Robert Laird Borden
Sir
Robert Laird Borden (
June 26,
1854 -
June 10,
1937) was the eighth
Prime Minister of Canada from
October 10,
1911 to
July 10,
1920. He was born in Grand Pre,
Nova Scotia.
In
1889 he married
Laura Bond (
1863-
1940). Professionally, Borden's list of careers ran the gamut. From
1868 to
1874 he worked as a teacher in Nova Scotia and
New Jersey. After he returned to Nova Scotia in
1876, he studied law at a
Halifax law firm (without a formal university education) and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in
1878. He was the Chancellor of
Queen's University from
1924 to
1930 and stood as president of two financial institutions.
He was elected as a Member of
Parliament in
1896, and became leader of the
Conservative opposition in
1901. He slowly rebuilt the party, which had lost power and influence after the death of Sir
John A. Macdonald in
1891, and in
1911 he swept to power, campaigning against Sir
Wilfrid Laurier's plan for
free trade in natural products with the
United States.
As
Prime Minister of Canada during the
First World War, Borden committed Canada to provide half a million soldiers for the war effort. However, volunteers had quickly dried up when Canadians realized there would be no quick end to the war, but Borden's determination to meet that huge commitment led to the Military Service Act and the
Conscription Crisis of 1917, which split the country on linguistic lines. The unpopular conscription issue would likely have meant defeat in the election of
1917, but Borden allied with the
Liberals (with the notable exception of Wilfrid Laurier) to create a
Unionist government.
The war effort also enabled Canada to assert itself as an independent power. Borden wanted to create a single Canadian army, rather than have Canadian soldiers split up and assigned to British divisions.
Sam Hughes, the Minister of Militia, assured that Canadians were well-trained and prepared to fight in their own divisions, and
Arthur Currie provided sensible leadership for the Canadian divisions in Europe, although they were still under overall British command. Nevertheless Canadian troops proved themselves to be among the best in the world, fighting at the
Somme,
Ypres,
Passchendaele, and especially at the
Battle of Vimy Ridge.
In world affairs Borden played a crucial role in transforming the
British Empire into a partnership of equal states, the
Commonwealth of Nations, a term that was first discussed at a meeting of First Ministers in
London during the war. During the war Borden also introduced the first Canadian
income tax, which at the time was meant to be temporary, but was never repealed.
Convinced that Canada had become a nation on the battlefields of Europe, Borden demanded that Canada have a separate seat at the
Paris Peace Conference. This was initially opposed not only by Britain but also by the United States, who perceived such a delegation as an extra British vote. Borden responded by pointing out that since Canada had lost more men than the U.S. in the war she at least had the right to the representation of a "minor" power. British Prime Minister
David Lloyd George eventually relented and convinced the reluctant Americans to accept the presence of separate Canadian,
Australian,
New Zealand and
South African delegations. Not only did Borden's persistence allow him to represent Canada in
Paris as a nation, it also ensured that each of the dominions could sign the
Treaty of Versailles in its own right and receive a separate membership in the
League of Nations.
At Borden's insistence, the treaty was ratified by the Canadian Parliament. Borden also ensured that he would be the last prime minister to be
knighted after Parliament abolished all future such titles for Canadians in
1919. Sir Robert Borden retired
the following year and died in Ottawa on
June 10,
1937. He is buried in the Beechwood Cemetery,
Ottawa, Ontario.
Sir Robert Borden is depicted on the Canadian hundred-
dollar bill.
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Borden, Robert
