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Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Wilfrid Laurier was first elected to the House of Commons in 1874, and there he would stay for the next 45 years.  By 1887, he had worked his way up to the Liberal party leadership and, in 1896, the charismatic and eloquent Laurier became Canada’s first French-Canadian Prime Minister. While his 1899 decision to have Canada participate in the Boer War drew criticism from Quebec, the Laurier years were generally characterized by prosperity and optimism. Immigration and the settlement of the Canadian west soared and, in 1905, two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, were created. With his Liberals defeated in the 1911 federal election, Laurier transitioned into a vocal leader of the opposition. During the First World War, Laurier allied himself with anti-conscription forces, a stance that renewed Liberal fortunes in Quebec. He died in 1919, while still Leader of the Official Opposition.  An estimated 50,000 people lined the streets as his funeral procession wound its way through Ottawa, paying their respects to a legendary Canadian.

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We travelled across Canada with stops in the cities listed below. Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas with us during our kiosk activities and our roundtable discussions.

Province City Date Venue
British Columbia Vancouver November 9 Vancouver Public Library
British Columbia Vancouver November 10 Vancouver Flea Market
Newfoundland St. John's November 20 Memorial University of Newfoundland
Newfoundland St. John's November 20 Centre scolaire et communautaire des Grands-Vents
Nova Scotia Halifax November 21 Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Nova Scotia Halifax November 22 Halifax Stanfield International Airport
New Brunswick Fredericton November 23 Crowne Plaza Fredericton Lord Beaverbrook Hotel
Alberta Edmonton December 4 Prince of Wales Armouries
Alberta Edmonton December 5 University of Alberta
Ontario Toronto December 11 Toronto Reference Library
Ontario Toronto December 12 Centennial College
Saskatchewan Saskatoon January 15 Radisson Hotel Saskatoon
Saskatchewan Saskatoon January 16 The Mall at Lawson Heights
Quebec Montréal January 24 Promenades Cathédrale
Quebec Montréal January 24 Salon Cartier 1, Centre Mont-Royal
Quebec Gatineau January 31 Canadian Museum of Civilization