Liberal Party of Canada summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Liberal Party of Canada.

Liberal Party of Canada, One of the two major Canadian political parties. It originated in two reformist opposition groups, Rouges and Clear Grits, that emerged in the mid-19th century in what are now the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, respectively. The first Liberal government was headed by Alexander Mackenzie (1873–78). The party regained power under Wilfred Laurier (1896–1911) and was the ruling party for much of the 20th century under such prime ministers as W.L. Mackenzie King, Louis Saint Laurent, Lester Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, and Jean Chrétien. Like the Conservative Party (later the Progressive Conservative Party), the Liberal Party comprises diverse regional, ethnic, religious, and class interests.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Summary

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Liberal politician and prime minister of Canada (1968–79; 1980–84). His terms in office were marked by the establishment of diplomatic relations with China (1970) and improved relations with France, the defeat of the French separatist movement, constitutional independence

W.L. Mackenzie King Summary

W.L. Mackenzie King was the prime minister of Canada (1921–26, 1926–30, 1935–48) and leader of the Liberal Party, who helped preserve the unity of the English and French populations of Canada. Mackenzie King, as he is usually called, was the son of John King and Isabel Grace Mackenzie, daughter of

Wilfrid Laurier Summary

Wilfrid Laurier was the first French Canadian prime minister of the Dominion of Canada (1896–1911), noted especially for his attempts to define the role of French Canada in the federal state and to define Canada’s relations to Great Britain. He was knighted in 1897. Laurier was born of French

liberalism Summary

Liberalism, political doctrine that takes protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual to be the central problem of politics. Liberals typically believe that government is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others, but they also recognize that government itself can pose