Essay On Wilfrid Laurier

Wilfrid Laurier

Who was the man who was the so called “Greatest Prime Minister ever”?

Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, famously known as Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a strong lawyer, politician and a fine PM. It all started when he was born on November 20th, 1841, in Saint-Lin, Canada East/Lower Canada (present-day Quebec). Second child from parents Marcelle Martineau (mother) and Carolus Laurier (father), their first child died, so it was great to see Laurier not end up the same way. Laurier was the 7th generation in his family and a 6th generation Canadian. He was the son of a farmer, although his father wasn’t just a farmer, he was a mayor, militia lieutenant, surveyor, etc.

When Laurier first started to go to school, months later his mother

from tuberculosis, died in 1848. In 1852 it wasn’t till Laurier was eleven when he was sent to another town called New Glasgow, filled with many Scottish immigrants, to learn English. He soon spoke with a scottish accent. After nearly a decade at Roman Catholic College, he went to take up law at the university of McGill. Inspired by his father, both of them had a great interest in politics. He became a very strong speaker and later then graduated from university, also then meeting his future wife Zoé Lafontaine. He was happy then at the time, until he started coughing up blood, signs of tuberculosis, the same disease his mother died from, although he later he found out he had chronic bronchitis.

In around 1862, he became more familiarized around politics, he supported the liberal party.

After that, four years later, he moved to L’Avenir, Quebec, where he took up a job as the Editor of Le Defricheur, where he was defending liberalism and opposing some terms of confederation. Although it wasn’t an easy task to support Quebec at the time, he managed. After that, Laurier won a seat in the legislature as a Liberal member in 1871 but shortly resigned in 1874, also in 1874, he got elected into the great House of Commons. He served one year as a Minister of Inland Revenue. Then when the Liberal leader Edward Blake resigned in 1887, Laurier took over. The election of 1891, the conservatives won again. Then the death of the PM Sir John A MacDonald, the conservative party had collapsed and crumbled without

him.

After eighteen long years of the Tory government, in 1896, the election came along and Canada voted for Laurier and the Liberals.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier became Canada's first ever legendary francophone prime minister. As a prime minister, he recognized the issues of Louis Riel (politician and leader of the Metis), the Manitoba schools and the French and English people. PM Laurier was very determined and dedicated to making Canada a better country. As the time he spent as a PM, fifteen years, he has made great decisions and unlikely ones, signed bills like the Naval Service Act and the reciprocity, that may of ended his career. But while he was in the office, he grew Canada as a nation, the immigration increased, especially in the far West, leading to two new provinces we know now, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905. Also railways and continental lines were built. But then in his greatness came to an end, in 1911, were the Liberals lost the election. Although they lost, Laurier remained strong and continued to still lead the Liberal party. He also supported the to voluntary enlisted men in

WW1.

For all he did for Canada, sadly he died on February 17th, 1919 at the age of 77, as well as serving over four decades in the House of Commons and the longest serving leader of a major Canadian political party. This was a very sad moment, thousands lined up in Ottawa, Ontario to provide and give their support. He will always be remembered in most hearts, arguably the greatest Prime Minister Canada has ever had. He will be remembered, as he was put on the five-dollar bill.