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Date of birth: Place of birth:
Calling: National historic site:
"The 20th century belongs to Canada." Wilfrid Laurier |
Photo : Les Archives nationales du Canada
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Wilfrid Laurier was the
second child of Marcelle Martineau and Carolus
Laurier. He was steeped in politics from an early
age: his father, in addition to being a prosperous
farmer, acted as mayor, justice of the peace,
lieutenant in the militia, and school trustee. At
11, Wilfrid was sent to New Glasgow, Quebec, to
study and to learn about English-language culture.
This pivotal experience in his life enabled him to
develop an approach to relations between the
English and the French characterized by compromise
and calm. He pursued his education at the
Collège l'Assomption, where he did
brilliantly at his classical studies. In 1860, he
enrolled at McGill University in law; in 1864, he
was called to the Bar of Quebec.
Laurier was part of Liberal
circles in Montreal and played an active role in
the often stormy political debates of the day, but
because of his uncertain health he decided to leave
the city and cut back on his activities. He went to
L'Assomption and took over the newspaper Le
Défricheur. Shortly thereafter, he moved to
Arthabaska, where he began his political life in
earnest. In 1871, he was elected to the National
Assembly in Quebec City for the Liberals. He
supported his Party against the fears of the
Church, which was worried about the impact of
modernization on Quebec. In 1874, he was elected a
federal Member of Parliament. In Ottawa, he made
his mark very quickly by the pertinence of what he
had to say about bringing francophones and
anglophones closer together. The moderate character
of his Liberalism gained him wide respect. In 1877,
Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie offered him the
post of Minister of Revenue. But this promotion did
not last, because a year later his Party was
defeated by the Conservatives. Laurier decided to
leave politics.
In 1885, the Riel Rebellion
revived his desire to be a politician; he came back
and in 1887 he succeeded Edward Blake as leader of
the federal Liberal Party. In the elections of
1896, Laurier was elected Prime Minister of Canada
and became the first francophone to hold that
office. He remained in power for 15 years. The
Laurier government's achievements were
extraordinary: riding on an economic boom, Canada
expanded its trade, transcontinental railway
construction, openness to immigration, creation of
new provinces (Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905),
and agricultural development and specialization.
His National Policy did not prevent Laurier from
working toward closer ties with the United Kingdom
(preferential customs tariffs, support during the
Boer War) and the United States
(reciprocity).
The Riel crisis, the Manitoba
schools question, the Boer War, the construction of
a Canadian navy and the proposed reciprocity treaty
with the United States were all issues that
provoked emotional debates between French Canadians
and English Canadians. French Canadians were
fighting to preserve their culture outside Quebec
and opposed any rapprochement with England; English
Canadians were fighting to confine francophones to
Quebec and supported any move toward closer ties
with England. For more than 15 years, Laurier's
policy of compromise earned him the nickname of the
"Great Conciliator", and kept him at the head of
the country. In 1911, Canada was deeply divided on
the issues of reciprocity and naval construction.
The Laurier government's unpopular policies brought
about its defeat, and Wilfrid Laurier became Leader
of the Opposition until his death on February 17,
1919. A state funeral was held and he was buried in
Ottawa.
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