Sir Wilfrid Laurier | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Laurier in 1906 | |
| 7th Prime Minister of Canada | |
| In office July 11, 1896 – October 6, 1911 | |
| Monarchs | |
| Governors General | |
| Preceded by | Charles Tupper |
| Succeeded by | Robert Borden |
| Leader of the Liberal Party | |
| In office June 2, 1887 – February 17, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Blake |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Duncan McKenzie (interim) |
| Minister of Inland Revenue | |
| In office October 8, 1877 – October 8, 1878 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph-Édouard Cauchon |
| Succeeded by | Louis François Georges Baby |
| Member of Parliament for Quebec East | |
| In office November 11, 1877 – February 17, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Isidore Thibaudeau |
| Succeeded by | Ernest Lapointe |
| Member of Parliament for Drummond—Arthabaska | |
| In office January 22, 1874 – October 27, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre-Nérée Dorion |
| Succeeded by | Désiré Olivier Bourbeau |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Drummond-Arthabaska | |
| In office July 1871 – January 22, 1874 | |
| Preceded by | Edward John Hemming |
| Succeeded by | William John Watts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier November 20, 1841 Saint-Lin, Canada East, United Province of Canada |
| Died | February 17, 1919 (aged 77) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Notre Dame Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Laurier Liberal (1917–1919) |
| Spouse | |
| Education | McGill University (LL.L., 1864) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Branch/service | Canadian militia |
| Years of service | 1869–1878 |
| Rank | Ensign |
| Unit | Arthabaskaville Infantry Company |
| Battles/wars | Fenian Raids |
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC (/ˈlɒrieɪ/ LORR-ee-ay; French: [wilfʁid loʁje]; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada.
Laurier studied law at McGill University and practised as a lawyer before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1871. He was then elected as a member of Parliament (MP) in the 1874 federal election. As an MP, Laurier gained a large personal following among French Canadians and the Québécois. He also came to be known as a great orator. After serving as minister of inland revenue under Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie from 1877 to 1878, Laurier became leader of the Liberal Party in 1887, thus becoming leader of the Official Opposition. He lost the 1891 federal election to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservatives. However, controversy surrounding the Conservative government's handling of the Manitoba Schools Question, which was triggered by the Manitoba government's elimination of funding for Catholic schools, gave Laurier a victory in the 1896 federal election. He led the Liberal Party to three more election victories afterwards.
As prime minister, Laurier solved the Manitoba Schools Question by allowing Catholic students to have a Catholic education on a school-by-school basis. Despite his controversial handling of the dispute and criticism from some French Canadians who believed that the resolution was insufficient, he was nicknamed "the Great Conciliator" for offering a compromise between French and English Canada. The British government requested Canadian troops to fight in the Second Boer War and Canadian financial assistance for the Royal Navy, which divided the country as English Canadians supported both requests whereas French Canadians did not. Laurier's government sought a middle ground between the two groups, deciding to send a volunteer force to fight in the Boer War and passing the 1910 Naval Service Act to create Canada's own navy. In addition, his government dramatically increased immigration, oversaw Alberta and Saskatchewan's entry into Confederation, constructed the Grand Trunk Pacific and National Transcontinental railways, and put effort into establishing Canada as an autonomous country within the British Empire.
Laurier's proposed reciprocity agreement with the United States to lower tariffs became a main issue in the 1911 federal election, in which the Liberals were defeated by the Conservatives led by Robert Borden, who claimed that the treaty would lead to the US influencing Canadian identity. Despite his defeat, Laurier stayed on as Liberal leader and once again became leader of the Opposition. During World War I and the Conscription Crisis of 1917, Laurier faced divisions within the Liberal Party as pro-conscription Liberals joined Borden's Unionist government. The anti-conscription faction of the Liberal Party, led by Laurier, became the Laurier Liberals, though the group would be heavily defeated by Borden's Unionists in the 1917 federal election. Laurier remained Opposition leader even after his 1917 defeat, but was not able to fight in another election as he died in 1919. Laurier is ranked among the top three of Canadian prime ministers. At 31 years and 8 months, Laurier is the longest-serving leader of a major Canadian political party. He is the fourth-longest serving prime minister of Canada, behind Pierre Trudeau, John A. Macdonald, and William Lyon Mackenzie King.