supported the continuation of the British Empire if it was based on "absolute liberty political and commercial".
Laurier is the fourth-longest serving Prime Minister of Canada, behind William Lyon Mackenzie King, John A. Macdonald, and Pierre Trudeau. A Maclean's historical ranking of the Prime Ministers placed Laurier third behind King (first) and Macdonald. Laurier also holds the record for the most consecutive federal elections won (4), and his 15 year tenure remains the longest unbroken term of office among Prime Ministers. In addition, his nearly 45 years (1874–1919) of service in the House of Commons is an all-time record for that house. Finally, at 31 years, 8 months, Laurier was the longest-serving leader of a major Canadian political party, surpassing King by over two years. Laurier's portrait is displayed on the Canadian five-dollar bill.
Early life
,
Quebec]]
The second child of Carolus Laurier and Marcelle Martineau, Wilfrid Laurier was born in Saint-Lin,
Canada East (today called
Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Quebec) on 20 November 1841. Laurier was the 7th generation of his family in Canada. His ancestor
François Cottineau, dit Champlaurier came to
Canada from
Saint-Claud, France. He grew up in a family where politics was a staple of talk and debate. His father, an educated man having
liberal ideas, enjoyed a certain degree of prestige about town. In addition to being a
farmer and
surveyor, he also occupied such sought-after positions as
mayor,
justice of the peace, militia lieutenant and
school board member. At the age of 11, Wilfrid left home to study in New Glasgow, a neighbouring village largely inhabited by
immigrants from
Scotland. Over the next two years, he had the opportunity of familiarizing himself with the mentality, language and culture of British people.
Laurier was first elected to the
Canadian House of Commons in the
1874 election, serving briefly in the
Cabinet of
Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie as Minister of Inland Revenue.
The Laurier Museum, the home of former Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier is on the Canadian Register of Historic People and Places. The house was built in 1876 in Victoriaville, Quebec.
Leadership
Chosen as leader of the Liberal Party in 1887, he gradually built up his party's strength with his personal following in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. He led the Liberal Party to victory in the
1896 election, and remained prime minister until the party's defeat in the
1911 election.
Quebec stronghold
Laurier was able to build the Liberal Party a base in Quebec, which had been a
Conservative stronghold for decades due to the province's social conservatism and the influence of the
Roman Catholic Church, which distrusted the Liberal's
anti-clericalism. He was aided by the growing alienation of
French-Canadians from the Conservatives due to the national Tory party's links with anti-French, anti-Catholic
Orangemen in English Canada. These factors combined with the collapse of the
Conservative Party of Quebec gave Laurier an opportunity to build a stronghold in French Canada and among Catholics across Canada.
Because Laurier believed in a separation of church and state, Roman Catholic bishops in Quebec repeatedly warned their parishioners never to vote for the man. Journalist and author Laurier LaPierre wrote in his 1996 biography of Laurier: "children were made to kneel and beg God that their parents not be damned should they have the temerity to vote for the Liberal candidate. When electors asked directly whom they should vote for, the cagey priests contented themselves with informing them that le ciel est bleu, l'enfer est rouge – heaven is blue, hell is red."
However, Laurier had rather good relations with Pope Pius X himself, and had complimented him during a diplomatic meeting. In part, the tension of the time can be attributed to Pius's encyclical Vehementer Nos, which condemned strict Church-State separation in Émile Combes' secularist France.
Prime minister
Laurier led Canada during a period of rapid growth,
industrialization and
immigration. His long career straddles a period of major political and economic change. As Prime Minister he was instrumental in ushering
Canada into the 20th century and in gaining greater autonomy from Britain for his country.
One of Laurier's first acts as Prime Minister was to implement a solution to the Manitoba Schools Question, which had helped to bring down the Conservative government of Charles Tupper earlier in 1896. The Manitoba legislature had passed a law eliminating public funding for Catholic schooling (thereby going against the federal constitutional Manitoba Act, 1870, which guaranteed Catholic and Protestant religious education rights). The Catholic minority asked the federal Government for support, and eventually the Conservatives proposed remedial legislation to override Manitoba's legislation. Laurier opposed the remedial legislation on the basis of provincial rights, and succeeded in blocking its passage by Parliament. Once elected, Laurier proposed a compromise stating that Catholics in Manitoba could have a Catholic education if there were enough students to warrant it, on a school-by-school basis. This was seen by many as the best possible solution in the circumstances, making both the French and English equally satisfied.
