Mr. Speaker, today marks Sir Wilfrid Laurier's birthday. Sir Wilfrid Laurier was the second Liberal Prime Minister after Confederation, and the first Quebecker to assume that title.
Nicknamed “silver tongue” for his eloquence, we can all be inspired by the principles that guided him.
His time in office was not without its challenges, including for example, the Manitoba schools question and the Boer war.
He welcomed Alberta and Saskatchewan into Confederation.
Almost a century before the fact, Laurier promoted free trade with the U.S. through reciprocity accords.
At the dawn of the 20th century, Laurier predicted that it would be Canada's century; as history has shown, he was right. If we want the 21st century to also be Canada's century, we must adopt a Liberal principle that Laurier held dear: the future is always more important than the past.