|
Origins |
Laurier Acts |
Royal Canadian Regiment
| Battle of Paardeberg |
Richard Thompson |
More Troops |
Relief of Mafeking |
The Boers |
Leliefontein |
Going Home |
Further Reading
Laurier was faced with
a difficult situation in 1899 with opposing demands and
expectations from French and English Canada as to how
Canadian participation in South Africa would be handled.
Laurier tried to please both segments of the country by
passively supporting enthusiastic volunteers, while
directing the Federal Government to take a backseat in
the direction of those troops. The Canadian troops were
however kept in all Canadian units albeit under British
command. He also insisted on overall authority over the
responsibility of the Canadian forces when he overrode
Lord Minto and Chamberlains opposition to recalling the
over enthusiastic General Hutton.
He also insisted that the commitment of
Canadian troops in South Africa was in no way to be
viewed as a precedent for future actions by Britain
where Canadian participation might be expected. This
assertment of control of Canadian foreign policy, by Laurier,
was a concrete first step towards full control of
international relations by the Canadian Parliament
in Ottawa.
The real battle for
Laurier was in minimizing the attacks between radical
French and English segments which could inflame the
debate and lead to a large split in the political
landscape in Canada. A Federal election was expected in
1900 and the Conservatives tried to create a campaign
issue out of Laurier's lack of complete support for the
war effort but most Canadian's felt that he had struck a
good balance and in every province except Ontario,
Laurier was able to increase his support in 1900 and won
decisive re-election as Prime Minister. |
