Laurier + Legacies

I waited to write this blog - not because I've been pretending to be a cowboy at the Calgary Stampede or neglecting this blog in order to watch Brits play football (both of which I'm guilty of) but because today is a special day in the legacy of Wilfrid Laurier - it's 122 years to the day that he was elected as the seventh prime minister of Canada.

Laurier holds a multitude of records among our fellow prime minister, including:
*First Francophone PM
*Longest uninterrupted time in office at 15 years, 2 months, and 25 days - or 5664 days in total
*Winner of most consecutive federal elections (that one he is actually tied with John A.)
*Longest-serving leader of a major political party at 31 years and 8 months (basically the age I am now...)
*Served under the reign of three different monarchs - Victoria, Edward VII and George V.
*The most traded prime minister, as his face is on the $5 bill and that is the most common one to circulate (that one is not official, just me speculating....)

Laurier was mostly known for his ability to compromise. From his handling of the Manitoba Schools Question, which took down Mackenzie Bowell's government, to the role he lead in the Francophone-Anglophone relations, his politics was dubbed as the "lesser evil" - do what is least evil of the options. Which seems like common sense politics, but sometimes common sense lacks in the world of policy.

What I'm wondering is how politics would have seemed during that era. With heart throb Teddy Roosevelt in the White House and Laurier in charge of Canada, it seems like it would have been a congenial and prosperous time. Journalism was healthy, railroads were being built across the country, and Alberta and Saskatchewan became baby provinces. And while Canada participated in minor squirmishes, including sending volunteer aid to help Britain in the Boer War, it was pre-World War 1, pre the world knowing just how shitty we could be to each other with massive weapons and technology. It seems like it would have been a relatively pleasant and peaceful time.

Of course, I'm looking at this from a position of privilege. This era was likely not very kind to people in lesser position, such as the Indigenous communities. Seemingly, there has yet to be a prime minister that has a decent record with Canada's Indigenous people's, continuing the systems of oppression and residential schools instilled by John A. They all added to the giant closet of skeletons that we have as our national shame.

It seems I'm not the only one who Laurier has impressed, both with his "lesser evil" tactics and his good looks (that might have just been me, but yeah, younger Laurier....) In a 2011 ranking, McLean's Magazine toted Laurier was the best prime minister in our history, a rank they dropped to second place in 2016 - Laurier now sits behind William Lyon Mackenzie King and ahead of John A. on their list of PMs.

It seems as Laurier has as many skills as that political cartoon from 1894 depicts. He was a higher pedigree of prime minister.

The Seventh One - Wilfrid Laurier

Wilfrid Laurier broke my computer. No really, I was doing research for this post, read a rumour that Laurier may or may not have fathered an illegitimate child, got excited, and knocked a glass of water all over my computer. It is now soaking in a bag of rice. I blame Laurier.

So I'm writing this on my mother's computer that as Scotch tape holding the screen together. Anyways, I digress. Back to Laurier.

Wilfrid Laurier was Canada's seventh prime minister and the first one since John A. Macdonald who the majority of Canadians have heard about. And his visage has graced the $5 since 1972, making him arguably the most recognizable Canadian politician, because we've all found him in a coat pocket or street somewhere.

Laurier was born in Saint-Lin, Eastern Canada - present day Quebec - in 1841. He was the second child to his parents Carolus and Marcelle, who created a politically-active household for their family. Because of that, little Willy grew up immersed in political debates and talk. His father had a hodgepodge of jobs, including farmer, surveyor, mayor and justice of the peace. Having such a range of jobs may have helped formed his liberal ideals that he passed onto his son. Another thing the father did that was fundamental in helping his son's future political career was sending him to a school in an English town at the ripe age of 11. Laurier attended school in new Glasgow - a community filled mostly with Scottish immigrants, which gave him an education on English way of life, as well as principals. He also attended school at the College de L'Assomption and graduated with a law degree from McGill University in 1864 - where former prime minister John Abbott was one of his instructors.

Laurier married Zoe Lafontaine in May of 1868. Zoe was an educated a bright woman from a well-known household and she held many prominent positions herself, including VP on the formation of the National Council for Women and VP of the Victorian Order of the Nurses. The couple had no children --- which is why the water-spilling rumour is so interesting. According to the lore, after 20 years of matrimony, Laurier fell in love with Emilie Barthe, a married woman who was passionate about literature and politics - a turn on for Laurier. While their relationship remains unknown, they exchanged multiple letters that suggest a romantic tinge blurred their friendship. On August 23, 1891, Laurier wrote to Emilie:

“I would like to see you, me dear, dear friend, not to have your explanations, but simply to see you, to hear you, to look in your eyes, to listen to your voice, to feel that it is you, to be sure of it, to enjoy the consciousness of it.”

— Wilfrid Laurier

I don't know about Laurier's specific romantic ideals, but this is more romantic than all of messages I have ever received on Tinder - combined. So yeah, it suggests some romantic tinges in there. Also, Young Laurier was a very handsome man, even by current standards.

Proof that Young Laurier was a babe.

So while Laurier and his wife Zoe did not have any children, it is said that he fathered a child with his lover Emilie - Armand Renaud Lavergne. This child grew up under the pretense that he was the proper child of Emilie and her husband Joseph Lavergne. This rumour was mostly spurred on due to Renaud Lavergne's resemblance of Laurier himself. 

All this love action is getting my computer all wet.

Back to boring old politics: Laurier was elected to the House of Commons in 1874 and served as Minister of Island Revenue under first Liberal PM Alexander Mackenzie. He became leader of the party in 1887, when he succeeded Edward Blake - John A. Macdonald's long time political foe.

After the nest of traitors in Mackenzie Bowell's administration and Charles Tupper's 67 day stint as PM, Laurier's Liberals won a majority in general election, where he would stay for a stunning 15 years, until 1911. Even after his time as PM, he remained the official Leader of the Opposition until his death 1919, meaning the guy loved politics to much that he never retired. Laurier holds the record for the longest uninterrupted time in office and is tied with Macdonald for winning the most elections - they both were voted into office four times.

