Adam beck

Sir Wilfrid LAURIER’s control of his government helped him face the challenges that confronted him. He demanded unwavering solidarity from his ministers and mps:

“[Laurier] never allowed a minister to thwart his plans. He could then become firm, abrupt, and willing to sacrifice his best men for the sake of his goals – cabinet solidarity and the integrity of his government, to which he clung tenaciously. For 15 years only one person held the reins of power in Ottawa.”

Joseph-Israël TARTE, minister of public works and Laurier’s Quebec lieutenant, deviated from the course set out by his leader. He paid the price, as this excerpt from Laurier’s biography shows: 

“There was also a need to clarify [Laurier’s] authority over his cabinet colleagues: specifically, he had to bring into line Joseph-Israël Tarte, his right-hand man in Quebec and the vaunted representat Sir wilfrid laurier biography!