A Nation Emerges The Laurier Era, 1896 - 1911

Why the Bold Statement? The Laurier years were a time of rapid economic growth and were often called the “Golden Years”. Domestic and Foreign Trade was up Wheat, minerals, and lumber By 1910, most of the Prairies were settled and being farmed

It was also a time of industrial/urban growth, fueled by immigration However, prosperity was not evenly distributed for all Canadians Not all regions benefited from the boom and the gap between rich and poor widened Regional Disparity Western Canada was filling up Ontario / Quebec urbanized Maritimes stagnated

Laurier seemed like the perfect politician and PM – charisma? He was bilingual and moved with ease between both cultures: many thought he could solve the deep rivalries between the French and English... He came to be known as the “Great Compromiser”, an approach that had both advantages and disadvantages…

Manitoba Schools Issue French Manitobans were guaranteed bilingualism and a right to their religion under the Manitoba Act of 1870. In 1890, Manitoba passed the Manitoba Schools Act, cutting off money from French Catholic schools, making English the only language of instruction. French Canadians in Manitoba appealed to Ottawa and John A. Macdonald for help. Macdonald decided to ignore the issue He was afraid of alienating his English supporters.

Laurier’s Solution In 1896, Laurier came up with a compromise: Province didn’t have to support a Catholic school board But make available staff and space for half hour of religious instruction at the end of each school day A French speaking teacher would be provided, in classes where ten or more students spoke French. The compromise was accepted, but did not satisfy everyone completely…

The Boer War By the end of the 1800s, Canadians had a firm sense of identity… but generally saw themselves as part of the larger British Empire The British placed more demands on its empire Laurier was reluctant to just give in to British pressure In 1898 when Britain went to war against the Boers (Dutch setters and farmers) in South Africa over colonial and territorial disagreements. British expected help

Laurier’s Solution French Canadians were not interested in fighting Britain's wars English Canadians felt loyalty to Britain and ought to send troops. Again, Laurier decided to make a compromise Canada would send no official armed forces to South Africa But the government would equip and transport a volunteer force to serve in the British army. 7300 Canadian volunteers enlisted to fight for Britain.

A Truly Canadian Solution In Quebec, Laurier could say that he hadn’t sent an army and therefore, Canada would have no ties to Great Britain in future wars In Ontario, he could stress that he had sent 7000+ volunteer soldiers to aid Britain. Laurier was trying to build up Canadian nationalism by appealing to both sides…this proved to be very difficult…

The Naval Crisis By 1902, the British were expecting a war in Europe The British placed pressure on Canada to contribute resources to build Britain’s navy. Laurier opposed this, seeing that it would lead to greater demands for military support. Soldiers, equipment, etc. Laurier politely declined to just write a check The British were NOT amused!

Laurier’s Solution Laurier told the British that Canada could best help Britain by strengthening itself first. Laurier wrote up and introduced the Naval Service Bill (1910) called for the creation of a Canadian navy (Royal Canadian Navy, or RCN). Canada’s first naval ships arrived in late 1910; the former Royal Navy cruiser HMCS Niobe and the second ship HMCS Rainbow. These two cruisers were used mainly for training purposes. This would appease the French and non-empire supporters, but an important clause was added: A Canadian war ship could go to war for Britain and be placed under British command only if the Canadian House of Commons agreed

Neither English or French Canada was pleased with Laurier’s Naval Service Bill Everyone ridiculed Laurier’s “Tin Pot Navy”, which consisted of 11 small ships by 1911 Laurier’s loyalty to both English and French Canada grew into a key issue in the 1911 election – he tried to appeal to both sides, but was “attacked from all sides”

The End of an Era Laurier lost the election in 1911 because of a couple of issues: The Naval Bill Reciprocity  Public Perceptions Being too soft to the French Being too friendly to the English Being Pro British Not being British enough In 1911, pro-British Canadians voted Conservative, and Robert Borden became the new Prime Minister.