Alternate Canadian Prime Ministers

Alternate Canadian Prime Ministers
This will be a combination of both a thought experiment and a game on the part of the Post-1900 forum. The first player, in this case myself, writes down the name of an alternate Canadian PM; the second player writes a brief biography of that PM and then writes down the name of a second figure, and their term of office, party, etc. The third player repeats this, and so on, and so forth (This is inspired by Basilieus Giorgios' Future World Leaders thread, and by the recent sequel to the game created in that forum).

I will, however, be making a few modifications to the format:
1. The POD will essentially be the avoidance of Laurier's defeat in 1911. After the end of Laurier's term, no person who became PM IOTL can become PM ITTL. The person who does Laurier's entry will only have to concern themselves with his fifth term.
2. The Butterfly Effect will be noted. Persons born after 1900 IOTL likely won't be born, so keep that in mind when we get to the time period in which prominent party leaders start to rise (Early 1960s)
3. Please, stick with Duverger's Law.
So without further adieu, then, I'll post the first name (to be followed by someone else's entry) and we'll get this thing on the road.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier (L-QC): Sept. 11, 1896- Nov. 3, 1916**

** Died in office of natural causes
 
When Sir Wilfred Laurier won the election of 1911, it came as a surprise to many Canadians. Robert Borden, leader of the opposition, continued to stay on for the next few years, until he finally passed the torch of to Arthur Meighen in 1920.

While in office, Borden worked to build up the strangth of the Canadian navy, to the point were it would become medest but respectable. on the domestic front, Laurier worked with President Taft to produce a formal free trade agreement betweem the US and Canada.

When war came in 1914, Canada stood at the side of the British, and was one of the largest serving forces in the British Empire,though Laurier himself was reluctant to take a larger part in the war.

In 1916, Laurier passed away quietly in his sleep, no longer able to see his country through one of its greatest challenges.

Sir Allen B. Aylesworth (L-ON),1916-1926
 
The Death of Laurier in the midst of the Great War came as a shock to all Canadians, most notably those within the Liberal Party. Since the beginning of the First World War in 1914 there had been a growing split within the Party between advocates for instituting conscription and against conscription.

Though much of this pressure was non-existent in the beginning of the war when volunteers were plenty and Laurier's vaunted Royal Canadian Navy was engaging German raiders (such as the first naval engagement of the war between the HMCS VICTORIA and the SMS LEIPZIG) by the time of Laurier's death things had begun to change.Despite all it's success in the early months of the war, the RCN now sat idly at port unable to do much of anything, even against the growing perceived scourge of the U-boat. Furthermore, losses in France had mounted and the call was sent out for men and large numbers of them. Though Laurier had promised nothing initially, many Liberals, mostly those from English Canada felt he should have promised solid support from Canada. Needless to say, French Canadian Liberals did not share the same sentiment.

This crisis which threatened to tear Canada apart was handed to none other than Allen Bristol Aylesworth, elected in an emergency Liberal Leadership Caucus following Laurier's death. Aylesworth knew that decisive action needed to be taken in regards to the Conscription issue in regards to both the country and the Liberal party. With an election long overdue, Aylesworth knew that his prospects for re-election were slim if he continued to hold to Laurier's hesitancy to institute conscription, such a stance would gain him significant seats in Quebec but result in him losing every seat outside , including his own, to the Tories.

Taking this into account, Aylesworth decided to do something unprecedented. The issue of the 1917 election would be that of Conscription and a National Union government would be formed with Robert Borden's Conservative party. In exchange for numerous concessions, Borden agreed and the election was held in March of 1917. Incumbent Candidates would run as Unionist Candidates without opposition from either the Liberal or Conservative Parties. A joint cabinet would be set up with 9 Liberals, 10 Conservatives, and 1 "Labour" member.

The 1917 Election would be notable for seeing the intensification and provincialization of French Canadian nationalism with the emergence of the Parti Canadien under the leadership of Henri Bourassa who felt that the emergence of a Unionist government spelled disaster for Quebec and the rest of Canada. Founding a new party with the announcement of a Union government, Bourassa's allies in the Liberal Party were among the first to "cross the floor" to the Parti Canadien. Come the election these PC candidates would be challenged by Unionist candidates but would win anyways. Though the Unionist Party would sweep English Canada and govern with a large majority, 80% of Quebec's seats would go to the new PC under Bourassa.

With such a strong mandate, Aylesworth immediately began pursuing his agenda of Conscription. This however would lead to more problems as French Canadians began to riot in response. The unrest in Quebec would last until the end of the War in 1918 and tie down considerable resources. However the success of the Canadian forces on the battlefields of France would buoy Aylesworth's reputation with the end of the conflict. Nevertheless, severe damage had been done to the reputation of the Liberal Party in Quebec.

Aylesworth would attempt to hold the Unionist party together in the aftermath of the war yet it would crumble within a few years. Faced with the prospect of continued Conservative support, or maintaining the support of the Western farmers, Aylesworth sided with the Liberal Party's traditional allies. The Union Party crumbled with the re-establishment of the Conservatives under Arthur Meighen in 1920.

Despite holding onto the Western votes, tensions would rise during the 1920's in regards to the activities of big Labor and those abroad such as the Chanak Crisis in 1922. Though Aylesworth's support of the British Empire would be cheered in English Canada, it only served to further increase the growing divide between English and French Canada. Though Aylesworth would try to make inroads into Quebec following the Chanak Crisis, these measures would be viewed with hostility by the Conservatives.

The election of 1922 would be the most tumultuous in Canada's history, as the Conservatives did their best to drive the Liberals out of power. Though he would campaign hard and attempt to win back Quebec, Aylesworth would fail. Indeed it seemed that the Tories under Meighen were destined to win, when, during a speech in Winnipeg, Meighen was shot and killed by a disgruntled Roman Catholic. The incident sent shockwaves throughout the country and paralyzed the Conservative Party. Though Borden would return as interim leader it would not be enough to guarantee victory and thus the Liberals gained a bare plurality of the seats in the election.

Aylesworth's final ministry would be even more controversial, as in order to stay in power he was forced to form a minority government and depend on the source of Henri Bourassa's Parti Canadien. This of course, enraged the Conservatives even more who held their first leadership convention in the hopes of ousting Aylesworth and his traitors. Though Aylesworth did manage to get a few things done during this time, eventually his ministry would collapse when he attempted to purchase new ships for the dilapidated Canadian Navy in 1926. Perceived Tory support did not materialize forcing the Governor General Lord Julian Byng to dissolve Aylesworth's ministry and force an election.

Opposed by the Conservative party under Henry L. Drayton, Aylesworth would run a lackluster campaign, one that would pale in comparison to Drayton's aggressive, nationalist, and well-financed campaign targeted solely on English Canada. Reduced to a paltry 27 seats following the election, Aylesworth would resign as Liberal leader soon after as the party held it's first leadership convention

Sir Henry L. Drayton (C-ON) 1926-1931
 
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