Because of Laurier's decade and a half in the PM's chair, he has one of the most robust reigns to dig into. Which means I have to stop writing this blog so I can go and research the next one. Undoubtedly, I am going to lose a lot of time thinking of Lauier's love affairs and drying out my poor old Macbook.

Tupper + the Founding Fathers

Tomorrow, Canada is celebrating it's 151st birthday as a nation, a day filled with unabashed patriotism and excessive consumption of Molson Canadians. And Canada's birthday is credited to the group of white men who had the vision for the country - Canada's Founding Fathers, of which prime minister du jour, Charles Tupper, was included. 

Thirty-six men considered to be among the original Founding Fathers, with more added in as other provinces and territories joined in. The 36 men were a hodgepodge of politicians, lawyers, statesmen, journalists and other educated sorts. John A. Macdonald is the only other prime minister to be among the Founding Fathers. 

The criteria for being grouped into the Founding Fathers is pretty simple - you had to attend one of three conferences dedicated to building Canada as an independent nation under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom. The Charlottetown Conference was first, in September 1864, followed the next month by the Quebec Conference and finally the London Conference in 1867. Each conference had its specific purpose - the Charlottetown one was dedicated to providing the scope for the new nation while the Quebec Conference drafted the 72 resolutions which provided the bedrock for the Canadian Constitution. And at the London Conference, the British North America Act was created, paving the way for Canada to officially stand on its own two legs, with the maternal approval of Queen Victoria, often dubbed the Mother of Confederation. 

After confederation on July 1, 1867, or 151 years ago, history added other figures to the list of founding fathers, including Louis Riel and Amor De Cosmos for their roles in adding Manitoba and British Columbia to Canada, respectively. Newfoundland's Joey Smallwood was often called the "only living  founding father" when Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949,

In 1915, Charles Tupper was the last of the original founding fathers to die at the age of 94. A lavish state funeral was given in his honour, accompanied by a mile-long procession. Tupper's roles as a founding father and as a leading politician in Nova Scotia out-shadow his brief stint as PM - he spent a total of 67 days in office, which is now the average length of a Tinder relationship. It was the shortest time spent in the prime minister's office by any one person, including John Turner and Kim Campbell. 

There is a mountain just west of Golden, B.C. named after the shortest-stint PM. I think I will climb Mount Tupper sometime, just to say I conquered Tupper. It will matter to no one else but me.   

The Sixth One - Charles Tupper

A 24-year-old friend with an affinity for Dad Jokes asked which PM I was focusing on this week, and when I said Charles Tupper, they responded with "Is that who Tupperware is named after?" 

Womp womp. 

Instead of inventing those little reliable Tupperware containers that I always seems to lose, Charles Tupper  was the sixth prime minister of Canada, serving the shortest time in office yet - a mere two months. But despite his minimal time in the PM's seat, he did have a lengthy and lustrous political career, serving as premier of Nova Scotia and as the second High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (whatever the hell that means). 

Charlie Tupper was born and bred in Nova Scotia, start gin on July 2, 1821, when he was born in Amherst. He went to school at the Horton Academy in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and studied medicine in Edinburgh and became an doctor. According to a very precise Wikipedia entry, he handles 116 obstetric cases by the time he was 22 - I'm 32 and I haven't even gotten through all the prime ministers yet. He returned to Nova Scotia in 1846, a blooming good doctor. 

In regards to love, Tupper was a bit of a risky guy. He broke off a contractual agreement he made when he was 17 to marry the daughter of a rich Halifax merchant, instead opting for Frances Morse. Frances was also from Amherst - so from there in fact that her grandfather, Colonel Joseph Morse, is credited as founding Amherst. Together, the couple had three sons and three daughters (nice and fair....) with two of his sons - Charles Hibbert and William Johnston - following their father into politics. 

Tupper got involved in politicos at the behest of his friend, James William Johnston (...and the namesake of one of their sons) who was the Conservative Party Leader in Nova Scotia. Tupper won a seat in the Nova Scotia House Assembly in 1855 and became heavily entwined in Nova Scotia's politics. He became premier from 1864 to 1867 and was active in securing Canadian Confederation in 1867.

Upon confederation, Tupper entered federal politics and had an intense career - head of the Queen's Privy Council, Minister of Public Works, Minister of Railways and Canals, Minister of Customs, Minister of Inland Revenue - these are just a sample of the positions he could brag about on his resume. In 1883, determined to leave Ottawa, Tupper moved to London to become High Commissioner to the UK, an unpaid post. There he advocated for Canadian rights and promoted immigration to help settle the new counter. 

Tupper's resume is seriously impressive. I might plagiarize it for my next job interview... 

After the death of John Thompson in 1894, Tupper was the assumed frontrunner for the next PM. But the Governor General, Lord Aberdeen, had to unsettled beefs with Tupper and opted for Mackenzie Bowell instead. Bowell's cabinet was brought down when many in his party opposed his actions (or inactions) in the Manitoba Schools Question. Seven on Bowell's cabinet ministers resigned and demanded the return of Tupper. He officially became PM on May 1, 1896, just mere months before the election that swept the Liberals under political wonder kid Wilfred Laurier to power. This makes Tupper the first of three prime ministers to hold office for such as short time that they never sat in parliament as PM - along with John Turner and Kim Campbell. 

Upon losing the election, Tupper became the official leader of the opposition until 1900, paving the way for a new Nova Scotian to rise in the Conservative Party - Robert Borden. 

Tupper died in 1915, and was the last of the original Fathers of the Confederation to die. He is buried in St. John's Cemetery in Halifax. And until a studied Tupper, I had no idea Canada had the equivalent  of Founding Fathers - which I recognize as extremely pathetic. So I'm going to get into that on the next blog, centring it on Tupper himself.  

Pierre Berton - the most eloquent writer when it comes to prime ministers - described Tupper thusly:

A man of dogged character and methodical thought who had been able to read the old testament in Hebrew and the New in greek at the age of 19 and who, at 21, had become an evangelist with all forensic powers that calling requires.

