The South African War (1899-1902) & The Naval Crisis (1909) Sir Wilfrid Laurier & The Challenge of British Imperialism

Britain Pressures Laurier..... Pre-WW I: Britain seeking to strengthen ties with its colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) Britain expects colonies assist the Mother Country in solving imperial problems PM Laurier faces two such issues during his term as Prime Minister In both cases, English Canadians favor supporting Britain while French Canadians are opposed What course of action should Laurier pursue?

The South African (Boer) War, 1899-1902 South Africa became British colony when it was obtained from the Netherlands (Dutch) in 1806 Original Dutch settlers moved inland, establish two independent republics, Orange Free State and Transvaal, clear and farm the land Dutch settlers known as "Boers" (Dutch for "farmer")

The Root Causes of the Boer War 1885: Gold discovered in Transvaal Thousands of British settlers and prospectors pour into the region but are denied political rights by the Boer government British companies mining gold are heavily taxed by the Boer government Britain pressured to intervene on behalf of settlers and mining companies

The war begins.... October 1, 1899: Britain declares war on Orange Free State and Transvaal Britain asks Canada and other British colonies to assist the war effort by providing troops Laurier has to decide whether or not Canada should participate

A Conflict of Opinions English Canadians favored sending Canadian troops in support of their Mother Country "in its time of need" Lord Minto (Governor- General) and General Edward Hutton (British commander of Canadian militia) pressure Laurier to send Canadian soldiers to South Africa

A conflict of opinions French Canadians consider the conflict as "Britain's colonial war" and none of Canada's business Opposition to sending troops led by French Canadian nationalist, Henri Bourassa Grandson of Louis-Joseph Papineau and a political colleague, Bourassa soon became Laurier's fiercest critic

Laurier seeks a compromise Canada would raise a volunteer force of 1000 troops and pay costs of transporting them to South Africa Once there, troops would be placed under British command In total, 7000 Canadians served in the Boer War First time Canadian troops served in an overseas conflict

Reactions to Laurier's decision Neither side pleased English Canadians accused Laurier of avoiding Canada's "responsibility" to Britain French Canadians feared Laurier's actions would result in Canada being dragged into future British imperial wars Bourassa breaks with Laurier over the issue, resigning his House of Commons seat in protest

The Naval Issue 1909: Imperial Defense Conference held in London, England Britain faces rising threat of Germany, which is building a modern navy to rival Britain's Britain responds by building fleet of modern battleships Britain pressures Canada and other colonies to make a financial contribution to help pay construction costs HMS Dreadnought, British battleship

Laurier's Compromise Laurier resists British pressure for direct financial contribution 1910: Laurier introduces Naval Service Bill, a plan to build a Canadian navy under Canadian command In time of war, with consent of Parliament, the Canadian navy would be available to Britain HMCS Niobe, one of Canada's first naval vessels

Response to Laurier's Actions Robert Borden and Conservative opposition denounce Naval Service Bill as "feeble" and "insufficient" Tory humorist Stephen Leacock labels Laurier's plan a "tinpot navy"

Response to Laurier's Actions Bourassa and Quebec nationalists criticized plan as "going too far" Bourassa feared that Laurier would give in to British pressure if war occurred, as had happened in South Africa HMCS Rainbow in drydock at Esquimalt, BC

Laurier's Defeat 1911 Election: Laurier campaigns on platform promising Reciprocity (free trade) with US Combination of fear of annexation and opposition to Laurier's compromises (Boer War & Naval Bill) results in his defeat Conservative Robert Borden becomes PM Laurier will spend the final 8 years of his life as leader of the Opposition