In 1899, the United Kingdom expected military support from Canada, as part of the British Empire, in the Second Boer War. Laurier was caught between demands for support for military action from English Canada, and a strong opposition from French Canada which saw the Boer War as an "English" war and to some degree appreciated the similar places that Boers and French Canadians held in the British Empire. Henri Bourassa was an especially vocal opponent. Laurier eventually decided to send a volunteer force, rather than the militia expected by Britain, but Bourassa continued to oppose any form of military involvement.
In 1905, Laurier oversaw Saskatchewan and Alberta's entry into Confederation, the last two provinces to be created out of the Northwest Territories.
On 29 July 1910, while in Saskatoon to attend the opening of the University of Saskatchewan, he bought a newspaper from a young John Diefenbaker, a future Conservative Prime Minister. The young Diefenbaker, recognizing the Prime Minister, shared his ideas for the country and amused him. He inquired about the young man's business and expressed the hope that he would be a great man someday. The boy ended the conversation by saying, "Well, Mr. Prime Minister, I can't waste any more time on you. I must get back to work."
Naval Bill
The naval competition between the
United Kingdom and the
German Empire escalated in the early years of the 20th century. The British asked Canada for more money and resources for ship construction, precipitating a heated political division in Canada. The British supporters wished to send as much as possible, whereas those against wished to send nothing.
Aiming for compromise, Laurier advanced the Naval Service Bill of 1910 which created the Royal Canadian Navy. The navy would initially consist of five cruisers and six destroyers; in times of crisis, it could be made subordinate the Royal Navy proper. The idea was lauded at the Imperial Conference on Defence in London, but it proved unpopular across the political spectrum in Canada, especially in Quebec as ex-Liberal Henri Bourassa organized an anti-Laurier force.
Reciprocity and defeat
Another controversy arose regarding Laurier's support of trade
reciprocity with the
United States. This had the strong support of agricultural interests, but it alienated many businessmen who formed a significant part of the Liberals' support base. The
Conservatives denounced the deal as a sell-out, even playing upon fears that Canada would be assimilated as the next US state.
Despite the Liberal government's mandate not expiring, Laurier called an election to settle the issue of reciprocity. The Conservatives were victorious and Robert Laird Borden succeeded Laurier as Prime Minister.
Opposition and war
Laurier led the opposition during World War I. He led the filibuster to the Conservatives' own Naval Bill which would have sent contributions directly to the Royal Navy; the bill was later blocked by the Liberal-controlled Senate. He was an influential opponent of conscription, which led to the Conscription Crisis of 1917 and the formation of a Union government, which Laurier refused to join for fear of having Quebec fall in the hands of nationalist Henri Bourassa. However, many Liberals, particularly in English Canada, joined Borden as Liberal-Unionists and the "Laurier Liberals" were reduced to a mostly French-Canadian rump as a result of the 1917 election.
However, Laurier's last policies and efforts had not been in vain. As a result of Laurier's opposition of conscription in 1917, Quebec and its French-Canadian voters voted overwhelmingly to support the Liberal party starting in 1917. Despite one notable exception in 1958, the Liberal party continued to dominate federal politics in Quebec until 1984. His protege and successor as party leader William Lyon Mackenzie King led the Liberals to a landslide victory over the Conservatives in the 1921 election.
Death
Laurier died of a stroke on 17 February 1919, and was buried in
Notre Dame Cemetery,
Ottawa, Ontario. The Sir Wilfrid Laurier National Historic Site of Canada is in
Saint-Lin-Laurentides, a town 60 km north of
Montreal. His wife
Zoe Laurier died in 1921 and was buried in the same grave as
Lady Laurier. Another site is
Laurier House, his residence in
Ottawa at the corner of what is now Laurier Street and Chapel Street. In their will, the Lauriers left the house to
Mackenzie King, who in turn donated it to Canada upon his death.
Recognition
on
Parliament Hill,
Ottawa]]
Laurier had titular honours including:
the prenomial "
The Honourable" and the postnomial "PC" for life by virtue of being made a member of the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada on 8 October 1877.
His prenomial was upgraded to "
The Right Honourable" when he was made a member of the Imperial
Privy Council of the United Kingdom.
the prenomial "Sir" and postnomial "GCMG" as a knight grand cross of the
Order of Saint Michael and Saint George.
Many sites and landmarks were named to honor Wilfrid Laurier. They include:
Mount Sir Wilfrid Laurier in British Columbia's Premier Range.