I like that description. 

Mackenzie Bowell + The Manitoba Schools Question

The Manitoba Schools Question sounds like something a vindictive history teacher would put as a long-form essay question on a midterm. It just sounds daunting - and apparently it was, as it became a national crisis in the 1890s, and ultimately caused Mackenzie Bowell's - Canada's fifth PM - resignation. So let's get into the tapestry of this vindictive essay question. 

Background

Manitoba became an official province of Canada in 1870 and at the time had a roughly equal population of English-speaking Protestant and French-speaking Catholic residents. So while they were separated into Catholic and Protestant schools, they received the same amount of funding for public education. THIS CHANGED, however, when Thomas Greenway was elected as the first Liberal premier of Manitoba in 1888. In 1890, he nuked (figuratively speaking, of course) the previous system, opting in favour of an English-only government and school system. French Catholic schools stopped receiving funding from the provincial government. The Franco citizens of the province justly thought their language and culture were being suppressed by Greenway's discriminatory policies. 

Enter Mr. Bowell

As the Franco-Manitobans' complaints grew louder, it became a federal issue, landing at the Supreme Court of Canada not once but twice. Ultimately, it was ruled that the federal government had the authority to force the Manitoba government to re-instate funding to the French Catholic schools it was neglecting. As prime minister, Bowell struggled to lead on this issue which apparently was a national controversy, with opposing opinions dividing friends, families, and even Bowell's own Tory cabinet. Bowell did introduce a bill into the House of Commons to force funding to the Catholic schools, but it was an unpopular bill, especially among his own party, as it basically was a direct order to a provincial government, which was seen as an infringement of provincial rights. 

As the issue divided his party and his cabinet and smelling his own unpopularity, Bowell agreed to resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and thusly, prime minister. He was replaced with long time party faithful Charles Tupper, who was prime minister for all of two months, one of the shortest terms in office ever. The Liberals, under the leadership of wonder child Wilfred Laurier, capitalized on the division, being elected into power in 1896 - Laurier became the first officially elected PM in a long time and holding office for 15 years, so there will be a lot to write on him in a few weeks. The Manitoba Schools Question wasn't eased until Laurier took office and crafted the Laurier-Greenway Compromise of 1896.  The compromise re-established a Catholic School Board, sans government funding, allowed for a catholic curriculum in public schools, and for French to be officially taught in schools with more than 10 French-speaking students. 

Aftermath

Bowell was essentially just another caretaker prime minister at time where it seemed no one could hold office for longer than two years. He stayed in politics though, serving in the Senate until his death by pneumonia in 1917. 

This Manitoba Schools Question enraged many people across the country, as it was a pristine example of blatant discrimination. But it begs the question - where was this outrage for the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, who were having families ripped apart and children segregated into schools that were designed to kill their culture, language and way of living? Completely non-existent. Sometimes studying history is really depressing. Send a photo of a cute cat please. 

The Fifth One - Mackenzie Bowell

We've come to the Mackenzie Bowell blog, one that I have been eagerly anticipating because he re-tweeted me last week. I'm not even joking.

I think he's just as excited for this as anybody else. I mean, he's the only prime minister of old who has engaged me on Twitter, and I usually like anyone who gives me a shoutout on that voice box. 

Anyways, onto Mackenzie Bowell, who was the fifth PM of Canada, serving from December 1894 to April 1896. Overall, he had a long career in parliament, serving for nearly 50 years in total.

But before all of that, Bowell was born on December 27, 1823 in Rickinghailn, England, making him the first PM to not hail from either Canada or Scotland. He immigrated to Canada when he was 12 years old, settling in Belleville, Ontario, which is where he planted some major roots and where he was laid to rest at the Belleville Cemetery. The Bowell family settled there because Mackenzie's dad, John, a cabinet maker, had some family there. 

In 1834, little Mackenzie started working as a "printer's devil" for the Intelligencer, a local publication owned and operated by a guy named George Benjamin. This work would prove to be fruitful for Bowell, who eventually became a partner in the business and later the sole owner of the operation in the 1850s. Like Alexander Mackenzie, the second PM, Bowell's rise to politics was facilitated by journalism and newspapers, meaning the two shared a name and a career to some degree. 

There is little information on his romantic life but he did marry Harriet Moore in 1847. The couple had nine children - five sons and four daughters - but there are no details as to their pursuits. He was a widower by the time he served as PM. 

Upon Canada's confederation in 1867, Bowell was elected to the House of Commons, holding his seat in the Hastings North riding for the next 25 years. It was ultimately his diverse portfolio that elevated him to the highest office in Canada. When John Thompson died suddenly of a heart attack while visiting Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle, Bowell was asked to become prime minister because he was the longest serving cabinet member with the most experience in a wide-range of portfolios - he held a customs portfolio, was the acting minister of railways and canals, minister of militia and defence and later the trade and commerce portfolio. The Earl of Aberdeen, the Governor General, officially asked Bowell to take the prime minister's seat on December 21, 1894, where he sat for just over a year and four months - not a substantial amount of time defining him as a "short-term prime minister".

The issue that Bowell is most notable for during his time as PM is the Manitoba Schools Question. In the Cole's Notes version: Manitoba as a province decided to no longer provide funding for denominational schools - basically separating schools in to Roman Catholic or Protestant. This became a national crisis in Canada at the time and was the biggest issue facing votes in the 1896 election. The issue even caused Bowell to resign, leading Charles Tupper to take over for a short stint as PM. And because I really don't know much about it, I'm going to write about it so eloquently on the next blog. 

All in all, Bowell is most known for his career in public service, as he remained in the senate even after his time as prime minister. A 2016 survey by Maclean's ranks Mackenzie Bowell as the eight most effective prime minister out of 10 in the class of Short Term prime ministers - short-term means serving under two years as PM. But right now, Bowell is at the top of my list as cool PMs because he's active and engaging on Twitter. Nicely done, Mackenzie! 

