Wilfrid Laurier

I

Introduction

Wilfrid Laurier (1841-1919), seventh prime minister of Canada (1896-1911). Laurier was the first French Canadian to attain the post of prime minister. Laurier was an excellent speaker in both French and English, and he bridged the divisions between French-speaking and English-speaking Canadians to build a strong Liberal Party reflecting common national interests. He relied heavily on rational argument to win his points. Through compromise and conciliation he settled the question of church schools in Manitoba, initiated imperial preference for British imports, and furthered Canada's independence in foreign affairs. He remained in power for 15 years.

II

Early Life

Laurier was born in 1841, in Saint Lin (now Laurentides), Québec. His father, Carolus Laurier, was a farmer and land surveyor. Laurier's mother, Marcelle Martineau Laurier, died when he was four, and he was raised by his stepmother.

While still young, Laurier was sent to a Protestant school in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, some distance from his home. Living there with an Irish family, he learned fluent English. His next school was L'Assomption College, which he attended from 1854 to 1861. He then went to McGill University to study law.

While he was at the university, he entered the law office of Rodolphe Laflamme, one of the leaders of the Parti rouge, the most liberal political faction in Québec. He also joined the Institut Canadien, a literary and scientific society that attracted many young liberals and radicals. Both the Parti rouge and the Institut were under steady attack by the Roman Catholic clergy, who had extended Pope Pius IX's denunciation of liberalism in Europe to include liberals in Québec. Although a Catholic, Laurier consistently defended his right to hold political beliefs not endorsed by the church, a stand that was to incur the clergy's opposition to his political advancement in the future.

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In 1864 Laurier became a lawyer and joined a Montréal law firm. However, due to poor health he decided to move to the country. In 1866 he settled in Arthabaskaville (now Arthabaska), in south central Québec.

III

Early Political Career

Laurier's first venture into politics came in 1871, when he ran for the Québec provincial legislature from Arthabaska. His opponent had held the seat for some time and was expected to win again. Laurier campaigned hard and won decisively. In 1874 he resigned his seat in the provincial house to run for the federal Parliament. He was again successful. His first important speech, made in French, glorified the British Empire. In it he stressed that his liberalism was of the moderate British type, not the radicalism of the European continent that had been attacked by the Pope. Although he failed to gain immediate support for his program, he opened the way for Catholics to vote for him with a clear conscience.

IV

Minister

By 1877 Laurier had already proved himself one of the most promising young men in the Liberal Party, which consisted of a union between the Parti rouge in Québec and the Grits in Ontario. In October of that year the minister of inland revenue, Joseph Cauchon, resigned. Alexander Mackenzie, the Liberal prime minister, chose Laurier to succeed Cauchon. However, by Canadian law at that time a newly appointed minister was obliged to run for Parliament again. The clergy mounted a violent campaign against Laurier, some even saying from the pulpit that it would be a sin to vote for him. Their attack was successful, and Laurier lost. The party thought that he was too valuable to lose, and the member from the eastern region of Québec was persuaded to resign in order to give Laurier a seat. He continued to hold this seat for 40 years.

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