Laurier Avenue, located in Milton, Ontario;
Avenue Laurier, located in Shawinigan, Quebec;
Avenue Laurier, located in Montreal, Quebec;
Boulevard Laurier, located in Quebec City, Quebec;
Laurier Street, located in Ottawa, Ontario;
Laurier Drive, located in Saskatoon, SK
Rue Laurier, located in Casselman, Ontario;
The Laurier Heights neighbourhood, including Laurier Drive, in Edmonton, Alberta;
Laurier Drive, located in Saskatoon's Confederation Park neighborhood, where the majority of the streets are named after former Canadian prime ministers.;
The provincial electoral district of Laurier-Dorion (an honor shared with Canadian politician Antoine-Aimé Dorion).
The federal electoral district of Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
On 1 November 1973, Waterloo Lutheran University, one of Ontario's publicly funded universities, was renamed Wilfrid Laurier University. Many high schools in Canada are named after him.
A Montreal Metro station, Laurier (Montreal Metro)
Laurier is depicted on the
Canadian five-dollar bill.
CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School in Markham, Ontario
Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, an English school board located in Quebec; the school board serves the Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière regions in Quebec.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in London, Ontario.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in Ottawa, Ontario.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario.
Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and Brantford, Ontario.
Laurier is also the personal hero of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who saw in Laurier's abilities at conciliation and at winning majority governments an ideal model to follow.
Laurier was ranked #3 of the Prime Ministers of Canada (out of the 20 through Jean Chrétien) in the survey by Canadian historians included in Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada's Leaders by J.L. Granatstein and Norman Hillmer.
Supreme Court appointments
Laurier chose the following jurists to be appointed as justices of the
Supreme Court of Canada by the
Governor General:
Sir Louis Henry Davies (25 September 1901 – 1 May 1924)
David Mills (8 February 1902 – 8 May 1903)
Sir Henri Elzear Taschereau (as Chief Justice 21 November 1902 – 2 May 1906; appointed a Puisne Justice under Prime Minister Mackenzie, 7 October 1878)
John Douglas Armour (21 November 1902 – 11 July 1903)
Wallace Nesbitt (16 May 1903 – 4 October 1905)
Albert Clements Killam (8 August 1903 – 6 February 1905)
John Idington (10 February 1905 – 31 March 1927)
James Maclennan (5 October 1905 – 13 February 1909)
Sir Charles Fitzpatrick (as Chief Justice, 4 June 1906 – 21 November 1918)
Sir Lyman Poore Duff (27 September 1906 – 2 January 1944)
Francis Alexander Anglin (23 February 1909 – 28 February 1933)
Louis-Philippe Brodeur (11 August 1911 – 10 October 1923)
See also
List of Canadian Prime Ministers
References
External links
Wilfrid Laurier on the platform; collection of the principal speeches made in Parliament or before the people, since his entry into active politics in 1871; by Wilfrid Laurier at archive.org
Life and letters of Sir Wilfrid Laurier vol 1. at archive.org
Life and letters of Sir Wilfrid Laurier vol 2. at archive.org
Article on Sir Wilfrid Laurier from The Canadian Encyclopedia
Bibliography
Elizabeth H. Armstrong, The Crisis of Quebec, 1914-1918 (1937; reprinted 1973)
H. Blair Neatby. Laurier and a Liberal Quebec: A Study in Political Management (1973)
Craig Brown and Ramsay Cook, Canada: 1896-1921 A Nation Transformed (1983), standard history
J. W. Dafoe, Laurier: A Study in Canadian Politics (1922)
J.L. Granatstein and Norman Hillmer, Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada's Leaders. P.46-60. (1999). ISBN 0-00-200027-X.
Laurier LaPierre Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Romance of Canada – (1996). ISBN 0-7737-2979-8
Joseph Schull, Laurier. The First Canadian (1965)
Oscar Douglas Skelton, Life and Letters of Sir Wilfrid Laurier 2v (1921; reprinted 1965)
Peter Busby Waite, Canada, 1874-1896: Arduous Destiny (1971), standard history
Grace Stewart, Heather. "Sir Wilfrid Laurier: the weakling who stood his ground" (2006) ISBN 0-9736406-3-4
published by Jackfruit Press (http://www.jackfruitpress.com)
Category:1841 births
Category:1919 deaths
Category:Canadian knights
Category:Canadian Roman Catholics
Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Category:Leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada
Category:Leaders of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons
Category:McGill University alumni
Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Quebec
Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from the Northwest Territories
Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Category:Prime Ministers of Canada
Category:Lawyers in Quebec
Category:Quebec lieutenants
Category:National Historic Persons of Canada
Category:French Quebecers
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