John Thompson + What happens when a PM dies

Is it weird that I don't really know what happens when a prime minister dies in office? There isn't a well known precedent as to what happens when the leader of our country dies while leading it. And while we haven't had a PM die in office since John Sparrow Thompson died while visiting Queen Victoria in 1894, I still think it's odd that there is not a well-known protocol for the future of the country when the PM dies. 

In contrast, the US (please let me nerd out on it for a paragraph) has a very clear set of rules, thanks in most part to John Tyler. Tyler was the vice-president to William Henry Harrison, who took office in 1841 to die a mere 32 days later. For years, the lore was that Harrison caught pneumonia because of his insanely long inaugural address but he actually died from gastrointestinal issues from the dirty, gross sewage water in Washington D.C. at the time (the dirty water would also be blamed in the death of Lincoln's 10-year-old son Willy, who died during Lincoln's first term...) But after Harrison died, the US didn't really know what to do and if John Tyler would just be president until a special election could be held, or until the party, senate, or congress could decide on a new leader. Or if he would sit in the president's chair for the rest of Harrison's term and be expected to carry out and support Harrison's platform and policies in total. But nope, John Tyler was like "no, I'm president. That's what's happening. I'm president and I get to do what I want to do for the next three years and element months." That, by the way, is definitely not a direst quote. 

This became known as the "Tyler Precedent" and it became protocol for all the Vice Presidents there on after - he would become the president without being elected into the position and have full authority to execute his platform, not the one of his predecessor. It became official with the 25th amendment, which was passed in 1967. 

However, there is no Veep in Canada, so when a PM dies, things are left mostly to the reigning party to pick a new leader and thus a new prime minister. And this is where the Queen steps in - kinda. The Governor General, her official representation in Canada, officially is supposed to appoint the new prime minister, usually under the strong advice of the  until the controlling party. This is how Sparrow came into power, refusing to step in when John A. Macdonald died and ultimately stepping in when John Abbott was over it and wanting to retire. Upon his death, the Tories turned to Mackenzie Bowell because he was the most senior cabinet member at the time, having served in the House of Commons since confederation in 1867 - I get to write about Bowell next week, and I'm surprisingly excited about it.  

I heard a rumour that in the current administrations, the Minister of Finance is thought of being the most senior member, and therefore the obvious choice as a deputy PM, but there is no binding policies to that. And that insinuates that if Justin Trudeau croaked tomorrow, the Liberal Party would be expected to ask Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who arguably is also one of their more controversial cabinet ministers. Maclean's Magazine dubbed him "Canada's Most Expensive Minister".  In actuality, Ralph Goodale is considered deputy leader of the Liberal Party, so he would most likely be elevated to the PM's office in case of the death of JT. 

Some prime minsters have selected a Deputy Prime Minister, a role which holds more in title than actual responsibility. Pierre Trudeau was the first to do this in 1977, mostly as a way to reward the loyalty of Allan J. MacEachen, a long serving member of his cabinet. There has been no deputy prime minsters since the beginning of the Harper era in 2006. And the deputy PM would just ask as a caretaker PM until an official replacement could be assigned by the Governor General. 

The death of John Thompson probably caused as much confusion as I have now as to what happens when a PM dies in office. I really didn't know any of this until I read into Sparrow although it is something I was always curious of. It would be interesting to have a Vice Prime Minister of Canada, because then there could be a HBO show dedicated to the ongoings of the office, such as VEEP. It could be called VEEPM. I'd watch the shit out of that. 

The Fourth One - John Sparrow David Thompson

And again, I get to talk about another John – the fourth prime minister and yet the third to be named John. To be fair, John Thompson’s full name was John Sparrow David Thompson, which is a pretty badass name, so I’m going to refer to him as “Sparrow” from here on out.

So this little bird Sparrow served as the fourth PM of Canada, from December 5, 1892 to December 12, 1894 – a total of two years and seven days or 737 days (I did the math….). Sparrow was born in Halifax on November 10, 1845, making him the second PM to be born in Canada and like most other PMs and political figures from the era – with the exception of stonemason Alexander Mackenzie – he had a background in law. He was fundamental in the foundation of the law school at Dalhousie University and is known for writing the first Criminal Code of Canada.

All in all, he had a pretty squeaky-clean career and rise into politics. The only thing juicy about Sparrow is that he willfully changed his religion to Roman Catholic. His controversial decision was to please Annie Affleck, whom he wed in 1870. The couple had eight children – only five of which survived to adulthood.  

And his political rise was a poetic one. He served as attorney general in Nova Scotia before becoming premier in 1882. He caught the eye of John A. Macdonald, who considered Sparrow has one of his greatest political accomplishments. “My one great discovery was my discovery of Thompson,” said JAM. It was a happy political courtship.

As Sparrow was the apple of Macdonald’s political eye, he was the natural choice to succeed JAM when he died of a stroke in June 1891. The Tories, needing a new leader and a new prime minister, tried to court Sparrow into the job – but he didn’t want it. He declined the position because he felt there was a prejudice against the Roman Catholic faith he converted to for his wife. John Abbott reluctantly took the job as PM, and upon resigning a year later, finally convinced Sparrow into the job. And it’s interesting why finding a replacement for JAM was so difficult to do. Both Abbott and Sparrow weren’t keen on being PM, which suggests that the job of leading the country in the late 19th century wasn’t as glamorous or prestigious as the office would like to appear.

When Sparrow did take office, he wasn’t able to accomplish much. He flirted with introducing Newfoundland into the confederation, but that didn’t come to fruition until 1949. He made three appointments to the Supreme Court and travelled to Europe to argue for the seal harvest in the Bearing Sea – international relations in the 1890s.

Really, the most interesting thing about Sparrow is how he died – from a heart attack while he was in England. In 1892, he was honoured with becoming a member of Queen Victoria’s (who was the monarch for all of the PMs thus far) privy council. He died in Windsor Castle, leaving Queen Vicky with the body of a Canadian prime minister to deal with. His body was sent back to Canada, and is buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Halifax.

