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| Color | |
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| Abbreviation | UNI |
| Website | |
| Country | Canada |
| Established | 1917-00-00
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| Disbanded | 1921-00-00
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| Contributor | Monsieur |
| Last Edited | Monsieur - December 28, 2004 04:35pm |
| Description | The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by MPs in Canada who supported the Union government formed by Sir Robert Borden during World War I.
In May 1917, Conservative Prime Minister Borden proposed the formation of a national unity government or coalition government to Liberal leader Sir Wilfrid Laurier in order to enact conscription as well as govern for the remainder of the war. Laurier rejected this proposal because of the opposition of his Quebec MPs and fears that Quebec nationalist leader Henri Bourassa would be able to exploit the situation.
As an alternative to a coalition with Laurier, on October 12, 1917, Borden formed the Union government with a Cabinet of 12 Conservatives, 9 Liberals and Independents and 1 "Labour". To represent "labour" and the working class Borden appointed to the Cabinet Conservative Senator Gideon Decker Robertson who had been appointed to the Senate in January and had links with the conservative wing of the labour movement through his profession as a telegrapher. Robertson, however, was a Tory and not a member of any Labour or socialist party.
Borden then called an election for December on the issue of conscription (see also Conscription Crisis of 1917) running as head of a Unionist Party composed of Borden's Conservatives, independent MPs and members of the Liberals who left the caucus of Sir Wilfrid Laurier in order to support conscription. |
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