Laurier Wilfrid - Wilfrid Laurier a pledge for Canada

Wilfrid Laurier, 1841-1919.

Roderick Stewart

Roderick Stewart is the author of three books on Norman Bethune: The Mind of Norman Bethune (1990), Norman Bethune (1974), and Bethune (1973). He is co-author with Neil McLean of the high school history textbooks Forming a Nation Vol. 1 (grade VII) and Forming a Nation Vol. 2 (grade VIII), published by Gage in 1977 and 1978 respectively. With co-authors Trueman and Hunter he wrote a senior high school European history text, Modern Perspectives, published by McGraw Hill Ryerson in 1979. He was Consulting Editor for the Fitzhenry & Whiteside series The Canadians from 1974-1980 and Co-ordinating Editor, Social Sciences for Gage Publishing in 1981-1982.

For many years Roderick Stewart taught History; he was History department head at several Ontario high schools. He has also taught English as a Foreign Language in Spain and China. He has been a book reviewer and interviewer in Toronto and London and a town councillor in Markham, Ontario. He is married to Sharon Stewart, who is the author of several novels for young readers, and currently lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

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Wilfrid Laurier

RODERICK STEWART

Wilfrid LAURIER

A PLEDGE FOR CANADA

Copyright 2002 Roderick Stewart and XYZ Publishing.

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency is an infringement of the copyright law.

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data

Stewart, Roderick, 1934-

Wilfrid Laurier: a pledge for Canada

(The Quest Library ; 17).
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-894852-00-1

1. Laurier, Wilfrid, 1841-1919. 2. Canada Politics and government 1896-1911. 3. Prime ministers Canada Biography. I. Title. II. Series: Quest library; 17.

FC551.L3S73 2002 971.056092 C2002-940314-6
F1033.S73 2002

Legal Deposit: Second quarter 2002
National Library of Canada
Bibliothque nationale du Qubec

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The publishers further acknowledge the financial support our publishing program receives from The Canada Council for the Arts, the ministre de la Culture et des Communications du Qubec, and the Socit de dveloppement des entreprises culturelles.

Chronology: Lynne Bowen
Index: Darcy Dunton
Layout: discript enr.
Cover design: Zirval Design
Cover illustration: Francine Auger
Photo research: Roderick Stewart and Rhonda Bailey

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Contents

T he short, sharp jerk of the railway car roused him from his reverie. The engine was pulling out of the station. Sir Wilfrid Laurier sat upright in his chair and glanced toward the door. Within moments, his companions would bring him the election returns from most of the provinces.

The train had stopped briefly to exchange passengers, and his companions had dashed out to collect telegrams they were expecting at the railway station. It was a rare moment of solitude and silence. Sir Wilfrid stretched, and then eased his shoulders into the soft leather cushion of his armchair. Sliding his hands lightly through his flowing white hair, he linked them behind his head and leaned back.

If only he could close his eyes, fall asleep, and escape from the demons that pursued him the grinding schedule that punished his body, the fears and doubts that attacked his will to keep on fighting for what he believed in.

But no, he wouldnt allow himself to sleep. Too much had happened, too much was at stake to think of rest. The train was on its way again; in a few moments his companions would return, and then he would know.

It was just after ten oclock in the evening. Since eight oclock that Monday morning, December 17, 1917, Canadians had been going to the polls to vote in a federal election, the first to be held in wartime. The choice for most voters was between a Unionist party candidate and his Liberal party opponent. There was only one issue. Voters who chose the Unionists, led by Prime Minister Robert Borden, believed that the government had the right to make able-bodied Canadian men join the armed services to fight, and possibly die for their country in the war against the German Empire. Voters who favoured the Liberals, led by Sir Wilfrid Laurier, opposed forcing any man to go to war.

His travelling companions re-entered the car and Laurier held out his hand for the telegrams. He felt a sharp pang of doubt, and for a moment, he hesitated, holding the telegrams. Then he read the first, and the hurt thrust deep. Ontario, the province with the largest number of seats in Parliament, had gone in a landslide to the Unionists. Numbly, he read on. He had swept Quebec, and had done better than expected in the Maritimes, but the news couldnt console him. Though he wouldnt know the final results from the West till morning, he felt in his heart that the voters there would reject him too.