Sparrow was the second PM to die in office – the first, of course, being John A. Macdonald. And I find it interesting because I’m not really sure what happens when a Canadian PM dies – there is no clear and appointed “vice prime minister” as there is in the United States. And it brings into question as to who takes over when a prime minister dies or is incapacitated.

For this reason, dying in office is the most interesting thing that Sparrow accomplished as prime minister. And it’s what I’m going to write about next week, after I figure out the political process that goes into replacing a dead prime minister.  

John Abbott: The First Caretaker PM

Of all the PMs I've even done marginal research on so far (which is probably 13) John Abbott is the one I most want to have dinner with. I want to ask him some questions about his life, as he was quite an influential Canadian before his time in the prime ministers chair. At the height of his career, he was the highest paid lawyer in Canada, which was one of the highest paid professions in Canada - meaning he was arguably the highest paid person in the country in the 1870s and 1880s. He led a church choir and had a voice of an angel, was the Dean of Law at McGill University at age 34, and is the great-grandfather of Christopher Plummer. Yeah, I mean, I have some questions for him. 

When looking at his time in the PMO, one thing is amazingly clear - the man did not want the job. He wasn't into the charade of politics, with the banquets and the party politics and the people pleasing. He wanted to remain where he had been in Canadian politics for decades - behind the scenes. But John Macdonald's sudden death in 1891 left the Conservative Party without a leader and thus Canada without a PM. 

The Tories originally asked John Thompson to lead the party, but he too was reluctant of stepping into JAM's big shoes, and declined the offer (he would become PM, just a year after... so I get to write about him next week). Abbott was second runner up for the job - imagine that, being second runner up for a job you never really wanted in the first place. 

“I hate politics. I hate notoriety, public meetings, public speeches, caucese, everything to do with politics except going public work to the best of my ability” - John Abbott, third PM of Canada.

That's what I find most interesting about Abbott - his open disdain for politics and everything surrounding it. He had experience success in every other aspect of his life: a long and illustrious career, a strong and happy marriage, producing eight children, and being the highest paid lawyer in the country. He had to need to fulfill some political ambition or try to change Canada - so he didn't. He was just kind of a figure head, not ruffling any feathers or advancing the country towards any political revolutions. As Pierre Berton - the man I quote most because I want to write like him one day - wrote, Abbott knew he was totally unqualified for the position: 

"...he would enjoy a brief and not too glorious moment as the first native-born prime minister of Canada, in spite of his late leaders declared belief that he had not a single qualification for the office."

After a year in the job, he urged John Thompson, the man the Tories originally wanted, to take the prime ministership off his hands, and retired for mere months before dying himself. He died in Montreal on October 30, 1893.

John Abbott was the first "caretaker" prime minister, just going through the motions but making no waves, but he was not the country's last. Caretaker PMs are something this country has oddly relied on, almost as much as the PMs who lead the country for decades. If Abbott did anything, he was the first one who really didn't want this job. 

The Third One - John Abbott

One thing that is very noticeable when looking at a list of Canadian prime ministers is the high number of then named "John". Seriously, it would almost seem as if Canadians will be more willing to vote for you because you're name is John. 

That's not the case with John Abbott, as he never ran in an election. He became prime minister after JAM died in office in 1891. He was in office for one year and five months, which is not much time to move political mountains. However, Abbott was interesting as he was the first PM to step into shoes he never really wanted - but he wouldn't be the last. 

Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. First the basics. 

John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (I haven't thought of a good nickname for him yet...) was born in Canada - he was the first PM to be born in the nation he once governed. He was born in Saint Andre, in Lower Canada, which is just outside of Montreal. He had a well-to-do upbringing, which enabled him for the professional success he would reap over his long career.

Unlike some of the other PMs, Abbott also had a long and successful marriage - of the three PMs so far, he is the only one wasn't a young widower. He married Mary Bethune, who was from a well-to-do family herself. Her father John (another John) was the acting principal of McGill University. John and Mary had eight children, and are the maternal great-grandparents of Canadian actor Christopher Plummer (who my mother also claims to be related to). 

By the age of 34, Abbott was dean of the law department at McGill University (c'mon - I mean I'm 32 and still plant trees for a living...) Wilfred Laurier, future PM and face on the $5 bill was actually one of his students. And Abbott was a very successful lawyer in that time - some reports cite him as the most successful lawyer in Canada and the highest paid in his field!  He represented big banks and business in Montreal and... giant railway conglomerates. He was Hugh Allan's lawyer during the Pacific Scandal, when Allan bribed JAM with $350,000 for control of the cross-country railroad. Abbott was the person that received JAM's telegram, asking for another $10,000 and incriminating him in the entire incident. This guy was everywhere. 

Abbott hung around politics enough that when John A. died suddenly from a stroke, the Conservative Party asked him to take over (this was after another guy, John Thompson, declined the role). As Pierre Berton said in one of his detailed books: "In 1891, he would enjoy a brief and not too glorious moment as the first native-born prime minister of Canada, in spite of his late leaders declared belief that he had not a single qualification for the office." Apparently John A said of Abbott that he has "A sweet smile, all form the teeth outward..." I think that means John A. though Abbott was ugly, but I can't confirm that. 

Abbott, arguably, is the most interesting PM I've covered yet - the one I would most like to take for coffee and ask questions to anyways. He was the choir director of the Christ Church Cathedral, and apparently had a voice that could rival the angels. He represented every big player in Canada at that time, from the Hudson's Bay Company to the Bank of Montreal. He just seems interesting - and yet I can't really think of a topic to go into detail for the next blog. Maybe I'll re-examine that "from the teeth outward" comment.... 

No Knighthood for Mackenzie

Alexander Mackenzie - or Mackie, as I have so fondly dubbed him - was known for his humble roots, and paradoxically, he seemed to be rather proud of them. Instead of his political peers at the time, the majority of whom hailed from privileged backgrounds, Mackie was a stonemason, working with his hands most of his life before his political rise. 

