Macdonald and Beyond

MACDONALD IN 1887

• MACDONALD WON ANOTHER ELECTION IN 1887 BY A COUNT OF 123-92

• HE WAS IN JEOPARDY HEADING INTO THE ELECTION

• VILIFIED IN QUEBEC FOR KILLING RIEL • NATIONAL POLICY WAS NOT HELPING

THE ECONOMY IN THE MARITIMES

CONT…

• EVEN IN ONTARIO THERE WAS SOME ANTI MACDONALD SENTIMENT

• WANTED SPECIAL RIGHTS BECAUSE IT WAS THE “MOST IMPORTANT” PROVINCE

• ALMOST EVERY PROVINCE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BEFORE THE ELECTION OF 1887

• BUT MACDONALD STILL WON

BLAKE AND LIBERALS

• MACDONALD’S WIN CAN LARGELY BE ATTRIBUTED TO EDWARD BLAKE’S INABILITY TO UNITE THE LIBERALS

• BLAKE BECAME LIBERAL LEADER AFTER THE RESIGNATION OF ALEXANDER MACKENZIE IN 1880

• EDWARD BLAKE LIBERAL LEADER BUT NEVER ELECTED PM

BLAKE & LIBS. CONT…

• THE LIBERAL PARTY REALLY DOES NOT EXIST AT THIS POINT

• MACKENZIE ALLIED A GROUP OF NON CONSERVATIVES TO SECURE VICTORY AFTER THE PACIFIC SCANDAL

• SINCE THEN THE LIBERALS ARE A LOOSE COALITION OF PARTIES THAT DO NOT UNITE FULLY ON ALL ISSUES

• THIS KILLS THEM IN THE ELECTIONS OF 1882 AND 1887

LIBERALS SQUABBALING

• SOME LIBERALS FAVOURED RECIPROCITY TO THE US, OTHERS IMPERIAL UNIONS WITH THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

• THUS THERE WAS NO SET POLICY THAT OPPOSED THE CONSERVATIVE NATIONAL POLICY

• IN THE MATTER OF RIEL, MANY LIBERALS VOTED TO HANG LOUIS RIEL INCLUDING BLAKE HIMSELF

• THIS ROBBED THE LIBERALS OF BEING THE VOICE FOR QUEBEC

BLAKE’S MISTAKES

• AFTER THE RIEL EXECUTION, THE HOUSE HAD A MOTION BEFORE IT TO EXPRESS REGRET THAT RIEL HAD BEEN EXECUTED

• IT WAS A FREE VOTE, SO MANY CONSERVATIVES FROM QUEBEC VOTED IN FAVOUR, MANY ENGLISH LIBERALS VOTED AGAINST IT.

• THIS SHOWS BLAKE’S INABILITY TO WIN SUPPORT FROM A CRISIS FACING THE CONSERVATIVES. HE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED THIS TO THE HILT

• INSTEAD HE VOTES WITH THE “KILLERS OF RIEL”

LAURIER STANDS UP• ONE YOUNG LIBERAL HOWEVER DID RISE, GAVE

AN IMPASSIONED SPEECH, CONDEMNING MACDONALD AND ENGLISH CANADA

• IN THIS SPEECH HE SAID THAT MACDONALD HAD USED THE RIEL NORTH WEST REBELLION TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE NEED FOR THE RAILWAY

• HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE GOV’T OF MACDONALD FOSTERED THE REBELLION BY YEARS OF NEGLECT.

• THIS MAN SPOKE SO ELOQUENTLY THAT MANY IN THE LIBERAL CAUCUS ESPECIALLY FROM QUEBEC SAW HIM AS THEIR FUTURE.

