Laurier, Sir Wilfrid

Japanese: ローリエ（英語表記）Laurier, Sir Wilfrid

Born: November 20, 1841, Sanran
[Died] February 17, 1919. Ottawa Canadian politician. Prime Minister (in office 1896-1911). Studied at McGill University, and immediately after graduating in 1864, he entered the legal profession. In 1871, he was elected to the Quebec Provincial Assembly and entered politics. In 1874, he was elected to the Federal House of Commons. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada (Liberal Party) and joined the Mackenzie government as Minister of Internal Revenue in 1877, but the Liberal Party was defeated in the 1878 election and went into opposition. In 1887, he was elected leader of the Liberal Party, succeeding Edward Blake. In 1896, he won the election over French-language education in Manitoba and became Prime Minister (see Manitoba Education Issue). During his term, Canada was in a state of unprecedented prosperity, and he promoted self-government in Canada without being distracted by economic problems. In 1899, the South African War broke out and Canada was asked to send troops, but French Canadians opposed it. Although he was French Canadian himself, he avoided internal conflicts in Canada by sending volunteers to South Africa, and increased Canada's voice in the British Empire. During his term, the British military was completely withdrawn from Canada, and the Canadian Navy was established, giving Canada the responsibility for its own defense. In 1910, the United States offered Canada a reciprocal trade treaty, and it seemed as if Canada's status as a nation was nearing completion. However, the Navy Act was unpopular in Quebec, and some of the Conservative and Liberal parties opposed reciprocity with the United States under the banner of nationalism, leading to his defeat in the 1911 election. Even after leaving office, he continued to wield hidden influence, and during World War I he supported the Conservative Party's war policy and contributed to unifying the nation, but he opposed the Conservative Party's introduction of conscription in 1917, which resulted in the Liberal Party splitting into two and weakening it. He was knighted in 1897. (→ Canadian History)

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1841.11.20. サンラン
[没]1919.2.17. オタワ
カナダの政治家。首相（在任 1896～1911）。マギル大学で学び，1864年卒業後ただちに法曹界に，1871年にはケベック州議会議員に選出され政界に入る。1874年連邦下院議員に当選。カナダ自由党（自由党）に属し，1877年マッケンジー内閣の内国税収入担当大臣として入閣したが，1878年の選挙で自由党が敗北し野党にまわった。1887年エドワード・ブレークを継いで自由党党首に選ばれ，1896年マニトバにおけるフランス語による教育をめぐって争われた選挙で勝利を収め，首相に就任（→マニトバ学制問題）。在任中カナダは未曾有の繁栄下にあり，経済問題にわずらわされることなく，カナダの自治の推進をはかった。1899年南アフリカ戦争が勃発し，カナダは軍隊の派遣を求められたが，フランス系カナダ人はそれに反対した。自身もフランス系カナダ人であったが，志願兵を南アフリカへ派兵するというかたちでカナダ内部の対立を回避し，イギリス帝国におけるカナダの発言権を増加させた。また在任中イギリス軍は完全にカナダから撤退し，カナダ海軍が創設されてカナダは自国の防衛の責任を負うことになった。1910年にはアメリカ合衆国から互恵通商条約締結の申し出があり，カナダの国家としての地位は完成に近づいたかのようであった。しかし海軍法がケベックで不人気であったことと，保守党と自由党の一部がナショナリズムを旗印にアメリカとの互恵に反対したことにより，1911年の選挙で敗北。下野したあとも隠然たる勢力をふるい，第1次世界大戦では保守党の戦争遂行政策を支持して国論の統一に寄与したが，1917年の保守党による徴兵制の導入には反対し，この結果自由党は二分裂して弱体化した。1897年ナイトの称号を贈られた。（→カナダ史）

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