Wilfrid Laurier

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Wilfrid Laurier Wilfrid Laurier Signature2.svg

Sir Wilfrid Laurier , GCMG , PC , KC (born November 20, 1841 in Saint-Lin-Laurentides , Québec , †  February 17, 1919 in Ottawa ) was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada . He was a co-founder of the Liberal Party and was the country's first French-speaking prime minister. He ruled from July 11, 1896 to October 6, 1911.

Studies and political advancement

Laurier began studying law at McGill University in Montreal in 1861 . There he met the piano teacher Zoé Lafontaine, whom he married seven years later; the marriage remained childless. He graduated in 1866, although he had to interrupt his studies several times because of chronic bronchitis . Laurier was involved in politics and, as a member of the anti-clerical and separatist Parti rouge, was an opponent of the unification of the Canadian provinces. He feared that the central government would gain too much power and “Anglicize” the French-Canadian minority. Laurier was one of the founding members of the Liberal Party in 1871 and was first elected as a member of the lower house in 1874. He soon gained great influence within the party and was Minister of Taxation from October 1877 until the government of Alexander Mackenzie was voted out of office in September 1878.

Party leader

After another election defeat against the Conservatives in 1887, Laurier was elected party chairman. He succeeded in establishing the Liberal Party in Quebec . This province had previously been a conservative stronghold for decades. He took advantage of the increasing alienation of the French-speaking Canadians from the conservatives. The reasons for this were the controversial execution of Louis Riel and the suppression of the French language in Manitoba .

Although the Roman Catholic bishops initially warned their believers openly against the liberals, Laurier was able to correct the anti-clerical image and presented the party as a credible alternative. But the Liberal Party also became popular in the English-speaking part of Canada, primarily because of its support for free trade. This made it possible to consolidate the position of power in the growing prairie provinces .

In the general election of 1896 , the Conservatives received 46.5% of the vote and the Liberals only 45%, but the latter had won more seats due to majority voting . After only 69 days in office, Prime Minister Charles Tupper had to resign in favor of Wilfrid Laurier.

prime minister

Laurier's first success as Prime Minister was to settle the Manitoba school crisis , which had lasted for several years and which broke down under the Mackenzie Bowell government. His compromise provided that French-speaking Catholics in Manitoba could receive Catholic education in some schools if enough students were available for the formation of appropriate classes. Both the French-Canadians and the Anglo-Canadians agreed to this solution.

In 1899 Great Britain expected Canada as part of the British Empire to support the Boer War . While the English-speaking Canadians advocated military action, the French-speaking Canadians in Québec were strongly against it because the events in South Africa were reminiscent of the French and Indian War. Laurier finally decided not to introduce conscription and only send volunteers. In 1905 he enforced the establishment of Saskatchewan and Alberta , the last two provinces to be formed from the Northwest Territories and to join the Canadian Confederation .

The arms race between Great Britain and the German Empire began at the beginning of the 20th century . The British asked the Canadians for more funds and resources to build warships. A deep political rift was formed. The imperialists wanted to send as much support as possible, the Canadian nationalists nothing. In 1910 Laurier submitted the Naval Service Bill . This law was intended to form the Royal Canadian Navy . This war fleet should initially consist of five cruisers and six destroyers .

The idea of ​​forming a Canadian fleet turned out to be unpopular. The French Canadians did not want to subordinate themselves to the British and the imperialists resisted greater independence for Canada. Laurier's government was negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States , but this was met with fierce resistance from conservatives and influential liberal businessmen. These controversies eventually led to an overwhelming Conservative victory under Robert Borden in the 1911 general election .

opposition

Laurier was an opposition leader during the First World War . He was an influential opponent of conscription . This question split the party in 1917 because many liberals in the English-speaking part of the country supported conscription and the government formed by the new Unionist Party under Robert Borden. Laurier had to concentrate the political activities of his party on the Francophone Québec, because a large number of Liberal candidates ran on the unionist lists in the other provinces. The only benefit of the 1917 conscription crisis for the Liberal Party was that the Conservatives were considered ineligible to French Canadians for decades.

Laurier died on February 17, 1919 at the age of 78 and was buried in Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa .

Honors

reception

In the turn-based strategy game Sid Meier's Civilization VI from the Sid Meier's Civilization series, Wilfried Laurier represents the civilization of Canada

See also

Web links

Commons : Wilfrid Laurier  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Laurier, Wilfrid
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician (Prime Minister)
DATE OF BIRTH November 20, 1841
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint-Lin-Laurentides , Quebec
DATE OF DEATH February 17, 1919
Place of death Ottawa