Sir Robert Borden (Full name: Sir Robert Laird Borden) was the leader of the Conservative Party and eighth prime minister of Canada. As the leading figure of Canada during the years of World War 1, Borden played a significant role in revolutionizing the country’s status from “that of a colony to that of a nation” (Copp), essentially aiding Canada in gaining more independence from Great Britain. Born on June 26, 1854, Sir Robert Borden grew up and was educated in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia. His father, Andrew Borden, had married a woman named Catherine Sophia Fuller, and together they had two children. Following his wife’s death in 1847, Andrew Borden married the daughter of the village schoolmaster, Eunice Jane Laird. The two had three children,…show more content… As prime minister, Robert Borden was able to successfully lead Canada during the years of World War 1. Two of his most significant deeds as head of the government at the time were the War Measures Act and the Military Service Act. His wartime government was responsible for The War Measures Act, implemented on August 22, 1914; a law put into use in Canada during World War 1, that gave the federal government power to maintain security during war, and “suspend the civil liberties of people in Canada who were considered ‘enemy aliens’ during both world wars” (Smith). It was also one of the first measures of taxation by the Ottawa government. As years passed during the war, there were fewer Canadians volunteering and therefore being recruited into the Canadian army, and by late 1916, the number of losses was greater than the number of soldiers recruited. It was evident that conscription was necessary. In order to pass the Military Service Act, Borden offered a political alliance to Wilfrid Laurier, leader of the Liberals, who ended up refusing as he was insistent on voicing the concerns of French-Canadians who were
