Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was 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. 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. He lost the 1891 federal election to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservative Party. However, controversy surrounding the Conservative government's handling of the Manitoba Schools Question gave Laurier's Liberal Party a victory in the 1896 federal election. He led the Liberals to three more majority governments in 1900, 1904, and 1908.
As prime minister, Laurier resolved the Manitoba Schools Question by persuading the Manitoba government to permit Catholic students to receive a Catholic education on a school-by-school basis. While this compromise drew criticism from some French Canadians, it earned him the nickname "the Great Conciliator" for balancing the interests of French and English Canada. Laurier also sharply increased immigration levels, oversaw the entries of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan into Confederation, and initiated the Grand Trunk Pacific and National Transcontinental railway projects. In foreign policy, Laurier promoted Canada's autonomy within the British Empire. His government dispatched a volunteer force to fight in the Second Boer War after Britain requested Canadian troops, established the Department of External Affairs, and enacted the Naval Service Act to create Canada's own navy.
Laurier's proposed reciprocity agreement with the United States to lower tariffs became a main issue in the 1911 federal election. The Liberals were defeated by the Conservatives led by Robert Borden. Despite his defeat, Laurier stayed on as Liberal leader. 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 was heavily defeated by Borden's Unionists in the 1917 federal election. Laurier remained Opposition leader until his death 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.
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