CANADA 667 



The Governor General. The Earl and Countess Grey embarked at Quebec for Eng- 

 land on October 13, 1911, when His Excellency relinquished the office of Governor Gen- 

 eral. Appointed on September 26th, and assuming office on December 10, 1904, Lord 

 Grey's tenure of office was in 1009 extended beyond the usual term of five years, and 

 again for another year after the death of King Edward in 1910. He had thus held office 

 longer than any of his eight predecessors since Confederation. In January 1911 it was 

 notified that the Duke of Connaught would be appointed to succeed Lord Grey, and on 

 March 2ist, he was formally gazetted as Governor General and Commander in Chief 

 for a period of two years. On October 12, 1911 the Duke and Duchess were wel- 

 comed at Quebec, where the new Governor General was formally sworn in. 



Imperial Conference, 191:1. At the Imperial Conference in London in May and June 

 1911, the Canadian representatives were Sir Wilfrid Laurier, 1 Prime Minister, Sir F. W. 

 Borden, 2 Minister of Militia & Defence, and Mr. L. P. Brodeur (b. 1862), Minister of 

 Marine & Fisheries. 



Among the resolutions adopted of particular i.iterest to Canada was Resolution I, pro- 

 posed by the Imperial government, which provided that (a) the Dominions shall be afforded 

 an opportunity of consultation when instructions are being framed for British delegates at 

 future meetings of the Hague Conference, and that Conventions affecting the Dominions 

 provisionally assented to at that Conference shall be circulated among the Dominion govern- 

 ments for their consideration before any such convention is signed: (b) that a similar pro- 

 cedure, where time and opportunity and the subject matter permit shall, as far as possible, 

 be used when preparing instructions for the negotiation of other international agreements 

 affecting the Dominions. Moreover, in connection with the most-favoured-nation clause in 

 certain Treaties still in force between Great Britain and other countries, Resolution XIX 

 was adopted on the motion of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as follows: "That His Majesty's Govern- 

 ment be requested to open Negotiations with the several foreign governments having Treaties 

 which apply to the Overseas Dominions with a view to securing liberty for any of those 

 Dominions which may so desire to withdraw from the operation of the treaty without impair- 

 ing the treaty in respect of the rest of the Empire." Steps were subsequently taken by 

 the Imperial government towards the opening of negotiations with the countries concerned. 



Resolution XX, also adopted on the motion of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, suggested the appoint- 

 ment of a Royal Commission to investigate and report upon the natural resources of the 

 Empire and the development of mutual trading relations. Effect was given later in the year 

 to this suggestion, and Mr. George E. Foster, the Minister of Trade & Commerce in Mr. 

 Borden's cabinet, was appointed on the Dominions Royal Commission. 



Parliamentary Politics. The political history of Canada in 1910-13 centres round 

 the two great questions of Reciprocity with the United States and Canadian naval 

 policy in relation to the Empire. On July 18, 1911 parliament reassembled after the 

 Coronation adjournment, and on July 29th the government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who 

 had been Premier since 1896, decided to recommend the dissolution of parliament, and 

 to submit their proposals for commercial reciprocity with the United States (see below) 

 to the judgment of the Canadian people at a general election, which was fixed for Septem- 

 . ber 2ist. While the chief question before the electors was the Reciprocity Agreement, 

 the question of Canada's Naval Policy (see below) received much attention, especially 

 in the province of Quebec. The result was a complete defeat for the government and 

 the Reciprocity party. What had been a Liberal majority of 43 was converted into a 

 Conservative-Liberal and Anti-Reciprocity majority of 49. Mr. Fielding and Mr. 

 Paterson, who were responsible for the negotiations with the United States, were both 

 defeated, together with Sir F. Borden and four other ministers. On October 6th 

 Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his administration resigned office. Sir Wilfrid Laurier. re- 

 tained his seat, however, and decided to remain at the head of his party, now in Op- 

 position. 



Mr. R. L. Borden, 3 leader of the Conservative party, being called upon to form an 

 Administration, accomplished this task on October 10, 1911, and the new ministry was 



1 B. 1841: see E. B. xvi, 286-7. 



- B. 1847: see E. B. iv, 245. 



3 Robert Laird Borden (see E. B. iv, 245) was born in Nova Scotia in 1854. Becoming a 

 leading lawyer in his province, he entered the Dominion parliament in 1896, and in 1901 

 became leader of the Conservative Opposition. 



