Posted in Thompson, tagged Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, John Thompson on October 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1894 — Prime Minister Sir John Thompson sails for England to spend time with his daughter Helena. They visit France, Monaco and the Vatican City where Thompson suffers from breathlessness climbing to the top of the St. Peter’s Basilica dome.
His exhaustion persists when he returns to London. After being installed as a member of the Imperial Privy Council by Queen Victoria, he dies of a heart attack.
Posted in Abbott, Tupper, tagged Canadian Prime Ministers, Charles Tupper, Gary Schlee, John Abbott on October 30, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1893 & 1915 — Two caretaker Prime Ministers from the 1890s die on this date. Sir John Abbott‘s stomach cancer had forced him to resign as Prime Minister in November 1892; he dies 11 months later.
Sir Charles Tupper is the same age as Abbott, but lives nearly a quarter-century longer, passing away in his sleep at Bexley Heath, his English estate. He is the last of the 36 Fathers of Conderation to die.
Posted in King, Meighen, tagged Arthur Meighen, Canadian election, Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, William Lyon Mackenzie King on October 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1925 —Arthur Meighen and the Conservatives end up winning the most seats in Canada’s 15th federal election, but Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King refuses to step down. Instead, King courts the Progressive Party for support and the alliance gives him a majority.
The coalition soon unravels and Meighen is appointed Prime Minister by Governor-General Byng in 1926. He holds on to power for only three months before King wins re-election.
Posted in Bowell, Thompson, Tupper, tagged Canadian Prime Ministers, Charles Tupper, Gary Schlee, John Thompson, Mackenzie Bowell on October 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1895 –Prime Minister Sir Mackenzie Bowell visits Washington in an effort to obtain the compensation won by former Prime Minister Sir John Thompson for Canada in the Bering Sea Arbitration of 1893.
With him is his Justice minister, Charles Hibbert Tupper, son of the British High Commissioner Sir Charles Tupper. Although they fail to get the settlement, it is finally negotiated four months later. Canada receives $473,000 (worth $12 million today).
Posted in Laurier, Mackenzie, tagged Alexander Mackenzie, Canadian cabinet, Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, Wilfrid Laurier on October 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1877 —Wilfrid Laurier is defeated by 24 votes in the Drummond-Arthabaska by-election required to confirm his appointment as Inland Revenue minister. He loses to Désiré-Olivier Bourbeau, Conservative.
Three days later, Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie offers him the chance to contest the Quebec East riding after convincing incumbent Isidore Thibaudeau to step down. Laurier wins this time, holding Quebec East until his death four decades later.
Wilfrid Laurier is defeated in the by-election for his cabinet seat, losing by 87 votes in Drummond-Arthabaska
Posted in Mulroney, tagged Brian Mulroney, Canadian Prime Ministers, Charlottetown Accord, Gary Schlee on October 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1992 — More than 54% of Canadians do not agree that “the Constitution of Canada should be renewed on the basis of the agreement reached on August 28.” And so, the Charlottetown Accord chauffeured by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is dead by referendum.
Despite its endorsement by the federal government and all 10 provincial premiers, the complex deal made it hard for most voters to give it across-the-board approval.
Posted in Campbell, Chrétien, Harper, Meighen, tagged Arthur Meighen, Canadian election, Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, Jean Chrétien, Kim Campbell, Stephen Harper on October 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1993 — Jean Chrétien‘s Liberals win Canada’s 35th federal election, reducing Prime Minister Kim Campbell‘s Progressive Conservatives to fifth-party status with only two seats — held by Jean Charest and Elsie Wayne.
Campbell becomes the second sitting Prime Minister to lose at both the national and constituency level. (It happened to Arthur Meighen twice: in 1921 and 1926.) The Conservative vote went largely to two new parties, Bloc Québécois (becoming the Official Opposition) and Reform. Newly elected on the Reform ticket is Stephen Harper in Calgary West.
Posted in Macdonald, tagged Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, John A. Macdonald on October 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1862 — A letter to John A. Macdonald from his sister Louisa had warned of their mother’s deteriorating health. He left his government duties in the capital, Quebec City, to be at her bedside in Kingston.
Macdonald had supported his mother (and his sister Louisa) for 21 years after the death of his father. During that time, she suffered more than a dozen strokes and required constant care from Louisa.
Posted in Bennett, King, St. Laurent, tagged Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, Louis St. Laurent, R.B. Bennett, William Lyon Mackenzie King on October 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1955 –The Liberals mark 20 years of uninterrupted rule, the longest period since Confederation (and still the record). Louis St. Laurent has been Prime Minister for nearly seven years, on the heels of William Lyon Mackenzie King who replaced Conservative R.B. Bennett on October 23, 1935.
St. Laurent goes on to serve for another 20 months, bringing the total Liberal stretch to 21 years, eight months.
Posted in Campbell, tagged Canadian election, Canadian Prime Ministers, Gary Schlee, Kim Campbell on October 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »
1986 — Kim Campbell wins the Vancouver-Point Grey seat as the Social Credit candidate in the British Columbia provincial election. It is her first political success after losing in the last election and unsuccessfully contesting the Social Credit leadership provincially.
Two years later she moves on to federal politics as a Progressive Conservative and is immediately appointed to cabinet. She goes on to become Canada’s first female Justice minister, first female National Defence minister and first female Prime Minister. Vancouver-Point Grey is now represented by B.C. Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell — no relation.
Canadian Prime Ministers 