He was also known for his stoicism. As described to aptly by Pierre Berton: He was not one to cry out in public; but then he was not one to chuckle either - and now I would like that as my epitaph. 

To Mackie, his role was to govern, not to rub noses with the political elite or use the office to impress people. This could be why he rejected the Queen Victoria's offers of knighthood not once but on three separate occasions. This makes him the only pre-World War 1 prime minister to not have the formal title of "Sir". 

Aristocrats were still thriving during the 1870s, including Mackie's reign as PM, and while the title doesn't hold as much value as it did a century ago, it was more esteemed back in that day. And it was also tradition for Queen Victoria to knight the heads of her commonwealth states. But Mackie  challenged the status quo by rejecting the knighthood, saying he was no better or no worse than the common man. 

“I have always held those political opinions which point to the universal brotherhood of man, no matter in what rank of life he may have taken his origin.
-Alexander Mackenzie, 1875”

While Mackie was the only PM to reject such an honour pre World War, after the First World War, reigning sovereigns no longer bestowed the title to any Canadian politicians. In 1919, Parliament passed the Nickel Resolution, formally discontinued the practice of foreign governments bestowing titles and peerages onto Canadian citizens. While I can't back this up with any formal research (what a blogger I am!) I think the reason for this was two fold: to establish the governments foothold as it's own, not allowing even the Royal family to decide the title or rank of a Canadian citizen; and likely because of the ebbing of the aristocratic way of life after World War 1 (this is mostly from watching Downton Abbey, when they almost had to sell the estate after, but then Matthew used his inheritance from his dead fiancé's dead father....) 

So this Nickel Agreement basically enabled the Canadian government to frown upon the Brits bestowing titles on their behalf. In 2001, the British government made a formal apology after knighting two Canadian citizens, citing they were unaware of their dual citizenship. Jean Chretien, who was PM at the time, "acted furiously", according to a Globe and Mail article from the time. He threw down the Nickel Resolution, saying the British government had no business knighting any Canadian. Chretien also used the Nickel Resolution when asking the British to not knight Conrad Black. Black ultimately gave up his Canadian citizenship in order to become "Sir" Conrad Black. 

So Mackie might have been ahead of his time, declining to be knighted and known as sir. This helped his legacy, as he is known to be more humble - and more sober - than his political counterparts at the time (*ahem, John A. ahem*). 

The Second One - Alexander Mackenzie

**Editor's/Blogger's Note: I'm writing this series while working remotely with little internet connection. I came into town to write this but forgot my notes in camp - an hour trek away. So this is a draft. Will update it with more insatiable information about Mackie as soon as I can. Also Mackie looks like a guy in high school who I once slow danced with. It's an amazing resemblance.**

The second prime minister du jour is Alexander Mackenzie, whom I will affectionately dub "Mackie". 

The Personal Low Down

Mackie comes from more humble roots than most of this political colleagues at the time. The 1880s, when Mackie came to power was still a time of Lords and Ladies, Barons and Sirs, and all of the fancy trappings that made Downton Abbey the most watch period drama. To be a politician in that age meant you had to be a white male with some money and most likely – though not always – a legal practice. It's this aspect of Mackie's personal life that makes him an interesting politician, especially considering the time frame. 

Like his predecessor John A., Mackie was born in Scotland in 1822. And for the romantics out there, Mackie came to Canada because he followed his sweetheart Helen Neil, who immigrated with her family in 1842. The two were wed in 1845, and the couple had three children, but life was not without tragedy - two of their children died in infancy and Helen died in 1852, making Mackie a 30-year-old widower. The following year he married Jane Sym, who faithfully helped him throughout his political career. 

Jane Sym, the second wife of the second prime minister. 

Mackie was a trained stonemason and while some of his political rivals help figuratively build the nation, he literally did it. He helped build multiple structures in the Canada East and Canada West (very descriptive names back then) including the Beauharnois Canal, near Montreal. He was naturally drawn to politics, having expressed interest the Chartist movement in his native Scotland. The Chartist movement advocated for democratic reform, which parlayed into his interest in the Reform Party of Canada – a parent of the current Liberal Party of Canada. 

In 1852, Mackie was working as the editor of the Lambton Shield, a reformist newspaper and his position allowed him to form a friendship with party leader, George Brown. With his new political connections and friendships, Mackie was slowly drawn into politics and was elected to the Provincial Assembly in 1861 and to the Federal Assembly upon confederation in 1867.

1873 was arguably a good/great year for the former stonemason. First, he became the leader of the Liberal Party and was at the helm of the opposition to John A's Conservative regime. And secondly, news of the Pacific Scandal broke (detailed in elegance in last week's post), leading tot he demise of John A and a chance for Mackie to rise to power. He took office on November 4, 1873, the day after John A. resigned. Apparently, he had little regard for the first PM and called him nothing more than a "drunken debauchee" – which, arguably, he was, at least a little bit. 

Government Highlights

While in the PM's office, Mackie accomplished important foundations for a budding nation. Here are a few highlights:

1873 - Formed the North West Mountain Police to help with the whiskey traders and work as PR with the First Nations communities in the Prairies. 

1874 - Introduced the Secret Ballot into Canadian politics – while it might seem like a no-brainer now, in those days people (white men) voted in a very public forum, resulting in brawls and public humiliation if not voting along popular ideologies. The Secret Ballot ensured that Canadians had a ounce of privacy at the voting booths, easing this tension. 

1874 - Founding the Royal Military College

1875 - Created the Supreme Court of Canada

1878 - Created the Auditor General's Office - this office is now responsible for auditing government and providing fact-based and objective information to Parliament, regardless of who is in power - talk about Democratic reform.

But he did leave some things neglected in government, most notably the Pacific Railway that was promised on John A. There was also an economic recession at this time, which many blamed on Mackie's liberal government. He was ultimately voted out of office in 1878, when John A came back into power - he remained leader of the opposition for another two years and in Parliament for another dozen, until his death in 1892. 

