Thompson, from Nova Scotia, seemed like the perfect choice to take over the
fortunes of the Conservatives. Although reluctant to do so when MacDonald died,
he had taken effective control of the government as the Minister of Justice and
the government leader in the House of Commons. He quickly asserted his
leadership over the Conservative agenda and when Abbot resigned he felt ready to
become Prime Minister.
He had originally made his reputation in the House when he out up a fiery
defense of MacDonald's decision to hand Louis Riel. Manitoba also played a big
role in his Prime Minister ship due to the fact that once the Privy Council had
upheld the Manitoba school law, the next questions was whether the Federal
government had the right to overturn the law. Thompson referred this question to
the privy council and sat back waiting for their decision. The Liberal attacked
this as a stalling tactic but Thompson could not be pushed.
Although relatively young, at age 50, Thompson was invited to become a member
of the privy council and when he went too London to be sworn in, he dropped day
at the luncheon in Windsor Castle. The Conservatives had lost their best leader
and their best chance for the next election.