Transcript 1911 Federal Election

1911 Federal Election
Was it time for Laurier to go?
1911 Federal Election in
Canada
 Laurier was faced with deserters in his own party, and
struggled to maintain a base of support in Quebec, a
traditionally Liberal province.
 The 1911 election would be the first single-issue free
trade election fought in Canada, and Canadian voters
rejected reciprocity.
 This decision would stand until the next free-trade
election in 1988. Nationalist forces in Quebec emerged
onto the federal political scene, which would be the
beginning of a long tradition of third-party politics in
Quebec.
1911 Historical Background
 Wilfrid Laurier’s Liberals had been in power
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since 1896, winning elections in 1900, 1904,
and 1908.
The Liberals seemed to be running out
of innovative ideas. Several factors
would set the stage for the 1911
election:
Creation of the Royal Navy
Reciprocity with the United States
Revolt of the Eighteen
Creation of the Royal
Canadian Navy
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Quebec Nationalists were opposed to the creation of a
Canadian navy because:
They saw it as a pledge for Canadian participation in
Britain’s wars
They saw it as an abandonment of Canadian autonomy
The Nationalists were led by Henri Bourassa. He
abandoned Laurier to work with Robert Borden and the
Conservatives.
Laurier now faced opposition to the naval bill from the
Conservatives and Bourassa’s Nationalists.
Faced with an election, he needed an issue that would
distract attention away from the naval question. He found
that in the free trade agreement.
Royal Canadian Navy
Reciprocity with the United
States
Laurier felt that the Canadian economy was strong enough to
restart reciprocity negotiations. Laurier also believed that free
trade would increase his support among westerners. He and
President Taft of the USA began negotiations in 1910, and by
January of 1911 they had worked out an arrangement on the
following terms:
 Raw materials would be allowed to flow freely across the
border
 Some manufactured items would be admitted at lower tariffs
 This deal initially seemed favourable to Canada. Even Borden
was worried that all Canadians would support it. However,
opposition to reciprocity soon began to emerge. The
Conservatives were strongly opposed to free trade because
they felt that Laurier was selling out Canada to the United
States.
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Reciprocity
Revolt of the Eighteen
 Clifford Sifton left the Liberal party to work with
Borden’s Conservatives against free trade.
 This inspired the “revolt of the eighteen,” when 18
prominent Liberals issued a manifesto calling the
reciprocity agreement “the worst blow ever to threaten
Canadian nationality.”
 Borden accepted the aid of the Liberals who had left
their party. This caused controversy within the
Conservative Party. However, when Borden threatened
to resign over the conflict, the party rallied behind him
to present a united front in the coming election.
 Borden and the Conservatives were convinced that
these events meant they could have success in the
election. Laurier was heading into the election facing
opposition from business interests, the Conservatives,
Quebec Nationalists, and even members of his own
party.
Clifford Sifton
Political Party Profiles
 The 1911 election was a traditional two-
party election in Canada. However,
forces started to emerge which
suggested that third-party interests
were starting to become more
prominent in Canadian politics.
Bourassa’s Nationalists were devoted
solely to Quebec’s interests, and they
were able to exert influence through
their alliance with the Conservatives.
The Liberal Party
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The Liberals had been in power for
15 years with a majority
government.
By 1911, Laurier was in ill health
and seemed to be reluctant to
embrace change.
The Liberals had run out of ideas,
which prompted them to adopt the
controversial naval bill and
reciprocity agreements.
The Liberals would be plagued with
internal divisions.
Their 1911 election was not
characteristic of the strong Liberal
party of the preceding 15 years.
Their influence in Canadian politics
was starting to decline.
The Conservative Party
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In 1911, the Conservatives would
form coalitions with several other
political interests in Canada to
oppose the Liberal policies of free
trade and the naval bill.
The most important of these would
be the Quebec Nationalists led by
Henri Bourassa.
This Conservative-Nationalist
Alliance was able to campaign
throughout the election as a united
party that was supported by Quebec
nationalists, Liberal insurgents who
had deserted Laurier, and business
interests.
Wilfrid Laurier- Liberal
 The following are Laurier’s political
highlights:
 Member of the Legislative Assembly of
Quebec 1871-1874
 Elected to the House of Commons 1874
 Leader of the Liberal Party 1887-1919
 Leader of the Official Opposition 18871896
 Prime Minister 1896-1911
Wilfrid Laurier
Robert Laird BordenConservative
 The following are highlights of his political career:
 First elected as a Member of Parliament in 1896
 Leader of the Conservative Party 1901-1920
 Leader of the official opposition 1901-1911
 Leader of the Union Government 1917-1920
 Prime Minister 1911-1920
 Throughout World War I, Borden fought for an
independent voice for Canada in international affairs. He
attended the Paris Peace conference as the Canadian
delegate in 1919.
Robert Borden
The Election Issues
 Two primary issues emerged in the 1911 election.
The naval question was the primary issue in Quebec,
and issues of imperialism went along with it.
