Sir Wilfred Laurier School at a Glance
- Close student, staff, community relationships
- Active and changing physical education and complementary programs
- Multicultural setting
- Strong intramural and interschool programs
- Teacher Advisor program (TA)
- Inclusion of special education students in all aspects of school program
Who Was Sir Wilfred Laurier?
Sir Wilfrid Laurier was born on Nov. 20, 1841, to Carolus and Marcelle Martineau in Saint-Lin, a town north of Montréal in the Lanaudiere region. He married Zoe Lafontain but didn't have any children. He was an accomplished lawyer and journalist, as well as an excellent speaker and an intense believer in Canada's destiny of a great nation. He was the seventh Prime Minister, and also the first French Canadian Prime Minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911.
Some of Sir Wilfrid Laurier's great accomplishments include bringing the French and the English together when many others in his position failed, creating the Department of Affairs in 1909, and encouraging the development of Western Canada through immigration. Through the foresight of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the "Father of Modern Canada", he was key in building the second transcontinental railway system and colonizing the fertile lands of western Canada.
The colonization and the building of the railroads led to the "Western Boom" which stimulated the country's economy and the creation of two new provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905. In 1911, Sir Wilfrid Laurier ended his long reign, of 15 years, as the Prime Minister of Canada. He died Feb. 17, 1919, following a series of strokes while he was in office as the Opposition Leader.