So Mackie was humble and believed in Democracry without artisocratisy. This is what led him to be a "people's prime minister" and refuse the Knighthood offered to him by Queen Victoria not once but three separate times. This made him the first pre-World War One prime minister to not be knighted and me to my next blog post, which will be entirely dedicated to that aspect of his life in politics. 

John A. + The Pacific Scandal

In comparison to our southern neighbours, Canadian politics has been plagued by few scandals. However, the biggest on in Canadian history happened under the watch of John A. Macdonald, during his first stint as prime minister – of course, in true Canadian fashion, he was redeemed and went on to serve another decade in power, post-scandal.

The Pacific Scandal, as it is known, did cause JAM to resign in 1873, leading to the first Liberal government in Canada. In a punchline, JAM’s conservative government traded political favours and the rights to build the cross-country railroad in exchange for $350,000 for election funds, a sum of money equivalent to over $6 million today, making it the largest scandal in terms of money on Canadian soil.

Okay so the downlow – In the late 1860s and early 1870s, JAM campaigned on a promise of confederation. A known expansionist and colonizer, JAM wanted to build a railroad from coast to coast, bringing the western territories (British Columbia) into the Canadian commonwealth and only July 20, 1871, BC became the sixth province in Canada. People were clamouring to get involved with the railroad, voicing various opinions on where it should go and how it should be built. One guy who wanted desperately wanted to get involved was Sir Hugh Allan, a Montreal-based business tycoon. So Macdonald and his cohorts worked alongside Allan and his cohorts to conjure a plan – in exchange for $343,000, Macdonald promised Allan the contract to build the Pacific Railway. Allan, however, had some shady investors – and by shady I mean American.

In Canadian politics during this time, there were some strong anti-American sentiments and the desire to keep the railroad from dipping south is what drove construction through the uncharted and rugged BC mountain ranges. This was to be an all-Canadian railway, free of American influence. So when it was discovered that Allan had used American-back funds in his deal with Macdonald, it made the scandal that much more repugnant to Canadians at the time.

News of the scandal broke on July 4, 1873, when the Montreal Herald,  and Toronto Globe both ran headlines dedicated to the “Pacific Railway Intrigue”. Over the course of the month, more details about the scandal began to emerge, including the fact that JAM had sent a telegram to John Abbott, Allan’s lawyer (and third prime minister of Canada!!…but more on that later) requesting more money.

            Telegram: Macdonald to Abbott at St. Anne’s, Aug. 26,1872, Toronto: “I must have another ten thousand; will be the last time of calling; do not fail me; answer today.”

In the summer of 1873, the Pacific Scandal on the tips of everyone tongues, and in the fabulous words of Pierre Berton: “with crisis swirling around him, Macdonald took to the bottle and vanished from sight.” He spent so much time in reclusion during the height of the scandal that summer that in early August, the Montreal Witness reported a rumour that he had flung himself into the St. Lawrence river, an action that obviously proved the government’s guilt.

However, JAM’s government didn’t dissolve until November, when it was debated in Parliament. On Monday, November 3, 1873, Parliament was packed to hear a verbal duel between Macdonald and his political rival, Edward Blake. JAM’s speech, according to all records, was mesmerizing, and even the left-leaning publications at the time, such as the Toronto Globe, said it was "extraordinary". Some credited JAM’s rousing speech to the straight gin the pageboys were pouring into his glasses “at regular intervals”, according to Pierre Berton’s book, The National Dream. Apparently each of the pageboys thought that the other was pouring water while he alone was responsible for the gin. However, Berton wrote, “Macdonald was driven by another, more powerful stimulation. He was fighting with his back to the wall for his career; only he could salvage it.”

Despite his rousing speech and his desperation to save his political career – and, by proxy, the national railroad – JAM saw he had lost the trust of the people. He had four counts against him: personal corruption, selling the railway to American interests, granting corrupt and improper concessions and “having obtained money from a suspicious source and having applied it to illegitimate purposes”. While he was only convicted of the fourth charge, it was made worse and more hypercritical by the fact that he was Minister of Justice at the time. JAM resigned on November 5, 1873, resulting in the rise of the first Liberal government in Canada, led by Alexander Mackenzie. Under Mackenzie rule, the Pacific Railway lay mostly neglected and it wasn’t completed until after JAM returned to power, in 1885.

The Pacific Scandal was the first and arguably the most drastic scandal in Canadian politics – there hasn’t been one to cause the downfall of the government since. But that doesn’t mean it has been scandal free. The CBC ranks the Pacific Scandal as the top political scandal in Canadian history - however, this ranking was done in 2010, before the Duffy Scandal in which Senator Mike Duffy, along with three other senators, was investigated for claiming living and travel expenses from the Senate. In my memory, this scandal caused the most hubbub in recent years, and it was only over $90,000, which was ultimately repaid. This is peanuts compared to the $350,000 (or $6,885,000) of the Pacific Scandal. 

While researching this, I cam across some other hair-raising scandals stemming from Ottawa. Most notable was the Hospital Document Scandal, in which Francis Fox (a name worth of Frank Underwood's regime) was forced to resign from his post as Solicitor General in 1978 after he was discovered to have helped his lover get an abortion. Fox signed the name of lover's husband on the hospital documents in order to procure the abortion. Like John A. Macdonald, Fox returned to politics after resigning, returning to cabinet as Minister of Communications. 

Maybe we do have more trivial scandals than our neighbours to the south. Instead of arguing about Benghazi or Stormy Daniels, Canadian pundits get to comment on #ElbowGate, in which current prime minister Justin Trudeau elbowed two members of opposition parities in the House of Commons. Or my personal favourite, #FartGate, where MP Michelle Remple was accused of using "unparliamentary language" in the House of Commons for passionately using the word "fart" in one of her speeches. Her accuser? None other than Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, proving that May doesn't like any kind of gas emissions (...hehe). 