• THIS MAN WAS WILFRID LAURIER

LAURIER CONT…

• BLAKE HAS NOW LOST TWO ELECTIONS AND THE LIBERALS LOOK FOR A NEW LEADER

• BLAKE HIMSELF SEES THE FUTURE OF THE LIBERAL PARTY IN LAURIER

• LAURIER IS PICKED TO REPLACE THE AGING AND NOW THE TWICE DEFEATED EDWARD BLAKE AND ASSUMES THE MANTLE OF LEADERSHIP IN 1887

MACDONALD’S REIGN

• MACDONALD FACES MANY PROBLEMS THIS TIME

• THE ECONOMY IS STILL SLOW SO HE BEGINS TO CONSIDER LETTING GO OF THE NATIONAL POLICY IN FAVOUR OF FREE TRADE

• HOWEVER THE U.S.A. STILL DOESN’T AGREE SO MACDONALD REVERTS BACK TO THE NATIONAL POLICY

1888: THE JESUIT ESTATES ACT

• JESUITS HAD LARGE LAND GRANTS • AFTER THE FALL OF NEW FRANCE

THE LAND WAS TAKEN BY THE BRITISH

• OVER 400,000 DOLLARS WAS TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN VARIOUS MANNERS TO COMPENSATE THE JESUITS

J.E.A. CONT…

• ONTARIO OPPOSES THIS ACT AND CALL FOR MACDONALD TO DISALLOW IT

• MACDONALD DID NOT WANT TO FURTHER ANTAGONIZE QUE AND ROMAN CATHOLICS SO IN THE END HE ALLOWED THE ACT TO STAND

J.E.A. EFFECTS

• ONTAIRO:– ANGRY WITH MACDONALD FOR

LETTING THE ACT PASS

• QUEBEC:– SEES THAT IT HAS NO FRIENDS IN ONT.

OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT– THIS REKINDLES THE DEMAND FOR A

DISTINCT SOCIETY

MACDONALD’S REIGN CONT…

• OTHER THAN THESE HURDLES (RECIPROCITY FAILURE AND JESUIT ESTATES ACT) LITTLE HAPPENS IN 1887-1891

• THERE IS THE MANITOBA SCHOOL’S ACT, BUT IT HOLDS LITTLE SWAY IN THE 1892 ELECTION

1891 ELECTION

• LIBERALS HAVE NEW LEADER, SO THERE WILL BE A REAL ELECTION FOR THE FIRST TIME BETWEEN TWO UNIFIED POLITICAL PARTIES.

• WHILE LIBS WIN IN QUE, THEY FAIL TO UNIFY THE COUNTRY AGAINST MACDONALD

1891 CONT…

• BY THIS TIME MACDONALD HAS BEEN IN POWER SINCE 1878 A PERIOD OF 13 YEARS. BEFORE THAT HE WAS IN POWER FROM 1867-1873

• MACDONALD WAS 75 YEARS OLD, AND CAMPAIGNED ON THE SLOGAN THE OLD MAN, THE OLD FLAG, AND THE OLD POLICY

PLATFORMS• LAURIER HAD ESPOUSED CLOSER TIES

TO U.S.A. AND FREE TRADE.

• MACDONALD SAID CLOSER TIES MEANT ANNEXATION SO PLAYED THE LOYALTY TO BRITAIN AND FEAR OF U.S.A. CARD

• HE EQUATED LAURIER TO SOMEONE WHO WOULD SELL OUT THE INTERESTS OF THE NATION TO THE AMERICANS

1891 RESULTS

• IN END CONSERVATIVES WIN 123-92

• LAURIER LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON THAT DAY:– NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE

LOBBY OF BIG BUSINESS – AND THAT THE COUNTRY WAS STILL LEARY

OF MOVING TOWARD THE USA

MACDONALD PASSES

• MACDONALD SERVES LITTLE OF HIS MANDATE

• HE IS OLD AND THE CAMPAIGN WORE HIM OUT

• WITHIN WEEKS OF HIS VICTORY HE SUFFERS A SERIES OF STROKES

• HE DIES 3 MONTHS AFTER ELECTION

SCENE FROM MACDONALD’S FUNERAL

CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP?

• WHO TO LEAD?

• D’ALTON MCCARTHY?– NOPE- TOO CONTROVERSIAL

• JOHN THOMPSON?– NOPE- TOO CATHOLIC

• JOHN ABBOTT?– SURE, WHY NOT?