 In the rest of Canada, the question of reciprocity with
the United States emerged as the main issue of the
election.
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Reciprocity
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The reciprocity agreement seemed favourable for all Canadians.
Liberals argued that the Canadian economy could only improve by
lowering tariffs and expanding markets. However, those who opposed
it raised the following concerns:
Free trade would simply make Canada a supplier of raw materials for
American manufacturing
It would slow the movement to set up American branch plants in
Canada
Some Canadian agriculturalists would face stiff competition from
Americans
Free trade with the USA would run counter to the country’s basic
economic policies as started by John A. Macdonald – western
expansion to promote east-west trade
Since the agreement was to be put in place by legislation and not a
treaty, it could be terminated at anytime – this was a precarious
situation on which to base Canada’s economy
Although the Conservatives tried to raise other issues in the election,
in English Canada, the reciprocity issue overshadowed everything
else.
The Naval Question
This would be the defining issue of the election in Quebec,
with reciprocity playing a minor role. At the heart of the naval
issue was the question about imperialism.
 Quebec Nationalists were afraid that the Canadian navy was
going to allow Britain too much influence over Canadian
affairs. They did not want to see Canada entered into wars
which they should not be involved in.
 The Quebec nationalist Henri Bourassa led the anti-imperialist fight
against the Liberals. He thought that if Laurier was re-elected, he would
abandon the interests of French Canada.
 Bourassa also did not support reciprocity, because he thought Laurier
was using it to distract attention away from the more important question
of the naval bill. He would lead the Union government in Quebec.
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The Election Campaign
Liberal Strategy
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The Liberals focused on the economic benefits that reciprocity would
bring to Canadians.
“higher prices for our products and a lower price for our necessities.”
They dismissed the Conservative accusations that supporters of free
trade were being disloyal to Canada and to Britain. For the Liberals,
free trade was simply an issue of economic growth for Canada.
Laurier had always been able to balance French and English interests,
but he was accused of deserting his French countrymen by giving into
Britain’s demands with the Naval Bill
To counter this, Laurier pointed out the strange alliance between
Bourassa and Borden.
The Election Campaign
Conservative Strategy: The Bourassa-Borden Alliance
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The Conservative-Nationalist alliance was never formally set out, but Bourassa
would run 28 Nationalist candidates as Conservatives.
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The Conservative-Nationalist Alliance allowed Borden to focus his efforts in
Ontario, where he portrayed Laurier as disloyal to the British Empire.
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The Conservatives chose to appeal to the sentimental aspects of reciprocity with
the USA:
 They characterized free trade as a policy of continentalism and annexation to
the USA
 The accused the Liberals of being disloyal to Canada and to Britain
 They rallied the voters who were hostile to the USA by running under a slogan
of “no truck or trade with the Yankees”
 They pointed out that Canadians were sufficiently prosperous.
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Champ Clark (the American Speaker of the House of Representatives) said, “I
hope to see the day when the American flag will float over every square foot of
the British North American possessions…”
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In Quebec, Bourassa used his anti-imperalist messages to portray Laurier’s
policies as “moral evils.” He accused Laurier of abandoning Canadian autonomy
in favour of British military interests.
1911 Election Results
Population of Canada (1911):
7,204,527
Number of electors on list:
1,820,742
Total ballots cast: 1,314,953
Voter turnout: 70.2%
Historical Significance
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The Emergence of the Nationalists
The naval bill of 1910 was such a controversial issue in Quebec that
many felt the two major political parties could not address the best
interests of Quebecois. The formation of the Nationalists, led by Henri
Bourassa, marked the first time that a third party had become a
player on the federal political scene. This marked the beginning of a
long tradition of nationalist parties to emerge out of Quebec.
By creating an alliance with Borden, he was really supporting the
more imperialistic of the two national parties. Although the
Nationalists’ primary goal of knocking Laurier out of power was
achieved, Borden would still have had a victory even if the
Nationalists would have deserted him. However, Bourassa’s alliance
with Borden ultimately undermined the goals of the Nationalists, and
Bourassa’s party failed to become a significant political force.
Historical Significance
The Free-Trade Election
 Free trade elections in Canada have always been controversial and
intense. Although the 1891 election saw free trade as an important
part of the election platforms, it never emerged as the dominant
issue.
 The 1911 election was the first time that reciprocity had become the
defining issue of the election. The election strategies that were
employed be each party would become characteristic of how freetrade elections are fought.
 In 1911, as in the 1988 election, sentimental and emotional aspects
of free trade took precedence over the actual economic and
commercial aspects of the arrangement. Opponents of free trade
portrayed supporters as disloyal and treasonous Canadians. Just as
Robert Borden accused Wilfrid Laurier of negotiating “annexation” to
the USA in 1911, John Turner accused Brian Mulroney of “selling out”
Canada to the USA in 1988 (Ironically, the position of the Liberals and
Conservatives were reversed in these two elections). Free trade
elections have always been emotionally-charged, bitterly fought
elections in Canada. In 1911, Canadian voters made the historic
decision to reject free trade with the United States.