In all, John Macdonald might be the most complex man to ever sit in the prime ministers office. While his accomplishments, such as the confederation of Canada and the completion of a national railway, can't be ignored, he also left us with an institution that impoverished First Nations peoples for decades and racist sentiments that can still be felt throughout our country. Boy did he ever leave us one complicated legacy.  

The First One - John A. Macdonald

As they say, the best place to start is at the beginning, which is where I will start this list on prime ministers, which brings me to John A. Macdonald, who I will affectionally refer to as JAM from here on out. It is a pretty tasty acronym (I'm sorry). 

If you ask most people to name a prime minister, JAM will likely be on the list, because as the first PM to hold office, he also left us with a complicated legacy that is still being debated. He is most reputedly known for his alcoholism and racist sentiments, including his abusive treatment of Canada's First Nations communities. This is what keeps him in current conversations, where his face graces the Canadian $10 bill. 

As mentioned, I want to divide each PM into two separate nice blog-sized segments - one a general biography of the PM and a second a more nuanced look at one feature of their time in office.  And that nuanced aspect I want to explore with JAM is the Pacific Scandal - because it is the first and arguable the biggest scandal in Canadian political history. 

But first, the basics.

The Personal Low Down

John Alexander Macdonald was born on January 10, 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland. At seven years old, he witnessed a tragedy he would carry with him for the rest of his life. JAM, along with his younger brother, James, were left in the care of a babysitter, who forced the boys to chug gin. The babysitter would go on to beat the younger Macdonald with a cane, resulting in his death. According to a biography, penned by Patricia Phenix, while it was never talked about in his youth, it is something that JAM never forgot about. 

After becoming a lawyer with a booming practice, JAM married his first cousin (which was a thing they did at that time) Isabella Clark in 1842  until her untimely death in 1857. He remarried 10 years later, this time to Agnes Bernard, who was the daughter of a upper middd class parents - she received the title of the First Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe after JAM's death in 1891, However it was a title only bestowed to her, and was not passed down to any of her descendants. And overall, JAM had three children, including Hugh Allan Macdonald, who went on to become the eight premier of Manitoba, and a daughter Mary, who suffered both physical and mental disabilities. And on a personal note, I'm currently dating a guy with the last name Macdonald who says there is family lore that they are, in fact, descendants of JAM. I have no concrete evidence to back this up, just a story and the will to believe, and sometimes, that should be enough. And he does have a resemblance to JAM, as I observed by comparing my boyf to the image on the $10 bill. 

One personal aspect of JAM's life that muddled his professional one was his dependency on alcohol. He was known to binge drink, often refusing to get out of bed after sessions. According to a National Post article, there was an incident when JAM was in the military. In 1866, the Niagara Peninsula was invaded by a bunch of Civil War veterans in a weak attempt to gain Irish Independence (I have no clue how it's related, but it's something that happened). JAM was a the minister of militia for what was then the Colony of Canada, and while he was receiving frantic telegrams about he invasion, he was "reportedly too drunk to even read them." 

His alcoholism impacted his leadership capabilities and it is kind of interesting to think if Canada would be different today if JAM was sober for more of his time in office - if he was probably able to defend some of the bills he was too drunk to in Parliament.

Macdonald was elected as Canada's first prime minister on July 1, 1867, where he served until 1872, when he was forced to resign over the Pacific Scandal (which I'll get into next week - imagine a bunch of railroads and men who look like the Monopoly man....). However, JAM won over Canadian electors and regained the top job in Canadian politics in 1878, where he served until his death in 1891. Other than William Mackenzie Lyon King, JAM spent the second-longest amount of time at the helm of our country, serving a total of 18 years, 11 months, and four days in office (I did the math). 

Those are some of the basic stats on Canada's first, and arguably, most controversial prime minister. The next post will be dedicated to two different things: First, what is regarded as the biggest scandal in Canadian political history, and how JAM was at the centre of it all. And also on that complicated legacy he left us - I'm saving this because I need a bit more time to really delve into this aspect of JAM. 

From presidents to prime ministers

I have a bit of a problem - I like to talk about US presidential history. Like a lot, to the point where it is a hinderance. For example, when meeting new people, all I think is:

"Don't talk about presidents.
Don't talk about presidents.
I have already forgotten their names.
Don't talk about presidents."

This insatiable need to discuss the impacts of individual presidencies on the overall political tapestry started with Spielberg's 2012 film, Lincoln, which I can't watch without crying. This led to reading the epic book by personal idol, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and ultimately to Lillian Cunningham's podcast Presidential, which chronicled every president, in order, in advance of the 2016 election. Confession: I have listened to every episode multiple times and can confirm that Millard Fillmore does look a lot like Alec Baldwin.

This trait of mine is particularly odd considering I'm Canadian. It has happened more than once: I'm blabbering on about how hard it was for President Pierce (two before Lincoln) as he lost his son right before taking office, when someone asks, "Can you name all of our Prime Ministers?"
"Yeah, that doesn't matter as much, but you see, James Buchanan, who was the first and only bachelor president – yeah, now most historians think he was gay...."

I don't know much about the men and token woman who have been at the helm of Canadian politics. I know some of the standard stuff, like John A. Macdonald was the first one, and Lester Pearson has an airport named after him. But I don't know the nuances that make them interesting. The details, the family drama, and how their personal experiences have impacted the country. 

So that is what I'm setting out to do: learn about prime ministers in a way that is more personal than a high school history text book. In the coming weeks, I'll look at each PM, starting at the beginning with John A. I figure the best way to dissect each prime minister into nice, little, blog-sized pieces is to divide it into two separate posts: one dedicated to their background basics (when/where they were born, who they married, their respective rise to power) and one focusing on a specific aspect of their time in the prime minister's office, and how it affect the Canadian political tapestry (if it did at all). There have been 23 people in the prime ministers office. Some, like John Turner, were only there for mere months, while others, like William Lyon Mackenzie King, spent decades in power. And while some shaped the country more than others, they all must have some story worth telling.

Hopefully this, if not making me a more robust conversationalist at my next dinner party, will enable me to win some trivia nights at my local bar.