Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807-1864)

A prominent politician of the mid 1800s, Lafontaine with Robert Baldwin formed what was called the AGreat Ministry@ between 1848 and 1851. Baldwin was the leader of Canada West (what would become Ontario), while Lafontaine headed the government of Canada East (Quebec). Together, they outlined the principles of responsible government and formed a new political faction, what would come to be called the Liberal Party.

John George Lambton,1st Earl of Durham (1792-1840)

In 1838, he was Governor General and in his report on Canada in 1839, he advocated the union of Upper and Lower Canada which was accepted in 1841.

Sir Hector Louis Langevin (1826-1906)

He was Mayor of Quebec in 1856 and Solicitor-General in the coalition ministry that achieved Confederation. He replaced George Etienne Cartier in John A. Macdonald’s cabinet, but was forced to resign in 1891 due to his involvement in the railway scandal of 1891.

Ernest Lapointe (1871-1941)

In 1924, he was Minister of Justice under the Mackenzie King administration. He believed that the most important issue was the unity of the country and that this should be preserved at all costs. Although he opposed conscription, he supported Canada’s participation in World War II.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier (1841-1919)                      

Wilfrid Laurier studied law at McGill University and then become a lawyer before getting involved in politics.  He became Canada’s first francophone prime minister in 1896 and served in this role until his party lost the election in 1911.  Laurier can also claim having the longest unbroken term of office as prime minister.

Jean Lesage (1912-1980)

In 1960, he became the Liberal Premier of Quebec. He introduced the Quiet Revolution against corruption and against economic domination of the U.S.A. and of anglophone Canadians in Quebec. His government was defeated in 1966 by the Union Nationale.

René Lévesque (1922-1987)

The founder of the Parti Québecois in 1968, he tried to unite the majority of francophones who wanted greater autonomy for Quebec. He pushed hard for labour reforms, the completion of the huge Quebec Hydro scheme and began legislation to place foreign-owned and other corporations under public ownership. More important was the introduction of Bill 101 which legislated for a unilingual province and a referendum law on the question of sovereignty in Quebec. Secession for Quebec was voted down under Prime Minister Trudeau’s reign and as a consequence, Lévesque demanded enhanced political powers for his province. The party became deeply divided over the secession issue as did the country.

Liberal Party of Canada

This name was given to the party that came of the reform groups of Canada East and Canada West in the late 1840s. In 1855, it was joined by the Clear Grits and then after Confederation by the Rouges. In 1873, they saw their chance to win power under the leadership of Alexander Mackenzie by taking advantage of the railway scandal. By 1878 they were relegated back to opposition party as they were unable to negotiate reciprocity with the U.S.A. In addition to this, the Depression was having a profound effect on the party’s position of power. It wasn’t until 1896 that the Liberal Party was able to pull itself together to win an election. Sir Wilfrid Laurier brought the party back to power by including some of the provincial premiers in his cabinet and therefore, increasing the government’s appeal to the provinces. After Laurier’s death, William Lyon Mackenzie led the Liberals back into power in 1921.

Arthur Lismer (1885-1969)

Born in Sheffield, England, Lismer came to Canada in 1911. Lismer was one of the young artists at Grip Ltd., a commercial art studio in Toronto, and here met other future members of what would become the Group of Seven artists. He joined the army during the First World War. After the end of the war in 1918, he did some of his most important paintings. Lismer is well known for his stormy scenes of Georgian Bay, Ontario.