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.