JOHN ABBOTT: 1891-1892

• HE IS A SENATOR SO COULD NOT EVEN ENTER THE HOUSE

• HIS ADMINISTRATION WAS ONLY TEMPORARY, AND HE REALLY DID NOT WANT THE JOB

• ABBOTT HIMSELF STATED THAT THE ONLY REASON HE WAS HERE WAS BECAUSE HE WAS PARTICULARLY OBNOXIOUS TO NO ONE

JOHN ABBOTT

JOHN ABBOTT CONT…

• WHILE PM FOR ONLY 17 MONTHS HE DID REFORM THE CIVIL SERVICE MAKING IT A MORE PROFESSIONAL GROUP WITH LESS PATRONAGE

• HE WAS LESS SUCCESSFUL BRIDGING THE GAP OVER THE MANITOBA SCHOOLS QUESTION

• HIS ABILITY CAN BEST BE SUMMED UP BY THE FACT THAT DURING HIS SHORT REIGN THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY WON 42 OF 52 BYE ELECTIONS

JOHN THOMPSON: 1892-1894

• WITHIN A YEAR AND A HALF ABBOTT HAD RESIGNED CITING ILL HEALTH IN 1892

• AT THIS POINT THE CONSERVATIVES STILL HAVE NO ONE, SO THEY GO TO THOMPSON DESPITE HIS CATHOLICISM

• THOMPSON HAD REALLY BEEN RUNNING THE SHOW SINCE 1891 ANYWAY, SO THEY GAVE HIM THE MANTLE OF PM

JOHN THOMPSON

THOMPSON CONT…

• HE WAS ONLY 47 AND WAS FIRST MARITIMER TO BE PM

• FROM HALIFAX THOMPSON HAD BEEN A FORMER SUPREME COURT JUDGE AND WAS HAND PICKED BY MACDONALD TO BE CABINET MINISTER

• HE PASSED THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA ACT ESTABLISHING FOR THE FIRST TIME A CODIFIED SYSTEM OF LAWS IN THE COUNTRY

MACKENZIE BOWELL: 1894-1896

• THOMSON DIES OF A HEART ATTACK WHILE BEING KNIGHTED IN ENGLAND

• NOW WHO WILL BE PM?• G.G. WANTED BOWELL, BUT HE WAS

A SENATOR• CONSERVATIVES WANTED TUPPER• BOWELL WAS CHOSEN

MACKENZIE BOWELL

THE BOWELL MOVEMENT

• BECAUSE HE WAS FROM THE SENATE, AND NOT THE CHOICE OF THE PARTY HIS LEADERSHIP WAS NEVER SUPPORTED

• WHEN THAT HAPPENS YOUR LEADERSHIP CANNOT SURVIVE

• IN FACT HIS CABINET REVOLTED OVER THE MANITOBA SCHOOLS QUESTION

• BOWELL WAS OUSTED IN 1896

CHARLES TUPPER: 1896

• 1896 SIR CHARLES TUPPER RETURNS FROM LONDON POSTING TO ASSUME ROLE OF PM

• HE IS FATHER OF CONFEDERATION AND MARITIMER BUT OLD AND WITH NO TIME TO PREPARE BEFORE THE ELECTION IN 1896

• IN FACT TUPPER SERVES AS PM FOR ONLY 10 WEEKS THE SHORTEST TERM IN HISTORY

CHARLES TUPPER

1896 ELECTIONS

• AS THE 1896 ELECTION COMES ABOUT, THE CONSERVATIVES HAVE GONE THROUGH 5 LEADERS IN 5 YEARS

• NO LONGER CAN THEY BE CALLED A UNITED PARTY, NOR CAN THEY CALL ON LOYALTY TO THEIR FOUNDER

• BY NOW LAURIER HAS UNITED THE LIBERALS

LAURIER WINS!

• IN END THE LIBERALS GET THEIR FIRST ELECTION VICTORY SINCE MACKENZIE’S OF 1874

• NOW WILFRID LAURIER TAKES OVER THE REINS OF THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

• LAURIER’S FIRST TEST WILL BE THE MANITOBA SCHOOLS QUESTION