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1911 Historical Background  

Wilfrid Laurier’s Liberals had been in power since 1896, winning elections in 1900, 1904, and 1908. Laurier had become an expert on bridging French and English interests in Canada to win majority governments. The Liberals gained support in the West with policies such as railway building projects.

However, the years immediately leading up to 1911 saw Laurier losing some of his support. The Liberals seemed to be running out of innovative ideas. Several factors would set the stage for the 1911 election:

Creation of the Royal Canadian Navy

 In 1909, the House of Commons approved the Canadian Naval Bill. However, when Laurier started to create the navy in 1910, he was met with opposition. He had always expected the bill to be opposed by the Nationalists in Quebec, but he was surprised at the opposition he faced from the Conservatives (mostly French-speaking Conservatives).

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, a Quebec politician. Bourassa had been a Laurier supporter, but could not support him when the naval issue arose. 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.

Reciprocity with the United States

Free trade, or reciprocity, with the United States had been discussed before, but had always met with opposition from Canada. However, 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.

Revolt of The Eighteen

Some Liberals were also opposed to reciprocity. The most prominent among these Liberals was Clifford Sifton, a western MP and a member of Laurier’s cabinet. He 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.” They were supported by business, manufacturing, and transportation industries.

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.

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