Canadian History 1201Canadian History 1201

A Personal Profile Born November 20, 1841

French-Canadian from Quebec

Became Prime Minister July 11, 1896

Leader of the Liberal Party

In power for 15 years

The first French-Canadian Prime Minister

Known for his honesty, courage and sense of fair play

Excellent speaker

National unity was very important to him personally

A Personal Profile

Tried to work out compromises to encourage

French-English relations

Knighted by the Queen (hence the “Sir”); though he did not want it

Was against conscription

Was determined to maintain Canada’s control over her destiny in spite of Britain’s wish to the contrary

A Personal Profile

Worldwide depression of the 1890s was over

Nation experienced unprecedented growth

Immigration expanded especially in the West This led to the creation of two new provinces in 1905:

Alberta and Saskatchewan

Railways were expanded and two continental lines were built

“Golden Age of Laurier”

Factories opened which created new employment

and provided new markets for Canadian products

Efforts were made to reach compromises on those decisions affecting French and English Canadians

“Golden Age of Laurier”

Sir Wilfrid

Canada had to establish its own national identity

Divisions between the French and English grew more intense

Extent and nature of Canada’s participation in the wars of the British Empire was hotly disputed (Boer War)

The Challenges

The Challenges

The Naval Service Bill

Alaska Boundary Dispute

Reciprocity